Southern Region

By: Dennis Yomar Valentin

They do. What’s the point of sleeping in for two days then having to wake up at 7:00 AM? All that sleeping makes people want to hit the SNOOZE button on your alarm clock when it goes off. So, naturally, I did.

After ten minutes my mom started yelling at me to wake up so loudly that it makes me fall off my bed and get another bruise. It turns out that I missed the bus. I quickly brushed my teeth, got dressed, and ate a fast breakfast. It was the seventh time I missed the bus. In two weeks.

As my mom took me to school, she looked at me in the rearview mirror and said,

“Leo, you honestly need to start shaping up your act. How do you think you’ll do when you get a job? If you kept being late you would get fired and be without a job. That wouldn’t look good for your career.” I looked at my mom and replied,

“Mom, it’s gonna be fine. You worry way too much.” Then we arrived at school and I got out of the car and went inside the school.

I walked in the office and Mrs. Jones looked at me and said,

“Again, seriously? When are you going to stop being late?” I looked at my feet and muttered, “Sorry.” She handed me a pass and told me I had another tardy and detention after school. I rolled my eyes and said that I didn’t care. Then, when I got in the classroom my teacher told me to hurry up and get my homework out. When I told him I didn’t get it done, he just sighed and told me to go to the office. I got so mad I started to talk back and yelled at him.

My mom had to pick me up from school early because I got suspended. As my mom drove me home, she kept looking at me in the rearview mirror without a word. I could tell she was disappointed in me so I told her I was sorry. She just said it didn’t matter anymore, because I’ll never change who I am.

After dinner, while my parents are arguing about moving schools, I remembered about an important meeting. I’ve been thinking about the meeting for a while, but now I made up my mind.