I sighed and looked down at the thin book. I would have to read it. Unless�
I raised my hand and waited for the teacher to call on me. �Is there a different book I can read?� I asked. �I don�t know if I can finish this.�
My teacher laughed. �No, I�m sorry. That�s the book you have to read.�
I sighed and flopped down onto my desk. I laid my head on the book and closed my eyes. Maybe I would fall asleep, and I wouldn�t have to start the stupid book.
�Stephanie, open your book, please,� said my teacher. �I don�t want you to fall behind.�
�I�m going to be behind anyway,� I mumbled under my breath as I opened up the book. I looked at the first page. An old man, how exciting. I put the book down on the desk so the pages were standing straight up, and I put my head on the desk and closed my eyes. Maybe I would look like I was reading, but I�d actually be sleeping.
When I got home that night, I was still only on the third page. It took so long to get through! I opened the book and began to read, but only five minutes later, I put it back down again and started on other, more exciting things.
The next day, I walked into class, without reading the second chapter. The assignment was to read until the fifth. I groaned and planted my face on the surface of the desk. I was already behind, and it was only the second day of reading.
That night, I made it to chapter four before my attention drifted to other things. I asked a friend what happened in the next chapter at lunch the following day. It was enough to pull me through.
This cycle continued for several more days until every night, I would read only a chapter or two before I decided I just didn�t care. I finally just stopped reading it altogether. By this time, I was about five or six chapters behind, and the rest of the book was assigned for tonight. Instead of reading the book, I hopped onto the internet and began to chat with my friends on AIM. Suddenly, the thought struck me.
Cliff notes.
I opened up a web page and typed �cliff notes old man sea� into Google and pressed enter, eagerly awaiting the results. Ten minutes later, I had finished the book, in the only way I could; by not reading it.
The next Thursday, a project was assigned on the book, due Tuesday. I hadn�t really read the book, so I wasn�t exactly sure what to do with the project. It took me a few days, but I finally made something that resembled a project and handed it in. I sighed an enormous sigh of relief and told myself that this phase of my life was over.
When I got the project back a few days later, I was dismayed at my grade, a 68. However, I understood why I got it. It�s hard to do a project on a book you didn�t read.