I was not one to skip school — until I met Tommy!

Tommy knew how to get away with things. Every morning at the bus stop, he’d dare me to skip school with him, but I wouldn’t.

But I finally took him up on his offer. As we made our trek to the mall, the worst downpour of rain came hailing down. Soaking wet and standing outside of Burdines department store, we couldn’t get into the mall until 10 am. Then the cops came and put us in the back of their patrol car and called my dad.

Tommy thought nothing of it, but I figured they should call an ambulance for me. “Any day you feel like skipping school,” dad…