Maya stared at her math exam like it was written in alien code. The classroom was so quiet she could hear her own panic.
She glanced at her best friend, Liam, who looked two seconds away from fainting over Question 3.
Maya slid him a small doodle she'd made: a window, a rope, and big letters that read "ESCAPE PLAN."
Liam blinked.
- “You can’t be serious.”
- “Oh, I’m very serious,”
Maya whispered.
- “We climb out the window, run across the roof, and boom—freedom.”
Liam swallowed hard.
- “Maya… this is a math test, not prison.”
- “Exactly. That’s why we escape.”
The clock ticked ominously.
And suddenly, the exam wasn’t just a test—it was a mission.

Liam couldn’t deny that he wanted out, too. But what’s worse, having his head spin from numerals and variables for a good 30 minutes, or pay the principal a fourth visit in the span of three months—with his parents?

”I’m sorry, Maya. I— I can’t.”

Maya’s eyes sparkled, giving Liam the tightest, squeeziest, bear hug she could offer. ”That’s amazing! I knew I could always count on you!”

”Maya, I said can’t! As in cannot!” Liam whispered, feeling embarrassed by the students eyeing them suspiciously.

”Okay, I’ll distract them, you start opening the window.”