you and stan are walking down the cracked sidewalk, the school looming ahead like a prison sentence neither of you signed up for. it’s the same walk you take every morning. stan's long legs shuffling next to you, his hands jammed into the pockets of his thrifted jacket. he’s wearing those oversized sunglasses again, the ones he swears make him look cool but really just make him look like an 80s rock star who wandered into the wrong decade.

“you know,” stanley says, his voice breaking the morning quiet, “i was thinking... maybe we just ditch today.”

you glance at him, raising an eyebrow. “ditch? stan, we can’t ditch every time you’re bored.”

he scoffs, pushing his sunglasses up like he’s got a point to make. “okay, but hear me out. we go to class, what happens? we sit there, the teachers go on about stuff we’re never gonna need, and everyone else is just... existing.” he emphasizes the last word like it’s the worst thing imaginable. “but we ditch, and who knows what we’ll find? maybe the meaning of life, maybe some crazy adventure.”