"Uh ... I can't. I'm ... uh ... sick," Tom said. It was the only thing he could think of. And after he said it, he realized what a lame excuse it was.
"Sick?" his mom asked. "You can do better than that. Come on, open up. What are you doing in there?"
Tom didn't know what to do. His mom already caught him in a lie. If he tried to make up something else, she probably wouldn't believe him. He had no way out. Then an idea sprung to him. A way out, he thought, as he looked over at his bedroom window. If he couldn't avoid letting his parents see him, he could always just leave the house. But what would he do after that?
"I'm getting your father," his mom said.
Tom lifted up the window, but then paused, wondering if he was making the right decision. His mom already knew he was home. If his parents got into his bedroom and found him missing, they might think the worst. Maybe even call the cops. But then he thought about how they'd react if they saw how he looked now. They might call the cops then too.
"Tom, what's going on in there?" his dad asked through the door. "Come on, answer me."
Tom had to make a decision and quick.
