They warned us not to make promises we couldn't keep, and I was very careful with my wording. Still, as I tried to coax Tony* to go get a late pass from room 160, I worried about how he was interpreting what I was saying. "Hey Tony, how's it going? How come you're not in class?" "I'll tell you the truth. I was on my way to class, but my jacket got stuck in my locker, so I was late, and the teacher wouldn't let me in without a late pass." "That sucks. So you're on your way to 160 to get a late pass?" He hesitated. "No, I don't want to get suspended" "Why would you get suspended for being late?" "Well... I wasn't in my other classes today..." "Okay... but you're still getting marked absent right now... so you can still get suspended, and you're making it worse by not going to class." He shrugged. My logic, which seemed pretty flawless to me, didn't phase him. "