Wish You Had Just (Penta)Gone

(We are sitting in maths class, and I am chatting with the guy sitting next to me, and we are completely oblivious to our surroundings. Our teacher has noticed us not paying attention, and comes over.)

Maths Teacher: *talks really fast* “… has five sides. Yes or no?”

(We look at each other, unsure what to say.)

Maths Teacher: “Well? Yes or no?

Me: “Um, no?”

Guy Next To Me: “Er… Yes?”

Maths Teacher: “Is that your final answer?”

(We nod.)

Maths Teacher: *to [Guy Next to Me]* “So when I said, ‘A triangle has five sides, yes or no?’ You agreed, that yes, it does?”

Guy Next To Me: “Yes.” *pauses* “Wait, no! No it doesn’t.”

Maths Teacher: “And that, kids, is why you should always pay attention!” *turns to me* “How did you know the answer was ‘no’?”

Me: “Honestly? I didn’t, but in these situations, I’ve learned it’s always wiser to say no.”

(We didn’t really get into trouble, but we certainly learned our lesson about talking while the teacher was! And the guy next to me was teased for the next few lessons about how many sides a triangle has!)