A Sad Sign Of The Times, Part 3

High School | Learning | August 22, 2013

(My high school is three stories tall, with stairs at either end of the building. One of the stairwells has doors leading onto the third floor which are labeled with bright red stickers with foot-tall letters reading ‘DO NOT OPEN: SILENT ALARM.’ I am talking to my friend on the first day of school.)

Me: “I wonder how long it will be until someone opens those?”

My Friend: “Oh, come on! Nobody’s that dumb!”

(Fast forward to a year and a half later. My friend and I are in class together. Outside the window, something outside catches my eye.)

Me: “Hey, look, a fire truck.”

(A couple of my classmates come to look.)

Me: “Hey, look. Another fire truck.”

(More classmates come to look.)

Me: “Hey, look. A police car.”

(Everyone in the classroom, including the teacher, is now headed for the windows.)

Me: “Hey, look, they’re all coming HERE! Do you think…”

(Sure enough, a freshman has missed the huge signs and has opened the silent alarm doors. Final total: six fire trucks, two police cars, one embarrassed freshman, and one entertained student body.)

My Friend: “Well, I was wrong. Somebody is that dumb!”