Tom skipped, and skipped, and kept sleeping through everything.
The first few times, Becky brought homework and told him to come back. But he didn't do it. He didn't come back, and then she stopped.
When Aunt Polly did force him to go, finally, he hardly could.
He thought about going and then circling back; about going to the woods. But his feet just kept taking him to the schoolyard and towards Huck. And he couldn't stop himself.
When Tom saw them in the courtyard, he just decided to go to class. He wouldn't let himself near Huck.
He decided to sit in the back, in the scratched and wobbly desk.
He did his work, tried to be as quiet as possible. But still, the teachers picked on him.
When Mr. Dobbins called on him, there must've been something in his voice or his eyes or his stance that made him only do it once. Tom was about to fall apart, and it probably showed. And after that one time, Tom sat in the back undisturbed, and Mr. Dobbins called on other people.
Tom really was about to break.
Every time he glanced to Huck-- it was often, because he just couldn't stop himself-- his heart turned in the best and the worst way, and he just kept on thinking about that kiss. Every time he looked to Becky, he felt that trapping feeling. Felt almost nothing except a need to be loyal to her. Maybe he did love her, but... It wasn't the way that it should be. It wasn't the way he wanted.
Tom sat alone during lunch. He sat alone during class. He left school as soon as he could and got up as late as he could, hoping every day that he could avoid everything.
And then, day by day, it had been weeks.