Experimenting with Boredom

Nameless faces passed by in a blur across the computer monitor.

“No. No. No,” Thomas said while counting his arm hairs mentally (He was up to four hundred fifty-eight).

“Are you even paying attention?” Sasha’s voice reverbed inside the wall-mounted intercom. “This experiment is half my grade, Tom.”

“Yeah, that’s great, Sash. No. No.”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Four hundred sixty-seven.”

“What?”

“Oops. Sorry. Didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

Sasha opened the door into Thomas’s room, “You’re supposed to be watching the monitor!”

“I am!” said Thomas. “Oh, that’s just wonderful.”

“What?”

“You made me lose count!”