Nate decides to skip school, only to realize that skipping is impossible due to “The Machine”: “The Machine watches you. It knows your every move. And if you’re not where you’re supposed to be, the Machine tracks you down” (38). The Machine keeps tabs on the students of P.S. 38 in various ways. First, there is the seating chart. Nate claims teachers do not care about students’ names; they use the seating chart only to ensure students are at their desks. Second, the attendance sheet easily shows teachers when a student is absent. Third, there are the classroom helpers. Nate compares teachers to queen bees and certain students (particularly Gina) to drones. Gina takes the attendance sheet to the front office, where the fourth piece of The Machine lurks: the school secretary. The secretary, Mrs. Shipulski, tracks the attendance and calls parents whose students are marked absent. Therefore, if Nate skips, he will face more significant consequences than just summer school. Nate wonders if he risks suspension, expulsion, or even military school.

As skipping is too risky, Nate decides he needs an excused absence instead. This requires a note from Nate’s father, but Nate decides he can handle that. Nate tries multiple times to forge a note close to his father’s signature.