In Bryan’s bedroom on Sunday night, the two friends draw characters from Star Wars and superhero comics together, and Mike praises Bryan’s drawings in a way that sounds fake, like flattery. Then Mike shows Bryan a note that he has forged in his mother’s name, excusing him from school on Tuesday for a “doctor’s appointment.” He offers it as a template for Bryan’s own forgeries and gives him detailed instructions on how to use a “fake note.” Mike claims that he has forged notes many times and has never been caught. Silencing his own doubts, Bryan copies Mike’s note word for word. The next day, he follows Mike’s advice—to show the note to his homeroom teacher at the end of the day, when she is “faded” and less observant. She accepts the note as genuine and even hands it back to him. He is greatly relieved and excited.

The next day, the two boys walk to the subway instead of to school. Bryan lacks the money to pay the fare, but when Mike tells him that he “got it,” Bryan is impressed with what he perceives to be Mike’s brotherly generosity.