Michael K. sat at his desk in his room.

Mom K. and Dad K. were off somewhere doing who knows what. Baby K. was at her Sunshine Whatever Baby Place.

The whole house was terribly quiet.

Michael K. stared at his computer screen.

“Three point one four million and nothing,” said Michael K. to no one in particular.

Michael K. closed the browser window, clicked on his spaceheadz.com bookmark, and dragged it into his computer screen trash.

“Three point one four million and . . . one big sucker,” said Michael K. to the whole world.

Michael K. shut down his computer.

He pulled his SPHDZ certificate down from his bulletin board and threw it in the trash.

He ripped his SPHDZ sticker off his skateboard and threw it in the trash.

He tore down his SPHDZ posters and threw them in the trash.

He ran around his room pulling, yanking, tearing, and trashing anything and everything SPHDZ.

Michael K. sat down on his bed.

The house was still terribly quiet.

“I don’t need them,” said Michael K. “I do not need them.”

And then he picked up his science book to try to read and forget about everything.