TIFU by doing the “Chromebook Challenge,” putting a pencil in the charging port, and starting a fire

Yuh Ts Was Not Tuff 🥀🥀

So my school handed out those clunky little Chromebooks that feel like they’re made of recycled cardboard and sadness. Naturally, we treat them with the respect they deserve which is to say, not much.

Recently, some genius in our friend group invented a new joke trend we called the “Chromebook Challenge” where the goal is to “fix” or “upgrade” your Chromebook using the worst ideas possible. It’s completely made up and monumentally stupid. But I, unfortunately, am the kind of person who fully commits to a bit.

My Chromebook wouldn’t charge, and in a burst of brain-dead brilliance, I said:
“Watch this, I’m gonna override the port manually.”

I then grabbed a wooden pencil and jammed it into the USB-C charging port.
Not the eraser. The pointy end.
Graphite conducts electricity, right? Maybe I’d create a “natural connection” or some ridiculous logic like that.

The moment the pencil hit the internal contacts, there was a tiny spark, followed by the Chromebook screen flickering violently and going black with a dramatic pop. Smoke literally started curling out of the port. The teacher looked up and said, “What did you do?”
I panicked and said,
“Chromebook Challenge, vro ‼️‼️.”

But it gets worse.

Two classes later, I was still riding the high of my fake science experiment when I decided to double down. In science lab, I picked up a pair of metal scissors and said:
“Let’s do a bonus round.”

I poked them into the wall socket behind the desk, because clearly I hadn’t learned anything. The moment the metal touched the inside, there was a huge spark, a BANG, the lights flickered again, and a small flame started crawling up the wall like something out of a low-budget horror movie.

People screamed. Someone pulled the fire alarm. The classroom evacuated. The fire department came. My name is now on a disciplinary report titled “Intentional misuse of electronics resulting in minor property damage and fire risk.”

Long story short: I’m grounded until the sun explodes, the school wants my parents to pay for the busted Chromebook, the electrical damage, and part of the wall repairs, and there may or may not be legal fees involved. The principal said something about a “safety hearing.” My parents said something about military school 🥀🥀.

TL;DR: I stuck a pencil in a Chromebook charging port for a fake challenge, fried it, then stuck scissors in a socket, started a fire, evacuated a classroom, and now I owe hundreds in damages. Do NOT try the Chromebook Challenge. Unless you’re aiming for court dates and a fire drill named after you.