7. Francis Escapes

Complete story — includes the ending

Francis deserts from Marlin Academy to reunite with his girlfriend, Bebe, and he hides out in the family's backyard, telling Malcolm not to tell them. However, Bebe breaks up with him as soon as they reunite, and Lois soon finds out that Francis has left school, but does not know where he went. Malcolm tries to keep it a secret, but Lois pushes him into tattling, causing her to go looking for Francis. After Hal finds him, he sympathetically decides to drive him across the country back to military school so Lois won't find him. Meanwhile, the boys tell Dewey that there is a monster under his bed, scaring him; when he hears Malcolm talking to Francis in the backyard, Malcolm lies and says that he was speaking with the monster. After Bebe breaks up with him, Francis begins to cry, which Dewey mistakes for the monster's roar, and he unintentionally hurls rocks at his brother.