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Vann slides off his stool without so oes The other students part to give hile foot of the darkly-garbed, sleeveless-leather-jacket-wearing social pariah

Or sociopath The jury’s still out

Alright Maybe Spruce is a tough place to live in for souy You get talked about, ogled, and either completely avoided or helplessly swarmed What if that’s Vann’s problem? All the attention? What if all he needs is so special?

Just another dude in the hallway at Spruce High, blending in with the rest of them That sounds like bliss to me

The air outside is now an appropriately stifling south-Texan level of nasty, even at 10:26 AM As I tramp my way back down the creaky wooden ay ey words I said to hiht Texan twang,city”? Or is that just a ru an aard first impression

After stopping by my locker, I pull out my schedule to find out where my next class is My stomach sinks with dread as I read the words It’s PE Physical Education Den of the athletes

During my freshman and sophomore years, PE classes were mercifully devoid of anyone on the football teaenda pushed to the school board by none other than Coach Strong himself, all athletes are required to take PE just like anyone else for their physical education credit, as the class is intended to “teach lifelong fitness skills not adequately gained by playing a specific sport” Some of the athletes threw a fit Others saw it as an easy A Regardless, ithis athletes a well-rounded education, I now have a chance of ending up in a PE class with—

I push through the gy for fourth period PE to begin, Hoyt Nowak stands right at the front Just when I thought et any worse

And unlike English class, he isn’t alone Hoyt’s two best buds fro Hoyt on one side is Julio, a thickly-ed, and equally thick-headed linebacker with a large buzzed head and a perraced by the stocky “Beefy Benji”, who is currently bent over with laughter about soh-pitched guffawing Also, he has dumb hair There, I said it

Despiteheart, I quickly fade into the back of the crowd, praying Hoyt didn’t noticeabout soht II—I wait for the coach to show up and start class My arh a narrow crack between my huh and look around at the rest of the class, sizing everyone up in that cocky way star athletes do

It’s through that same narrow crack that I spot so away fro in particular, is Vann

My heart drops so fast, I feel like I literally have to pick it back up off the floor before I can breathe again I share uy??

Is this a turn of good luck, or just more of the bad variety?

An office door at the far corner of the gym opens, and out coht bod to be proud of in his day, but a decade or two of beer has traded it for a gut upon which his whistle bounces as he walks In contrast to the ga, Coach Larry has acheerily at all of us like we’re happy to be here “Welco yet, but from a quick looksee, seems like we’re all here Now y’all know the drill, I’nize most of you from last year, but if you don’t, head on over to the locker rooym uniform out of the bin Sizes are limited, so first come first yadda-yadda and all that Get dressed and meet me out here, boys!”