Rich Re:grets

Chapter 1.3: Rich Mutatio

(OCTOBER 2010)

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RICH MUTATIO

Our gym class was our first subject after lunch. We began by stretching in a circle followed by running laps around the gym for ten minutes.

   "Alright, running's done. Everyone, please gather around me," Mr Cranston instructed.

   We surrounded him in a semi-circle of sweaty bodies.

   "Before I send you to go get a drink, I want you to know what we're doing. It involves two teams throwing balls at each other. The first team to eliminate the other team wins."

   "Dodgeball!" Conan said.

   "Correct. But with a twist. Each day this week, we'll be playing a different version of dodgeball. I was going to start with normal dodgeball, but everyone already played that before and I don't wanna bore you guys. So, we'll be starting with the variations today."

   "Which type of dodgeball are we doing today, Sir?"

   "Go take a drink and use the washrooms if you need to. I'll tell you when we're all back here in five."

   We all left the gym except Conan, Grant, Sam, and Brianna who claimed they weren't thirsty.

   The boy's washroom was right next to the gym whilst the girls' was at the opposite end of the hall. The girls headed there in a group.

   That was something I never understood. When a guy needed to go, we either went alone or with a buddy at most. But for girls, every other girl had to accompany her.

   Charlie and Cook occupied the two fountains while, Bond, Hunter, Seymour, and I waited behind them.

   Cook was the fattest guy so he took his time replenishing his hydration levels. He didn't mind people calling him fat because he really was. He only got angry when others made fun of him for it.

   "So, what type of dodgeball do you guys think we're doing?" I asked.

   "Probably the simpler ones for now," Bond answered. "Doctor dodgeball, defence, or jailbreak probably. They're easy to understand."

   Charlie wiped his mouth. "Doctor dodgeball is my bet. Most of us know it and it isn't hard to explain."

   "Is dodgeball even considered a sport?" Seymour wondered as he took a drink. He was the tallest person in the class and always wore basketball jerseys over his white shirt. He always rocked Kobe's jersey at least once a week.

   "No," Bond said. "Because it isn't official."

   "But darts is considered a sport and it's official. At least in dodgeball, you move around."

   "I kinda consider it a sport," I stated. "It really doesn't matter if you're moving or not. I consider any game with two sides competing against each other a sport."

   "So Counter-Strike is a sport?"

   I rubbed my chin in thought. "Yes."

   Annie and Lauren ran down the hallway towards us. Mallory was also with them, but she walked at average speed, lagging slightly behind.

   "Guess what we just overheard?" Annie squirmed.

   I scratched my head. "What is it, Train Tracks?"

   "Can you stop calling me that? It's getting old. It was funny when I first got my braces. Now it's just getting annoying."

   "I guess you can say that the joke is getting... rusty."