The Urban Princesses: Mulan

Chapter 4

The second day of tryouts was worse than the first.

"All right team! Grab some books and head to the front door!" Shang's deep voice boomed over the field.

"What are we doing? Studying?" Yao snickered.

Shang gave him a dirty look.

"You will have a lot more study time if you don't make the team."

Yao's eyes grew wide and he grabbed one of the thick textbooks.

We all jogged to the front of the school and Shang gave us the instructions.

"Football is not just about strength, or speed. It is about agility, balance, endurance, strategy."

Shang picked up a textbook and balanced it on his head.

"You will run fifteen laps around the school with a book balanced on your head. Drop the book, a lap will be added. You cannot touch the book unless it falls. You cannot walk, you may jog. Other than that, let's go."

And with that he turned and took off down the side of the school.

I grabbed a textbook and balanced it. I ran after Shang. My book fell immediately. I picked it up and started jogging this time.

It was about twenty feet before it fell again. I grunted in frustration.

Shang turned around slowly and saw me picking up my textbook.

"That's seventeen laps I believe?" His mouth formed a straight line.

I nodded quickly and balanced the heavy book back on my head.

I started speed walking. I hope that it didn't count for walking.

There were probably fifteen boys ahead of me including Shang. His sculpted body shifting with his large legs.

Another five feet and the book fell.

The longest I got without dropping the book was half a lap. By now I probably was almost at thirty laps.

After half an hour, I finally finished running. I was hunched over panting as well were the rest of the boys.

"If this is how you are responding to the warm up, I don't know how you will do during the actual exercise."

Everyone groaned.

"I'm not forcing you all to try out for football. So if you want to leave, you can."

Shang crossed his muscular arms over his chest.

Everybody stood up straight and prepared for the exercise.

We had to do fifteen pull ups on the field goal post, then sprint down to the other end of the field, do fifteen pull ups there, and repeat.

My arms gave out after eight pull ups.

Unfortunately, Shang was inspecting my goal post when I fell.

"How are you supposed to be a linebacker if you can't even do ten pull ups?" He tilted his head, an angry expression on his face.

I hoisted myself back up and finished the pull ups.

My arms felt like jelly as I ran down the field. A boy next to me collapsed, coughing and wheezing as he laid on the ground.

I was at the twenty yard line when Shang called my name.

I jogged off to the sidelines.

"What was that?" He asked angrily.

"What?" I puffed.

"There was a man down out there. There isn't just one football player, it is a football team." He explained.

I looked down at my black cleats and started kicking the dirt.

"Go finish the drills." He turned and jogged back off to the post.

I barely made it through half the practice. When it was finally over, I came to a conclusion.

I really had to climb that pole.

When I got home, my family was waiting for me at the table, steaming rice and potstickers waiting for me.

"Where were you?" My father asked.

"Um, studying with Christina. Big history test tomorrow." I lied. I set down my bags and sat down at the table.

I couldn't let anyone know I was pretending to be a boy. Only Christina, Manchu, and Peyton know because they have to. If my parents find out they will call the school.

Dinner, once again, was quiet. Not even grandma would talk.

Afterwards, I went upstairs and thought about how I was going to climb that pole.

I got out a notebook and started drawing. I tried using mathematical proportions to find a way to even out the weight of the supplies.

Then, I figured it out.