I slammed my locker shut. It was a week since Kaz, Emily, and the new girl (aka Yumi, but I had enough dignity to call her the new girl) had blocked William, Andrew, and myself out of their conversations at lunch.

I hurried myself to the gym of Wooster Middle School. I was partially excited today because my new elective, Self Defense and Offense Manuvers, starts in a few minutes. I only took it because I was nowhere's near being brave.

{I'll show them I really am brave!} I thought, fumbling with the door handle.

I took a whiff of the gym beyond where I stood. It smelt like last week's tuna casserole (Everyone knew to not eat any of the school's foods that had the words 'casserole', 'mystery', or 'surprise' in them).

I was half-shocked, though. Basically, it was because Emily and Kazuya were partners, and Emy wasn't causing a riot about it. Also, the new girl and a brunette boy (Ulrich Stern) that I had never seen before were partners, standing slightly beyond Emy and Kaz.

I sat cross-legged on the floor and untied my sneakers, replacing them with the jazz shoes I snagged from my dance bag on the way out the door this morning. I tossed the sneakers across the gym, aiming at the basketball hoop, knowing that they would not in a million years make it in. I was startled with a swoosh. "Woah...freaky..." I mumbled.

Coach Geneola entered the gym, clad in her red sun visor and matching-ish red vinyl-like shorts. She scanned her eyes across the room. "We're missing-"

"No one!" Andrew called, sprinting in the room. He skidded to a stop next to me, and fell to his knees.

Coach G nodded. "Good. Now, let's start, shall we?"