I was the guy who was always the last to finish running laps at the beginning of class. I was the guy who stood there and waited for the ball to hit him during dodge ball. I was the guy who always got picked last for teams. I was the guy who was always the last to finish running laps at the beginning of class. I was the guy who hardly tried to hit the ball during volleyball. .
One particular sixth grade day, we were playing badminton in gym. The class was split into four groups. There were four nets set up, two on each side of the gym, next to the closed bleachers. The wooden bleachers were connected to the wall and opened and closed with the touch of a button. When they were closed, they were like a ten-foot tall ladder against the wall. I was placed in a group with five other guys. Unfortunately, they were the rudest and crudest ones in the class; the boys who thought they were good at everything. These were the boys whose only purposes in life were to show off. They were the boys who thought they could impress the pretty, popular girls with their athletic ability. It was a wonder they were some of the most popular guys in the sixth grade. Go figure. It was time to get into our groups. .
The guys in my group ran over to the net, making jokes and calling out insults to a particular chubby kid they enjoyed making fun of. "Hey Dan!" one of them called. "Don't hit the birdie too high, you might get it stuck in the bleachers and one of us would have to get it for you!" I sighed. This is going to be a long day, I thought as I dragged myself to the net where the guys were trying to decide who would play first. I hated seeing other people being made fun of, although I was always too shy to stick up for them. .
The class was signaled to start playing. I sat with my back to the bleachers watching everybody play. I noticed that no one in the class could play very well, not even the tough guys in my group.