I have a paper to write, so I have decided to write this instead.

Nothing was worse than when our gym teacher announced that we would be playing kickball, and as a special treat, we would get to pick teams. While everyone hooted, hollered, and exchanged excited glances, I screamed on the inside. Picking teams for any sport in middle school was the equivalent of certain death. Everyone would organize into a line and two kids would come forward to serve as captains. I always prayed that one of them would be a popular girl who would take pity on my athletically challenged soul but that usually was not the case. The team picking process would begin. It always moved quickly at first as the best players were snatched up right away. Then it began to slow a little as the captains silently calculated how they could avoid getting stuck with dead weight. Usually at this point it was between me and one or two other people.The teams would whisper amongst themselves, sizing up their options. Please, please don't let me get picked last, I would pray as I stared at the dirt, then at them with pleading eyes. One would have thought my life was on the line. The kids before me would get picked, and then my sorry fate was staring me in the twelve year old face. Who would get stuck with me? Who wanted the girl who couldn't throw, kick, run, or catch? The girl who would stand as far back in the outfield without actually stepping off school grounds? Usually it was whichever team had less people. I would walk sheepishly over to them, then listen as they assigned a batting order. I probably even apologized a couple of times. How I hated gym class. The blazing sun, the kickball which was always slightly deflated, the eternity it took for the horror that was kickball to be over. The sad thing was every time we got up to pick teams I prayed the outcome would be different. Maybe someone would have faith in me, maybe a guy would have a secret crush on me and spare my soul. At the end of the period I was left with the feeling of being unwanted, like I was a stray puppy with an eye infection and no one would look at me. Of course none of that matters now. I hope my kids never have to go through it.