Benders High had official physical education uniforms consisting of monogrammed sweats, shorts, and cheapo T-shirts. I looked terrific in my little outfit, and just being there made me want to become a pro volleyball player even though I was five foot one. I could barely touch the bottom of the net. Mrs. Policheck, otherwise known by the original and apt title Coach, was the girls’ instructor, and the gym was split in half, one side for the girls, the other side for the guys. I looked for Theo across the cavernous sports place but only saw Velveeta, dressed as I was in a dandy outfit. A hundred or so other red-colored dweebs wandered around hitting balls over nets before class officially started, and as the sounds of twice-weekly active young people echoed through the building, I sat on the bleachers and watched Velveeta. While most of the girls stood on the courts talking, most of the guys grouped on either side of the nets playing unorganized pickup games, spiking and bumping and setting.
