MVP Performance

3-2. Not a good situation to be in if you’re losing the national varsity soccer championship with five minutes left in the game. Rain was coming down in sheets, drenching every person on the field, winning or not. Every player on our team was playing his hearts out, giving it all they had, but nothing seemed to give. I knew it had to happen. All I needed was the tiniest of faults in the defensive line, but the other team held steady, playing possession since they were in the lead, not giving us any daylight. Yet, I knew it had to happen.

Then I noticed it. A pass, from the opposition’s left back, that just didn’t have enough power on it to propel it all the way to the target. I jumped on the mistake, taking the ball under control and barreling past a defender. I found myself breaking free on the left wing. I saw the center forward charging into the box, expecting a cross to knock into the goal. I drove through the ball with my foot, sending it swirling through the air in a curling arc. The forward met the ball with his head, tapping it past the keeper and tying the game at three.

Two minutes later, the referee blew his whistle, bringing regular time to an end, but it was still a long way from over. During the short intermission before golden goal time started, our coach gave us a pep talk, telling us how we were supposed to win the game. I felt utterly terrified. The other team was evidently better than us; they just hadn’t turned on their afterburners yet. It was only a matter of time before they broke through. I felt myself trembling like I was caught in a winter storm without a coat frozen body. Maybe in some other dimension, I heard the whistle blow, signaling the restart of play. Immediately things went wrong. After the kickoff, their midfielder got it, and drove it up field with a powerful lofted pass.

Their forward received the ball and foxed our center back. He was in the clear, nobody between him and the goal. But then he faltered, tripping over the ball. He didn’t fall completely, but it gave me the chance to take the ball from him.

Since I had dropped back to defend, I charged forward as he was recovering, and then slide tackled him, and regained possession of the ball. Slowly but surely we moved the ball up the field, pass by pass. One of my teammates had been causing their defense problems all game long, and therefore he dragged a second defender over to the sideline, leaving me open in the middle. He passed me the ball and I noticed there were only twenty-five yards between the goal and me, and for a fraction of a second, nobody was in my way. I took my chances and put as much energy into that shot as I had left in me. I had aimed it perfectly, drilling it past the goalkeeper’s outstretched hands and into the top corner. My goal had turned us from underdogs to champions.

Afterward in the locker room, our coach said he had a few awards to give out. He ran through the list, until he came to the last one, team MVP. I was the last person I expected to win it. After all, I wasn’t even the team captain, or the assistant captain, or the top goal scorer, or the top assister. “And the MVP award goes to: Adrian Wells.” I couldn’t believe my ears, who was I to be the MVP. But the coach answered that. “He was chosen for several reasons,” the coach said. “Leadership, determination, effort, but above all, the best team player I have ever seen.”

Vinegar

Vinegar

At 10:31 Mr. Carlen starts his lesson. We don’t have a clock in our classroom, so instead I count.

I slightly hear him talking, but I mainly focus on nature. My seat is right next to the window, and since I don't have anyone to text during class, I watch.

Every single day the same red car goes past at the same time. The busses arrive from morning drop off, and security allows the taxis to come in for the first time that day. But today, I see something else. Seven girls are sitting by the wall of the school. One of them is in the center of the circle holding a bottle while the other girls pour something inside.

The girl takes a big chug and throws the bottle to the ground, gagging. Somebody takes out a box, and the girl pukes inside of it. Then Sierra, the most popular girl in school says,

“All right, you lose. Who’s next?”

Everyone chants what sounds to be,

“Kelsey, Kelsey, Kelsey!”

They are speaking extremely loudly, speaking as though they won’t get in trouble if they get caught.  A smaller girl, who must be Kelsey, enters the circle. The other girls thrust the bottle at her and she takes a sip.

“Come on! Give it all you got!”

She takes a larger sip, drinking almost half the bottle. Trying not to puke is one of the hardest things to do. Her face starts to turn blue as she takes her last sip.

I can't watch any longer. Throwing my head back to the front of the room, it hits me. I know what they were doing. That liquid was vinegar.

I remember the teachers warning us about this game. They told us that they caught some people playing it, and whoever did it next would be suspended. I wonder why these girls didn’t worry about that.

Basically, in this game each girl is given a water bottle. They fill the bottle with vinegar and try to drink as much of it as they can without throwing up. If you finish the bottle, you win. Everyone in that group worships you and you never are forced to play again. Only one person has ever done it, Sierra.

The thought of this game disgusts me. No one ever volunteers, they get pressured. Something even worse is the people who want to be asked, because if they succeed then they will become popular. I know a girl like this. Her name is Ruby Wilson; she sits next to me in English. For years, she has been trying to complete the challenge, but with so much gagging, she ended up being bulimic and had to go to the hospital because of so much weight loss.

∆∆∆∆∆

At lunch I sit alone again. Normally I don’t notice anything special, but today I notice the vinegar players from this morning. They seem to be looking for someone, but this time when the thought hits me, it is too late. They are looking for their newest victim. Who are they walking towards? Me.

They all quickly slide into my booth, making me feel really claustrophobic. Some girls play with my hair, others just sit there and talk. Eventually they get to the point.

“Akhemm, Natasha, hey! So, we saw you looking at us this morning, and you know what that means!”

Sierra says to me with an evil grin.

“Now, you can come with us the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”

∆∆∆∆

“Hey newbie! Your turn.”

The girls holding me down loosen their grip on my wrists and kick me into the middle. The green bottle is placed at my feet. I pick it up slowly, not ready for what comes next.

The smell of vinegar is already making me nauseous. I try to take a small sip, but that won’t pass Sierra. One second too late I realize she is pushing the bottle upwards so the vinegar goes even faster down my throat.

Me not drinking fast does not pass with Sierra, but drinking fast does not pass with my stomach. No one was fast enough to call it, so instead of my vomit going into the box, it goes into Sierra’s face. Brown is not a good color on her, and I am not the only one who notices that. All of the other girls start to laugh, groan and gag. The heat of the moment is starting to grow on Kelsey.

Approximately one second before she kills me, Principal Melton arrives. Well, I guess I should just say goodbye to the school. I doubt I will be coming back for a while.

The Tale of Two Rulers

The Introduction:

What happens when the Ancient West meets the Ancient East? What happens when the King of Macedonia meets the Emperor of China? What happens when Alexander the Great meets Xiǎn the Patriotic? The two nations would be ultimate adversaries. Alexander is a conqueror who is hungry for world domination. Xiǎn is an emperor who wants to unite his country. Both leaders want to strengthen their nation. Would there be a massive battle? Definitely.

The Omens:

The Xian Emperor - May, 335 BC

Every night I stayed up late and agonized about finding ways to unite the Provinces of China. The sun has vanished and the moon was almost directly overhead. I should look through the historical records for past attempts to unite China. I might be able to learn from any previous failures. However, my eyes were too fatigued to read the historical records myself. I will get an advisor to read. Suddenly, there was a knock on my room door.

“Come in,” I said sternly, attempting to conceal my exhaustion. My superstitious fortune-teller franticly burst in.

“Horrifying news!” My fortune-teller exclaimed, “I just envisioned an entire army coming from the west! They have conquered cities that we have never even heard of! They have excellent, strategic battle plans, they speak in a foreign language and their armor seemed very efficient and effective! The Himalayan Mountains will be their entrance to China!” For a moment, I was speechless. My mouth was open, my eyes were bulging, but I did not regard this as bad news. I ordered rice paper, ink, and a brush to write to the leaders of the divided states. I believe I just found the answer to uniting China.

Alexander the Great - October, 331 BC

There was nothing here. The troops were exhausted and our food supply was scarce. Maybe we should return home. During our search for new civilizations to conquer, I have been a bit too harsh on my soldiers. They should receive praise instead. Just before giving the orders to break camp, I heard a faint bronze bell, ringing. I asked my soldiers if they heard anything to reassure that the ringing was not my imagination. Many heard nothing, however, a few confirmed my suspicions. Quickly, I located the sound’s origin. The ringing came from the east. The ringing came from uncharted lands.

The Preparations:

The Xian Emperor - December, 331 BC

“Finally!” I said aloud. I just received word from every single state leader. They are willing to fight together against this foreign enemy. “This is my big chance,” I told myself, “Do not ruin it”

The next week, I met with all the military leaders at the base of the Himalayan Mountains. Each leader presented their best battle plan, given the terrain and our soldier supply. Many arguments bounced back and forth, but at least there was no violence.  We eventually created a master plan.

 

Alexander the Great - February, 330 BC

“King Alexander,” One of generals started. “The troops are freezing! Icicles are forming on their chins, some soldiers’ limbs are suffering from gangrene and some have even died!”

“We will let the soldiers rest by a fire more often.” I answered. I will not let my army be defeated before the actual battle. This weather will not stop me from searching. Somewhere out there was an unconquered civilization. I will not return home until this civilization is mine.

The First Contact: March, 330 BC

While Alexander the Great was looking for another civilization to conquer, the Xian Emperor was desperately waiting for a Westerner to show up with his army. The other leaders started to suspect treachery. “It has already been four months since the first meeting!” Si Jin, the arrogant leader of Wey challenged. “Many soldiers have died from hypothermia. The remaining soldiers are struggling to stay warm!” The other leaders angrily accused and surrounded the Xian Emperor. They were ready to kill him on the spot.

The leaders shoved the Xian Emperor against the mountainside. The poor emperor crumpled to the floor and tried to defend himself. Hui Wen, the murderous leader of Qin stabbed the emperor in the calf. As the Xian Emperor cried in anguish, an arrow struck through Hui Wen’s rib cage, pierced his left lung and finished in his heart.

The Battle: March, 330 BC

Alexander congratulated his archers for starting the war. The Chinese soldiers finally spotted the hidden Greek infantry and charged. The Greek archers on higher grounds immediately shot down the front row of the Chinese infantry. The remaining Chinese infantry clashed with the Greeks, resulting in a bloodbath. Alexander’s troops were greatly out numbered, but they were efficient and effective using the Phalanx battle formation. Like a spiked war elephant, the Macedonian Phalanxes cut through the groups of Chinese infantry and crushed anything in their path. However, the Chinese archers launched storms of steelhead arrows on many phalanxes, which perforated the formation.

Chinese Calvary stampeded into the Phalanxes, only to smash into the extended pikes at the front. The pure, white, fresh fallen snow was stained with the deep, rich color of blood. Hundreds of motionless bodies lay on the battlefield. One by one, the Chinese leaders, except for the Xian emperor, charged into battle. When Alexander saw the crowned leaders charging in on horses, he wanted the pleasure of killing them himself. He commanded his horse to stampede at them.

Si Jin was the first to reach Alexander. The arrogant leader took a swing at Alexander with his iron sword. Alexander dodged Si Jin’s attack, and impaled him in the back. Two other leaders charged at Alexander from opposite sides. The King of Macedonia chose his next kill wisely. The leader storming at him from the right was covered in snow. His hands were shivering. Alexander lunged at him, knocking the sword out of his hands. The commander of the Greek army turned around and skewered the helpless Chinese leader through the chest. Seeing their fellow leaders’ cold, dead bodies, the remaining leaders retreated back up the mountain. Alexander the Great charged after them.

Even though the war was over, the clashing of swords, thudding of shields and terrorizing battle cries still echoed throughout the Himalayas. Alexander the Great climbed to the mountain where the Xian Emperor, killed by his own people, had drowned in his own blood. The Great Macedonian King announced to his army below. “Today, we attain victory!”

The True Teddy by: Louisa Song

The True Teddy

By: Louisa Song

Teddy fished out a dollar from his pocket. Huh, that’s weird. Where did that come from?  Teddy thought with a confused frown. Still, he clutched onto the flimsy bill tightly, because money was the only way he could get a chance for a job. Even if it was strange he found money, he still needed the money, so he was satisfied. Still holding the dirty old bill, Teddy came to a stop. On his right was a unique shop with interesting designs.

On the whiteboard decorated with Christmas lights that were way out of season, it said: SHOP CLEARANCE! 90% off all costumes!

Oh, it was a costume shop? I should get one! What a perfect way to spend my dollar! Teddy thought to himself, with his mind wondering about the different opportunities a costume held for him. He skipped over to the animal section and chose the bear costume, because people called him “Teddy Bear” because he looked like a bear. His soft brown hair, his round beady eyes; even the look of his round face made people think of a bear when they saw him.

“Where are the changing rooms?” Teddy politely asked the shop owner,

“It’s right over there by the corner. Are you trying out that bear costume?” The shop owner replied with a mysterious smile,

“Yes, I hope it fits me.” Teddy wished with a giggle,

“I hope so too, it fits you so well!” The shop owner grinned, staring at Teddy the whole time.

After Teddy made sure that the costume fit, he paid the shop owner his dollar and headed out the door. Teddy didn’t hear, but behind his counter, the shop owner whispered a word. “Transform”

Teddy continued to walk down the streets, hoping maybe a circus missing a clown might spot him and ask him to join. Teddy went through all kinds of trouble just for a job, and getting this costume was just one of his risky money-wasters.

The day went by fine, but as he took the costume off at night, he felt a burning pain, as if something had just been ripped from his skin. He put the costume back on, and it all felt better, as if he had just been shielded from a layer of thick cream to soothe his skin.

The next morning, Teddy wanted to take a shower, and also get into a new set of clean clothes. To his surprise, when he tried to take the costume off, the burning pain got stronger, and he didn’t even bother to try any more. He just kept the costume on.

That evening, Teddy thought it was too much. He ran to the costume shop to get help. He thought maybe there was a specific procedure that had to be followed to take the costume off. He ran and ran and ran. By late evening, Teddy was huffing and puffing, but he had no luck. The location of the store was perfectly clear in his mind, but he just couldn’t get there. The roads were endless and Teddy was starting to be tossed around between his nervous thoughts. Go home, or not? He slapped his face, trying to recreate the place he was at yesterday. Yes, the shop next to the electricity pole, next to the mall. When Teddy looked around, he saw the bright mall, and also the tall, buzzing electricity pole. He was in the right spot, but the shop was nowhere to be seen.

Teddy had no other option but to live with it. The pain to remove the costume was too painful for Teddy. As he struggled to adapt to his new life, he found that his voice got deeper and he didn’t like going outside. One, because he didn’t like how he had to wear the same thing everyday, but also because over the week or two in his “bear life” he realized he didn’t like socializing with people. His eating habits became more and more barbaric, and his movements became more aggressive.

At first he didn’t know, he didn’t want to admit, he was afraid to admit, but now, he had to understand. He was now a bear. There was nothing Teddy could do about his life now. All he could do was live his life until he died. Before Teddy died three years ago, he would have never imagined how much his life would influence children. He didn’t imagine how famous he would become.

Teddy’s story was widely known across the world, and people started to make “Teddy Bears” in honor of his curiosity to try new things. Companies hoped that customers would be influenced positively, and also think that “Teddy Bears” were linked tightly to humans, although they were just dolls. Some children still think “Teddy Bears” are just stuffed toys, but after they know the true story, no child will look at their old “Teddy Bear” the same way.

You Found Me by Amira

A story how there is always someone out there who would look out for you, even if you don’t notice it at all.

 

“Alix! 100% on the final unit test! Congratulations (again)!” The teacher’s voice boomed across the classroom, directed to a certain tiny girl. Everybody eyes seemed to turn to the emotionless girl in the back of the room. Her straight raven locks fell down to mid-waist, her bangs delicately framing her porcelain face. There, on top of her nose, nestled a pair of enormous Coke bottle glasses.

“Thank you,” She replied blandly, ignoring the whispers that had spread around the classroom. ‘She’s such a nerd.’ Alix glanced slightly at the girl who spoke up, but after contemplating mentally in her head, she remained doing nothing as more of the test scores were announced, no one’s as perfect as Alix’. ‘Look at those ugly glasses!’ She heard another kid whisper. What did they mean by glasses? Just because she wore huge glasses did not mean that she was a nerd. However, unlike most students in this rich academy, she had gotten to this school on a scholarship instead of paying the rather large sum of money that her “commoner” family was unable to produce. She refused to trouble her hard-working parents in paying for the school tuition fees. All she had to do was remain at the top in class and the school would pay everything for her, not including lunch, which she packed herself of course. People would introduce her to be an extremely responsible person, as she never seemed to mess up. She was what people called perfect (minus the extra big glasses), and that’s what made them detest her more. Too bad there was no such things as a perfect person.

 

~Chapter 1~

Don't let your emotions bottle up; because once you do, you’re going to eventually have to let it all out. –Amira Chou

Alix stared at her belongings that were strewn across the floor, the binders messily ripped apart from the papers. She stared at the wretched bag on the ground before slowly reaching down to get her wallet and walked away. This had become a daily thing, so Alix knew that the belongings had to stay at home. This is everyday of my life… Alix thought, mentally depressed. On the outside, however, her facial expression didn’t even twitch. She knew that once you don’t show reactions, bullies would leave you alone once they got bored. Sighing, she slung the bag over her back before making her way to her house.

“Sister! Sister! Look what I made!” For the first time throughout the entire day, Alix let a smile grace her features as she stared down at her younger brother. He was the joy in her life. He was the only thing she looked forward to when she got home. Alix set her wallet down on the bench before bending down to hug her 9-year-old baby brother. He had drawn a messy drawing of her and him holding hands together with the word ‘family’ messily scrawled on top and presented it proudly with a grin. A frown adorned Alix’ delicate features when she noticed something missing.

“Oh, Adrian. Where are mother and father?” She spoke softly, placing a pale hand on Adrian’s head. His smile wavered slightly.

“Mother and Father don’t take care of me. It’s always Nana and you! You’re my only family!” He retorted. Alix felt her heart tug in pain from how he thought of his own birth parent, and swell at the same time to think that she was so important to him. That feeling left when she felt the words settle down in her.

“Adrian!” She scolded, tapping his head hard.

“Mother and Father have to work, and you know it!” The boy shrugged, looking away, tears welling up in his eyes.

“But none of them show up for any of sister’s important events! Only for Adrian’s!” He cried, hugging Alix’ waist tightly. Alix froze, remembering all those years for her past 13 years of her life where her parents never once came back on time to wish her a happy birthday. Only for Aiden, but she felt it was a need for the boy to celebrate his birthday with his parents, so she had begged every year with all her strength for them to come home. They even forgot what day her birthday was after that! Alix’ lips trembled slightly, but she held strong for her little brother. She couldn’t let her brother know that the wall he leant on for support actually needed more support itself. She couldn’t. That would be unfair for her brother, who was only nine. He was too young and innocent to understand the world around him.

Finally, after returning the hug to her brother a little longer, she let him go and smiled fully at him, one of her special smiles that made her eyes twinkle brightly.

“Let’s go see what Nana’s cooking!” She ushered her now excited brother into the kitchen before telling him that she needed to do homework, leaving her brother to watch their maid cook for the two of them. Nana had been their maid since Alix was 4, when her parents started to become too involved with work and no longer had time to take care of the girl. Honestly, Alix felt that she was closer to Nana than her own mother, which immediately made her feel guilty for thinking that. She stared at the lone picture in her simple room that consisted of a bed, a desk (with a chair), a bookshelf and a door that led to a bathroom. It was a family picture taken when Aiden was just born. That moment seemed to be one of the only moments where her parents looked like normal parents. In the worn-out picture, stood a four-years-old girl holding tightly onto her baby brother, smiling widely. There, her beautiful mother was smiling tiredly, and her father, dressed as a businessman even then, stood professionally next to his wife, letting a small smile slip through his cold demeanor.

Unknowingly, Alix could feel tears slide down her face as she remembered how her family used to be. Faint memories of her when she was 2 and first learned how to read flashed through her head. All her life, she had studied hard to show her parents how smart she was. She aced every test and even skipped grades! All she wanted to do was show to her parents that she was special and yearn for the feeling of being congratulated, but all her parents would do (if they were there,) would stare at her, then walk away as if she had disappointed them somehow. She was indeed a genius, but she never knew being a genius could be so lonely.

 

~Chapter 2~

Different shouldn’t be used in a bad term. Everybody’s different. Some are just more different than others, and that’s whom we neglect. –Amira Chou

Alix stared ahead as their homeroom teacher made his way into the classroom. As everyone settled down, the seat next to Alix stayed empty. At least I have a window to look at and talk to. She thought sarcastically as she turned her head back to the teacher who was addressing to everyone in the class that there would be a new student. Another one? Alix thought as she stared at the door that she knew the student would come in from. Automatically, this new student would most likely find a group to join, and classmates would welcome him/her, and they would automatically fit in. Unlike herself, who would most likely be taunted again if she spoke. Alix could feel something churning where her heart was, as if it was twisting in knots tighter and tighter, and her stomach seemed to burn. Was this… jealousy? Alix brushed that thought off. She was raised through discipline, not emotions. Of course it couldn’t be jealously. Why would she be jealous anyway? The new kid would probably just join a group and then have someone to hang out with during break, or eat with during lu- Alix cut off her trail of thoughts. What was she doing again? The door suddenly creaked open, and the class quieted down, waiting in anticipation to see who it was. A black shoe made it’s way into sight, before a tall boy entered the classroom. His black hair swept over his onyx eyes as he scanned the room, ignoring the gawking and drooling girls.

“My name is Hayato. I come from Japan. Nice to meet you.” He spoke coolly before the teacher could utter a word, stuffing his hands in his pocket as he observed each and every person, as if deeming them worthy of his presence or not. There was a long silence before the teacher spoke up.

“Why don’t we all stand up and introduce ourselves and say something they like? Then ask a question to Hayato here?” The teacher asked nervously, seeing all the sudden fangirls.

“Hi! I’m Hana! I like-“ She twirled her hair flirtatiously. “-Cute things! And are you single?” Alix rolled her eyes. It was typical for the girl to try to act cute and flirt. How was he so popular anyway? There was nothing cool about him anyway. He was only from Japan. Hayato rolled his eyes, too.

“You’re disgusting, trying to flirt with me without even getting to know me. People like you shouldn’t be here. But to answer your question, I am, in fact, single.” He sighed.

“He responded to me~” She whispered to herself, her face tinted a shade of bright red, completely oblivious to what Hayato said. Hayato growled lowly to himself, that was only picked up by Alix’ sensitive ears. She mentally chuckled to herself. Too bad for this guy! Looks like he’s going to have to deal with the rest of the dense female population for the school year, and the next after! More people stood up to introduce themselves one by one, each failing to try and impress the boy, until finally, everyone except for Alix. Everybody’s eyes seemed to burn holes into her body as she slowly stood up. Staring emotionlessly at the boy, she started with her introduction.

“I am Alix. Don’t call me anything besides that. I like very little things. For my question…” She paused. “… Do you get good grades? If not, then I do not have any interest in you.” She said in a dead tone, neatly seating herself before Hayato could answer. The room quieted, before someone shouted out,

“Nerd! Say something cooler, or no one’s going to like you! Wait- never mind! Everybody already dislikes you!” Alix did not even flinch as the class started to laugh. The whole entire class started to turn into an uproar, but all Alix did was stare ahead at the teacher as the teacher tried to settle the class down from that outburst. Suddenly, Hayato spoke up, silencing everybody in the classroom,

“Alix? Is that you?”