Narl had struggled in gym all semester. It wasn’t his fault. He just wasn’t athletic, was all. He didn’t see what was so great about sports anyway. Why should he be expected to be good at sports, just because his father had been? And what did it mean to “participate”, and why did his gym teacher think he wasn’t doing it? He always puts on his uniform. He wore the proper shoes. He ran around when everyone else was running around. If he really didn’t understand what he was running around for, wasn’t that the teacher’s fault? All the way home, Narl considered his options. He could sign the report card himself. He could point out that he had gotten A’s in all of his academic subjects. He could write his father a poem about the absurdity of trying to measure and grade athletic ability... that was a laugh. Like his father would appreciate a poem! No, there was nothing he could say that was going to make this okay. What was it his father had told him when interims had come out? A boy who failed gym was destined to fail at life. There was nothing else for him to do. There was no way he could take this report card home. The time had come to take drastic measures. He’d been saving his birthday money for years, for just such a desperate situation.
____7. Narl and his father are much alike, and they understand each other well.
____8. Narl recognizes that there are many things he does well including athletics. ____9. Narl’s father is intolerant, unaccepting, and demanding.
____10. Narl plans to run away from home.​