Mrs. threw her hands in the air. "Okay, that"s it," she said. "I"m not going to take no for an answer. There must be someone someone in Room Nine who has the spirit to keep trying. Which one of you children has the courage not to give up? Huh? How about you, Jamal? Will you try to do a pull-up for the team?" she asked. in Room Nine who has the spirit to keep trying. Which one of you children has the courage not to give up? Huh? How about you, Jamal? Will you try to do a pull-up for the team?" she asked.
Jamal Hall pulled his shirt up over his face so no one could see him.
"I believe that"s a no," I said.
Mrs. looked around some more.
"Grace?" she said. "How about you? Will you try to do a pull-up for us?"
"No, I cant" cant" she said. "I really, really can"t. I"m only strong in my feet." she said. "I really, really can"t. I"m only strong in my feet."
"I"m not!" yelled a loud voice. "I"m strong all over my whole body!" not!" yelled a loud voice. "I"m strong all over my whole body!"
Room Nine turned around.
It was Strong Frankie again.
He made another arm muscle at us.
I stamped my foot at that guy.
"Stop doing that, Frankie!" I hollered. "Stop tooting your own horn! "Cause that is not even polite! And anyway, Room Nine has strong people, too! We have people who can do a jillion pull-ups, in fact! So there! Ha!"
Strong Frankie crossed his muscle arms.
"Like who?" he asked.
I put my hands on my hips.
"Like lots lots of people, that"s who! Like, um, well, like ... like ..." of people, that"s who! Like, um, well, like ... like ..."
Just then, a boy from Room Nine raised his hand a teeny bit.
"Like me," he said.
Then he walked right up to the pull-up bar. And he stood there all by himself.
I did a gasp.
Then the other children did gasps, too.
"Cause what do you know ...
It was William.
All of Room Nine kept on staring and staring at that boy.
"Look at his little arms," whispered that Grace. "Where are his little muscles, do you think?"
"William doesn"t have have any little muscles," said Paulie Allen Puffer. "I"ve seen the wind blow him down on the playground." any little muscles," said Paulie Allen Puffer. "I"ve seen the wind blow him down on the playground."
"Yeah," said Roger. "William doesn"t even know what a pull-up is, is, I bet. Our team is going to look worse than ever." I bet. Our team is going to look worse than ever."
Mrs. snapped her angry fingers at us.
That woman has ears like a hawk.
Strong Frankie went first.
The Room Eight teacher lifted him up to the high bar.
Then, quick as a wink, he did a loud grunt. And he pulled his chin right up to the bar.
"ONE!" hollered Room Eight.
Strong Frankie did another grunt. Then he pulled himself up again.
"TWO!" shouted Room Eight.
After that, he just kept right on going. Strong Frankie kept grunting and pulling. And Room Eight kept on counting.
"THREE!"
"FOUR!"
"FIVE!"
"SIX!"
"SEVEN!"
Finally, Strong Frankie dropped down to the ground.
"SEVEN! SEVEN! STRONG FRANKIE DID SEVEN!" shouted New Thelma.
Room Nine sat down in the gra.s.s real gloomy.
"Cause William was next, that"s why.
We covered our eyes and peeked through our fingers.
Mrs. lifted him up to the pull-up bar.
It was not fun to watch. "Cause William just kept dangling and dangling up there. And he didn"t even move a muscle.
Pretty soon, Room Eight started to laugh. It was loudish and meanish.
I made a fist at those people.
"Hey! You want a piece of this?" I shouted real mad.
Mrs. snapped her fingers at me again.
Then, all of a sudden, William kicked his legs a little bit.
Then he kicked them again.
And wowie wow wow!
His chin went right up to the bar!
And that is not even the best part! Because as soon as he came down, he went right back up again!
I springed up from the gra.s.s.
"TWO, WILLIAM! YOU DID TWO PULL-UPS! AND YOU DIDN"T EVEN GRUNT!" I hollered very thrilled.
William went up again.
My mouth fell all the way open.
"THREE, WILLIAM! YOU DID THREE!"
After that, all of Room Nine springed up from the gra.s.s, too.
"FOUR, WILLIAM! FOUR!" we shouted.
"FIVE, WILLIAM!" we shouted.
"SIX!" we shouted.
"SEVEN ... EIGHT ... NINE ... TEN!" we shouted.
William dangled for a little while longer.
Then he kicked his legs one more time.
And what do you know?
"ELEVEN!"
It was the happiest day of our whole entire kindergarten.
When William dropped down, all of Room Nine piled on top of him.
"WILLIAM! WILLIAM! YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT!" we hollered real joyful.
Pretty soon, we heard a m.u.f.fly voice.
It said, "Get off of me," I think.
Then all of us got up. And we stood William on his feet.
Room Nine danced all around that guy. Also, we tried to lift him on our shoulders. "Cause he was our hero, that"s why! Only our shoulders kept on collapsing. Plus William"s shoes kicked us in the face.
Then, all of a sudden, a bright idea popped into my head!
"People! Wait! I"ve got it! I"ve got it! I know how to show William he is our hero!" I said.
After that, I whispered my idea to Mrs.
And guess what?
She took the red cape right off my shoulders. And she pinned it onto William"s shoulders instead! Just like I told her!
"William saved the day!" I said. "William is our superhero. His name should be Super Super William, I think!" William, I think!"
William smiled real big. Then he zoomed around on the playground. And the cape flied behind him.
Mrs. smiled.
"See, boys and girls? See what can happen if you don"t give up on yourselves?"
Just then, William zoomed back to where we were.
"But I still don"t get it, William," I said. "How did you even do do that? How did you do eleven pull-ups? "Cause those things are very hard." that? How did you do eleven pull-ups? "Cause those things are very hard."
William smiled kind of shy. "I practiced, that"s how," he said. "I got a pull-up bar for Christmas. And I practiced every day."
Just then, William"s daddy came hurrying over. And he put Super William on his shoulders.
Then all of us marched to Room Nine. It was like a happy parade!
And here"s another happy thing! Our families came and ate cookies with us. And they were proud of how we did!
My family hugged me very much.
Then my grandma Miller hugged Super William, too. And Grampa Miller flew him all around in the air. "Cause William loved that cape, I tell you!
And so guess what else?
I didn"t even ask for it back. Not for the whole rest of the day!
"This is being nice of me," I said to just myself. "I am being a good team captain."
After that, I laughed right out loud.