Wingspan(Paranormal, Young Adult) MAJOR EDITING**

Eight

Out of all the classes I had today, physical education was by far the worst.

Ms. Pratt told everyone in the locker room that we were about to take part in a distance measure run. I didn''t hold onto unrealistic expectations. My stamina wasn''t outstanding, but that didn''t mean I was slow neither.

The physical activity seemed like a nightmare, but I knew that with the proper form and attitude I could makeit much easier. And as far as evaluations went, my only interest was in getting by. Even though I wasn''t great, I''d wanted to compete with the rest of my peers and chances were that wouldn''t happen if I cramped up.

While the rest shot out in a flurry, I had maintained one practical, singular focus in mind to make things easy as possible for me.

I concentrated on the form above my waist and was sure to keep my shoulders relaxed and not scrunch them up around my ears. Breathing through my diaphragm, I kept my elbows at about ninety degrees, so that when I swung back my hand was at hip height or a little higher.

I maintained an even pace as I ran around the track in short, quick strides.

It wasn''t the most effective strategy, but I did okay.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and puffed an exasperated sigh. I frown when I realize that I used the wrong hand. Great, now I had ink on my face.

""Wow!! I'm impressed. You have really good form," said Mya.

Over lunch we had discovered that she .was in the same class as me me. This ended up being in my favor since it meant that I didn''t look like a loser who had no friends. First impressions seemed to matter here and the girls at this school didn''t bother me once when they saw who I was with—un.like when I was with Toby.

I grin at her. "Thanks. You''re not so bad yourself.""

Truth was, Mya's' form was excellent and I'd wondered if, perchance, she ran track as a sport. She didn't even appear to be that sweaty.

Mya chuckles. ""I''ll see you at the finish line."

I was still catching my breath as I watched as Mya take off again. She made it seem effortless as she passed by me, and raced toward the finish line. This was unlike anything I had done in a long while and it kicked my butt.

My heart was thudding violently, so I was in no hurry to catch up.

I glimpse down at the smeared ink on my hand as I push myself forward..

I wasn''t in great shape and my body was suffering because of it. I did work out sometimes in the past, but nothing stuck with me long enough to get lasting results. I didn''t really act like it, but deep down I was still a girl that wouldn''t mind a pair of killer legs.

I lived a sedentary lifestyle and was conditioned from a young age to have healthy eating habits. This was mainly thanks to those classes they offered during the summertime. Instead of joining me like all the other parents did with their kids, my mom dropped me off at the local Recreational Center. Guess it was easier to answer phones at the Parish when I was learning about the difference between vegetables and why sugar was bad. But all in all, I''m not complaining because I''d learned how to make smoothies out of them.

Nutrition and Well being had a seminar about portion awareness. It also had this handy lecture that made me learn that if I compared protein to the size of a deck of cards, then that meant I had the right amount. Likewise, if I''d used the middle of my palm, I could determine the estimation of approximately anything from cooked vegetables to roasted honey nut peanuts, then. It was a neat thing to know, because it meant that I didn''t need to have the measuring scale around in order to round off numbers.