When he was done, Don Quixote sorted the docunts, then stood up and gave Li Wei a hug.
"I’ve still got to get to work over in Dyker Heights," he said. "Don’t get into any trouble here, and don’t—Fack! How’d you get so ripped?"
He took two steps back, looking Li Wei up and down, then couldn’t resist stepping forward again to squeeze Li Wei’s arm.
"I rember when you first got here, you were as scrawny as a chick," he cursed. "How the hell are you built like a North Arican bison a month later?"
Li Wei stroked his chin. "I have no idea," he said thoughtfully. "Could it be I’m just naturally talented?"
"It’d be a miracle if you weren’t... If I’d known, I would’ve gotten you a job laying bricks with . You’d be a natural," Don Quixote said, glancing at how Li Wei’s arms strained against his sleeves. He laughed in spite of himself. "Ah, forget it. You’re a kid who knows his own mind. I’m off."
With that, he peeled the visitor’s pass sticker off his chest and walked out of the main entrance.
After asking a passing teacher for directions, Li Wei followed the hallway to the school nurse’s office in the basent.
Before he could even knock, voices carried out from within:
"Ms. Mo Fei, this migraine is going to make my head explode..." a male voice said. "I really need so painkillers. Or can you write a pass to leave school?"
Li Wei pushed the door open to see a large Black school nurse with her hands on her hips, lecturing a scrawny white student.
"Mr. Norman, right now, I want you to use those perfectly healthy legs of yours and get out of my sight."
Ms. Mo Fei had been fuming, but the mont she saw Li Wei walk in, her face broke into a radiant smile and her tone softened imdiately.
"Good morning. I don’t believe we’ve t. Are you a new transfer student?"
Li Wei nodded, unfazed.
He was already getting used to the special treatnt his handso face earned him. Norman, however, couldn’t stand being ignored and protested loudly.
"Hey! This is unfair! I’m suffering!"
"The only thing you’re suffering from is the fact that school isn’t out yet, Mr. Norman. Now get lost."
After getting chewed out by Ms. Mo Fei, Norman’s expression twisted into one of indignation. Muttering under his breath, he hopped off the cot and scurried out of the office like a monkey.
"Alright, dear," Ms. Mo Fei said, clearing her throat and forcing a gentler tone. "Are you here for a physical?"
"Yes," Li Wei said, sitting down across from her with a small smile. "I’m planning to join the football team, so I need a physical report."
"Please step on the scale," Ms. Mo Fei said, pulling a dical form from her drawer. "Generally, I don’t see many students of Asian descent going out for football... I figured you’d be more focused on academics."
"I do intend to focus on my studies, Ma’am," Li Wei said as he stepped onto the scale. "But can’t I do well in both academics and athletics?"
"205 pounds..." Ms. Mo Fei murmured. "It’s good to have that ambition, but be careful. Those football boys play rough, and they don’t hold back. They might single you out... Now, let’s check your heart rate."
"Bullying? That’s not very nice," Li Wei said, sitting down beside her. "I much prefer to reason with people."
"Fifty-two beats per minute?" Ms. Mo Fei tapped the old machine and looked at Li Wei, suddenly concerned. "How are you feeling, sweetie? Are you dizzy? Is your vision blurry?"
’Li Wei knew perfectly well this was because his improved physique made his heart pump blood more efficiently than an average person’s; it wasn’t a sign of so dical condition.’
"Well... I’ve always had much better cardiovascular endurance than other people, so my resting heart rate is lower," he explained. "It’s normal for ."
Ms. Mo Fei was astonished by Li Wei’s physical stats, remarking that it was "extrely rare in her twenty-plus years as a school nurse." In the end, she stamped his physical report as ’passed’.
"Go get a bite to eat," she said. "But don’t eat too much. Coach Miller is going to be running you through so physical tests this afternoon."
Li Wei thanked her and politely left the basent.
By the ti he walked up the stairs to the ground floor, it was nearly noon.
The exam period ended and the bell rang. Suddenly, the hallways were flooded with students of every ethnicity, pouring out from all directions.
Li Wei once again spotted the white kid who had been trying to deconstruct "why X and Y are math" during the exam.
"Hey, Algebra Bro!" He waved excitedly when he saw Li Wei. "Seriously, thanks for the help back in the exam room."
"No problem," Li Wei said, his expression calm. "Did you finish?"
"Yup! I put ’1’ for all the fill-in-the-blanks, just like you said!" He stuck out his hand excitedly. "I’m Travis. You?"
"Li Wei." The corner of Li Wei’s mouth twitched. "If you don’t mind, I was just heading to the cafeteria to get sothing to eat—"
"Aweso!" Travis was one of those people who’s instantly familiar with everyone. "I’m heading to the cafeteria too! That test wiped out. So boring."
’Why are Aricans so forward with their socializing?’ Li Wei sighed to himself. He had no choice but to head to the cafeteria with him.
Along the way, before Li Wei could even get a word in, Travis started talking a mile a minute. He explained how he had a natural gift for strength and had transferred to Franklin K. Lane specifically because it was the biggest high school in the area with a full-fledged football team that played competitively.
"Hey, Li Wei," Travis said excitedly as they pushed through the crowd. "Look, all those girls are checking us out."
"Yeah," Li Wei replied noncommittally as they walked. "Probably because we’re new faces."
"I don’t think so. They must be captivated by my raw, masculine energy," Travis said with total confidence. "Look at them, they’re staring. You’re seriously lucky to be walking with ."
Li Wei nearly choked on his own spit. After a few desperate coughs, he turned to look at Travis’s dead-serious expression.
"...Right," Li Wei said. "You’re absolutely right."
Franklin K. Lane High School’s cafeteria was on a corner of the first floor. Its huge windows were permanently covered with wire sh, dicing the incoming sunlight into a pattern of tiny squares on the floor.
Li Wei and Travis didn’t have student ID numbers yet, but their exam permit numbers could be used instead.
The two of them grabbed sectioned plastic trays from a stack and were served two pieces of fried chicken, a scoop of corn mush, and a carton of chocolate milk with a questionable-looking expiration date.
The pair avoided a few large, rowdy groups and found a table near the edge of the room.
"So you’re going to the tryouts this afternoon, too?!"
Travis’s eyes widened in delight as he watched Li Wei nonchalantly eating fried chicken. "Hey, you helped back in the exam room. I’ll be sure to return the favor later."
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