barbell.
After tk«t, X made a benck press oot of an ironing board and some boxes. Once X kad tkat all set, X was ready to do Some serioos lifting.
X needed a shotting partner, so X called Rowley. And wken ke skowed op at my door wearing some ridicoloos getop, X knew X made a mistake inviting kim.
to
X made Rowley use the bench press first, mostly because X wanted to see
if
the broomstick was going +o bold up.
He did about five reps, and Ke was ready +o <^ui+, but X wouldn’t let him. "That's what a good training parser is for, +o push you beyond
your
limits.
X knew Rowley wasn’t going to be as serious about weight lifting as X was, so X decided to try out an experiment to test his dedication.
Xn the middle
of
Rowley’s set, X went and got this phony nose and mustache Rodrick has ih his junk drawer.
And rigk+ wken Rowley kad +ke tart el I in +ke 'down' posi+ion, X leaned over and looked a+ kin.
Sore enougk, Rowley TOTALLY los+ kis concen+ra+ion. He couldn*+ even ge+ +ke kartell off
kis ckes+. I +kougk+ atoo+ keying km oo+, ku+ +ken I realized +ka+
if
Rowley d atoo+ working ou+, ke was never going io
X even-hiaiy kad +o rescue kin, tecaose ke s+ar+ed ki+ing +ke milk jog +o le+ +ke sand leak ou+.
Afier Rowley 30+ off ike kenck press, i+ was iime
for
my sei. Boi Rowley said ke didni feel like working 00+ anymore, and ke wen+ kome.
You know, I figured ke’d poll someiking like ikai. Bui X guess you can’i expeci everyone +0 kave +ke Same kind of dedica+ion as
you.
Wednesday
"Today in Geograpky we kad a Xke ^oiz. was on s+a+e capiials, and X si+ in ike kack of ike room, rigki nexi io ikis giani map of ike Uniied Siaies. All ike capiials are wri-Hen in kig red prini,
so
X knew X kad ikis
Bu+ ri^K+ before +W +es+ 30+ s+ar+ed, Pa-Hy Farrell piped up
{cot*
-t
4
\e froh+
o{
+he
root*.
Pa-Hy +old Mr. Xra +Ka+ He sHould cover up +He Uru+ed S+a+es map before we 30+ s+ar+ed.
So +Hahks +0 Pa-Hy, X ehded up fluhkir^ +He <|ui2.. Arid X will definitely fee looking -for a way +0 pay Her tack
{or
+Ha+ one.
Thursday
Tonight Mom came up to ry room, awl she had a •flyer in her hand. As soon as X saw it, X knew EXACTLY what i+ was.
Xt was an announcement that the school is having tryouts for a winter play. Man, X should have thrown that thing out when X saw it on the kitchen table.
X BEGGED her not to make me sign up. Those school plays are always musicals, and the last thing X need is to have to sing a solo in front of the whole school.
But all my begging seemed to do was make Mom more sure X should do it.
Mom said +he ohly way X was goihg +o be "well-rouhded" was by -tryihg differeh+ -thihgs.
Pad came ih my room -to see wha+ was goihg oh.
X +old Pad +Ka+ Mom was makihg me Sigh up -for -the school play, ahd +ha+ if X had -to S+ar+ goihg +o play prac+ices, i+ would -to+ally mess up my weigh+-lif"tihg schedule.
X khew that would make Pad -take my side. Pad ahd Mom argued ■for a few mihu+es, bu+ Pad was ho ma+ch for Mom.
A
So +ha+ meahS -tomorrow Xve go+ +o audi+ioh for -the school play.
Friday
"(he ploy +hey re doihg -this year is "'The VJiiard of
Oi.“
A lo+ of kids came wearing cos+umes for -the parts -they were -tryihg ou-t for.
Mrs. Nor+on, +He music director, mad sin^ "My Couh+ry
‘%s of
lliee" so s
bunch
of
o+ner boys wnose moms made -ther 'te, -too. X "tried +o sin^ as ^uie-Hy as poss +
of
course X 30+ singled ou+, anyway. |/'WHAr~A
s
\
I [ LOVELY
Ill'll,
K SOPRANO!/ ,1 .1
X have no idea wha+ a “soprano” is, bo+ from the way some of +he ^irls were ^i^glin^, X knew i+ wasn’+ a ^©od +hin^.
Tryoi/+s went on forever. XVie ^rand finale came wi+K audi+ions for Poro+hy, who X 31/ess is the lead cKarac+er in +he play.
And who should +ry oo+ firs+ bo+ Pa++y Farrell.
11 j | j i i i
X +Kou^K+ about trying oo+ for the part of the VJi+ch, because X heard