The other day, I was on a walk with my mom and dad, and my dad told us his colleague’s son was taking PE over the summer, every day in the heat, with only one other person.

“Why would you want to take PE in the summer?” I asked, thinking of the heat and how a game of, well, anything wouldn’t be much fun with just one person.

“So he can take the time slot and take another class with it.”

The conversation gradually drifted away to other topics, but I cocked my head as I thought about it. Would I take PE in the summer just to take classes? Was there really a need for such? It would be awfully lonely and definitely hot, especially in the Houston air.

Peace, serene, quiet, and beauty: they are four words that describe many things, such as a beautiful sunset, but cannot describe other things, like say, a dodge ball game at our school. It was one of the highlights of PE to most of us.

The problem was, however eager we were, a few of the eighth graders were worth half of the sixth graders put together. And when they threw a ball, faking death and blacking out your senses would be the best thing to do.

POW! One guy down, clutching his stomach, lips pursed, eyes wide.

DOOSH! Another person down, the ball knocking him off his feet.

BAM! One kid got hit on the head. Instead of crying in pain, he yelped in joy. “You’re out; you hit me on the head!” he yelled, referring to the dodge ball rules: if you hit someone on the head, you’re out, not them.

The eighth grader did not respond, but instead picked up another ball and knocked him hard on the thigh. “What’s that you say?” he asked sarcastically.

The coach blew his whistle at the boy, telling him to get out.

In fact, every single time, there are two distinct groups: kamikaze students clutching balls, flinging them at the eighth graders, and those who surrender. That’s it.

But most of the time, nobody cares. Because it’s not about whether you get out or not. It’s about having a good time with classmates.

Well, I take back what I said about getting out. You don’t want to get out.