Foul
- Since it's completely snowy, P.E. is held in the gym, which is freezing cold. They are playing basketball, learning how to throw foul shots.
- Melinda makes her first shot. Ms. Conners, the gym teacher, tells her to keep going. Melinda makes 42. Everybody is watching her.
- Nicole says, with excitement, that Melinda should be on the basketball team.
- A while later, Ms. Connors tells Melinda that her grades are too bad to be on the basketball team. Melinda wants to tell her she's got no interest in getting all sweaty and being on the team anyway.
- Still, it feels nice to be good at something for once.
- The boys' basketball team comes in and starts practicing their foul shots. Basketball Pole, whose name is actually Brendan Keller, doesn't make a single shot. (He's the guy who threw mashed potatoes at Melinda on the first day of school.)
- After the boys' team fails at the art of foul shots, Ms. Conner has Melinda show them how it's done.
- Ms. Connors and Coach tell Melinda that she'll get an A in gym if she teaches the boys how to shoot.
- She shrugs in agreement. She wants to say "no" but she can't talk. Instead, she "just won't show up" (35.12).