Chapter 5

Andre was alone, so he moved the pin in the stack to the middle and set up the cables for a Standing Chest Press. He gripped the D handles and faced away from the machine. He pressed the handles forward in a semicircular motion until both arms were fully extended. He slowly released the pressure and began again. He did a set of ten, then moved the pin down another four plates and did another set of ten.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Marin! You don't start off that high!" the coach growled as he entered the room.

At his back were four members of the basketball team, also in their gym clothes: Henry Fisher, Rick Halton, Greg Davis, and Kevin Zeigler. All but Davis were in his previous class and were dating cheerleaders he sat near. These were the guys who glared at him even though he had no say in where he sat. Great.

"What's he doing here?" one of them asked the teacher belligerently.

"The same as you, Fisher. Working out," Garlin snapped, then turned back to Andre. "You