The first bell of the school year rang, Mulan and her best friend Mark made their ways down the hallway. It was her senior year, and she wanted to make it count. Although she didn’t get the electives she was hoping for, she was still determined to keep a positive attitude. She reached room A106 where her beauty class would be held, which she was only taking at the request of her mother, who believed young women should only focus on looks and boys. Before she entered the room, she turned her head and noticed all the jocks reading a flyer. She found one on the bulletin board next to her and quickly snatched it and stuffed it into her jacket.

Turns out, Mulan was horrible at beauty class. All the girls whispered about her and avoided her at lunch, so she sat alone until Mark joined her. She pulled out the flyer and read it carefully. It explained that football try outs were coming soon. This is what excited Mulan, not eyeshadow, not dates, but football. Before Mark could ask questions, she put it into her purse and started up a conversation, explaining how much “fun” beauty class was.

The next day, she was checking twitter when she came across a message from the opposing high school. It had a picture of many buff teenage boys with game faces on, which was apparently the “Hills High School”’s football team, and they were challenging her own school. This angered her, and made her want to try out for the team even more. Tryouts were in a week, so she immediately hit the gym after school everyday. She worked out in the afternoon, ate in the evening, and studied at night.

The day of tryouts came quickly and she finally told Mark her idea. He objected, saying girls were not allowed for the football team. He proposed trying out for one of the girl sports, like volleyball, but this made her mad. She ate the rest of her lunch in silence and went to go get ready. If they wouldn’t allow girls, then she would have to be a boy. She used her makeup skills to make her face seem dirty, and used shading techniques to give her many features. She snipped of her long black hair and tied it into a bun and hid it with her helmet. She wrapped her chest, hoping to make it flatter, and finally put on a jersey. She ran out onto the field and began to show what she was made of.

After tryouts, the coach asked what her name was. She began to say Mulan, but quickly covered it up with a cough. She tried again in a deeper voice and said her name was Pete. He gave her a back slap and walked away.

Days later, the team list was posted. Boys slapped each other on the backs, and she waited until lunch to check it. Waiting was agony, so she gobbled her lunch quickly and went to check it. She found the name Pete Smith. She couldn’t believe her eyes. All her years of throwing the ball with her dad had actually paid off.

She attended practice every day. She became the mysterious team player, who no one had class with and no one knew outside of practice.

The day of the big game came, and the team was in danger. She had been on the field the entire time and was exhausted, but she refused to give up. She scored touchdown after touchdown and quickly brought the team ahead in the first quarter, but by halftime, Hills was a good amount of points ahead. Once the third quarter was over, coach demanded Mulan back to the benches. He seemed suspicious, looking at her head. She quickly took a mirror and realized she had forgot to put on her manly makeup, and still had mascara on and lipstick stained to her lips. the team was falling back, but would rebound again. But in the middle of the fourth quarter, she couldn’t take it anymore. They needed one more touchdown to win the game, but Hills was tougher than ever. She asked for the millionth time if she could go back in. Annoyed, the coach responded that girls can’t play football. He had found out her secret. A fire built up inside of her and she tugged her hair out of her bun and let it fall around her shoulders. She placed her helmet back on and lost her deep voice. She demanded once more that she was the only hope for this team. The coach finally gave a small nod, and called a timeout. The teammates were confused by her new appearance. They asked why Pete looked like a girl, but she just responded that her name was Mulan. They broke out and scored one more touchdown by Mulan, and the timer buzzed afterward. They had won.

The team lifted her up and hollered as the crowd cheered. She spotted her mother in the bleachers, and expected an angry scowl. But instead, her mom gave her a thumbs up.

Mulan became a regular member of the team, and even went on to play for a university football team. She became a pro football player, and studied writing in her free time. She had a happy life, and she lived happily ever after.