Cooper had never been good at sports growing up. Putting on muscle had always felt next to impossible and his height didn’t help. He’d always been short, ever after he passed fifteen. His constant anxiety also wreaked havoc on his body, or at least that’s the excuse he often used.

That was why, as he stood in the corner of the gym, his shorts and tank top practically hanging off his body, he felt inferior. The other male students in both his homeroom and the neighboring class were tall, muscular, and had a killing aura. Some of them were tossing around the red dodgeballs already, anticipating the battle to come. The girls didn’t look nearly as enthusiastic. They were just relieved that they wouldn’t have to face off against the boys.

One of the guys stood out to Cooper in particular. He was huge, over six feet tall and with limbs thick as tree trunks. All the boys were crowding around him, betting on who would be able to land a hit on him. It would be Cooper’s goal to avoid the guy as much as possible, including his barrage of balls.

“Dodgeball is the national sport of Spring Falls,” the ghost girl said, standing next to him with a box of buttered popcorn in her hands. She looked ready to watch a movie.

“National?” he asked. There was no need to avoid talking to her now. The other teens were going out of their way to avoid him by this point. That last stunt with the salt had solidified his reputation as the school’s official weirdo. “I don’t think you’re using that word correctly. National means—”

“And there’s a big dodgeball contest at the end of each semester,” the girl continued, attempting to kick a ball as it rolled by. She miss, though she couldn’t have touched it anyway. “That’s why the boys take it so seriously.”

“Is there some prize if you win?” He couldn’t comprehend caring so much about a sport, though he always had much bigger things to worry about.

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“The joy of being the best,” she answered, completely serious. “I heard one of the boys say it. The big one. He’s like a mountain.”

“Yes, he is.” Cooper gulped.

“But you can still win. I believe in you,” the girl said, raising a fist and started cheering in a completely monotone voice. “Cooper. Cooper. Cooper.”

“Please, don’t.” He sighed and prepared himself to get pummeled. Mr. Lassiter had finally entered the gym and was about to divide the teams.

“You don’t like dodgeball?” the girl asked.

“Not particularly.” Not at all, actually.

The girl peered at him, her brow furrowed as she considered something. “If you manage to win the game, I promise to leave you alone. How does that sound?”

His eyes widened. “Really?” A smile filled his face before he could stop it. Any day spent without ghosts was a good day. Then reality hit him. “There’s no way I’d win.”

“Then how about this.” A popsicle appeared in her hand and she used it to point at the giant man, who was being led to the opposite team. “If you manage to hit him with a ball, I’ll tell you my name.”

Cooper turned to her with a frown. “What makes you think I want to know your name?”

She shrugged. “If you learn a ghost’s real name, you can banish it,” she whispered, then turned away, sucking on her popsicle nonchalantly as though she didn’t just reveal a massive secret.

Cooper’s eyes widened. His legs spread apart, he prepared himself, listening as the teacher assigned him to the side he was already on. “Okay. I’ll do this.” He was fired up now.

The nameless girl said nothing as he joined his team of boys. Some of the guys stepped back, more afraid of the weird salt-throwing boy than the incoming dodgeballs. He ignored them. He was on a mission.

“Let’s crush them!” he practically shouted, fueled by his wish to become a normal teenager.

“Uh…” His teammates glanced at each other, then threw all caution to the wind and halfheartedly agreed. A chant started, the boys trying to find a single catch phrase that would intimidate the other team before Mr. Lassiter blew his whistle. They never came up with a single tagline, caught between “You’re going down” and “We’re the best” before the giant teenager on the other side threw the first ball.

Cooper froze when the ball zipped right past his head, the wind it created sending his curly bangs fluttering over his forehead.

He was definitely going to die today. He wondered what kind of ghost he’d make.