Chapter 3

Chapter 3 ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE. AND ALL OF US, MERELY PEOPLE IN CHICKEN OUTFITS. Woodsword Middle School was practically vibrating with excitement. Students clustered in tight groups, bouncing in place before the morning bell. The chatter in the hallway was louder than ever. Po felt the excitement in his bones. He tapped his fingers on the spinning wheels of his wheelchair. "This might be the best day of school ever," he said. "Oh, I don't know," Morgan said. "The field trip to the landfill was pretty great."

"Nobody liked that field trip," Po said. He turned in his chair and gave Morgan a suspicious look. "What's wrong, buddy? You look sort of…green." It was true. Morgan looked queasy. There were bags under his eyes, too, as if he hadn't slept. Morgan sighed. "I'm nervous," he said. "I've never tried out for a play before." "None of us have," said Po. "That's what makes it so exciting!" Po had been quietly waiting for this day for a long time. Years, in fact. Every winter, the older

students at Woodsword put on a play. Everyone participated—some as actors, some as dancers or singers, and some on the backstage tech crew. When he was a younger kid, Po had marveled at the performances. He could still remember the Russian dances of The Nutcracker, the cardboard- sword duels of Romeo and Juliet, and the papiermaché chains rattled by the ghosts of A Christmas Carol. This year, Po and his friends were "the older students." It was finally their turn to put on a show. Po hoped to be front and center. "Don't be nervous, pal," Po said to Morgan. "If you don't want to be onstage, you can just sign up for the tech crew." Morgan frowned. "Here's the thing, though— I want an acting part. Even though I'm super nervous about it." He shrugged. "Is that weird?" "Not at all." Po patted his friend's arm. "I love playing basketball, and I always have. But I still get nervous before every single game." "Really?" Morgan asked.

"Really," Po answered. They'd arrived at the auditorium, where their whole grade was gathering. Classes had been canceled for the morning so that Ms. Minerva could get through all the tryouts before lunch. Students were supposed to study while they waited for their turn to audition. Po and Morgan got in the line at the side of the stage. They could see Harper and Jodi sitting together, going through a stack of flash cards. "There's a simple trick I use whenever I start to feel nervous," Po told Morgan. "I close my eyes for a few seconds, and I focus on breathing. In and out. In and out. And I tell myself that no matter what happens, I'll be okay." "And that really works?" Morgan asked. "Most of the time," said Po. "Sometimes I'm forced to rely on plan B, which is to imagine that everybody but me is dressed like a chicken." He rubbed his chin. "But that is risky, because you don't want to start laughing when

you're trying to line up a three-point shot." Morgan chuckled. Some of the color had come back to his face. "Thanks, Po," he said. "I'll keep that in mind." He peered over the heads of the students in front of them. "I just hope this line moves before I completely lose my nerve!" Po watched from the wings while Morgan took the stage. His friend shook with nervous energy in the spotlight. But Po saw the moment Morgan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he

opened his eyes again, his trembling had stopped. "Hello, Morgan," said Ms. Minerva. She was seated in the front row of the auditorium. Beside her was Ash, who had volunteered to be the stage manager. As far as Po could tell, the stage manager did a little bit of everything. "Are you trying out for an acting role?" Ash asked, glancing at her clipboard. "Or singing?" "Acting!"Morgan blushed a deep shade of pink. "Definitely acting." Po chuckled. The last time Morgan had