The Gospel Truth (A Disney Fanfic)

Chapter 9. Mulan

Chapter 9. Mulan

"Alright people, move it or lose it!" Coach Phil yelled as he shoved his way to the front. He grimaced when he saw Mulan, shaking his head as if he had anticipated the whole event. "What did you get yourself into kid," he muttered under his breath. He looked up and shouted for the rest of them to go. "Alright, everyone leave. The football team follow me into the locker room."

The crowd mumbled some, disappointed to not get any more action. Mulan carefully got up and made her way to the locker room, the boys avoiding being next to her as if she had the plague. Once they were all settled behind the closed locker room doors, Coach Phil started talking.

"Yes, it is Mulan. Yes she is a girl, and I let her try out since there's nothing in the rules that says she can't. Now work this out because according to the adminstrators, I've gotta leave you blockheads to figure it out on your own. New technique for coaching sports, it's basically the reason why I haven't been involved much this season," he said, motioning for Shang to come out and lead the rest of the discussion. Phil then left the locker room, giving a sympathetic smile to Mulan as he walked out.

"She's a girl, she can't be on the team!" Chi Fu immediately yelled out. The others didn't argue against it, but they did seem to be in deep thought.

Shang was also lost at words as he remained silent along with the rest of the team.

"If you don't kick her out right now I don't believe you have what it takes to be the captain," Chi Fu spit out, venom in his eyes. His words struck a nerve, and Shang moved closer to Mulan.

"Mulan, you're off the team," he said sharply. She heard Yao, Ling, and Chien Po start fighting against the decision, but they were hushed and held back by some of the other guys. After all, their captain had made a decision.

Mulan grabbed her things, clutching her helmet against her chest while walking out of the locker room. People stared at her as she crossed across the field to leave, she wondered what they thought. Eventually Mushu caught up to her, out of breath.

"Slow down would ya?"

Mulan let out a deep sigh, "I'm off the team. I'm off the stupid team. What have I done Mushu?"

"You just made me run all this way, that's what you've done," Mushu pointed out. He dropped it though when he saw the serious look on her face. "Aw, don't worry about it much. Sure you can't play for the team anymore, and you might have embarrassed your parents by playing this whole time, and now the whole school knows but... You know, you gotta, just gotta learn to let these things go," Mushu said, becoming a bit more sad and sullen then Mulan was.

"Maybe you were right earlier. Maybe I didn't try out to show that girls can be just as good or even better than boys at football. Maybe I tried out to prove to myself that I can do something right for once. So when I looked at myself in the mirror," she paused to look down at her helmet, staring at her reflection. She breathed in and finished, "I'd see someone worthwhile. But I was wrong. I see nothing." Her voice quivered and she sat down, skidding the helmet aside. Mushu picked it up and sat down next to her.

"Well now that's only because it needs a little spit that's all," he replied, spitting on the helmet and wiping it clean with his sleeve. "Let me shine this up for ya. Look! I can see you, you look so pretty."

Mulan weakly smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. She knew it was time to go home, so she got up and helped Mushu stand up too. He stretched his legs and grumbled about his foot that had fallen asleep.

"While I would love to stay longer for you to explain once again about how annoying it is to have your foot fall asleep, I have to start going back home," Mulan said.