I didn't think that I would be able to post another chapter this week....but I somehow found the time. I am surprised that most people liked the dumb blonde moment in the last chapter....but whatever.
As for this flashback...I wanted to write something about Ryan's friendship with the guys...and I used Chad to kind of represent them all...this chapter is not as cute as the others...infact the flashblack doesn't even involve Kelsi. But I really like it.
And oh...I didn't even give the last chapter a title....so I am going to call it " Go Wildcats Go."
Chapter 5: That's sounds like a deal to me
" You were the mascot," Eric said with a chuckle. " How come that doesn't surprise me?"
Ryan smiled and shurgged his shoulders. But Travis rolled his eues. " I thought that wasn't be a romantic story?"
" It wasn't" Ryan countered. " It was about how I became the Wildcat Mascot for one game."
" But you and grandma kissed," Travis pointed out.
Ryan chuckled. " And so we did. But I couldn't leave that part out, I mean that was the first time we kissed. It was very important."
" Whatever grandpa. Did you ever actually play on a team? I mean really play, not acting out a scene where you played on a team or something like that."
Ryan nodded. " Yeah, in my senior year I was on the baseball team."
" Really?" Travis sounded a little bit sceptical.
" Uh huh. I was the star player. Although I didn't make the team the first time I tried out."
" Why?"
" Well...because sometimes people who shouldn't be coaches, are. But, it's a good thing that I have friends who were always there for me, and willing to stick up for me even if it wasn't the most popular thing to do...."
" You promised man. I mean, I did dance in the talent show." Chad pointed out as he glanced over at his friend.
" I know, I know. It's just....well, beside you and the rest of our group of friends, no one really knows that I can play baseball. What if I go out there and the coach doesn't like me, or he thinks that I am not worth making the team."
Chad raised his eyebrows. " Are you nervous Evans? I didin't think the word nervous was in the Evams family vocabulary."
Ryan shook his hed. " I'm not nervous....I'm not nervous at all." But he didn't even sound convincing to himself. " Okay, maybe a little bit."
" So do what you do to calm yourself before the openinf night of a show."
" You want me to meditate and do yoga, here in the boys change room? Ryan glanced around the small space and shuddered. In his opinion the floor did not look clean enough for him to lie - or even sit- on.
Chad laughed." Maybenot. But don't freak out dude. Seriously, you are really talented and if you don't make the team that is the coaches' loss." ryan smiled slightly and took a deep breath. " Look man, just go out there and play the best you can. That's all you can do. Okay?" Ryan nodded. " Good. Now, WHAT TEAM?"
" Wildcats," Ryan mumbled.
" I can't hear you Evans. I said WHAT TEAM?"
" WILDCATS."
Chad slapped him on the back. " Okay, now go get your head in the game."
Ryan and Chad quickly changed into appropriate clothes, grabbed their mitts and headed outside to the baseball diamonds where the tryouts were being held. But as soon as Ryan saw who the coach was, he felt sick in the stomach. " I can't do this," he whispered to Chad as they went to stand in line with ther rest of the high school boys who were trying out.
" You can't back out now, man."
Ryan shook his head. " No, you don't getg it," he pointed to the coach who was busy placing the bases in the their proper places, " that's Jack Andrews."
Chad nodded. ' Yeah, I know. He was on both the baseball and basketball team when we were in fresman year."
" Yeah, well he doesn't like me very much ."
" You don't know that."
" Yeah I do," Ryan kept looking at the coach nervously. " Jack and his friends...they used to...well...let's just say they weren't very nice to me in freshman year. And more often then not I would end up in a locker or with my head in the toliet. They thought it was fun to pick on me."
Chad scowled. " Well, if he picks on you now, he'll have to answer to me." Ryan glanced over at Andrews and grimanced. Although he did appreciate his friend' s gesture, he knew that it was only talk. Chad knew that if he picked a fight with the former East High Wildcat, he would definitely not make the team and might even get his ass kicked.
" Okay boys, I am going to divide you into two teams and then we'll get started." Jack glanced down at the sign up sheet and began lisiting off names. " Gibbs you're on my right and Best you're on my left. MaCarty behind Gibbs, Smith behind Best. Johnson you're with Gibbs and MaCarty," he paused as he saw the next name on the list and looked up at the group of boys for the first time since he had arrived, his gaze stopping on Ryan. " Well, well, well, Ryan Evans, trying out for a school team. Never thought I would see this day." He smirked at the blonde and continued. " I almost didn't recongnize you without your pink tutu."
Chad attempted to move forward and lunge at the coach, but Ryuan held up a hand to stop him. " Keep your cool, man." he whispered.
" Did you get lost Twinkle Toes? Or perhaps you'e here beacuse you enjoy watching other boys get all sweaty and dirty?"
A couple of the boys snickered, but shut up as soon as they got a stern look from Chad. And Ryan took a deep breath and the stared at the coach, determinf not to show that the words huts. All those year in the theatre must have paid off because when he opened up his mouth to respond to the coacy he sounded as calm as someone who was disucssing the weather with an old acquaintace. " I'm here to play ball coach. That's all. And I have just as much right to be here as te rest of them."
Jack looked Ryan over for a second. " You can actually play ball? I don't believe that." He chuckled to himself and then added. " On second thought maybe I do believe you play with balls."
Ryan clenched his fists together slightly, but still remained calm. He refused to allow this jerk to have the upper hand. " Yes sir. Actually I 've been playing ball for almost ten years now."
Jack raised his eyebrows at Ryan's response, surprised at how much he was keeping his cool. " Is that so? Well then let's see you play, Evans. Unless you are too scared."
" I'm not afraid of a baseball, or you."
" Good." Jack smiled a sly grin," How about I make you a little deal, then. If you can hit the ball further then I can, I will quit. I mean there are plenty of people who would love to have this job. But, if I hti further then you, then you might as well not show up to practices because there is no way in hell that I am going to let you join the team."
" Hey, that's not fair," Chad yelled, but Jack ignored him.
" So what do you say dancer boy? Got game?"
" You don't have to do this," Chad whisperd to Ryan, but he shook his head.
" Yeah I do. If I walk away everyone here is going to think that I am a coward."
" I won't," Chad said sincerely.
Ryan looked at his friend for a moment, then at the boys who were anxiously awaiting his answer, and then finally at the coach. " Deal."
Jack grinned and Ryan gulped. What had he gotten into? The rest of the boys folllowed the coach as they made there way over to the other side of the backstop where there was a pitching machine set up. Jack grabbed a bat and walked up to home plate. " I'll go first." Then he threw a ball to one of the boys. " Gibbs, start up the machine."
There was a buzz of a motor as the machine fired up and then a loud crack as the ball flew through the machine and then made contact with the bat. The ball flew high into the air and landed on the other side of the fence that marked the end of East High property. As the ball landed several of the boys let out a low whistle and Jack turned to Ryan and let out a small chuckle. " Good luck trying to beat that, Evans."
Ryan took a look at where the ball had landed and suddenly felt like this was a very bad idea. But he was an Evans, and an Evans never backed out of anything. Even if an Evans failed, they failed with dignity and with their heads held up high. SO he took a deep breath, tilted his hat to the side and walked up to plate, determined to hit that ball over that fence.
Ryan pulled his bat back over his shoulder and kept his eye on the ball as it came speeding towards him. He heard another loud crack as he swung with all his might, causing that ball to fly high into the air. He held his breath as the ball got closer and closer to the fence...and then landed a few feet in front the fence. Ryan felt his heart sink, he had failed.
When Jack saw where Ryan's ball had landed he turned to the blonde and laughed. " That would be what I call a fail, don't you think boys?" Several of the boys nodded and voiced their agreement. " A deals a deal, Evans. You know what to do."
Ryan sighed in defeat and turned to walk back to the school. But he stopped when he heard Chad's voice. " You just kissed your chance at championships, I hope you know that. And you are about to lose two of the best players here, becaues I refuse to play on a team that doesn't treat everyone fairly and has such an asshole for a coach." He walked over to Ryan and placed a hand on his shoulder. " Let's go man, we don't need these losers." And together they walked back to the school.
The next day Ryan walked down the hall to his locker, keepinghis head low. Although he knew that not many of the students had been at the practice, he felt like everyone's eyes was on him.
He grabbed his books and then quickly began the walk to homeroom. But he stopped when he saw Troy, Chad and Gabriella hanging out by Troy's locker. He walked up to them and they all greeted him with a smile.
" Hey, there Ry," Gabi said kindly. " How's it going?"
When Ryan didn't respond in his normal chipper way, she frowned. " What's wrong?"
He shook his head and glanced at Chad. " Uh, nothing, I'm fine."
Troy and Gabi glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders. But Chad didn't say anything. He had a feeling he knew what was up with his friend.
Ryan began to nervously look around and then let out a small breath. " Uh...do you tihnk I could talk you Chad? Alone?"
Chad nodded and then led the way to homeroom, leaving a rather confused Troy and Gabi behind.
" Look," Ryan began, " About yesterday...."
" It was no big deal man, that's what friends are for."
Ryan shook his head. " No, it was a big deal. Nobody has ever donwe something liek that for me before...and...well, I really appreciate that."
Chad smiled. " You would have done the same thing for me."
" Well, I don't think I would have called the coach an asshole. But, as for being a good friend, most definietly."
Chad kept on smiling and then opened his mouth to say that he normally didn't call coaches names like that either, but he was intruppted by someone calling his name. It was Coach Bolton.
" DANFORTH! What's this I hear about you walking out of the baseball tryouts yesterday and being rude to the coach."
Chad gave Ryan a nervous glance and thne turned to face the coach. " Uh..yeah...well about that..."
" You better have a good excuse young man, because that is not exceptable behaviour for any memeber of my team, never mind a captain."
Chad looked at the coach and frowned. He didin't like disappointing someone he greatly admired. " Well...you're always telling saying that a team can never really be a breat team until everyone on it respects one another. And your're always talking about how we have to stick up for one another and all that. And that's what I did."
The coach nodded. "And who were you sticking up for?"
Ryan looked between the coach and Chad and then stepped forward slightly. " Me, sir."
Coach Bolton glanced at the blonde, surprised. " You were trying out for the baseball team? I never took you as the type of guy who played sports." He shook his head at himself. " But then again, I never took Troy as the someone who could sing and act, and look at him now."
Chad smiled slightly. " Coach, Ryan is one of the best baseball players I think I have ever seen." His smile turned into a frown as he continued. " But coach Andrews is refusing to allow him to be on the team. All he did was call Ryan names and humiliated him in front of everyone. And I won't play on a team where the coach does not have respect for his players. You taught me that."
Coach Bolton smiled at his son's best friend. " And I am proud of you Chad." He glanced over at Ryan. " Do you still want to be on the team?"
" Will Jack still be the coach?"
Coach Bolton shook his head. " Not if I have something to say about it."
Ryan nodded slowly. " Yeah, I wouldn't mind being on the team But I want to try outfirst. I don't want to be on the team because you feel sorry for me or something like that. I only want to be on the the team if I am good enough."
The coach nodded. " Sounds like a deal to me. Now, the two of you better head off to homeroom before Darbus figures out that you were talking to me and comes after me with a stage prop or something like that."
Chad laughed and Ryan rolled his eyes. Although Ms. Darbus and Coach Bolton' s attitude towards each other had changed slightly since his son had joined the drama club, there was still te occasional bickering. But as they headed off towards homeroom, Ryan could not help but smile. It was an odd feelingf to have a friend like Chad, one who truly had his back, and to have someone like Coach Bolton treat him with respect. But it was a feeling he definitely could get used to.
So chapter 6 most likely won't be up until next week.
