Sydney POV
I bang my head and glance up at the light while smiling at how Ellie is singing.
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SING BUT I DON'T CAREEEEEEEEEEEE!"
The audio monitor next to my radio shoots up to full base as the techno riffs kick in.
I feel my seat shake and I smile.
"THESE PEOPLE CAN STOP STARINGGGGGGGGGGG!"
Yup. We're getting angry stares.
More riffs!
We came in like a wrecking carrrr…
Green light.
I just closed my eyes and turnedddd…
Right on time, Ellie turns down the music.
"Jam time over."
I nod.
We're within 2 blocks of the baseball fields.
Today's game will be a bit different. Everyone is coming, but at different times.
Haven't seen anybody else's cars yet.
I can't wait to see Austin, even if I can't say hi.
This was a weird week. I'll explain.
It was normal up until Wednesday night, and Austin's game. I had homework and couldn't go. No big deal.
Until Thursday morning came, and Austin didn't come to school.
I texted him, and called a few times too.
Nothing.
Nothing Friday morning either. So I texted his grandma, which I never do and asked if he was ok.
Her reply?
"He's ok sweetheart. Doing physical therapy and treatment rest of the week. Will let you know more later when I know more. I don't know much either."
Ellie was with me when I got that text. I dutifully sent it out to mom, who had been pestering me about him, since his grandma said he wasn't coming Thursday night.
Since then, I've just made sure that he'll be at the game today, and have been trying to find out what is wrong.
I can't find anything, that's the weird thing.
Usually there are game recaps on several websites, describing how he did, and anything noteworthy.
I found out that the pitcher's name that got into the fight with him last year, but nothing about what's wrong with him.
I don't even know if something is wrong with him.
I think there is, otherwise why have the physical therapy and stuff? Plus I don't think he was hurt before this.
Dad brought up a good point last night at dinner, trying to alleviate everybody's concerns.
Maybe he's having trouble with the hand he broke.
I don't think that's it, but at least there's a chance of him not being seriously hurt.
Enough of that. Let's get to today's game and the drama around that.
Like I said earlier, this is the rematch between Austin and the pitcher who hit him, then got beat up by him last year.
Thanks to my research this week, I now know his name is Travis Storen.
The whole thing is weird. Because there was a picture online of Austin and Travis like 9 years ago in DC on the field before a game.
Austin's uncle, the famous one, plays for the Washington Nationals.
Travis Storen's dad, named Drew Storen was a teammate for a few years of Austin's uncle.
Now I'm no baseball genius, but I know how mad Austin is about how last fall's season ended. It bugs him to this day. And according to what I read online, the team Austin's uncle and Travis' dad was on was really good, and supposed to win the championship. But Drew Storen lost a 7-5 lead in the 9th inning and their team lost and got eliminated from the playoffs, leaving Drew Storen as the scapegoat.
The next 2 or 3 years weren't so good for him, and he ended up on another team before succeeding again.
What doesn't make any sense is why or how this translates to Travis and Austin.
I just know that 3 different sites mentioned this game today, and told an abbreviated version of what happened last time, and then casually left the video for all to see.
"You totally didn't just hear what I said, did you?" I hear Ellie say.
I blink and look over at her.
"Huh?"
She smiled.
"Yup."
I roll my eyes and put on my left blinker.
"Oh don't be mad. I'm sure he's fine. Your dad is probably right. It's probably his hand. Jerking off too hard or something."
"ELLIE!" I yell.
"What?" She smiled at me.
"He…don't say that!" I sputter.
She laughed.
"Everybody has their needs. And he might be Superman, but he can't have you every time he wants you."
Oh whatever.
I turn into the parking lot, and try to find a spot.
More cars than I expected.
"Wow, what's up with the traffic?" Ellie said, pulling her phone off its charger.
"No idea." I say, pulling into a spot and hopping out, then opening the back seat.
Should I go ahead and put on my hoodie now, or leave it here?
Or bring it with me to the field?
The door opposite me opens and I see Ellie start going thru her purse before finding a scarf and throwing it on.
If she's only got a scarf, then I shouldn't need a hoodie.
I'll leave it here.
I close my door and lock the car.
As normal, I pay for Ellie's and I's tickets, and after getting in, Ellie disappeared to the concessions stand.
We would be at the Can, but something was wrong structurally and they took it away.
Thankfully somebody down at the Port of Oakland donated another shipping crate. It's supposed to get here relatively soon.
The patch of grass that was under it actually smelled awful and was totally dead. So they cordoned off the area and burned it off.
Matt and Kevin were kicked out of the batting practice area because of it.
So now it's dirt.
I find the spot where I've sat recently and look around.
Half the people on this end are wearing collared shirts and jeans.
Scouts.
Figures. I wonder if our friend Mr. Storen is a prospect too?
"Geez, what's up with the vultures. Out in force today…" Ellie said under her breath while sitting next to me.
"I know right. Hey!" I hop up and smile at Olivia, who smiled and grabbed for me.
"Hi! You guys are early. What's up with all the guys in collared shirts?" Aunt Tori smiled while climbing up onto the bleachers and sitting behind Ellie and I.
"They're scouts. Here for Austin usually. But there are a lot more today." I say, as Mom, Dad, Kevin, Matt and Corey pop up.
I smile as Mom hugged Ellie and everybody filed past Ellie and I.
"What are you talking about?" Dad asked.
"The people in collared shirts." Tori said, then turned to her daughter. "Here, I'll give you to Ellie. Now stop kicking."
Olivia giggled and kicked her feet in glee as Ellie smiled and took her.
"Lot of people here early." Corey commented.
I open my mouth to reply but quickly Kevin and Matt disappear.
"Where do they think they're going? We're here for Austin!" Mom hissed to Dad.
"I don't know." Dad shrugged.
"Should I call?" Andre asked
I look back up to Kevin and Matt to see they're talking to Uncle Beck and Aunt Jade.
With Sam and her grandmother behind them.
"Sydney!" Sam squealed, then ran to me and hugged me.
"Hi! How are you?" I smile.
"I'm good." Sam said, then hugging Ellie.
I hear Sam and Mom talking as Beck, Jade and Ms. Harper walk up.
"Hey. Mind if we join you?" She asked Dad.
"Of course not. Go ahead." He said.
"We didn't know she was Austin's grandmother until we saw Sam." I overhear Jade say to Mom.
Meanwhile, Sam is looking around on the field, where the players are warming up.
"Ms. Harper, how's Austin?" Ellie asked, causing everyone to pay attention.
"He's alright. Had a rough couple of days."
"What do you mean?" I press.
She sighed.
"He didn't want me to say anything, but I think I should." She said.
"Is everything ok?" Corey asked, looking worried.
Sam shook her head, and then sipped a bottle of apple juice.
"Ok. Well it started a couple of weeks after Sam came home. He came back from the cages here and told me his elbow was hurting and that his arm felt funny. So I said that he shouldn't practice and rest his arm for a few days.
He did that, and everything was fine. Up until about a month ago, when he said it was back and he felt like his arm was on fire. But with all these games coming up, he hasn't had a chance to rest it."
"Huh." Jade said.
"Hold on. Not the end of the story. So on Wednesday, Austin said he felt better and went off to his game. I got a call about 4 hours later from him saying he was at the hospital getting his arm checked out."
"Whoa." Andre said.
"Please say he didn't hear a pop." I say quickly.
He always has said that if you hear a pop in your elbow, that's REAL BAD news.
"No pop thankfully."
"That's good." Dad said, looking relieved.
"Why?" Ellie asked him.
"If you hear a pop it means you messed up a ligament in your elbow. My dad was a quarterback at UCLA until he heard a pop during practice one day. He says it never has been quite right after he got surgery on it." He explained.
"What about his arm?" Tori asked Austin's grandma.
"Here's the weird part. It wasn't the arm he was complaining about. It was his left arm. He was stealing second and the catcher's throw him his wrist."
I cringe.
"Exactly. But thankfully it didn't break his wrist or anything. Just left a awful looking bruise. So just as we're wrapping up, they take an MRI of both of his arms, to make sure he's ok. And it was like looking at the bottom of a big rock."
"Uh oh." I hear somebody say, as my stomach freezes over.
"His left elbow has something the matter with it. We have no idea what. We think he slid into it wrong when he got hit. His other elbow he may have ruptured a ligament. We're going to take another, better MRI Monday."
…
"Seriously?" Aunt Jade asked, looking at Austin's grandmother in disbelief.
Unfortunately, all she received in return was a sad nod.
"So what does he need to do? Is this his last game, does he need surgery, what's the deal?" Dad asked.
"Last game?" I blurt out.
He won't be able to play anymore?
What about Deka's contract?
Not being able to play so suddenly is going to kill him inside!
"Last game this fall I mean." Dad amended his statement.
"We won't really know until late Monday."
"Well should he be playing?" Mom asked.
"The doctor we spoke to recommended he rest until the MRI, because we don't know if he could do more damage. But Austin said the team has nobody else to play his position, and he felt able to play, so he's going to play today."
"Is he in much pain?" Ellie asked right before I could.
"He is." She said, and then turned to me. "Don't believe him when he says he wouldn't. And before you see him, he has a gigantic brace on his arm."
"Which one?" I ask.
"Left. Usually football players that have injured their elbows use them, and after Austin chose to play, the doctor gave him the brace, to try and prevent further damage."
"Did they give him any painkillers?" Aunt Tori asked.
"Yeah, they gave him Fentanyl, but he isn't taking it because he's positive it'd make him test dirty."
"Whoa, hold on. I took Fentanyl after I had all of my children." Mom said firmly.
It's THAT strong?
"And what do you mean test dirty?" Corey asked.
"Drug test right?" Dad asked Ms. Harper, who nodded.
"Basically it'd look like Austin is cheating and taking drugs to make him be a better baseball player. Even though he isn't." Dad told him.
"That's not fair! If he's not cheating he should be able to feel better!" Corey replied quickly.
"Agaaaa…" Olivia called out sadly.
I gently reach out and rub her foot.
"Can't you get some sort of exemption?" I ask.
"Not without a doctor's write up of an injury, with a reason for taking it. So for today, he's stuck."
I quietly sit back and breathe thru my nose, trying not to get too mad.
"That's ridiculous. He's injured and can't take a pain killer strong enough to ease the pain." Uncle Andre said, sounding incensed.
"Did the doctor ask what it is on a scale of 1-10?" Mom asked.
She's asking good questions.
"Yeah. He said his left arm, the one that is bruised and maybe partially dislocated is an 8. The other is a 7."
I close my eyes and try not to cry.
WHY did he not tell me?
I hear Ms. Harper talk some more as I go thru my head, trying to remember any signs he was hurt before this.
He seemed fine, that's the thing.
I hear somebody say "But he looks perfectly fine." And pop my head up.
Ellie pointed over my shoulder, to the outfield.
…
He's wearing a black windbreaker, and is playing catch and talking to the person next to him.
And he looks happy.
"I can't even tell he's hurt." I hear Mom say.
"This is going to come off badly, but it's worth saying. He goes to the same school as Sydney. Which is a performance arts high school. This is his version of a performance."
I hear Mom, Uncle Beck, Andre and Aunt Tori all go "Ohh…"
"That's one heck of a performance then. Give him a curtain call." Ellie said.
I look down to Sam, who is playing with a bottle of Raderade.
"Don't mess with that too much angel. He'll be over here soon." Ms. Harper told her.
"He's coming over here?" Mom asked.
"He needs to get his Raderade."
Right on cue, the players on each side of the field started towards the dugouts.
Before I could get my thoughts together, he slipped out of the dugouts, about in the middle of the group of players filing out to the stands and parking lot.
Sam hopped up and ran to him, then walked with him to where we are.
Everybody stayed quiet as Austin's grandmother hugged him and said "I told everyone. I thought they should know details before you reveal the brace."
Austin smiled and nodded. "I understand."
"You're in a lot of trouble." Mom frowned, sounding half serious.
"And I deserve it." Austin said, with a shrug. "I just didn't want anyone to worry about it. I'll be fine in the long run."
"But in the short term, you're not ok and apparently in a lot of pain. We could have helped." Aunt Jade said.
"I appreciate the offer and support, I really do. But you all have done so much for me recently it's incredible. I don't want to take advantage of that, or potentially do that." Austin said, sounding tired.
I frown and look to Ellie and Olivia.
Olivia is just looking at him.
Suddenly I hear Austin laugh. "You don't recognize me with all my eyeblack on, do you?"
Olivia just stared, causing some of us to laugh.
Austin then reached forward and took her from Ellie.
I can hear Mom open her mouth, but suck in a breath and not say anything.
"Don't you need to be getting back sweetheart?" Ms. Harper asked him.
"Nah, we have an extra-long break today. There's going to be a flyover at the USC game today, and they're coming right over us. So we're waiting for it to pass, then it'll be business as usual." He replied.
Olivia quietly made a noise and tilted her head. "Fofo."
"No, it's Aga." Austin replied.
Olivia's head popped back up. "Aga?"
She sounds confused.
Austin smiled and nodded. "Aga."
Olivia giggled in reply and waved her arms.
But then she hit his arm, and Austin suddenly cringed and bent down slightly, causing everyone to freak out.
Mom reached out and grabbed his shoulder, while Aunt Tori scrambled to him and tried taking Olivia.
"No, it's ok. She just hit the middle of the bruise. I'm ok." Austin said, trying to keep a calm expression.
"How bad is it?" Ellie asked.
"Bone bruise. Didn't show on X-Ray. Best case it's a deep tissue bruise."
"That bad?" Dad asked.
"Yeah. The catcher that threw it is a senior and also got drafted in the first round. And we both skipped out on it. He's seriously good, and him hitting me was an accident."
"So what happened?" I ask, causing everybody to look at me.
"I tried stealing second, slid and his throw went straight into my arm." Austin said, holding both his arms out in front of him, and then pointing to where Olivia hit him.
Olivia saw him point and moved to hit his arm again.
All at once, I move to stop her, her mom hopped up and Austin grabbed her arm before she could follow thru.
"No sweetie. Otherwise I'll hand you off." Austin said, and then continued with the story. "Once I got hit, I immediately reacted and tried grabbing it, but landed weird on my throwing arm, and jammed my left arm. That part is my fault. Shouldn't have done that."
"You didn't know that. Don't be too hard on yourself." Mom said softly.
"Thanks, but I could have not messed up both arms."
"I thought the right was messed up before." Aunt Tori said.
"Yeah, but just discomfort, nothing like it is now. When I landed funny, something happened and it's been off ever since."
Olivia then moved to grab his arm, but hit what sounded like metal.
"Baa?" She said, looking down at his arm.
"Don't worry. Just a brace."
"Is it metal?"
"No, it's carbon fiber and hardened plastic and some other small stuff. It sounds like metal but is a lot lighter."
I bite my lip.
On cue, he turned to me and smiled.
"I know you're mad."
"Not mad. But you didn't say anything. Not even after the fact. You could have just texted me." I say defensively.
"Yeah, and I probably should have. But I haven't really talked to anyone since I got hurt. No Splashface posts, no texts, nothing."
"But before." I press him.
"It really wasn't a big deal before Wednesday. That's what worries me. Whatever is up, got worse with my genius sliding idea."
"Do you have to play?" I ask.
Austin just smiled.
"Yeah. All these scouts are here, and have no clue I'm hurt. You watch, once I take this jacket off, they're going to start buzzing and Splashface will go nuts. People have been saying online that I can't play hurt. Well we'll just have to see about that."
Suddenly Mom jumped in strongly.
"Austin, don't pay attention to that crap. I never do, even though it does bug me. I know it won't help. Just ignore it."
Austin nodded, then turned to me and said "Plus I've got to shut Travis up. He's been talking all week, and he needs to be put in his place."
I hear somebody say "But you're really hurt."
"I had a broken hand last year and was one hit away winning a title. Everybody forgets that." He smiled.
Sam suddenly grabbed him and hugged him. Austin leaned back and hugged her back.
Then two black darts zoom over our heads.
F-22's.
I put my hands over my ears and wait for the rush of noise.
Olivia!
I look to her and see that Austin has his hands over her ears, and has his face scrunched.
WHOOOOOOSHHHHH…
I take my hands off my ears and see Austin shaking his head.
"Ok. I'll be fine. Love you." He said to Olivia, then kissed his cheek.
"Aga!" She replied, then put both of her hands on his face.
"No no…Here's Sydney." Austin handed her off to me, then—
I can't help but freeze as he kissed me briefly, and then smiled.
"Harper! Quit hogging all the hot girls!"
He laughed, then somebody put his hat on backwards.
"That's not how it works…" Austin replied to his friend, then waved to us and started off to the dugout.
…
I keep my gaze on Olivia, and see that she's already put her hands on her face, and that Austin's eyeblack got on her hands, and is now on her face.
"You're a mess." I smile.
"Why?" Ellie asked, then saw her and laughed.
"What?" Uncle Andre said.
"She's got Austin's eyeblack on her face…" Ellie giggled and turned her to her mom and dad.
Olivia looks so happy and clapped, with her cheeks and part of her forehead smeared with eyeblack.
"Oh gosh…Olivia!" Aunt Tori said, half laughing.
"You're so silly!" Aunt Jade said, as Mom took a picture.
"I think she looks nice." Sam said quietly.
I smile and look to the other side of the bleachers.
Where all the eyes are towards Austin's dugout.
I swing my head back around just in time for Austin to take his jacket off, grab his glove and follow his teammates onto the field.
At the same time, all the scouts either burst into hushed conversations or started typing rapidly into their phones.
"That brace looks cumbersome." Mom said, voicing all of our thoughts.
I keep my eyes on him as he warms up.
He really looks fine.
On all of his warm up throws, he looked like he always does.
Calm, effortless and practically bored.
He simply flicks the ball to the first baseman, but it zooms over there.
The umpire gives the signal to start, and all of the infielders go up and tap Austin's pitcher on the shoulder, then walk back to their positions.
Immediately there's one out, thanks to a pop up, and the next batter is struggling.
They have their fast pitcher going today.
I don't know his name, but he's the best pitcher they've got.
"This guy is good." Uncle Beck says, as the batter fouls one off, sending kids on the bleachers across the way scurrying off to find it.
I freeze and look closer.
"I've found Kevin and Matt." I say.
Mom, Aunt Jade and Uncle Beck all say "What?" and look over.
…
"Who are those girls?" Corey asked.
"No idea buddy. But stay over here ok?" Dad smiled at him.
"I think that's Ashton." Ellie said, causing everybody to turn and look.
"His girlfriend?" Ms. Harper asked Dad.
"We don't exactly know. He never says anything about it."
"Isn't he like 12?"
"Yep." Mom smiled.
Ms. Harper shrugged.
I look back to the field, and the inning is over.
"This is a lot faster than my games…" Corey said, sounding nervous.
"Give yourself a few years bud. You'll be fine." Uncle Beck rubbed his head, then smiled.
I check my phone, and decide to pull onto Splashface.
I've got over 50,000 new messages.
Last time I glanced at it was when I was walking here.
Usually they don't accumulate that fast.
The first thing that catches my eye is "Harper with mystery injury, playing thru pain."
After that it's a mixture of my fans, followed by baseball people wondering what on earth is wrong with him.
I glance back up to see the normal scene of Austin joining the first two hitters to watch the pitcher.
…
"Is it me, or does this guy seem to be pitching for the first time." Dad said.
I turn and glance at him, and he has a funny expression.
"It's not you. I don't thi—"
Suddenly Austin whistled towards the dugout, and everyone turned to the pitcher.
Within seconds, the attention was rapt.
I don't get it…
That's Travis Storen?
Wait a second…
Travis is 8.
This guy is 18.
And kind of out of shape, but that's beside the point.
"This isn't the guy who hit him last year. Something isn't right." I say.
"How do you know?" Ellie immediately said.
"Well, I was trying to find out what was wrong with Austin, and I found out more about the guy that hit him. That guy isn't him."
"Hmm." I hear somebody say, as the first batter went up there.
…
…
Huh.
Looks like he's decent. Got the first guy out easily.
…
…
And the second.
Now here's Austin.
"OVERRATED!" The opposing fans start chanting.
Clap clap clap clap clap.
"OVERRATED!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
I quietly groan.
He gets a lot of this.
And it just keeps going.
"OVERRATED!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
I glance down at Sam, and she's paying sharp attention to Austin.
He looks fine. Same as always, just a sleeve on his right arm, the gigantic thing on the other arm, and barely noticeable padding on his ribs.
The pitcher started his pitch, then it was an explosion of noise.
Austin stayed still as the catcher hopped out of his crouch and went BEHIND Austin to catch the pitch.
"That's on purpose!" Corey yelped.
Dad quickly sat him down.
Somebody from the opposite dugout yelled "YOU MISSED!"
"Play the game!" Beck yelled, sounding annoyed.
"DEKA'S PUPPET!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
Oh jeez.
"DEKA'S PUPPET!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
A new chant.
Haven't heard this one before.
"Are you serious?" I hear mom say, over the tumult.
"DEKA'S PUPPET!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
"What is this? Roman theater?" Jade asked.
Then the next pitch came in, and Austin dove down.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
They're booing him.
He nearly got hit in the head!
The umpire made a motion, then waved for both managers to come out.
Austin walked down to the third baseline to the coach down there.
"Good, hopefully that stops this." I hear Ms. Harper say.
I look back to the umpire and he looks livid talking to both managers, pointing in both directions, then to the pitcher, then to Austin.
I turn back to Austin to see that he's intently listening to his coach.
"I didn't realize how big he is for his age." I hear Aunt Tori say.
He's taller than the coach, and a good 4 inches taller than the 3rd baseman for the other team.
"Yeah, you don't realize it seeing him regularly. You just think of him as an adult." I hear someone say.
Ms. Harper smiled.
Quickly, the meeting at home broke up, and Austin returned to the plate.
"Let's go Austin!" Sam yelled out.
…
PWING!
My heart leaps, then my stomach drops.
"Foul!" The umpire yelled, and immediately Austin's team is screaming at the umpire.
However, since they're all yelling different things I have no idea what they're saying.
I hear somebody behind me say "What happened?"
Austin is biting his bottom lip and saying something to the umpire.
Then finally we get some clarification from Austin's teammates.
"THAT HIT HIS ARM!"
THAT HIT HIM?
Austin stopped talking to the umpire, and started his at bat again.
…
…
A cheer erupts from the opposite side, as Austin tossed his bat to the on deck circle, unable to keep his frustration from leaking out into his actions.
"This is ridiculous." I hear Mom say angrily.
"He missed twice, the third time hit him, then apparently hit his bat, then they plunk his ribs. Great start." I hear Uncle Andre say.
I glance over to Ellie, who looks worried.
Olivia is curled up in Ellie's chest, with her back turned to the action.
My thoughts exactly.
And those dummies online thought this would go peacefully.
I look out to where Austin is, and he's paying attention, but favoring his left arm.
Great.
…
A weak groundball ends the inning, and Austin fell back into his routine.
I shiver and start fiddling around with my phone.
Seems like all of Splashface is trying to figure out what's wrong with Austin.
Impulsively, I post "Guys, Austin's ok. We'll know more Monday, but he's not seriously hurt. Thanks for your concern."
Ellie handed me Olivia, so that she could hop off to the bathroom, and everyone else has seemed to fall into a lull.
This game isn't helping. It's gone from a practical riot with Austin batting, to a fast paced snoozefest.
I turn to Sam, and she's playing on her grandma's phone.
…
Another inning over.
As soon as it arises, it's seemingly over.
The only bright side, is that Austin is coming up soon.
Even though that comes with him getting more injured.
It doesn't seem like getting hit affected him.
His arm does seem to be bugging him. The only action he's had in the field he seemed to hesitate for half a second before throwing the guy out at first.
I check my phone to see the reaction to my post.
Mostly positive.
Lots of people concerned though. There's a picture of him wearing the brace, that obviously was taken by one of the vultures.
…
A sharp whistle gets my attention again, and I see that it's another new pitcher.
8.
"This is the guy." I say quickly.
Everyone behind Ellie and I seems to wake up.
"This is him?" Mom asked, as the guy started warming up.
He kind of looks like Austin, in that he doesn't seem to be trying. Just a lazy flick.
The main difference is that the result isn't as impressive.
…
…
POP!
Or he's just getting warmed up.
POP!
"Oh boy." I hear Aunt Jade say.
I also hear Mom fidget nervously.
Austin's just watching him, along with his other teammates.
POP!
People on the other side are starting to take pictures, and getting a flashbulb effect.
The umpire signals the end of the warm ups, and then walks out to the mound.
Austin retreats to the dugout, sits and doesn't move.
The rest of the team is giving him his space.
"Hopefully he's warning him." I hear Ellie say, and look back and see the umpire talking to Travis, who is nodding raptly.
Then he walked away.
In a blink of an eye, the first batter was down 2 strikes.
The crowd erupted as Storen threw a laser past him for strike 3.
"Ok…maybe I was way off." I hear Mom say.
"Daddy?" I hear Corey say.
"It's fine bud. Don't worry." Dad replied.
Bang.
Another strikeout.
Crowd erupts.
Austin's up.
Somebody yelled "SYDNEY'S UGLY AUSTIN!"
I didn't even have time to make a move before Ms. Harper protectively put her hand on my leg, Ellie grabbed my arm and Olivia jumped, causing me to hold her tighter.
And here we…go.
…
I barely see the ball go by, and the umpire motions it as a strike.
More flashbulbs.
"OVERRATED!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
"Oh come on…" I hear Aunt Jade moan, as they continue their onslaught.
"OVERRATED!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
Then finally a groan.
I clap and smile.
Ball.
"SHE IS UGLY!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
"SHE IS UGLY!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
They're talking…
ABOUT ME.
I try to relax, but immediately fail, as they erupt again.
Strike two.
Austin stepped out of the box and adjusted his gloves.
"SHE'S UGLY!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
"SHE'S UGLY!"
Clap clap clap clap clap.
…
"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Austin's frozen in his stance.
Strike 3.
Looking.
The worst way to go.
He never goes down looking.
Austin's manager is running to the umpire, clearly livid, and I realize I'm surrounded by chaos.
Matt and Kevin are right by the fence on the other side, yelling at the umpire.
Dad, Beck and Ellie are also furious and yelling stuff.
Olivia is smashed up against my shirt, and clearly unhappy.
"AGAAAAA…"
Austin turned and said something to the umpire, who quickly replied.
Then he started back to the dugout as the opposing team is celebrating behind him.
"This is an absolute joke." I hear somebody say behind me, as I keep my eyes on Austin.
The rest of the team is steering clear of him, and just as I start wondering why, Austin threw his helmet towards his bag on the far side.
His bat quickly followed.
Oh boy.
"He's mad."
"That's an understatement." I say.
He's furious.
Absolutely pissed the hell off.
I am too.
"I'm going to go get my sweatshirt." I say angrily, then climbing down the bleachers.
Whoever said this is a joke, is totally right.
AAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!
I get to the SUV and unlock it, then gently place Olivia down.
"Baba?"
I smile and say "Sure, I'll get you a baba."
She smiled and clapped in response.
Luckily, I already have a bottle ready, and has been cooling in the cooler I brought.
I hand it to her, and immediately she started eating.
"Hey, don't want to scare you." I hear behind me, and I jump in fright.
Only to see it's Ellie.
"Sorry." She smiled. "You ok?"
"I guess." I say. "Not how I thought it'd go though."
"Absolutely. Matt and Kevin came and joined us right after you left. They wanted to know what's wrong with him, but said that Austin looked floored that was called strike 3."
"Is that why he was frozen?" I ask, grabbing the sweatshirt.
"Yup. They're worried his arm is in his head."
"Who is?"
"Kevin and Matt."
I roll my eyes. "I love them, but they can shut up."
Ellie laughed behind me as I slip the sweatshirt on.
"Don't listen to those jerks though. You're gorgeous."
I freeze and look at he, only my head inside the sweatshirt.
"Of course I'm not going to listen to those jerks." I say dismissively.
"Jerks? That's all you're going to call them?"
"No, I said that because Olivia is here." I say, causing her to turn to us.
Ellie wiggled her foot, then looked back to me.
"Your mom is on the war path. Already posted on Splashface that this crowd is awful and unprofessional, and Austin's treated way different than anyone else."
I roll my eyes.
"Duh, we've known that for months. His strike zone is way bigger than anyone else's. He gets the worst calls." I say.
"Agreed. Were you cold?" Ellie said.
"Yeah, but I didn't really notice much." I say.
"I'll grab Olivia's blanket. Be right back."
Ok then.
Stupid fans.
Stupid umpire.
It makes me furious.
I grab my phone and start typing.
"Note to the "fans" on the other team: Your chants are falling on deaf ears. I'm not ugly. And I can't stand any of you. Just do us all a favor and shut up."
I toss my phone aside and groan as Ellie returns.
"Hey silly girl. Here's a blankie, so you're not cold." Ellie said, wrapping it around Olivia.
Olivia simply grabbed for her, and Ellie scooped her up.
I close the door and lock up, then follow us all the way back to the bleachers.
The first thing I notice when I sit back down, is that the fans that were chanting, now are looking at their phones and talking in small groups.
"It's your post on Splashface. They didn't know you were here. Once you posted it, they suddenly got quiet." Mom said, causing me to turn around.
"What'd you send?" Ellie asked me.
"Oh, just said how frustrated I am, and I told them to shut up." I say to her, then look back to mom.
"Has anyone tried coming over?"
"Already taken care of. The security and DeVaughn are keeping the two sides separated, with no spill over." Mom said, frowning.
"Good." I say.
I turn back to face the action, which has been going this whole time, only to get hugged by Corey.
"Love you sissy."
"Love you too." I hug him back.
"What'd we miss?" Ellie asked.
"Nothing much. Both teams batted once, and the Splashface drama. That's really it." Uncle Andre said.
"They're trying to start something here." Matt said, and I turn to see Kevin looking on with a frown.
There's someone on first.
"Why so unhappy?" Mom asked Kevin, and then rubbed his leg.
"I think they're trying to bunt. The signal they just gave is the same one we had this year." He replied.
"I doubt that they'd have the same signal." Aunt Jade dismissed the notion.
…
"STEAL!" A few of the infielders yelled, just as the batter bunted, then didn't.
Austin charged, and then stopped on a dime as the batter took the pitch.
"Fake?" Ellie said.
"It got him to second." Uncle Beck said.
That's true.
Everybody forgot about him.
I hear Matt and Kevin groan, then look to them and see concerned expressions.
The sound of a hit gets me to turn back, and—
I see the umpire gesture safe at first, and Austin is crouched down.
"What happened?" Sam asked, looking lost and frantic.
"It got hit to Austin, but hit the 3rd base bag. It popped in the air, he grabbed it and threw it. But I don't know what's wrong…" Dad said, as Austin is still crouched and grimacing.
"That was a good play! Regardless of what happened over there!" Aunt Tori said, gesturing to first.
Austin got to his feet, and went over to keep the guy that's now on 3rd there.
Whoa.
"Is that the pitcher?" Ellie asked me.
I nod.
They look practically the same. Both tall, tan and muscular.
From my angle, I see Travis casually chatting him up.
Austin is politely replying, but I can tell he's just doing it for appearances.
They really don't like each other.
I look back to the batter just in time for him to swing.
And for the opposing fans to explode and started cheering.
…
Oh crap.
Oh boy.
I groan and lean back.
Homerun.
We're down 3-0.
To a pitcher that is really good and just struck out Austin easily.
I look down to my phone, and fiddle around, eventually finding my email.
Ooh.
Finally.
The approval for the cover album.
I can make an announcement once I pick a release date.
I turn to Ellie and say "Look."
She leaned over, then smiled and hugged me.
"Awesome. Let me give Olivia to her mom, then we can narrow our list down."
"Now?" I ask.
"They said ASAP. And don't you want this out as soon as you can?" She asked me.
I guess so.
Ellie gave Olivia to her mom, who tickled her and got a giggle out of her.
"Okay…"
…
…
…
I think that's it.
Now I just have to send the names off in an email so they can get approved and mastered.
I look up, and see that Corey is sharing some nachos with Matt, and Kevin is trying to sneak one.
"What inning is it?" I ask.
Sam turned around, holding her grandma's phone.
"The last inning. Austin might not get to bat."
I groan, then look up and see that Travis is still pitching.
One look back at everyone else tells me all I need to know.
This isn't looking good.
And like the top talent he's supposed to be, he shuts the door.
One, two and three.
Leaving Austin in the on deck circle.
To my surprise, he just removed his helmet and leaned it, plus his bat on the fence so he could joing the handshake line.
"You wanna hang here, or come home later?" Mom asked me.
"I'll come later." I say.
He probably could use a hug.
Ms. Harper turned to me and said "Can you bring Sam home later too? He'll probably want to see her."
I smile and nod. Sam immediately latched onto me.
We both lingered while Austin's team packed everything up, then had their typical huddle after the game.
Then everyone went their separate ways.
Sam ran to Austin, who hugged her and smiled.
"Bad day. Oh well." He shrugged, then smirked at me.
But I can tell he's still mad.
"Yeah…" I say.
"We'll get them next time. It's just one game." He said, then asked Sam if she wanted some ice cream.
"Yes please!"
"Good, I'm in the mood for some too." He smiled, then looked to me.
"Can you take us."
I smile. "Come on you two."
"Yay!" Sam cheered, then ran to my car.