Page 113 of Chasing Headlines
I crossed my arms and shrugged. “I'm good at it.” Something pulled at the sides of my brain. I shooed it away.Focus.
“And? There's nothing more magical to it than you're just good at it?”
The same thing pushed and poked blunt fingers into the corners of my mind. I shook my head, frowned against the laces tightening over my chest.What's happening to me? Stop.
“You're a big guy out here. But you're still a kid in here.” Sharp talons stabbed my ribcage. “You're going to stand there and tell me the only thing about baseball that matters is you're good at it?”
I ran a hand over my face as something roared in my ears. “I figured there has to be a reason. Right? I'm not great at spelling or cooking, geometry or fuckin farming.” I pointed at the door. “I'm good atbaseball. I'm not just good, I'm fuckinggreat at it. I should be in the God damned major leagues instead of this crappy piece of shit dustbowl.” I shouted at the ceiling as something uncoiled inside me. It rose and raged. Hot liquid seared the length of my spine. And everything burned.
“But this is my fucking life! My mom died and some reporter wanted a story.” I heaved for air. “And all I cared about was playing in somegame. Like that was what mattered. She was dying, and I was mad. I'm still fucking pissed. Criminals survive every day. Murderers and rapists and lunatics. But nother.”
“Life, in all the years I've been living it, son, doesn't make a lick of sense where that's concerned.”
Her words took the last of the fight out of me. Out of fuel, I sunk into her couch. “I should've spent more time with her. She thought I took baseball too seriously.” I stared at something, nothing. The world was a blur around me. “I thought it was because she didn't believe in me. That I could make it.”
“Sheknewyou would, son.” Dotty tilted my chin to look at her. And it was like that day when I was twelve, curled over my bleeding knee and sprained wrist, my bike twisted and broken on the sidewalk. And I was afraid to move, to cry, to breathe . . .
“Look at me. You'll be ok. Breslin, let me help you.”
“. . . she didn't want you to forget there are better things in life. Or who you are. In here.”
And like the dumb kid I was, I couldn't stop my tears.
After the weirdest day I'd ever had, I needed baseball to get my head right. My body ached all over and I would've done just about anything to get back on the field. Maybe even let Milline interview me . . . if she was wearing her see-through shirt.
I took a deep breath and knocked on Coach's door. Eberhardt let me in, he gave me a nod. “Hey, Coop. Glad to see ya.”
I swiped the cap from my head and cleared my throat. “Need to talk to Coach.”
“Don't need a chat. You're here, so I expect you know the deal.”
“Yes sir.”
“No prima donna shit. No trouble. I'm first on your list, not that damned reporter.”
Something grated on my already frayed nerves. My mouth opened without the consent of my brain. “She's staff, though.”
“What?”
I glanced at Eberhardt. “I thought she was staff, not just 'some reporter'. Whatever she does in here. It's important to her.”
Coach spit in his trashcan and glared at me.
“I'm not . . . justifying anything. I get it. And I don't know the whole story, but. She went out of her way to help the team. I know the guys out there . . . think the same.”
He crossed his arms as an awkward silence slipped into the room. An eyebrow lifted. “God damn it, Jeffrey! These kids get more difficult every year! What happened to the days when we just had to worry about teen pregnancy? Not computer whats-its and ROI numbers and get out! Get out and you're running extra laps for missing morning reps, and you'd better be on, Mr. Cooper. I'd better see the most amazing baseball I've ever seen out of a freshman from here on!”
I met Eberhardt's gaze. He nodded toward the door. “You heard him. Ten laps.”
“Got it.” I pivoted, but before I could escape?—
“Make it eleven! And you'd better not get anyone pregnant, either.”
I smacked into the door. “What?”
Eberhardt barked out a laugh. “Hank, you're over the top.”
“Covering all the bases with this one.”