Katie, Batter Up!

by Coco Simon

  Then I heard a voice calling to me.

  “Katie! Over here!”

  It was Callie’s mom. Mrs. Wilson and my mom have been friends since before Callie and I were born. She’s almost like a second mom to me, which is why it’s extra weird that Callie and I aren’t best friends anymore. I kind of miss seeing her all the time.

  So I walked over. “Hi, Mrs. Wilson,” I said.

  “Hi, Katie.” She gave me a hug. “Are you here to see Callie play?”

  Uh-oh. Tough question. “Well, sure, and I have two other friends on the team too,” I said, only lying just a little bit. “Mia and Alexis.”

  “Oh yes, they’re good players,” Mrs. Wilson said. “Come here, have a seat. I haven’t seen you in so long.”

  So I ended up sitting next to Mrs. Wilson for the whole game. That was good, I guess, because she explained a lot of the soccer stuff to me. Like how in the spring league the girls played other teams from Maple Grove. And how many points you got for scoring a goal and who could be on what side of the field when and stuff like that. It all sounded pretty complicated. Maybe it was a good thing I wasn’t good at soccer!

  Still, the game was pretty exciting. The ball kept going up and down the field. I noticed that Alexis was a really good kicker. She could kick the ball really far and fast. And I cheered when Mia made a goal.

  I was kind of surprised to realize that Callie was the star of the team. She was superfast, and whenever someone passed her the ball, she was right on it. And she scored four goals! It was amazing. I cheered for her, too, and I think she heard me because she looked up. But mostly she concentrated on the game.

  Even though the Rockets rocked, the other team, the Comets, beat them 8–7. At the end of the game the two teams lined up and then slapped hands as they walked past one another. I thought the Rockets would look sad, but when I ran up to Mia and Alexis after the game they looked pretty psyched.

  “Alexis, that pass you made was amazing,” Mia was saying.

  “Thanks!” Alexis said, high-fiving her. “I think this was our best passing game ever.”

  “You did great, guys,” I told them. “Soccer looks pretty fun.”

  “It is,” Mia said. “I’m glad you came.”

  Then Callie walked over, and she looked kind of mad. At first I thought it was because of losing the game. But it turned out she was mad at me.

  “Katie, what are you doing here?” Callie asked. “You hate sports.”

  “Maybe I used to,” I said, getting defensive. “But not now.”

  Callie shook her head. “I used to ask you to come to my games all the time….” She looked at Mia and Alexis.

  I couldn’t believe what she was saying. Yeah, and I was your best friend until you sold me out to be part of the Popular Girls Club, I wanted to scream. Not to mention how just the other day she stood by while Sydney made fun of me, and she didn’t say a thing! She had no right to be mad at me for this, not even a little.

  “We all cheer for one another,” Mia said, and she smiled at me. “And it’s true, she’s really good at softball.”

  “Yeah, she’s even trying out for the team,” Alexis said proudly.

  Callie looked surprised and then she didn’t look so mad anymore.

  “Really? Wow, that’s pretty cool, Katie,” she said. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “And good game. I can’t believe how many goals you made.”

  Callie actually smiled. “Thanks,” she said. She looked around, and I wondered if she was looking for her new friends, but there were just a lot of parents waiting around. “See you!” She waved, and then she ran off to see her mom.

  “That is one complicated situation,” Mia said, looking after Callie.

  I shrugged. “I guess,” I said. “But right now I’m a lot more worried about that softball tryout!”

  Especially now that Callie knows I’m trying out, I thought. If I don’t make the team, I am going to look like a loser!

  CHAPTER 11

  I’m Keeping My Eye on the Ball, I Swear!

  All right, Katie,” Matt said. “Like I showed you. Bend your knees and hold the bat just below your shoulders.”

  “She’s holding it too high!” Alexis said directly behind me.

  It was Friday afternoon, the day before tryouts, and Emma had finally arranged to have Matt give me a batting lesson. During the week I ran with Mom a few times after work, and Mom got us a ball and gloves so we could practice catching. But so far, no batting.

  And in case you’re wondering what Alexis was doing there, she offered to come along and help.

  “You can’t have batting practice without a catcher,” she said, and I know she’s right. But sometimes I wonder if she’s really over her crush on Matt.

  To be fair, though, Alexis seemed a lot more interested in telling me how to bat than she did in flirting with Matt.

  “I am not holding it too high,” I protested.

  “She’s good,” Matt called back. “Okay, Katie, now keep your eye on the ball!”

  “Sure,” I said, but actually, I have a problem with that advice. Because when the ball comes at me, it’s spinning really fast and it’s all blurry and it just makes me nervous.

  Then Matt pitched the ball to me underhand, like they do in softball, and I kept my eye on it, I swear—both eyes, even. And when it got close to me I freaked out a little and swung the bat way too soon.

  Whump! I heard the ball land in Alexis’s catcher’s mitt.

  “Steeeeee-rike!” Alexis cried, like some professional umpire.

  “Too soon, Katie!” Matt called out.

  “Yeah, too soon, Katie!” Alexis repeated.

  “I know!” I said, a little frustrated. “It’s hard to know when to swing.”

  Matt walked up to me and Alexis. “Okay, how about this?” he asked. “When you think you want to swing, don’t. Count to two and then swing, okay?”

  “Okay,” I said, nodding. Then I got back into batting stance.

  “Oh, you are holding it a little too high,” Matt said. “Here, move your elbows, like this.”

  Matt got behind me and positioned my arms—sort of like when Sam was showing me how to shoot a basket. But I didn’t have any heart palpitations or sweaty palms this time.

  Is that all it means to have a crush on someone? I wondered. Sweaty palms? Would Alexis get sweaty palms if she were standing here now?

  “Earth to Katie,” Matt said. “Are you listening?”

  “Oh, sure,” I said. I placed my arms in the right position. “Like this, right?”

  “Okay, let’s give it another try,” Matt said. “This time, count to two before you swing.”

  “Got it,” I said.

  Matt pitched the ball to me again. I kept my eye on the ball, and when it got close, I freaked out again.

  “Strike!” Alexis cried.

  “Why is it that it’s good to get a strike in bowling but bad to get one in baseball?” I wondered out loud, trying to distract Alexis and Matt from the fact that I was terrible.

  “Well, this isn’t bowling,” Alexis said. “I know you can do this. Just keep your eye on the ball.”

  “I am. I swear,” I protested. “That’s not the problem.”

  “What happened to counting to two?” Matt called out.

  “I get too nervous,” I answered. “When the ball starts to get close, I feel like it’s going to hit me in the face or something. So I swing.”

  “I am not going to throw the ball at your face. I promise,” Matt said, rolling his eyes. “Geez!” Then he muttered “Girls!” in an exasperated voice.

  “Hey, I heard that!” Alexis called out. “Katie’s just nervous, that’s all. This has nothing to do with her being a girl.”

  “That’s right!” I agreed. Now I had something to prove. “Let’s do this.”

  Matt pitched. I kept my eye on the ball. When the ball got close, I started counting.

  One Mississippi, two Mississippi …
/>   Thump! The ball landed in Alexis’s glove before I could even swing.

  “Ball one!” Alexis yelled.

  “What does that even mean?” I said.

  Matt shook his head. “Katie, I said count to two, not count to two million.”

  “I did count to two,” I told him. “I counted by Mississippis.”

  “Well, no wonder,” Alexis said. “That’s way too long, Katie.”

  Matt gave an exasperated sigh. “Forget about counting. Just hit the ball when it gets close to the bat, okay?”

  “Got it,” I said. I got back into batting stance, more determined than ever.

  Do not freak out. Do not freak out, I told myself. Matt will not hit you in the face.

  Matt pitched. The ball soared through the air. I swung.

  Crack! I hit the ball! It went careening to the left, and Alexis ran after it.

  I started jumping up and down. “I hit it! I hit it! I hit it!”

  “That was a foul ball,” Alexis said, running back to me.

  “Good job, Katie!” Matt said, and I felt like I was going to burst with pride. “Now next time straighten it out, okay?”

  “Okay,” I said, even though I had no idea what that meant.

  So Matt pitched the ball a bunch more times. And after a while, I sort of got used to the ball coming straight at me. I lost my fear and just concentrated on trying to follow it with my eyes and hit it when it got close. I struck out a few times, and I had a lot more foul balls. But I “straightened out” after Matt showed me how, so I also hit a few good balls. One of them popped up in the air, and Matt caught it. But another one rolled on the grass, and Matt had to chase after it.

  Finally Matt called it quits. “You’re doing good, Katie. You’ll be fine at the tryouts, I think,” he said. “Just keep throwing and catching like you do.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  He held out his hand. “And now I believe there was a payment involved?”

  I walked over to the Taylors’ deck and picked up the box I had brought with me.

  “One dozen chocolate peanut-butter cupcakes,” I said.

  Matt smiled and took the box. “You are the best, Katie.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “You are, too. And so is Alexis. She’s a great catcher.”

  (Did you see what I was doing there? Just trying to help out a friend—just in case Alexis was still getting sweaty palms.)

  “Yeah, thanks,” Matt said. He turned and smiled at Alexis. “You can play on my team anytime.”

  Alexis blushed, and I felt like I had done a good deed.

  In fact, I was feeling pretty good when Mom took me home. And Mom had a weird smile on her face, like she was keeping a secret.

  “A package came for you today,” she said as she unlocked the door.

  “Really?” I asked. “What is it?”

  “I’ll let you open it yourself,” Mom said, and she handed me a box that looked like a shoebox. I looked at the name on the return address: Carole Hamilton.

  “It’s from Grandma Carole,” I said. Then I ran to the kitchen to get scissors, so I could cut through the tape.

  The box was filled with crumpled-up newspaper. I felt around and pulled out a softball. There was a note on a small piece of blue paper.

  Dear Katie-kins,

  I am so excited that you are going to be on the softball team! I know you’re going to do great.

  This is a softball I saved from my high school championship team. It’s very special to me, and I know it will bring you luck.

  Love,

  Grandma Carole

  “Wow,” was all I could say.

  Mom read the note over my shoulder. “That’s very special,” she said.

  I tossed the softball from hand to hand, thinking. Grandma Carole was counting on me to get on the team. I didn’t want to disappoint her—or Mom or the Cupcake Club or Callie or even Matt.

  I had to get on that team. Failure was not an option. But first I had to get rid of this nervous energy.

  “Hey, Mom,” I said. “Want to go for a run?”

  CHAPTER 12

  I Don’t Totally Stink

  Tryouts were Saturday morning at ten at the middle-school field. I was so nervous that I woke up at five a.m. Mom was still asleep, so I went down to the living room and stared at the ceiling until she woke up.

  “Katie, you’re up early,” she said, yawning. “I’m going to make some coffee. What would you like for breakfast?”

  My stomach felt like it was tied in a knot. “I don’t think I can eat,” I replied.

  “You have to eat something,” Mom said. “You need energy for your tryouts.”

  I groaned. I know she was right. “Then I guess, cereal, please.”

  I munched on a bowl of Grainy Flakes and changed into shorts and a T-shirt for the tryouts. When we got to the field, there were a lot of girls and parents there. Most of them were lined up in front of a folding table set up over by the stands with a sign that read PARK STREET SOFTBALL TRYOUTS.

  “I guess we should get in line,” Mom said, so we did.

  When we got to the front of the line, we saw a woman about Mom’s age wearing a white polo shirt with a whistle around her neck. She had blond hair pulled back in a ponytail.

  “Hi, I’m Coach Kendall,” she said. Then she nodded to a young guy with brown hair bringing some equipment out of the locker room. “That’s Coach Adani. We’ll be running the tryouts today. I just need your name, age, and grade on the form, okay?”

  I nodded, too nervous to say anything, and filled out the form. I forgot that anyone at Park Street could try out. There would be girls older than me too. Ones that had been playing longer. I gulped.

  “I’ll head for the stands,” Mom said. “Good luck, Katie.”

  I’m sure she wanted to give me a hug, but thank goodness she just waved and started walking away.

  I headed for the baseball diamond on the field, where most of the girls seemed to be going. I recognized a few girls from my grade. There were Sophie and Lucy, who are nice but they’re best, best friends and pretty much only hang out with each other. I saw Beth Suzuki, a girl from my Spanish class who trades notes with me sometimes. And then I saw Maggie Rodriguez from the Popular Girls Club.

  I groaned. Just like gym class! She was going to give me a hard time, I just knew it.

  But so far, Maggie didn’t seem to notice me. In fact, I thought she looked as nervous as I did. She was kind of hanging off to the side and not talking to anybody, which was fine by me.

  Before I could think too much about it, Coach Kendall and Coach Adani walked onto the diamond, and Coach Kendall blew her whistle.

  “All right girls, line up!” she called, and we quickly got into a line.

  “Coach Adani and I are going to put you through some drills today to see what you can do,” she said. “First up, I want to see you run around those bases. Don’t stop until I tell you. Let’s go!”

  I relaxed a little bit. Running—I could do that. Sophie was at the head of the line, and she started leading us around the diamond. For a while we all stayed in line. But then it was obvious that some of us were faster and some of us were slower. Without even realizing it, I was at the front of the line, right next to Beth.

  We must have gone around about four times when Coach Kendall finally blew the whistle for us to stop. I stepped on home plate, and my heart was pounding. The run had me feeling good, and it also felt good to know that I was one of the fastest on the team. I couldn’t help noticing that Maggie was the last one to finish, and she looked really winded.

  “All right,” Coach Kendall said. “Now we’re going to try some fielding.” She pointed to me, Beth, and another girl who I didn’t know. “I want you to each take a base.”

  I started to feel nervous all over again. Beth ran to first base, so I took second, and the other girl took third. Coach Adani stood at home plate, and Coach Kendall stood behind him with a catcher’s mitt.

  “Here�
��s how it’s going to work,” he said. “I’m going to hit out a ball. If it comes to you, catch it and throw it home.”

  This is it, I thought. This is where I prove myself. Can I do it?

  Then I heard cheers from the stands.

  “Go, Katie!”

  I looked up and saw Alexis and Emma. I knew Mia was at her dad’s in Manhattan or else she would be there too. I had my very own cheering section, and I couldn’t let them down.

  I put my hands on my knees and focused on Coach Adani. He hit a ground ball to Beth. She scooped it up and threw it back to Coach Kendall. The throw was a little wide, and Coach had to chase after it.

  Then Coach Adani hit a pop-up to second base. Easy. I caught it and threw it to Coach Kendall—and it landed right in her glove.

  I had aced it! I didn’t feel so nervous after that. Coach Adani hit two more balls to each of us, and I caught each one that went to me. Then we left the field and the other girls got a turn.

  I sat on the grass and watched the competition. Some of the girls, like Lucy, were really good. But a few girls couldn’t catch very well. And Maggie … well, Maggie was pretty terrible. But you could see that she was trying really hard.

  Maggie missed the first two balls, and when she threw them back, they didn’t go anywhere near home plate. And then when Coach Adani hit the third ball to Maggie, it went way to the left. Maggie actually jumped and then dove to catch it! It was pretty cool, and everybody cheered even though the ball ended up bouncing out of her mitt.

  As I watched the rest of the fielding tryouts, I felt more and more nervous each minute. I knew what had to be next: batting.

  And that’s exactly what happened next. Coach Kendall put me and two other girls on the bases while the first group of girls came up to bat. Lucy went first, and she hit her first pitch way, way out into the outfield, which was awesome—but it only made me more nervous.

  All I could think about was when my turn would be next. I was so distracted that I missed an easy pop-up that one girl hit right to me.

  And then, before I knew it, I was standing at home plate, a bat in my hand. Coach Kendall was pitching, and Maggie, Sophie, and another girl were on the bases. My hands were shaking, and I felt like I was going to toss my Grainy Flakes all over the field.