Center Field (14 page)

Late Sunday night fielding messages from the Buddsite would have been more fun if he hadn't paused every few minutes to check for a sign of life from Kat. Nothing. Where was she? He imagined his voice mails, text messages, emails piling up in that neat little bedroom. He visualized running over to her house, sneaking around the back, tapping on her window. But something held him back. Afraid of Tigerbitch? Maybe.

The Buddsite was running Kat's video in a continuous loop. The Billybuds had plenty to say. EmoBaller sent a list of questions to ask Billy in person, mostly about shifting your weight in the batter's box. Catchergrrl wrote that Mike looked really cute on his winning video; he even looked a little like Billy. A couple of other girls linked to Facebook pictures of themselves.

He had hated the video the first time he saw his face filling the screen and heard himself babbling away “everything's
there, spread out in front of you, and there's a right answer and a wrong one, but you have to figure it out. You can't fake it.” Who is that jerk running his mouth?

The second time he watched it he began to relax. It wasn't that bad. “Center field is like being on top of the world seeing everything, spread out in front of you, coming at you.”

It wasn't until the third viewing that he noticed that there were other people in the video besides himself, Zack and some of the other kids, old people from the senior center. The crazy old lady he'd been helping was smiling and nodding him on. Not so crazy. Entering the contest had been her idea. She had even coached him. He remembered she said, “Not so scrunchy,” when he closed his eyes to visualize center field.

He thought, I had to watch this three times before I noticed anybody else in the video. Am I zoned in, or just a selfish, dumb jock?

The fourth time he began to appreciate what a terrific job Kat had done, smoothly intercutting all their faces with shots of Mike talking, shots of him and Billy in the outfield. Balls dropped out of the sky and into their gloves. “Just you and the ball.” Kat had shaped it into something. She was talented. He'd like to tell her.

Where was she?

 

He heard a coughing muffler in the driveway. Oscar's back for breakfast, he thought. Must be coming back to school. Would Coach give Oscar center field back? Somehow, the thought didn't hurt like it used to. Got a lot of other things going.

But it was Hector standing in the kitchen, apologizing to Mom and Dad for disturbing them. Hector had never been in the house before. Mike had never had much to do with Hector.

Mom said, “Would you take Hector upstairs? He's come to get Oscar's things.”

Hector grinned at the cello in a corner of Scotty's room. “You play that?”

“It's my brother's.”

“I used to play. In middle school? The orchestra? Loved it, man.”

He had never thought of Hector beyond second base. I don't really know anybody. “Where's Oscar?”

“Had to leave town.” Hector seemed to know what he was looking for. He picked up Oscar's little blue duffel bag where Mike had dropped it at the foot of the bed.

“Is he coming back?”

Hector shrugged.

“C'mon, man, what's going on?”

Hector held up his hands. “He got screwed up, okay?”

“I know that, the
buscones
ripped him off….”

“How you know that?” Hector squinted up at him.

“He told me. The contract stuff. Your dad, his uncle. Coming here to try to hook on with another pro team.”

Hector nodded. “Yeah. He liked you. Said you had game. He tell you about Coach?”

“He said Coach was taking care of his papers.”

“Yeah, he took care of it.” Hector made a sour face. “Left him on base, man, just left him hanging.”

“What do you mean?”

“When the Immigration started nosing around, Coach said Oscar had lied to him, gave him a phony birth certificate and a false address. Like he didn't know Oscar was twenty and lived in New York.”

Mike's stomach turned over. “What are we going to do?”

“Play ball, man. What else?” Hector hoisted the duffel bag and went downstairs.

 

Walking into school, he felt different, as if he had come back changed from a great adventure. But everything else seemed the same. Biggest weekend of my life, he thought, Captain, Kat, Billy, life-altering events. He was pleased and uneasy when Coach Cody pulled him out of homeroom and led him to his office. Pleased that at least somebody acknowledges that something happened. Uneasy because
he wanted to ask Coach about Oscar and about the Cyber Club.

Coach closed the door behind them. He sat behind his desk, let Mike stand. “Been thinking about what it means to be captain?”

“A little.”

“You've got two main jobs. Number one is to act as liaison between me and the team. You let me know what the team is thinking, especially what they don't want me to know, so I can make good decisions for them. You tracking?”

He nodded. Now he wants me to nark on the team. Be his mole. Nothing changes.

“Number two is to lead by example. You don't need to make speeches. You have to show everybody how to give their all, to put the team ahead of themselves. It's about work ethic and stepping up when the road gets rocky. You can do that. I think you're capable of becoming a great captain.”

“I'll try.” He felt disappointed. That's all?

“I'm counting on it. It's why I picked you. Any questions?”

Why I picked you? I thought the seniors on the team picked me.

“What's with Oscar?”

Coach Cody sighed, took off his Ridgedale cap, and
rubbed a hand over his scalp. There was a scratchy sound. Mike noticed the coach's head wasn't as smooth and shiny as usual. Didn't shave it today. He looked tired around the eyes.

“Kid's caught up in some nasty business. I don't know if I can help him.”

“Because he's illegal?” said Mike.

Coach said, “Oscar was a hot prospect a couple of years ago in the Dominican Republic and he signed with a Major League team. The local Dominican scout who signed him took most of the bonus money. The club knew about it, but that's the way the Major League teams do business down there. Instead of paying the scout themselves, they look the other way when they steal money from the boys.

“Well, there's been an investigation and it looks bad for the clubs. So they've cut their ties with some of the boys to avoid further investigation. Oscar got caught in that mess. His contract was canceled.”

Same story that Oscar told. Probably true. But there's more. “Is Oscar illegal?”

“Talk to your dad about that,” said Coach. “He can set you straight on the way of the world.”

Mike felt a flash of anger. “What does that mean?”

Coach didn't look at him. “One more thing, Mike. Zack and that bunch are back in school. The district wimped out.
Afraid to stand and fight. But we don't have to welcome them back with open arms. The Cyber Club is done, but they still have no place here. You tracking me?”

If he didn't track Coach's words, he could track the hard glint in his eyes, the tight smile. All he could do was nod. He was wimping out and the anger turned sour in his stomach.

Coach stood up. “You're going to be a great captain, Mike.” He reached across the desk to shake his hand.

Lunch started out easier than he expected. Lori forgave him for standing her up Saturday night. She assumed he had still been wasted from Friday night at Craig's. She giggled and said she had never seen him so ripped. Some part of him wanted to tell her about Kat, some part was terrified she would find out. Or worse, Tori would find out. Ryan avoided looking directly at Mike.

They talked about the day with Billy. A cheerleader's boyfriend had heard the announcement after yesterday's doubleheader and word had whipped around. But nobody asked Mike who he was going to take. He figured both Ryan and Lori thought they were in the running. They would have been a few days ago. A tough choice then. But there was only one person he wanted to be with now.

“So who shot the video and sent it in to Billy?” asked Lori.

Mike was still figuring out an answer when Andy gestured across the cafeteria and said, “Look. Return of the computer virus.”

Zack was settling down at the geek table. Fatty, Skinny, and the Chinese kid were there. The girl with the Mohawk. He searched for Kat. He had an urge to go over and ask about her.

“They cut a deal over the weekend,” said Tori. “The Cyber Club is history. No lawsuits. No permanent records.”

“Predictable,” said Andy. “Left-wing pukes always get a pass.”

“How is that a pass?” said Lori. “They shut down the Cyber Club.”

“They should be expelled,” said Andy.

“Hey, look,” said Ryan. “There goes Rappy.”

The big sophomore first baseman, Mark Rapp, was swaggering around the geek table, flipping trash off their trays onto their laps. Craig must have sent Rappy out. It was too far away to hear what he was saying to the geeks, but they were getting upset. Fatty tried to stand and Rappy pushed him back down into his seat. Craig and Eric Nola had strolled up and were laughing him on.

“That's not right,” said Lori.

“It's not right they're back in school,” said Tori.

The twins glared at each other.

Mike didn't realize he was on his feet until he heard Ryan say, “Where you going?” It sounded more like a warning than a question.

He heard silverware clatter on the floor. You never hear that in the noisy cafeteria, he thought. The big room was falling silent. As he got closer, he could hear Rappy.

“You pukes got no shame. Nobody wants you here. Go to some gay school.”

“Yo, Captain Mak.” Craig was grinning at him. “Should we trash can 'em?”

“Leave them alone,” said Mike. His voice boomed in the hushed room.

“Whose side you on?” said Eric.

Mike pushed Rappy away from the table. The big sophomore didn't resist. He looked confused. “Wassup, Cap?”

“Hey, Semak.” DeVon had sauntered up. “Mind your business.”

“We're supposed to set an example,” said Mike. He wondered where that was coming from. Coach Cody? Billy Budd?

Zack stood up. “We can take care of ourselves, Semak.”

DeVon and Nola snickered. Mike spotted Coach Cody standing in a corner of the cafeteria, arms crossed. No expression on his face. But we don't have to welcome
them back with open arms. He must have said that to Craig, too.

“We're jocks, not bullies.” Definitely Billy. He stood between the geeks and his teammates. He noticed Craig's eyes flick over his shoulder. He turned and saw a flash of red hair. Andy was behind him. Ryan must be there, too. He felt a surge of love for them. They had his back.

“You're not captain yet,” said Craig. His face was getting red. Watch out.

So what would Billy Budd do?

The geeks were frozen, Zack the only one standing. He's figuring out it's not about him anymore, Mike thought. Craig, DeVon, Eric, and Rappy were watching him like wolves trying to figure out if they should attack or not. Nobody else on the team had come over. The on-field team leaders, Todd and Jimmy Russo, were sitting this one out. Coach Cody hadn't moved.

It's your play, Mighty Mak.

He tried to remember a story he had read about Billy defusing a situation in the Yankee clubhouse. Dwayne Higgins was involved. A new player had made a racial slur. A couple of other Yankees joined in and there was some pushing and shoving until Billy moved in and quieted them down. What had he said?

“C'mon, we're Rangers, we don't need to do this. We show everybody what we're made of on the field. These guys”—he gestured at the geek table—“go to this school so we represent them, too. We're supposed to be their role models. Show them how to act.”

Eric and DeVon looked down and Rappy looked at Craig, the only one who kept glaring at Mike. I got them, thought Mike. Let it sink in. Don't go too far. Don't let this turn into a fight.

“You heard him,” snarled Andy. “Take a hike.”

Mike whirled. “Shut up, Andy.”

Andy was standing alone. Ryan wasn't there.

“We've made our point—let's go,” said DeVon. He turned and swaggered off. Eric followed him, then Rappy, glancing over his shoulder at Craig.

Craig said, “You watch your ass, Semak.”

“You watch yours, asshole,” growled Andy.

Craig lunged, but Mike got between them and pushed Andy away. He didn't look over his shoulder, just pushed Andy all the way back to their table. Kids were applauding and whistling.

Lori's eyes were shining. “That was wonderful, Mike.”

Tori said, “That was stupid.”

Mike looked at Ryan.

Ryan looked at Tori.

“You don't think I was going to let him get in the middle of that?” said Tori.

“Didn't need him,” said Andy. “The Captain and I handled it.”

Mike noticed that Coach Cody was gone.

Get into the zone. Prepare for Billy. He was deep in the Buddsite, roaming between the Billyblog and the Billy Boards looking for topics to talk to Billy about. He found stories about how Billy's dad, Big Bill, coached his Little League teams and never missed a high school or community college game. Mike wondered if Big Bill knew Coach Cody. He wondered if that story was true.

Mike was less interested in the stories about Billy's girlfriend decorating their new house but he skimmed through them. Billy had adjusted his swing in spring training and was trying out a lighter bat this year. I could ask him about that. And about how he and Dwayne talked over how to play opposing hitters.

Catchergrrl wanted to know who he was going to take to the Stadium. Thanks for breaking the zone. The only person I want to take isn't answering me. I'll give her until
the last minute. And then I'll go alone. Who else? Ryan? Not after today at lunch. Andy would say something stupid. Lori. How could he take Lori when he was thinking about Kat?

Back to the Buddsite. There were posts about the Billy Budd Foundation and how much time he spent visiting sick kids. Mike even found a mention of one Mike Semak, the star center fielder from Ridgedale (NJ) High who had won the video contest. “Star.” I wish. He heard a distant knocking sound. The audio system again, he thought. He ignored it.

It took him awhile to realize the knocking was Mom's light but insistent rap on his bedroom door. “Yeah?”

She came in with her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. “You have a visitor.”

Was it Kat? He had to restrain himself from pushing past her to run downstairs.

It was Zack, sitting in the living room making awkward conversation with Dad. Zack sat perched on the edge of the couch, clutching his black bag to his chest. He looked ready to run away.

“Look who's here, Mike,” said Dad, as if he were introducing Billy Budd.

“Hey,” said Mike.

Zack stood up. “I need to talk to you?”

“Sure. Come on up.” He noticed the look of disappointment on his parents' faces and the relief on Zack's.

Zack followed him into his bedroom, blinking at all the Billys on the wall. “He plays for the Yankees, right?”

For an instant Mike thought it was geek humor. The guy was serious. He's in his own league.

“Mike, um, thanks for, um, stepping up. In the cafeteria?”

“I did it for the planet.” When Zack didn't react, he added, “I knew you could take care of yourself.”

Zack nodded. “That was dumb. Josh and Tyler busted me on that.”

Josh and Tyler must be Fatty and Skinny, Mike thought. Figured they had names.

Zack opened his black case and carefully withdrew a video camera. “Kat thought you might want to take it to the Stadium.”

“You saw her?”

“She came back to get some clothes. She was just here for a little while. She said she'd call you. Sometime.”

“Sometime?” It didn't sound like his voice. Whiny.

“She, um, she's not in a good place.”

“Not in good place?” He felt angry and impatient. “Afghanistan? Darfur?”

Zack looked at him as if he were surprised Mike had
heard of those places. Then he threw up his hands. “She'll tell you.”

“Sometime.”

“She was happy you won. She wants you to take pictures. I'll show you how. We can email them to her.”

“She doesn't answer my emails.”

Zack looked unhappy. “She really likes you. She told me.”

“And she won't answer me?”

“She gets weirded out sometimes. Feels bad. She calls it going dark.”

“Like depressed?”

Zack nodded.

“Where is she?”

Zack kept nodding. Mike thought of a toy he had as a kid, a wooden bird that kept dipping its beak in water. Mike wanted to grab his head.

He took a deep breath.
BillyBuddBillyBuddBillyBudd
. “What's going on? Is she like having a breakdown?”

“I'm not supposed to…”

“Look, you can tell me. I really like Kat. I care about her.”

Finally Zack said, “I don't know that much. A couple of years ago she had problems with her mother's boyfriend. Some stuff happened. She came here to her grandparents. And then…” He threw up his long flappy arms.

“Then what?”

“She was doing fine. Loved to run. Hurting her leg was a bummer. Track coach said it was all in her head because he wanted her to race. Then it got worse and Kat had to stop running. Then she started coming to the Cyber Club, but Cody heard about it and gave her a hard time. That's when she ripped the word Rangers off her uniforms. He threatened to throw her off the team if she didn't nark on us. Threatened to reveal her psychiatric record when she applied to college.”

“Isn't that illegal?” said Mike.

“Yeah, but he would do it.”

He thought of Cody putting pressure on Kat to nark. Unlike me, she refused. I've got to see her, at least talk to her.

“She told Cody to stick it, didn't she?” said Mike.

“Yeah, but he confiscated the video she shot at the conference. What he wants is on that tape, me running my mouth.”

“About hacking Cody?”

Zack shook his head. “I kind of lost it there, trying to get everybody wound up. I'm the one to blame. And Kat's beating herself up for not destroying the tape. But how would she know?”

“Where is she?”

“It's like a group home. She's been there before.”

He remembered what Lori had said. “Is she, uh, bipolar?”

“You some kind of shrink?” said Zack sharply.

“I really want to talk to her,” said Mike softly.

“She has good days and bad days. She takes meds. Give her a little time.”

“I thought maybe she'd come with me on Thursday.”

“She would if she could, believe me.” He looked at his watch. “I gotta book. Let me show you how to use the camera.”

“You know how?”

“Well, obviously,” the smart-ass Zack snapped back. Can't help himself. Social skills.

But the puke is my only way to find Kat again, thought Mike. He had a crazy idea. “How'd you like to come to Yankee Stadium with me Thursday?”