Senior Year Box Set

“I’m considering quitting baseball.”

As we ate our pie, I explained my reasons. Dad didn’t say much until I finished.

“In the greater scheme of things, playing a few more games of high school baseball won’t mean much. If it’s no longer fun, and you’re worried about your safety, I would agree that you shouldn’t play.

“I know you love the game. High school ball is supposed to be enjoyable, something you look back on fondly when you reach my age,” Dad said and then got thoughtful.

I let him ponder it for a moment, and then he looked me in the eye.

“Let me work on your safety. If you didn’t have to worry about getting drilled every time you came up to bat, you should be okay,” Dad said.

“How is that going to happen? We already have the umpires talking to the other team before the game, and I still get purposely thrown at. I was just lucky that ball didn’t catch my wrist, or worse, my face. I have commitments this summer and next fall that are more important than risking a repeat.”

“Let me see what I can do. You go on spring break, and when you get back, I should either have it worked out or not. Don’t make a final decision until you return.”

I decided it wouldn’t hurt to let my dad do his thing. But I didn’t hold out a lot of hope.

◊◊◊

Chapter 2 – I Always Wanted A Daughter Wednesday March 22

Teenage boys need their eight hours each night. I didn’t get home until almost two in the morning, so when my alarm buzzed, I turned it off and went back to sleep.

I might have gotten away with it if a certain big fuzzy-butt hadn’t decided he would rather stand on my chest than pee on the floor. That was the downside of having a dog.

I let him out and forced myself to stay up and get ready for school.

I found Duke in the backyard, goofing off. He came running when he saw me headed to the house. I walked in to find Paul, Peggy, Cassidy, Mom, and the boys eating breakfast.

“Aw, poor baby. You look sleepy. You should go back to bed. I’ll call the school and tell them you need half a day,” Mom said.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Had my mom been replaced with a pod person?

“Is there superglue on my floor? Is that why you’re still standing there? Go on, go back to bed,” Mom urged.

I wasn’t falling for her act. I grabbed a cup of coffee, and Cassidy handed me a bowl of oatmeal.

“Well, don’t say I didn’t try to be nice to you,” Mom said to continue with this charade.

“Your mom is being awfully nice to you. You should show more appreciation,” Peggy said.

I looked at each of them, and they gave me blank looks in return. I ducked my head and ate my breakfast in silence. Something was up, but I’d learned from experience: if I engaged with this madness, I was done for. Either my mom would start an argument, or I would agree to something I didn’t want to do. I was so disappointed that Peggy had fallen under my mom’s spell.

After I ate, I got up and started for the back door.

“Have a nice day, David,” Mom called after me.

Frick! I would be worrying about what was up for the rest of the day.

◊◊◊

Dare ambushed me as soon as I got out of the car.

“I need more money.”

I didn’t have to ask; it had to be somehow drone-related. I’d expected that once he became part of a business, they would be paying for his ‘projects.’

“Why are you asking me?” I asked.

I’d thought I’d broken Dare of this. He knew full well that Megan was the gatekeeper for all cash outlays.

“Megan said ‘no,’ but if I could convince you …” he trailed off.

I would have to kill her. Dare wouldn’t give up until either I ended his miserable life or he found something new he needed. I thought Megan was made of sterner stuff.

“Just tell me …” I said and held up my hand before he launched into a detailed explanation. “Just be aware that if this takes longer than a minute, I’ll get irritated and say ‘no.’”

Cassidy suddenly looked interested. I expect she wanted to see if this ploy would actually work on Dare. He seemed to contemplate his answer based on the constraints. I saw him consider and then reject possible approaches. Finally, I’d had enough.

“Let me help move this along,” I suggested. “Does it have to do with drones?”

He nodded vigorously.

“Will I think it’s cool?”

“Possibly, but I expect Fritz will like it better.”

“Okay. Call Fritz and explain what you want. If he likes what he hears, have him call Megan, and I will tell her to approve your project.”

Dare did a little hop and had his phone out as he dialed Fritz’s number.

“Does he care that it’s, like, six a.m. in LA right now?” I asked Cassidy.

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“How’s the kitten?” I asked.

She got a scowl on her face.

“He meowed all night long. I finally had to take him out of his box and let him sleep with me,” she complained.

I began to chuckle.

“What?”

“It won’t be long before he has you trained. Call Halle. I believe she still has the pet purse she got for Bandit. I’m sure she would give it to you,” I suggested.

“But he’s so cute.”

“Yep, you’re done for. This is how it starts, you realize,” I said.