Bases Loaded Jam (Bases Loaded Jam Series #1)

Ch. 29: Striking Out the Side (Huey)

Days after our football team won the national championship, there was a big parade in downtown Austin. The school was canceled for that day and we all went out to the parade and watched as the parade was going on. Most of us, including me, Jimmy, and Wade arrived just outside the Texas Capitol building where the players were on stage. They had spent much of that day riding on floats saying hi to people and were sitting in chairs on the stage.

A few of them got a chance to speak about the team's success and thank us for the support. One player actually accidentally dropped the f-bomb on us to which the crowd reacted. I knew for sure he would get in trouble with his coaches and the president even after he apologized. Even though there was talk about repeating the next season, I knew it wasn't going to happen. A lot of seniors were leaving while some underclassmen decided to enter the NFL Draft. But even in the midst of the celebration, I was too depressed to be happy.

Even as I returned to the normal life of a college student for the second semester of my sophomore year, I was still reeling in the aftermath of my breakup with Jasmine. I had considered calling her and wanting us to get a chance to try again, but knew better not to. She was about to enjoy her dream and I should let her. But it never took the pain away.

Not only that, I had to deal with occasional passings with Ms. Klinger on campus. We didn't have the same courses much like last year. But it seemed like I saw more of her on campus this year than the last. Everywhere I went, she would be in the area. Sometimes, she would be coming out the door to a building I walked into while other times, I would see her chatting with some of her girlfriends from a mile away on the campus lawn.

This must be a sign of something you would think. But I never liked that. After what had happened last year, I had decided to have nothing with her. Every time we got close as we passed by, I would look elsewhere and hoped she didn't see me passing her. I had to think she was still pissed at me. She had the right to be because of what I did to her. It still didn't make sense for her to be mad, but there was no changing her attitude.

She was getting ready for her second season as a sophomore and the team was looking for her dominating stats once again. They were predicted to finish second in the conference behind Oklahoma and entered the season ranked seventh nationally. So there was a sense of optimism in the air for them. But I had no plans on being at their games.

It was a good thing I didn't go because their team started off on the wrong foot. Splits with UNLV and LSU preceded a stunning series loss to Florida Atlantic. It was clear that something wasn't quite right. I didn't check the boxscores of the games, but there was talk that Jordan was struggling. For whatever reason, she wasn't becoming a dominant pitcher like she had been. But there was a feeling that it was still early in the year and she would get it together as would the team. Somehow, there were more issues to the team than Jordan's struggles. 

I was getting gas for my car at a gas station on a Thursday afternoon. I had just put the hose back and was opening my car door when I was distracted by a biker I knew, who passed by and wave. I did the same with a smile. Just then, a couple of girls came out of the convenient store. I turned and looked at them immediately recognizing they were members of the softball team. They were holding brown paper bags that contained something in them.

"You think the coach would know about this?", asked one of the girls, who was taller than the other one.

"Who cares?", her teammate said. "The coach is such a bitch."

With that, the two of them got into a blue Cadillac and drove off. I should've ignored the situation right then and there. Yet somehow, I started to wonder what were the girls carrying in the bags. Several ideas came to my head including sandwiches, bags of chips, milk, and paper plates. As I drove off from the station, I kept thinking about what was inside the bag. I would find out the exact truth the very next morning.