Baseball Princess

One: I Need a Life

"I need a life," I said to myself, grabbing a bag of carrots. I've recently decided to eat healthier.

"No, you don't, you just need something to do," my mom replied.

As much as I wanted to yell, 'retorical!' I didn't, because my mom would flip on me. She raised a good daughter.

Sighing, I grabbed my backpack and followed my little sisters out the door. My mom is taking us to school.

"So, does anyone have anything going on tonight?" My mom asked, once we pulled out of our driveway. She does it every morning.

"Nope," I replied, in unsion with Sam and Em. They're my little sisters.

"Good, because I have a meeting tonight and I need you guys to help dad clean the house. Tomorrow, dad's side is coming over for a get-together."

That's just perfect. I wanted to hang out with Gia this weekend. I need to do something with my time.

"Hey, mom, would you be okay with me managing the baseball team?" I asked, politely.

"Of course, sweetheart. You aren't doing track this year?"

"Nah, I don't want to." It's true. Middle school track was a joke. Plus, I sucked at it.

"Are you going to talk to the coach? Remember that's Jen's dad."

Jen is one of Sam's best friends. I've known the coach and his kids for a long time now, seeing as we spent a lot of time together as kids.

"Yeah, I'll talk to Mr. James."

The rest of the ride was quiet. I liked it that way, 'cause then I can think. I enjoy peace.

We pulled into the high school parking lot, and my mom dropped me off at the door. If I was going to talk to Mr. James, I better do it sooner rather than later.

Completely passing my friends sitting in the cafeteria, I trotted to his classroom.

"Hey, Ms. Adams, what brings you here?" Mr. James said.

"I was wondering if you still needed a manager for the baseball team," I replied, walking to his desk.

"Actually, I need a manager for varsity. We already have girls doing freshmen and JV. That would be awesome. But you do know that you are expected to be at every practice, game, and every team event we participate in. Even seven a.m. tournaments."

I took all the information in. I can do that, right? I mean, if I did track, it would be worse, but if I stayed home, all I would do is clean, make dinner, and other chores. What've I got to lose?

"Got it. When do I start?"

"We have tryouts in two weeks. They are every day afterschool from 3:45 to 5:30. Then we have the team trip, which is on Saturday. You'll hear more when we tell the boys about it."

Mr. James reached into a desk drawer, and pulled out two papers held together by a staple. He held it out to me.

"Any questions?"

I figures I might as well have one, to prove I payed attention. If there's one thing I learned about high school sports, that's it.

"Yeah, when does the season end?"

"It goes from tryouts, April 13th, to about May 29th for varsity. The other teams end on the 22nd," Mr. James replied, almost as if he had rehearsed it.

"Thank you," I said, getting ready to leave.

"No, Lindsey, thank you. I thought I was going to have to make signs."