Read Supercharged Infield for Free Online
Authors: Matt Christopher
drives that werehit directly at the outfielders, but not high enough for them to catch the balls in the air. Any other girl — including me,
Penny thought — would not have risked running to second base. But both Faye and Shari had stretched their hits to doubles.
Melanie grounded out to short. Then Gloria singled, scoring Shari, and Kim Soo singled, driving Gloria all around to third
base. Penny popped out to short —
disgusting
, she thought — ending the half-inning, and the Hawks led by three runs.
“Don’t let it get you down, Penny,” Harold said, smiling, as Penny came into the dugout for her glove. “We’re ahead.”
She wanted to ignore him; there was something about him — something strange — that bothered her. She couldn’t describe the
feeling, but it was there.
Yet she couldn’t ignore him. What if she was wrong? What if she just
thought
there was something strange about him because he was a nut about computers, and had taken all three of the changed girls
to the movies? Wasn’t it quite a coincidence that it happened to be
those
girls?
Penny inhaled deeply as she swooped upher glove and shot a quick glance at him. “I’ll try not to, Harold,” she promised, and ran out to her position at third.
Why should I feel so strange now whenever I’m near him, or when he speaks to me? she wondered. Am I going crazy, or what?
The Hard Hats’ bats went wild again in the top half of the seventh inning and didn’t stop until five runs had crossed the
plate, including two home runs — both by the Chang sisters. Penny, running in toward the dugout, her legs and shoulders aching
from the long, tough game, couldn’t believe it. Those darned Hard Hats just won’t give up! she thought.
Well, we won’t either, she murmured quietly to herself as she plopped down on the bench. Her heart wasn’t entirely into winning
the game now. The
thing
that had happened to the girls took first consideration.
“Start it off, Karen!” a familiar voice yelled from the bench. “Belt it out of the lot!”
Harold’s voice. Penny saw Karen going to the plate, carrying her bat as if it were a toothpick. Karen stepped into the batter’s
box, rubbed the toes of her sneakers into the dirt till she was comfortable in her stance,and faced the pitcher. Pam Colt stood on the mound, tall and erect, holding the softball in front of her with both hands.
Then she whipped the ball underhand with her right, and it sailed in toward the plate in a fast, shallow arc.
Boom! Karen swung and met it solidly. The ball zoomed to deep left center field and over the fence for a home run, her third
hit of the game.
“I knew she’d do it!” Harold exclaimed, his face beaming as he printed “HR” in the seventh-inning box opposite Karen’s name
in the scorebook. “I knew it!”
Penny shot him a cold, questioning look. Mary Ann was sitting between them, but Penny had to say what was on her mind. She
couldn’t resist it.
“How
did you know, Harold?” she asked softly.
He finished writing in the scorebook and glanced up at her. He was still beaming, still flushed with having guessed that Karen
was going to hit a home run. “I don’t know. I guess I just
felt
it,” he said.
“Sure,” Penny replied, her voice low, almost inaudible.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing,” Penny said, turning away fromhim. She could see him looking at her, and Mary Ann looking at her, and felt a chill ripple along her spine. Don’t give me
that dumb, I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about look, Harold, she wanted to tell him. You know very well what I’m talking
about.
Sophie Kowalski singled over short, then got out on a double play as Jean ripped a fast one-bouncer down to second base. Edie
walked and Faye came up. Silent, Penny waited for Harold to yell for her to belt one out of the lot, too. The thought had
scarcely come to her mind when his voice boomed, “Out of the lot, Faye! Go after it,
Penny thought — would not have risked running to second base. But both Faye and Shari had stretched their hits to doubles.
Melanie grounded out to short. Then Gloria singled, scoring Shari, and Kim Soo singled, driving Gloria all around to third
base. Penny popped out to short —
disgusting
, she thought — ending the half-inning, and the Hawks led by three runs.
“Don’t let it get you down, Penny,” Harold said, smiling, as Penny came into the dugout for her glove. “We’re ahead.”
She wanted to ignore him; there was something about him — something strange — that bothered her. She couldn’t describe the
feeling, but it was there.
Yet she couldn’t ignore him. What if she was wrong? What if she just
thought
there was something strange about him because he was a nut about computers, and had taken all three of the changed girls
to the movies? Wasn’t it quite a coincidence that it happened to be
those
girls?
Penny inhaled deeply as she swooped upher glove and shot a quick glance at him. “I’ll try not to, Harold,” she promised, and ran out to her position at third.
Why should I feel so strange now whenever I’m near him, or when he speaks to me? she wondered. Am I going crazy, or what?
The Hard Hats’ bats went wild again in the top half of the seventh inning and didn’t stop until five runs had crossed the
plate, including two home runs — both by the Chang sisters. Penny, running in toward the dugout, her legs and shoulders aching
from the long, tough game, couldn’t believe it. Those darned Hard Hats just won’t give up! she thought.
Well, we won’t either, she murmured quietly to herself as she plopped down on the bench. Her heart wasn’t entirely into winning
the game now. The
thing
that had happened to the girls took first consideration.
“Start it off, Karen!” a familiar voice yelled from the bench. “Belt it out of the lot!”
Harold’s voice. Penny saw Karen going to the plate, carrying her bat as if it were a toothpick. Karen stepped into the batter’s
box, rubbed the toes of her sneakers into the dirt till she was comfortable in her stance,and faced the pitcher. Pam Colt stood on the mound, tall and erect, holding the softball in front of her with both hands.
Then she whipped the ball underhand with her right, and it sailed in toward the plate in a fast, shallow arc.
Boom! Karen swung and met it solidly. The ball zoomed to deep left center field and over the fence for a home run, her third
hit of the game.
“I knew she’d do it!” Harold exclaimed, his face beaming as he printed “HR” in the seventh-inning box opposite Karen’s name
in the scorebook. “I knew it!”
Penny shot him a cold, questioning look. Mary Ann was sitting between them, but Penny had to say what was on her mind. She
couldn’t resist it.
“How
did you know, Harold?” she asked softly.
He finished writing in the scorebook and glanced up at her. He was still beaming, still flushed with having guessed that Karen
was going to hit a home run. “I don’t know. I guess I just
felt
it,” he said.
“Sure,” Penny replied, her voice low, almost inaudible.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing,” Penny said, turning away fromhim. She could see him looking at her, and Mary Ann looking at her, and felt a chill ripple along her spine. Don’t give me
that dumb, I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about look, Harold, she wanted to tell him. You know very well what I’m talking
about.
Sophie Kowalski singled over short, then got out on a double play as Jean ripped a fast one-bouncer down to second base. Edie
walked and Faye came up. Silent, Penny waited for Harold to yell for her to belt one out of the lot, too. The thought had
scarcely come to her mind when his voice boomed, “Out of the lot, Faye! Go after it,