Center Field Read online

  In the locker room Craig swaggered over and threw an arm over Mike’s shoulders. “Friday night barbie at my house after the game. Bring your twin.” It was the first time he’d been invited to one of Craig’s legendary parties.

  Todd fist-bumped him. “You got my vote, Mike.”

  Andy caught up with him on his way out. “The Ridgedale idol. What’s it feel like?”

  “I didn’t nark the Cyber Club.”

  “You are Jack Bauer,” said Andy. “You should change your number to twenty-four.”

  Maybe you’re Jack Bauer, thought Mike. I told you too much. Mike cursed and brushed past him.

  Lori was waiting for him. The cheerleaders had just finished their practice. “We’re going to Craig’s,” she said, almost jumping up and down. Tori was honking the car horn.

  “How come everybody thinks they know my business?” His voice sounded whiny to him.

  She just laughed at his scowl. “It’s so funny, you never read your email, your webcam’s never been activated, your cell is never on, no speed dial, you live back in the twentieth century, and you’re the one to expose the Cyber Club.” She went up on her toes to kiss him. “Call you later. Gotta go.”

  Dad’s Lexus and an old white van were in the driveway. For a moment he thought it was the Cyber Express. Then he saw its New York license plates. Still, he was surprised to find Oscar and Ferdy at the kitchen table, drinking coffee with Mom and Dad.

  Mom said, “Mike. I know you know Oscar, and this is his dad, Ferdy.”

  Ferdy stood up, wiped his hands on his jeans, and offered a hand to shake. It was hard and callused. Oscar looked up and nodded. He didn’t look happy.

  “How’s your hamstring?” said Mike.

  Oscar looked confused. “What?”

  Dad cleared his throat. “As far as other people are concerned, Oscar and Ferdy will be, uh, staying with us for a while.”

  “How come?” said Mike.

  Dad and Mom looked at each other. “Be closer to work and school,” said Dad.

  Ferdy looked at his watch and said something in Spanish. Oscar stood up and said, “Later, man.”

  Mike watched them leave, Ferdy smiling, almost bowing his way out, Oscar swaggering off. He waited until he heard the van doors slam outside. “What the hell’s going on?”

  “Don’t use that tone on me,” snapped Dad.

  “Easy, Scott.”

  “Yeah. Sorry.” Dad looked sorry. “Trust me, this is more than you want to know.” He looked at his watch, then at Mom. “We’ve got to get back. The accountant’s coming over. Oh, one other thing.” He pointed at a small blue duffel bag on the floor near the kitchen table. The name tag dangling from its handle said O. Ramirez. “Would you throw that in Scotty’s room.”

  “Why?”

  “Please,” said Dad over his shoulder on his way out.

  Mom pressed a twenty-dollar bill into his hand. “I’ll explain everything later. It’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. Get some pizza.” She kissed him and followed Dad out. He watched her go out. Not like her at all. She thought he ate too much pizza. What the hell’s going on?

  He called Lori. She squealed. “I can’t believe you called.”

  “The cat dialed for me,” he said.

  “I believe that. So now you have to tell me the whole story.”

  “I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t know it. What’s going on?”

  “Tori heard that Mr. Cody changed the locks on the Cyber Club’s room, and he’s got, like, the FBI searching through their hard drives.”

  “Why?”

  “Oh, Mikey.” She wailed. “Don’t do this! They could torture me. I wouldn’t tell anyone anything you told me.”

  “I didn’t turn them in. I never gave Coach any incriminating information about the Cyber Club.”

  “Okay.” She sounded disappointed. “Tori heard Mr. Cody boast to somebody that he had the Cyber Club right where he wanted them and we figured…”

  “It wasn’t me.” He thought about Cody and Oscar both missing practice and then the Ramirezes showing up at his house. “Tori hear anything about Oscar Ramirez?”

  “The district office was checking his address to see if he was eligible to attend Ridgedale. I think somebody complained.”

  “That wasn’t me either.”

  “Nobody would blame you, you should be playing center field….”

  Another call was coming in. Somehow he knew it was Kat. “I got to go now, talk to you later.” He clicked Lori off in mid sentence.

  Before Kat had a chance to speak, he said, “Why’d you make those calls and hang up?”

  “I wanted to know you weren’t hurt.” Her voice sounded tentative, almost afraid.

  “How’d you know about the van?” He dreaded the answer.

  “Nick told me.” She clicked off.

  TWENTY-SIX

  It was almost midnight when he heard the Lexus roll into the driveway. The garage door hummed up, hummed down. Car doors opened, closed. His parents clattered through the garage into the kitchen. The refrigerator clicked open. Dad was having a beer. The laptop on the kitchen counter told Mom she had mail. He went downstairs.

  “You’re still up,” said Mom. “Would you like something?”

  “Some answers. What’s going on?” She looked tired. He felt guilty sounding like the cops on CSI.

  “You deserve answers,” said Dad smoothly. “Tomorrow, when…”

  “Tonight.” It came out more harshly than he had intended.

  Dad’s head jerked up. Mom looked down at her laptop and said, “It’s been a very long day and night and we…”

  “Long for me, too. Everybody thinks I ratted out the Cyber Club.”

  Dad and Mom looked at each other. He said, “Did you?”

  “How can you ask me that?” Mike was shouting.

  “This isn’t like you, Mike,” said Mom soothingly, like she was calming an angry dog.

  BillyBuddBillyBuddBillyBudd. “But being a rat is like me?”

  “You had good reasons,” said Dad. “And you weren’t wrong.”

  Mike felt confused. What did Dad know? Was he talking to Cody? “I wasn’t wrong about what?”

  “You reported what you considered unlawful behavior.” Smooth old Dad. Mike could imagine the anchor slipping off the boat into the water. Does the bullshit rise? “Misuse of school property—the computers—for what appeared to be unauthorized activities. Good for you. Turns out these were communication slipups, and I’m glad you brought them to the attention of people who can set things straight. Can we go to bed now?” He was smiling.

  Mom said, “Scott?”

  He sighed. “Yes, Sharon.”

  “Tell him.”

  “He’s got enough on his mind.”

  “Scott.” It was almost a bark. He’d forgotten how tough Mom could be.

  “Now, Mike,” said Dad, “we’re going to work this all out.”

  “Work what out?”

  Mom said, “Tell him or I will.”

  “Okay.” Dad rubbed his hands together, the way he did when he was getting ready to make a sales pitch. Wait till you see this fabulous floor we’ve got for you. “So. Zack’s mother is making a fuss. She’s threatening to sue the school and us, says Zack has headaches and neck spasms since you pushed him. This was all in response to Mr. Cody shutting down the Cyber Club and suspending some of the members. They’ll drop the suits if the club is reinstated.

  “I worked out a plan with Mr. Cody to make this go away. He’ll reinstate the club and the students if we help him out with a little immigration problem. Seems the Ramirezes are a tad short in the papers department. But if we establish an address for them here, at least Oscar will be eligible to attend Ridgedale and play ball.”

  “So Oscar and his dad are going to sleep here?”

  “As far as people are concerned, yes,” said Dad. “But not really. He left that bag here if anyone checks.”

  “So we’re going to li
e?” Mike’s stomach hurt.

  Mom came over and put a hand on the back of his neck. “This is just for a little while,” she said. “It’ll blow over. I know it’s upsetting for you, but with the new store opening…” She kissed his cheek and hugged him.

  “The new store.” It just fell out of his mouth like a stone. “That’s the only thing going on in the world.”

  He was about to apologize, but Dad raised his hand. “Let’s not forget something, Mike. All this started when you slugged that little puke.”

  “Scott!”

  Dad raised his arms, palms up. “Am I missing something here?”

  “You’re right, I started all this,” said Mike. His mind was racing. Need to end this conversation right now.

  “Look, Mike, there’s a lot of things going on here.” Dad dropped hand on his shoulder. “For now, just concentrate on playing the best center field you can. It’ll all work out.”

  Somehow that made Mike feel better. It was a plan. “You can count on me.”

  “I knew that,” said Dad.

  He figured he’d never get to sleep tonight, so he logged on to the Buddsite. There was an alert. Billy has narrowed the candidates for his A Day With Billy contest to three—one each from New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. All terrific, tough choice, results after the weekend series with Baltimore.

  He tried to imagine a day with Billy. What would they talk about? Center field? Could he tell Billy about Oscar? No, that’s stupid. He pushed Oscar out of his mind. The idea of Oscar even pretending to be next door in Scotty’s room made him angry.

  What was the deal with Coach Cody and Dad? Who was playing whom? Have to think that all through. Andy would be the one to talk to about that.

  And Kat. She must have been driving. She thinks I’m a snitch. She hates me. That’s why they doored me. So why did she call to see if I was okay? Does she know it wasn’t me who told Cody? If I’m not the snitch, who is?

  Mike was suddenly very tired. He logged off and fell into bed.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Oscar showed up for breakfast.

  Mike was in the kitchen waiting for a ham-and-cheese sandwich to finish nuking when the old white van pulled into the driveway. He could see Ferdy through the windshield. Oscar climbed slowly out and stood in the driveway, arguing with his father. Ferdy reached through the passenger window and gave Oscar a shove. Oscar walked slowly toward the house.

  “Scott,” said Mom. She gestured out the window.

  Dad opened the kitchen door. “Oscar! Bienvenido!”

  Oscar looked reluctant, but entered after a moment.

  Mom and Dad fussed over him, made him sit down. Mom said, “Have you had breakfast?” and when he nodded, head down, Dad said, “Can always have another one. Eggs, pancakes, French toast?”

  Mom opened the cabinet where she kept more than a dozen different kinds of cereals. Oscar’s eyes widened. “Looks like a bodega,” he said.

  Even Mike laughed. Mom was big on breakfast and she was always finding new cereals to try.

  Dad left for the store and Mom made Oscar pick a cereal. She loaded the bowl with blueberries, bananas, and milk. Oscar ate as if he were hungry. Mike felt a splash of jealousy. Mom hasn’t made me a breakfast like that in years, he thought. He remembered that he’d been refusing cereal for years, didn’t like it. Used to have fights over it. His ham-and-cheese breakfast sandwiches were a compromise; Mom made batches and froze them.

  “’S good, thanks.” Oscar had a big smile.

  “Most important meal of the day,” said Mom.

  He needs his strength, Mike thought sourly, to beat me out of center field. Thanks, Mom.

  Oscar didn’t have anything to say on the ride to school. At the varsity parking lot, Oscar jumped out and walked away with a quick wave as if he didn’t want to be seen with Mike. He headed toward the temporary trailers where the English as a Second Language classes were held. Mike had heard they were always either too hot or too cold.

  Ryan fell into step with Mike as they walked up to the front door. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

  “He’s on the team,” said Mike. “He’s no enemy.”

  “It’s an expression,” said Ryan. “From Godfather II.”

  Ryan slowed to talk to someone and Mike hurried through the door. He didn’t want to talk to anyone about Oscar.

  At lunch Andy said, “What’s with you and Oscar?”

  Ryan said, “Mike’s coming out.”

  “That’s not funny,” said Lori.

  “Maybe Mike’s going to start smuggling illegals into New Jersey,” said Andy. “Coyotes make much dinero.”

  “That’s really not funny,” said Tori.

  “Oscar and his dad are staying with us for a little while,” said Mike. The lie felt sour in his mouth. “It’s the only way his dad can get to work on time.”

  “That is so nice,” said Lori. Mike checked. No sarcasm there.

  “Sounds to me you’re establishing a false residence,” said Andy.

  “Sounds to me like you need to mind your own business,” said Mike.

  “As a citizen, it is my business,” said Andy.

  “As a friend,” said Ryan, “you should just shut up.”

  “Was that the deal to get center field back?” said Andy.

  “At least you lost first base to an American, right?” said Mike. He was sorry as soon as he saw Andy’s face flush a deep red, almost matching his hair. Maybe Andy really did care.

  They ate in silence until the buzzer freed them.

  Coach pulled him into his baseball office before the pregame practice. “What’s with Oscar and his dad?”

  “They’re fine.”

  “All squared away at your house?”

  “They left some stuff last night and then came by this morning.”

  Coach nodded. “I like the way you’ve been handling yourself, Mike. Ranger steady. The team needed you in left field, you went there. You’re back in center because you showed me grace under pressure.”

  “Everybody thinks I’m back because I ratted out Zack and the Cyber Club.”

  “Do they?” Coach was steering him out of the office. “Can’t worry about what the pukes think.”

  “Why did you shut down the Cyber Club?”

  “You just worry about center field, big fella, and you’ll have a breakout day.”

  He did. First at bat, Mike lashed a double into the right-field hole and went to third on a botched relay. Oscar brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Two innings later Mike hit his first homer of the season, with a man on.

  There were no tough chances in center until the seventh inning, one out and the bases loaded, when Mike hit the fence making an over-the-shoulder catch. He bounced off, disoriented. Oscar, a foot away, yelled, “Secon’ base,” and Mike turned and fired blindly.

  Todd cut off the throw in short center, spun, and threw to Hector, who doubled the runner at second base to end the inning.

  Ridgedale won. Coach gave Mike the game ball. They yelled and sang in the bus all the way home. They were leading the conference.

  There was no Herold in the phone book. He called information and checked it online. Nothing. He thought about calling Zack or Nick. Yeah, right. Then he remembered the Varsity yearbook. There it was, under Track. Katherine Anne Herold, 43 Harrison Road. Less than a mile away. He repeated her name as he rode, Katherine Anne, Katherine Anne. It rolled off his tongue.

  The house was big, surrounded by an acre of lawn. Through the wide picture window he could see an old couple watching TV. No one else in the room. No lights in any of the upstairs rooms. Maybe she wasn’t home yet. Catch her coming back. Hey, Kat, just happened to be out for my evening ride. He circled the block and rode past three more times. A man came out of the house next door to play catch with his son and looked at Mike as if he was a stalker. Maybe he was. He pedaled home.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Tori was breathless at lunch on Thursday. Th
e Cyber Club kids were refusing to make a deal with the school. They were fighting their suspension. Lawyers were in the principal’s office. She looked at Mike.

  “They contact you yet?”

  “Why should they? I didn’t rat them out!”

  “Like that’s such a bad thing,” said Tori, raising an eyebrow at him.

  “Mike said he didn’t and I believe him,” said Lori. She sounded like she was being loyal.

  He felt uncomfortable. He was relieved when the twins moved on to what Lori was going to wear to Craig’s party tomorrow night.

  He had another good game in center field. With Oscar in left, he could shade toward right field and help Ryan. Ryan caught anything he got to, but he didn’t get to everything, he wasn’t that fast. Oscar in left makes me a better center fielder, he thought. Don’t have to think about left center. Or am I giving up territory that’s mine?

  Push that away, it’s negative.

  He was meeting the ball solidly, two hits today, one of them scoring a run. Another win. Oscar batting fourth makes me a better hitter because pitchers have to give me strikes, they can’t afford to walk me with him coming up.

  After the game he drove Oscar to the new store but Ferdy and his cousin had already left for their city job. They left word they would pick up Oscar on their way back to Orange County. Dad gave Mike money and told him to take Oscar to the diner.

  They didn’t have much to say. Mike had picked a corner booth where they would be out of sight. What am I doing with this guy? They both ordered the hamburger deluxe medium and Cokes. He noticed that Oscar ate very slowly, almost delicately. Mike was finished and Oscar was barely half done. He studied Oscar’s face. Couldn’t tell how old he was.

  Back at the house Oscar dropped to his knees in front of the cat. She crawled right into his arms and purred. He was about to warn Oscar to watch out for her claws, but they were already nuzzling each other.

  “You like cats?”