CHAPTER 2
EYES ON THE PRIZE

The next day, Malcolm opened the large overhead door to his family’s garage. His parents had let him take over part of the space for a workstation. He used it to conduct his science experiments and track baseball statistics on his computer.

Malcolm was so engrossed with his latest advanced stats, he didn’t notice Sanjay stroll into the garage.

“Think fast,” Sanjay said as he tossed a baseball to Malcolm.

Malcolm looked up, but the light from the lamp on his garage workstation was in his eyes. He couldn’t see the ball! It bonked his face and knocked off his glasses.

“Oh, man, I’m sorry,” Sanjay said. “I didn’t mean to do that!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Malcolm said, grabbing his glasses off the table. “This actually gives me an idea! We should make eye black for the game on Saturday!”

Sanjay looked confused. “What do we need eye black for? Just to look cool?”

Malcolm stood up and turned the garage light toward Sanjay. He instantly squinted.

“When you have light in your eyes, it’s hard to see, right?” Malcolm said. “Well, eye black helps cut down on the glare. When you look up for a fly ball, you’ve got a better chance of catching it if you wear eye black under your eyes.”

“Well, why don’t we go downtown to Swanson’s Sports?” Sanjay asked. “I’m sure we could buy some there.”

“That’s no fun,” Malcolm said. “We can make it ourselves!”

Malcolm logged onto his computer. In seconds, he and Sanjay found instructions online for how to make do-it-yourself eye black. They just needed a cork and a lighter.

“Hang on a second,” Malcolm said. “I’ll be right back.” Then he ran into the house to ask his dad to help.

“What are you guys up to now?” Malcolm’s dad asked.

“Will you help us make homemade eye black?” Malcolm asked. Then he quickly explained what he needed.

“Okay, Malcolm,” his dad replied. “Give me a sec to grab the things you need, and I’ll be out to help.”

When they got back to the garage, Malcolm’s dad lit the bottom of the cork. After it cooled, Malcolm wiped two short, straight lines of eye black just below Sanjay’s eyes. Sanjay did the same for Malcolm.

“Wow, it worked!” Sanjay shouted.

The boys ran outside to test the results. They practiced throwing the ball straight up toward the sun. The eye black made the sun seem a little less bright, and the ball seemed easier to catch.

Malcolm felt a zing of excitement. “Do you think the team will want to wear our creation?” he asked Sanjay. “It’s supposed to be sunny Saturday, and there aren’t many trees at the field.”

“Of course!” Sanjay said. “It can only help. Plus, we’ll look really cool.”

The friends laughed and continued throwing the ball around.

Later that night, Malcolm added the cork to his baseball bag. His dad had said he would bring the lighter and help apply the eye black before the game.

Malcolm smiled. This was definitely his best idea yet!