JALEN JOGGED AROUND THE BASES without hearing cheers or the clapping hands of his teammates. There was only the huff of his own breath and the slight whistle of air through the earholes of his helmet. His foot hit the rubber of home plate with a final slap.
“Caleb, you’re up. Let’s go.” Coach Gamble sounded just as gruff as always. “Nice hit, DeLuca.”
Jalen fought back a grin and plunked himself down on the bench like nothing had happened. His teammates stopped packing their equipment bags and took their seats. Daniel snuck up behind Jalen and whispered with delight, “Amigo! You crushed it!”
Caleb went to the plate and promptly struck out.
“Okay, that’s it,” growled Coach Gamble, heading out of the dugout. “Let’s shake hands.”
Jalen fell into the back of the line and answered the grinning Bronxville faces with a somber stare. Hitting a home run—he knew—was no excuse for joy when your team got spanked. The Bronxville coaches came last, and after shaking the assistant coach’s hand, Jalen was surprised when the head coach took his hand without letting go. The coach steered Jalen a few steps toward the pitcher’s mound.
“Hey, you’re Jalen DeLuca, right? The kid with the Yankees?”
“Yes,” said Jalen, stunned.
“That was some hit,” the coach said.
Jalen wanted to tell the coach that it was easy, because he knew it was a changeup and that the ball was going to just hang out there for him to smack, but he stopped himself. “Oh. Thanks.”
“Yeah.” The coach leaned in. “So, I’m wondering why you didn’t play? I watched you guys in the first game, and you didn’t play then, either. Are you in trouble or something?”
“No.”
“Well, your bat looks pretty healthy.” The coach chuckled. “Do you struggle in the field?”
“No, I’m not bad.” Jalen glanced nervously at his own coaches, but no one on his team, not even Daniel, was paying any attention. “I had a bad practice this week.”
“Look, take this.” The coach slipped a business card into Jalen’s hand. “We could use a bat like yours. You don’t see many kids putting one out on Grady. And I know it wasn’t just luck. You brought your bat around on his fastball on that second pitch like a pro, nearly got it. Call me if you feel like switching teams. I’m serious. We could use you, and I can promise you this: I wouldn’t have you warming the bench.”
“Thanks, Coach,” Jalen said, hardly believing his luck.
“Coach Allen.” The coach grabbed his hand again and tightened his grip before letting go. He seemed sincere, like a man who could be trusted. “I hope I’ll hear from you, Jalen. I hate to see talent like yours go to waste.”
Jalen couldn’t keep from smiling as the two teams lined up and received their awards from the tournament officials. Bronxville players got individual trophies, while the Rockton Rockets got silver medals strung on red ribbons. Jalen felt dazed as he walked toward his own dugout, not worried in the least that he’d missed the first few words of Coach Gamble’s rant. When it was over, Jalen couldn’t even say for sure what his coach had said other than a few words like “pathetic” and “disgraceful” and that there was a chance they could avenge themselves, since both teams were playing in an even bigger tournament in Boston next weekend.
On board the bus, Jalen joined the rest of the team in depositing his medal into the garbage bag Coach Benning held open as they filed by onto the bus. Coach Gamble had declared that second place was trash, and that’s where their medals belonged. Jalen scooted past the head coach’s seat and stayed alert for Chris sticking his foot out into the aisle, but the big beefy pitcher seemed too glum to bother with any bullying. In the back of the bus, Jalen sat down directly across the aisle from Daniel.
Daniel sighed. “My mom would have loved that medal. Anything like that in my place goes over big.”
“Yeah, well, look at this.” Jalen leaned over and showed his friend the card. “That coach asked me if I wanted to play for Bronxville.” He kept his voice low, but it trembled with excitement. “He said I wouldn’t sit the bench with them.”
“That is so cool!” Daniel looked at the card, flipping it over. “He put his cell phone on the back, amigo. It’s like recruiting, right? I heard of that happening. What you gonna do? I mean, can I go too? You can’t leave me here by myself, right?”
Jalen felt the thrill suddenly drain out of him. He hadn’t thought of Daniel, but of course he couldn’t go without him.
“Well,” Jalen said. “I’ll call him and ask.”