The Game Can't Love You Back by Karole Cozzo

Author:Karole Cozzo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Chapter 17

April 12

Eve

Yesterday’s win was one for my personal record book. Pat had a lousy start and couldn’t get it together, and by the fourth inning we were down 6–0. It took me half as many innings to get things back on track, and I made sure no additional runs were scored. My team responded to the change in momentum and started hitting, Jamie sent a grand slam over the fence the next inning, and we ended up winning 7–6.

Definitely one of my best games.

There was also talk that someone had personally apologized to Coach for the Westdale incident, and that a punishment was being dealt with privately. I guess after running us into the ground, Coach didn’t want to reveal the identity of the person responsible out of concern for what our response might do to team morale. I didn’t love his thinking, but I understood the rationale behind it.

Most importantly, Coach seemed like himself again—pleasant and calm—and last night the team got an e-mail from him, with the brief message that in lieu of practicing Wednesday, we’d be participating in a team-building activity off campus.

My phone rang as I was reading the e-mail. It was Scott. “Hello?”

“Hey.”

“Guess you’re calling me about this e-mail?”

“Yeah. Got any guesses?”

“Nah, still processing,” I told him. “Trying to decide if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“Considering his last ‘team-building’ exercise made me puke,” Scott answered, “I’m not overly optimistic.”

“Well, it can’t possibly be as torturous as that, whatever it is,” I told him.

We discussed the cryptic e-mail for a few more minutes before hanging up.

Guess I could ask Jamie.

The thought popped into my head and was instantly unwelcome there. I dropped my phone onto my desk like a hot potato, balling my hands into fists, like I’d found myself doing all weekend.

You are not actually going to ask Jamie. There is no reason why Jamie popped into your head as someone to ask.

I turned off my light and crawled beneath my covers, pulling them up over my head for good measure.

* * *

I meet up with the team outside the locker rooms at three o’clock, as the e-mail directed. From a distance, I assess Jamie. He’s wearing a tight black T-shirt and a pair of black Pirate-issue sweats, and looking around, I notice a couple of the other guys are dressed in head-to-toe black also.

What is going on? All that black isn’t really reassuring.

The coaches appear a minute later, and Coach Karlson claps his hands together, grinning. “Welcome to our annual team-building exercise,” he greets us. “I wanted to wait a while until you all got comfortable with each other, but … I think we’re getting there.” Then he stands, silent, letting the anticipation build.

We look from Pirate to Pirate, trying to figure it out, waiting to see if anyone is going to chime in, but no one does. Until Brendan finally calls out, impatient, “Come on. Where are we going this year, Coach?”

Coach is quiet one more minute. Then, “RUSH laser tag arena.

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