A Whole New Ball Game by Belle Payton

Author:Belle Payton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Spotlight

CHAPTER

NINE

On Saturday afternoon Tommy came home early from practice.

“Is everything okay?” Mrs. Sackett asked him worriedly. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”

“Everything’s fine,” said Tommy. “We had baseline concussion testing today—just a bunch of computer questions that measure our processing speed and reaction time in case we ever get a concussion.”

Mrs. Sacket looked relieved. “Got it. Well, I was going to take the girls to the pool. But maybe you’d like to take them?”

“Sure,” Tommy said. “I heard some of the guys say they might be heading there too.”

It had taken awhile to understand the driving laws in Texas, but Tommy and their mom had finally gotten the paperwork straightened out saying that it was legal for Tommy to drive his siblings.

The car ride there was quiet. After a few minutes, Tommy gave up trying to find a station that didn’t play country. This time Alex had actually won the shotgun battle for the front passenger seat. They rode in silence until Alex finally cleared her throat and blurted out a question.

“How are things between you and Daddy?” she asked Tommy.

Ava perked up her ears.

Tommy drummed the wheel thoughtfully, as though trying to think of the best way to respond. “Things are okay, not great,” he said. “Some of the guys think Coach is being really harsh on a few players. Like PJ and Tyler. And even me,” he added grimly.

“Oh,” said Alex worriedly. “I thought things were better.”

In the backseat, Ava crossed her arms and sulked. She’d been concerned about their dad since they’d gotten to Texas. Why had it taken Alex so long to get a clue?

But she knew the answer to that. That was the way Alex always was: quick to love everyone and see the bright side of everything. She was slow to acknowledge that a person might have ulterior motives and wasn’t quite as nice as she thought. Alex liked everyone, and everyone liked Alex.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Tommy put the car in park and then took out his phone to check his texts. “A bunch of guys from the team are meeting up here,” he announced. “You girls okay staying awhile?”

“Yes!” said Alex quickly. “I just got a text from Emily. She said she’s on her way here too. I guess a whole bunch of AMS kids come to this pool on Saturdays. Let’s stay as long as possible.” Ava had to admire her sister. She was very good at sizing up the social landscape of a new place and strategically putting herself into the right situations. How had she known that this pool, which was across town from their neighborhood, was the place to see and be seen? She probably will get herself elected class president, Ava thought.

The girl at the front desk smiled at Tommy. Ava had noticed that girls did this a lot these days. Then the girl looked at the twins, and realization dawned on her face. “Oh! Y’all must be the Sacketts, right?”

“Yeah,” said Tommy with a grin.

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