Skinnybones by Barbara Park

Author:Barbara Park [Park, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-79710-0
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2011-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

chapter eight

A FACEFUL OF FLAKES

Usually, when I go to the Little League field for a game, I don’t know who we’re going to play until I get there. I just go to the game, lose, and go home. The way I look at it, losing is losing. Who cares who you lose to?

A lot of kids don’t feel that way, though. T.J. Stoner is one of them. T.J. always knows exactly which team he’s going up against. Then, a couple of days before the game, he goes around school announcing how badly the other team is going to get whipped. Nobody ever argues with him, either. ’Cause they all know it’s true.

Anyway, that’s why I wasn’t surprised when T.J. went through the halls bragging about how Franklin’s Sporting Goods was going to “mop up the floor” with Fran and Ethel’s Cleaning Service.

Fran and Ethel’s Cleaning Service—that’s the name of my team this year. Catchy, huh? When I first found out about it, I thought about quitting. But my dad said that Fran and Ethel had paid a lot of money to sponsor our team, and it wouldn’t be fair if everyone quit just because it was a stupid name.

So far, I’ve never had a team name that sounds as neat as Franklin’s Sporting Goods. Last year my team was called Preston’s Pest Control. Our team banner had a roach being knocked out with a baseball bat. It was totally humiliating.

Anyway, on Friday morning, right after class started, T.J. raised his hand and made another public announcement.

“Tomorrow, at 10:30 A.M., my Little League team is going to be playing Alex’s team. So I was thinking some of you guys might want to come by the field and watch us play.”

My stomach turned over. Oh, geez, no! He was inviting the entire class? No way! My team hadn’t won a game all season, and T.J.’s was in first place. It was going to be a slaughter!

Quickly, I jumped up. “Why?” I called out.

My teacher looked at me strangely. “Why what, Alex?”

“Why would anyone want to come to our game?”

Desperately, I looked around the room. “Don’t you people have lives of your own? It’s just a stupid Little League game.”

T.J. smiled broadly. “Well, not exactly. There’s something else you guys should probably know. I don’t want to brag, but I’m going to be pitching tomorrow. And if I win the game, I’ll set a Little League pitching record for most games won in a row.”

He paused so that his thrilling information could sink in.

“It’ll put me in all the record books,” he added.

Mrs. Grayson’s whole face lit up. “Really, T.J.? That’s terrific!”

I jumped up again. “Books, schmooks! Record, schmecord!” I hollered.

Mrs. Grayson told me to be quiet. But T.J. wouldn’t quit. He kept talking about that stupid game all day long.

Even after the bell rang and kids were leaving the room, he stood at the door issuing personal invitations. “You’re gonna be there, right?” he’d ask. “You’re not going to let me down, are you?”

I tried to duck past him, but he grabbed my shirt.

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