The Contract by Derek Jeter

Author:Derek Jeter
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Social Issues, Baseball & Softball, Juvenile Fiction, Sports & Recreation, General, Friendship
ISBN: 9781481423144
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2014-09-23T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

PARENTS AND TEACHERS

“. . . and how much do you think this swanky new eight-track stereo system goes for?”

Derek and his dad were watching TV. The Price Is Right, to be exact. The show had become a mini-obsession for the two of them.

“Derek?”

“How should I know? I never bought a stereo system.”

“Eight-track,” said his dad. “It’s the wave of the future.”

“I don’t know. . . . Two hundred dollars?”

“Okay. I say $170.”

“Marci has guessed $140. And the price is . . . $175!”

“Yesss!” said Mr. Jeter.

Derek frowned. “If I had a stereo, maybe I’d know how much it cost.”

“You would have one if you paid for it. Anyway, you keep playing against the best, and your game will keep improving.”

That made Derek think about his team’s recent loss to the Yankees. He’d improved his own personal game, without a doubt, but his team had still lost. And he couldn’t remember the last time he’d beaten his dad at . . . well, at anything. Still, it didn’t make him want to give up. It made him want to try again, and try harder.

“Hal-looooo!” came Aunt Dimp’s lilting voice from the front door as the tall, smiling woman let herself in.

“Aunt Dimp!” Sharlee shrieked from upstairs. There followed the patter of little feet as she raced to the stairs and then carefully climbed down. Sharlee was still too young to take stairs at a fast pace.

“Come over here, you little sweet thing!” Aunt Dimp swept Sharlee up in her arms and spun her around, high in the air. Sharlee squealed with delight.

Aunt Dimp was Mr. Jeter’s sister, and she lived not far away. Her real name was Sharlee, but everyone called her Dimp because she had big dimples on her cheeks. Besides, it was less confusing with only one person in the family called Sharlee.

In fact, Aunt Dimp was here to babysit for the other Sharlee, because Derek and his parents were going to his school for parent-teacher night.

“How are you doing, Sis?”

“Just fine!” said Aunt Dimp, putting Sharlee down so she could take her coat off.

Just then the front door opened again, and Mrs. Jeter stepped inside. “Oh boy!” she chirped, as everyone hugged and kissed. “It’s a family gathering.”

“Come on, Jeter,” said Derek’s mom, not taking her jacket off. “You too, old man. We’re going to be late if we don’t get right on out of here.”

• • •

Derek had lots of other things on his mind, but now he started to worry about what Ms. Wagner might say about him to his parents. He didn’t think she would say anything bad—but you never knew.

Sure enough, it turned out he had every right to be worried. “Mr. and Mrs. Jeter,” she said, greeting them. “Derek. Have a seat.”

She checked her notes as they all sat down. “Derek is a very intelligent child,” she began. “He works well with others and generally gets good grades.” Derek checked to see if his parents were paying attention. He sure hoped so.

“However,” his teacher went on, “he did have quite a falling-off in math on the last test.

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