The Best Bat Page 2

  “But he said you did.”

  C.J. nodded. “Yeah, and when Grandpa found out I hid the candy to keep it all for myself, I ended up with no peanut butter cups because he took them all back!” he said.

  Grandpa nodded. “And you learned your lesson, C.J.” Grandpa looked at Rhino. “The bat might turn up. Maybe another player took it home by mistake. In the meantime, you’ll go back to using the team’s bats.”

  Rhino knew that whatever had happened to his bat, Grandpa was right about one thing. My bat, my responsibility, Rhino’s thinker said. He’d do his best to find out what became of the bat, but he’d try not to blame anyone else, especially Dylan.

  That bat sure felt great when he swung it, though. He wanted nothing more than to get it back before the Mustang’s first real game.

  Rhino went up to his room and sat on the bed. He tried to get excited about the game, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the bat.

  The bedroom door was open. C.J. knocked anyway. He and Rhino looked a lot alike—lean and strong—but C.J. was bigger, of course. “You can use one of my bats,” he said. C.J. played shortstop for the middle-school team. He’d outgrown the bat Grandpa had given him when he was Rhino’s age.

  “Thanks,” Rhino said. But he decided to use the team’s bats. He wouldn’t want to lose one of C.J.’s. “I’ll do fine. I hit a homer with one of the team’s bats last time. I’m just nervous. It’s our first game of the season and this isn’t a great way to start off.”

  “That’s true,” C.J. said.

  C.J. stood in the doorway but didn’t say anything more. Rhino could tell that his brother felt bad for him. That helped a little.

  “I’ll be right back,” C.J. said.

  When he returned, C.J. was holding something behind his back. He had a big grin.

  “What?” Rhino said.

  “I was saving these for my dessert,” C.J. said. He held out his hand. “For you.”

  C.J. handed Rhino a package of peanut butter cups.

  Rhino laughed. “Are these from Halloween?” he asked.

  “Grandpa never gave those back to me. I think he ate them all,” C.J. said. “I bought these today.”

  “Thanks,” Rhino said. He was starting to feel hungry. “Two in a pack. We’ll split them after dinner.”

  “Right. Grandpa made spaghetti and meatballs. Let’s get fueled. I have a game on Saturday, too!”

  Rhino checked his cubby at school on Friday and was surprised to find a note in an envelope. He sat at his desk to read it.

  I already know that, Rhino thought. Then his thinker worked harder. After practice Coach had me do some extra work. That’s when I wasn’t paying attention to the bat.

  But that didn’t help to solve anything.

  Rhino stared at the note. Who had written it? He turned in his seat to face Cooper.

  “We need to get a sample of Dylan’s handwriting,” Rhino said, showing Cooper the note. “If it matches this, then I’ll have proof that he took my bat.”

  Cooper thought for a few seconds. “That girl Kerry from our dinosaur group is in Dylan’s class,” he said. “We can ask her to help.”

  The dinosaur group met in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Rhino and Cooper had joined a few weeks earlier. They loved the lively discussions about stegosaurs and sauropods and giant meat-eaters.

  “Great idea,” Rhino said. He always looked forward to lunchtime anyway. Now he had an extra reason.

  The morning seemed to go very slowly. Rhino couldn’t concentrate on the math and science lessons. He’d have to do some extra reading at home. Schoolwork always came first in their house.

  At lunchtime, Rhino hurried to the cafeteria. He was starving. Whatever was cooking smelled delicious.

  Bella and Kerry were already at the dinosaur table. Bella winked at Rhino, but he was too busy trying to get Kerry’s attention to notice. He sat down between the two girls.

  “I need a favor,” Rhino said to Kerry.

  “Sure thing,” Kerry said. She had black braids and often led the dinosaur discussions, and she always wore the brightest shirts in the cafeteria. Today’s shirt was the same color as a lemon.

  “I need a copy of Dylan’s handwriting,” Rhino said. “Can you get him to write something for you?”

  “That’s kind of strange. What for?” Kerry asked.

  Bella looked at Rhino. “Yeah, Why do you need that? Maybe I can help, too?”

  Rhino looked at his two friends. “Someone took my bat from practice.”

  Bella nodded. “My dad mentioned that.”

  “Whoever took it left me a note about it,” Rhino said. “I think Dylan took it, but I don’t have proof. If his handwriting matches the note, then I’ll know it was him.”

  “I’ll write out a riddle and pass it to Dylan,” Kerry said. “He’ll write out the answer, then we’ll have what you need.”

  “You probably just misplaced the bat,” Bella said. “I don’t think anyone on our team would take it.”

  “We looked everywhere,” Rhino said.

  Bella took a bite of her sandwich. She turned to Kerry and said, “What’s the topic today? T. rex again?”

  “Allosaurus,” Kerry replied. “They were smaller than T. rex, but much faster. And mean.”

  Mean, Rhino thought. Like Dylan. But with Kerry’s help, I’ll get to the bottom of this. That note will be all the evidence I need. Dylan thinks he’s slick, but I’ll show him.

  After lunch, Rhino passed Dylan in the hallway as he was going back to his classroom. To his surprise, Dylan pointed at him and said, “Go, Mustangs.”

  Rhino glared at him.

  Back in class, Rhino opened his desk to take out his reading book. There was another note. It was in the same writing as the first one.

  What could that mean? Rhino had no idea.

  He fidgeted all through class that afternoon. Mrs. Imburgia called on him to read aloud, but he had lost his place.

  “Sorry,” Rhino said. “I had something on my mind.”

  “Try to keep your mind on your work, Ryan,” his teacher said. She smiled and showed him where to read.

  Rhino ran into Bella after school. “Big game tomorrow,” she said. “Opening day!”

  Rhino just nodded.

  “The weather is supposed to be beautiful,” Bella said. “I can’t wait.”

  Rhino wasn’t listening. He was looking around for Kerry. Finally, he saw her bright yellow shirt.

  Kerry handed Rhino a sheet of paper. “My writing’s in pencil,” she said. “The black pen is Dylan’s.”

  Rhino frowned as he looked at the note.

  Neither writing looked like the notes he’d received earlier. Did Dylan know what they were trying to do? Maybe he’d disguised his writing this time.

  Doubt it.

  “No luck?” Bella asked.

  Rhino shook his head.

  “Forget about it then,” Bella said. “We have plenty of bats. You can hit home runs with any of them.”

  Rhino knew that was true. But he wanted his bat. It all came down to one thing. The thing Grandpa James had talked about: responsibility.

  I want Grandpa to think I’m responsible and be proud of me, Rhino thought. And I want to be proud of myself. Hitting home runs makes me proud, but I want to be proud off the field and in school, too.

  Rhino walked away without saying good-bye to Kerry or Bella. He was carrying his science book and his math book. He had some catching up to do in those subjects. He’d been too distracted in class today.

  It’s just a bat, Rhino’s thinker said. Don’t let it spoil anything else.

  Saturday morning was bright and cool. Rhino woke up, threw on his uniform, and headed outside. Game day! He noticed that Grandpa had done more work in the backyard. There were a few fence posts several feet apart, and a patch of grass was missing. The project took up a lot of the yard.

  Maybe Grandpa thinks I don’t need to practice out here anymore, since I’m on a team, Rhino thought.
But I love coming out here and hanging out with Grandpa. Still, Rhino knew that Grandpa enjoyed gardening. He’d spoken about making more room for tomatoes.

  Cooper’s voice broke into Rhino’s thoughts. “Let’s go!” he called from the driveway. Rhino could tell Cooper was wearing his blue-and-white Mustangs uniform under a black wind jacket.

  Cooper and Rhino hurried to the field to watch the first game, sitting on the top row of the bleachers. They’d been practicing here for weeks, but the place seemed different today. Lots of parents and brothers and sisters in the stands. Umpires in dark blue outfits. And the grass on the diamond had been newly mowed, leaving a sweet, fresh smell.

  “We’ll be out there soon,” Cooper said.

  Rhino rubbed his hands together. “Can’t wait. I’ve been waiting for this for weeks!” He was too excited to sit still for long. After the first inning, he and Cooper went into the dugout.

  When Dylan arrived, Rhino called to him. “Dylan!” he called sharply. “Get over here!”

  Dylan trotted over. “What’s up?” he said.

  “Somebody took my bat the other day,” Rhino said. He knew Dylan was aware of that, but he wanted to see his reaction.

  “I heard,” Dylan said. He stood a bit taller and glared down at Rhino. “What do you want me to do about it?”

  “Give it back.”

  Dylan shook his head. “Why would I take it?” he asked. “I couldn’t use it, could I? If I brought it to a game or a practice, everyone would know I stole it. Coach would boot me off the team.”

  Rhino scowled. “You could have taken it just to be mean.”

  Dylan crossed his arms. “I didn’t take it,” he said. “I’m no thief, Rhino. Get over it.” And then he walked out of the dugout.

  Rhino turned to Cooper. “What do you think?”

  Cooper shrugged. “He seemed convincing.”

  Rhino looked at Cooper. “We’ll see,” he said. “You never know with Dylan.” He glanced across the field and noticed that Coach Ray was watching. Had he seen the argument?

  Soon Coach called the team to a spot behind the bleachers. He asked if anyone had taken Rhino’s bat by mistake, but no one had.

  Bella nudged Rhino. “How’s it going?” she asked.

  Rhino just grunted. He wanted to focus on getting ready to play.

  The teams from the first game made their way off the field. “Everyone run around the bases a couple of times, then meet me at the bench,” Coach said.

  Rhino led the way around the bases, then ran to the dugout. Coach was holding up a sheet of paper. “This is the starting lineup for your first real game with the Mustangs.”

  1) Cooper SS

  2) Bella RF

  3) Dylan P

  4) Rhino 1B

  5) Carlos LF

  6) Sara 3B

  7) Paul CF

  8) Manny 2B

  9) Gabe C

  Rhino was glad to see that he’d be batting in the fourth spot. Coach called it “cleanup” because if any of the first three batters got on base, it was up to the fourth batter to get a hit so that the runners could score. You would clean up the bases. The best power hitters always went there.

  “This is what we’ve been practicing for. So go out there and have fun. Do your best. Enjoy it!” said Coach.

  I will, thought Rhino. I just wish I knew where my bat was. And then the game began.

  * * *

  Rhino struck out to end the bottom of the first inning. The Bears had a hard-throwing pitcher with a tricky sinker.

  I’ll figure him out, Rhino thought. Next at bat: wham!

  Rhino made a few routine plays at first base, catching a pop fly and taking throws from second base and shortstop after ground balls. The Bears managed one run in the second inning.

  In the third inning, Rhino walked over to the pile of bats leaning against the fence. He picked up one bat to test its weight. Too heavy, he thought. Rhino looked at the different lengths. One with a blue stripe around the handle was longer than the rest. He picked that one up and swung it a couple of times. None of these felt as good as his own. He chose one that was a little heavier than he’d used the first time up.

  Things were looking good. Cooper was on second base after hitting a single, and Dylan was on first. There were two outs. Rhino was ready to clear the bases and put the Mustangs into the lead with one swing.

  “Bring them home!” came a call from the dugout.

  “Smack that ball!” came another.

  Rhino gripped the bat and squinted toward the pitcher. Contact, he thought. Make contact and send that ball over the fence.

  The first pitch was outside, and Rhino didn’t even flinch.

  “Good eye!” yelled Cooper. He took a few steps away from second base.

  The next pitch was a little high, but it was straight down the middle. Rhino focused on the ball and swung hard. The ball took off like a rocket, deep into right-center field.

  “That’s gone!” someone yelled as Rhino raced toward first base.

  Clank! The ball bounced off the fence and back onto the field. Rhino kept sprinting, rounding first and striding for second. He slid in safely and looked up. Had he driven in both runners?

  Dylan dove back to third as the throw came in. So only Cooper had scored. Still, Rhino’s double had tied the game.

  “Come on, Carlos!” Rhino called as the next batter stepped up. He and Dylan could both score on a single.

  But Carlos struck out.

  Coach announced some substitutions as they headed into the fourth inning. “I’m going to switch some of you around so everyone gets a chance to play,” Coach said. “You know these games are only six innings long.” He pointed at Carlos. “Take a breather and nice job.”

  Carlos nodded and took a seat on the bench. His Mustangs jersey was too big for him. His shoulders and neck were tiny compared to the giant collar and armholes of the shirt.

  “Serves you right,” Dylan muttered to Carlos. “You struck out twice.”

  Carlos looked away. Rhino had heard that English was not Carlos’s native language, but he’d never heard Carlos say anything.

  Rhino grabbed Dylan’s arm. “Watch your mouth,” he said. “We’re all teammates.”

  Dylan pulled his arm free and headed for the pitcher’s mound.

  “Good effort,” Rhino said to Carlos. Rhino was beginning to think of himself as the team leader. He wouldn’t stand for any bullying.

  Carlos gave Rhino a small smile and sat up straighter.

  The Bears scored twice in the fourth, but the Mustangs tied it up. Rhino made good contact again, smacking a sizzling line drive that landed squarely in the second baseman’s glove for an out.

  The teams were tied 3–3 as they headed into the sixth inning. Rhino punched his glove and bounced on his toes. The Mustangs would have the top of the batting order up next inning. If they could hold the Bears scoreless, they’d have a great chance to win in their last licks.

  Dylan walked the first batter, then struck out the next.

  “No batter!” the infielders yelled. “Whizz it past her, Dylan.”

  Dylan threw a fastball. The batter connected, knocking it over Manny’s head at second base and deep into the outfield.

  Rhino turned to Bella and waited for the throw. The ball came to him on a bounce, and he spun toward home plate. The runner was rounding third, and Rhino fired the ball to the catcher. Both runners scrambled back to the bases.

  The game was still tied, but the Bears had runners on second and third with only one out.

  Coach Ray called time-out and walked to the pitcher’s mound. The catcher walked out, too.

  Rhino blew out his breath. “Let’s hold ’em,” he hollered.

  Dylan rose to the occasion. He struck out the next batter on three pitches.

  “Two outs!” Rhino called, holding up two fingers. “Play to first!” One more out would end the inning. There was no reason to throw home.

  Rhino took an extra step back.
The Bears’ cleanup hitter was at bat, and he’d already hit a pair of doubles today.

  Dylan wound up. Here came the pitch.

  Plunk. To everyone’s surprise, the batter bunted! The ball rolled up the first baseline. Rhino charged toward it.

  Dylan got to the ball first. He scooped it up, pivoted toward first, and stopped short.

  No one was covering the base.

  The runner from third crossed home plate.

  Rhino gulped. He stared at Dylan.

  “What are you doing?” Dylan asked sharply.

  “I was chasing the ball.” Rhino felt the wind go out of him. He’d made a critical mistake. The Bears were ahead, and it was Rhino’s fault.

  “That’s okay,” Coach said, clapping his hands. “Good hustle, Rhino.”

  Rhino shook his head and walked back to his position.

  Dylan struck out the next batter to end the rally. Rhino tossed his glove onto the bench. He was fuming.

  I’ll make up for that mistake as soon as I get to bat.

  Rhino felt a surge of energy as Cooper led off the bottom of the sixth with another single. It was his second hit of the game.

  Unless there was a double play, Rhino was certain to bat. He cheered for Bella, but she popped up to second base for the first out.

  Dylan stepped in. He’d hit a pair of singles so far.

  It was a long at bat. Dylan hit several foul balls before running the count to three balls, two strikes.

  “A walk’s as good as a hit,” called Bella.

  Dylan lined another shot out of bounds.

  “Straighten it out,” Rhino said.

  But Dylan went down swinging. Two outs.

  Dylan stared straight ahead as he walked back to the dugout. He didn’t make eye contact with Rhino, but muttered, “It’s up to you.”

  I’m more than ready, Rhino thought.

  Rhino looked at the scoreboard: Bears 4, Mustangs 3. Last inning, last chance.

  He nodded to Cooper at first base. Placed the bat on his shoulder.

  The Bears’ coach called time. Rhino kicked gently at the dirt and waited as the coach spoke to the pitcher. The coach ran back to his dugout.