Plunking Reggie Jackson by James Bennett Read Free Book Online

waist. The chill night air had turned Jamie’s lips blue and pebbled him with chicken skin. His teeth were chattering. He was hugging his own chest to try to stop the shivering.
    Coley thrust the warm-up jacket at him. “Put this on.”
    â€œIt’ll get all wet,” Jamie protested.
    â€œWho cares? Just put it on.”
    Quintero slipped into the jacket, which was far too large but provided the advantage of covering his groin area when he moved to the shore. He squirmed into the fleece sweatpants, although they resisted stubbornly against the wet skin of his legs. The light was stronger here, while farther up the beach hotel guests were yukking it up at outdoor bars.
    â€œAre you okay?” Coley asked him.
    â€œI’m okay.” Jamie shivered. Through his chattering teeth he added, “I’m gonna kill the motherfucker though.”
    Coley almost had to laugh, looking at Jamie’s wiry but adolescent form nearly drowning in the huge clothes that engulfed him.
    Coach Spears was close at hand. “Are you all right?”
    â€œI’m okay, Coach.”
    â€œAre you warm enough?”
    â€œI’m okay.”
    â€œNow, just who is it you’re gonna kill? Tell me that.”
    â€œNever mind. I’ll take care of it myself.”
    This time Coley did have to laugh. As small as he was, Quintero was spunky enough to take Kershaw on. He would get the crap beat out of him, but he would be willing anyway, just to get in a punch or two before he went down.
    â€œColey won’t give him up either,” said the coach.
    Jamie was using the inside lining of Coley’s jacket to wipe the water from his face and neck. “I said I’ll take care of it, and I will,” he repeated.
    â€œWhat you’ll take care of,” countered the coach immediately, “is getting warm and dry.”
    â€œThat’ll be the first thing,” Jamie murmured.
    â€œAnd the second thing is you’ll go to bed and get some sleep. And the third thing is you’ll get yourself ready to pitch tomorrow. We want you to go at least five innings.”
    â€œYou mean it?” Jamie was smiling.
    â€œI mean it,” confirmed Spears. “Would I lie about a thing like that?”
    Coley was still smiling at him. He thought briefly about the earlier conversation he’d had with his parents. He was still pissed at Kershaw and Kuchenberg, and he felt sorry for Jamie, what they put him through. But it was so much better feeling like a man than like a child. “Since I didn’t beat him up,” he said to Jamie, “you have to give him a break too. You gotta pitch tomorrow.”
    As soon as he went to sleep that night, Coley dreamed of Bree Madison.
    The following day they lost two games to Central High in Clearwater. The scores were 11-3 and 8-3. Coley played left field both games but didn’t have to face any defensive challenges. The only balls hit his way were high, routine flies. At the plate he was always dangerous, of course, because of his athletic talent and his strength. But he never practiced hitting, because pitching was always the priority. He had one hit in the first game, a single, and walked twice. In the second game he got into a couple of the Central pitcher’s lazy curves, but both times he got the ball slightly underneath. The results were majestic fly balls clear to the warning track, but they were both outs.
    As promised, Jamie Quintero was the starting pitcher for the second game. He worked two good innings, but then he got wild and started walking people. A couple of errors and a long home run, and he was on the bench before he’d gotten anybody out in the fifth inning.
    Coley watched the wiry freshman slump to the end of the bench, where he hung a wet towel over his head. Coach Mason let Kershaw pitch in relief. He wasn’t too bad, but the score was 7-1 by the time the inning was over.
    When they came in after the sixth, Coley