Sliding into Home (15 page)

Next they showed the police officers ushering people out of the park while several of the Kernels stood around with dazed expressions on their faces. Then they cut back to Tamara Macon and Mike Morgan in the studio.

“Those were some pretty disappointed girls, folks,” Tamara said, turning in her chair to face the camera.

“I’m sure they were,” Mike said. “So what’s going to happen now? Are these girls going to be able to play baseball somewhere else?”

“Well, Mike, nobody seems to know for sure,” Tamara answered. “But we’ll be following this story very closely in the days and weeks to come.”

“Thanks, Tamara. And in other news—”

Joelle switched off the TV.

“So? What do you think?” Mandi asked.

“I don’t know,” Joelle said slowly. “I can’t believe we made the five o’clock news!”

“Well, it’s just the local station,” Mandi said. “They’re pretty desperate for news.”

Still,
Joelle thought. The fact that the Eastern Iowa Girls’ Baseball League had made any news at all meant people were hearing about them. You couldn’t buy that kind of publicity.

But would it do any good? Joelle wondered. Or was it too little too late?

T
he phone rang again during dinner. Joelle jumped up and grabbed it before her mother could object. Maybe it was one of the Green Sox, calling with good news. “Hello?” she said through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

“Joelle, this is Coach Carlyle.”

Joelle stopped chewing. Why would
Ryan’s
dad be calling
her?

Coach Carlyle cleared his throat. “I just got off the phone with Superintendent Holland. Apparently the school board has been having discussions about your wanting to play baseball. It sounds like the rules are about to be changed.”

Joelle nearly dropped the phone. She swallowed the rest of the potato in her mouth. “You mean they’re going to let girls play baseball?” Just like that?

“I guess so,” Coach Carlyle said. “If you still want to play, show up Monday after school and we’ll see what you’ve got.”

Then he hung up.

Joelle just stood there in stunned silence.

I did it!
she thought.
I got the school district to change their stupid policy!

Except … she couldn’t go to any practice on Monday. What was she thinking? She and Brooke were going downtown to find out who owned that empty lot. Brooke was even skipping softball to go. So how could Joelle go to a Hawks practice?

“What was that about, honey?” Mom asked when Joelle returned to the table.

“That was Coach Carlyle. From the Hawks. They’re going to let me play.”

“What?” Dad cried, jumping up from his chair. “That’s great!” He threw his arms around Joelle.

Mom grabbed Joelle’s hand and squeezed it hard. “That’s terrific, honey. That’s what you wanted.”

“Yeah,” Joelle said.

It was
exactly
what she’d wanted when she first moved here. So why wasn’t she more excited?

“Why don’t you and Brooke go downtown another day?” Mom suggested later that evening. She and Joelle were folding clothes in the laundry room.

Joelle leaned against the drier. “No. We have to go Monday.” She and Brooke had already made plans. She couldn’t very well call Brooke up and say sorry, I can’t make it. Not now. Besides, if they didn’t go Monday, when would they go? The softball team practiced every day but Wednesday. The Hawks practiced every day but Thursday.

“Well, if the coach told you to show up on Monday, I think you need to be there,” Mom said. She tossed a folded blouse onto the pile on the drier.

Joelle picked up the green T-shirt she’d worn on Saturday. Mom was probably right. The funny thing was, after everything she’d been through, Joelle wasn’t sure playing baseball for the Hawks was still so important to her.

For one thing, she wasn’t convinced Coach Carlyle really wanted her to play. The school board had changed their policy. That meant Coach Carlyle had to give her a chance. It didn’t mean he wanted to. Did she really want to play for a coach who didn’t want her?

Part of her did. Part of her wanted to prove to the Hawks coach and everyone else that she belonged. And that girls could play baseball.

But part of her wanted to just walk away. She had the Green Sox now. Even though they didn’t have a field, didn’t have teams to play against, and didn’t have a whole lot of support, they were still a team. They were
her
team. It almost felt disloyal to play for anyone else.

But what would people say if Joelle didn’t play for the Hawks now that she had the chance? They’d probably figure she hadn’t been that serious about it in the first place. Or maybe they’d think she was some space case who changed her mind at the drop of a hat.

“Joelle?” Mom said. “What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Joelle answered in a small voice. It was hard to put her thoughts into words.

Mom peered closer at Joelle. “What is it, honey?”

Joelle sank down onto the cold, hard, cement floor. “This may sound weird, but I’m not sure I want to play for the Hawks anymore,” she said finally.

“What?” Mom came over to Joelle. “Why not?”

Joelle shrugged and picked at a scab on her ankle. “I loved playing for the Blue Jays back in Minneapolis, but it’s not going to be the same with the Hawks.”

Mom sat down next to Joelle. “Well, that’s true, honey. No two teams are exactly the same. That’s because the people involved with the teams are different. But you’ll find your place with the Hawks.”

“Maybe.” Joelle clasped her knees. “I never really thought about the fact that all the other players on the Blue Jays were guys. I don’t think they thought about me being a girl, either. I was just Joelle. But here I think I’d always be the girl they had to let on the team.”

“Not necessarily,” Mom said. “Not once your teammates get to know you.”

“Back in Minneapolis, everybody already knew me because I was Jason Cunningham’s little sister. That made things so much easier.”

Whoa. Wait a minute!
Joelle thought suddenly. She turned to face her mother. “Do you think they let me play in Minneapolis because I was Jason’s sister?” Had she been riding on Jason’s reputation her entire life?

“No, of course not!” Mom shook her head. “It’s true that everybody knew your brother. But you earned your spot on the team just like all the other players.”

“I guess,” Joelle said. But what if she’d had a big brother
who was into art or music or something else? Would she still have played baseball herself or would she have played softball? Maybe she wouldn’t have played either one. Her whole life might have been totally different.

“You’ve had to find your own way here in Greendale, Joelle,” Mom said. “And I know that hasn’t always been easy. But it’s been good for you, don’t you think?”

“Maybe,” Joelle admitted. It was true. Everything she’d done in her new town so far, she’d done on her own. Even trying to change people’s minds about girls playing baseball. And that had nothing to do with Jason.

“I really like playing with the Green Sox, Mom,” Joelle said. It’s great being on an all-girls team.”

“But remember, Joelle, the Green Sox may never even get off the ground,” her mother pointed out.

“I know.” Joelle nodded.

“Well, it’s your decision, honey,” Mom said, putting an arm around her. “But you’re going to have to figure something out by Monday. And you need to talk to that coach. You can’t just not show up on Monday.”

Joelle’s mind was spinning. Did she still want to play baseball for the Hawks or didn’t she?

“Congrats, Joelle!” Ryan caught up with her between first and second period at school on Monday. “I heard they’re going to let you play on the Hawks now. That’s great!”

“Yeah.” Joelle hugged her books tighter to her chest. She
knew what she had to do today, but she still hadn’t made any decisions about tomorrow. Assuming Coach Carlyle would even let her start a day late.

“See you after school then!” Ryan grinned as he turned and started toward his next class.

“No, wait!” Joelle called him back. “I, um, can’t make it to practice today.”

Ryan stopped and frowned. “What do you mean?” he asked as kids hurried by them.

“I have something I need to do after school. Something for the Green Sox.” Joelle had a hard time looking Ryan in the eye.

Ryan walked back toward her. “You can’t skip practice, Joelle. Especially not on your first day. My dad will freak.”

“Well, I’ll talk to him about it,” Joelle said, lifting her chin.

Ryan shook his head. “If you don’t show up, there won’t be anything to talk about. He won’t let you be on the team if you skip practice. Trust me on that.”

“I wouldn’t be skipping practice. I’d just be starting a day late,” Joelle said.
If I decide to play at all,
she added to herself.

Ryan just stared at her. “I don’t get it,” he said. “I thought you wanted to play baseball.”

“I do!”

“Well, you sure don’t act like it. Everyone changed the rules for you, Joelle! And then you act like that’s no big deal. You think you can just show up for practice when you feel like it?”

Joelle could see how it might look like she was being difficult, but that wasn’t it. Not really. “The girls’ baseball league is really important to me, Ryan,” she said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help get it off the ground.”

“So, if something else comes up with the Green Sox, you’d blow off Hawks practice again?”

Well, yeah,
Joelle realized.
I probably would.
She hated the way Ryan was looking at her right now. Like she was some ditzy girl.

He didn’t understand. But she couldn’t lie to him. Back in Minneapolis, there was nothing she would have blown off practice for. Absolutely nothing. And when Joelle thought about it, that sort of put things into perspective.

She didn’t belong on the Hawks.

She belonged with the Green Sox.

Maybe the Green Sox would never play a real game. But that wouldn’t be because Joelle Cunningham gave up.

“I heard you blew off the Hawks to do this today,” Brooke said to Joelle when the two of them were walking downtown that afternoon.

Of course Brooke had heard about her skipping baseball practice,
Joelle thought.
It would probably be on Channel 6 at five o’clock.

“Well?” Brooke prompted.

“Is it possible to go to the
bathroom
in this town without everybody else hearing about it in two seconds?” she asked.

Brooke laughed. “Nope. That’s why I can’t wait to move far away from here when I’m older.”

Joelle didn’t quite know what to say to that. Was Brooke unhappy here in Greendale, too? Neither of them said anything for the next block.

They came to a stoplight and Joelle pressed the WALK
button. “You skipped softball to do this,” Joelle pointed out. “So why is it such a big deal if I blew off baseball?”

“It wasn’t my first day of practice,” Brooke said. She reached out and gave the button another push.

“So? You’re the captain. You shouldn’t skip practice any day.”

The light changed and the girls started across the street.

Brooke shrugged. “One practice isn’t such a big deal. Not if what you’re doing instead is really important.”

“Why is the Green Sox so important to you?” Joelle asked.

“Why is it so important to
you?
” Brooke shot back.

That was a good question. Joelle had to think about it for a minute. Finally she said, “I don’t know. Because it was my idea and then it got a whole lot bigger? Does that make sense?”

Brooke nodded. “It isn’t just about playing baseball for you anymore, is it?”

“No,” Joelle admitted. It was also about friendship and loyalty and building something from the ground up.

Neither girl spoke for a while after that. When they reached the courthouse, Brooke turned to Joelle. “You know what?” she said with a grin. “You’re all right, Cunningham.”

Surprised, Joelle answered, “You’re not so bad yourself, Hartle.”

Together they climbed the stairs and went inside the building. Like Coach Shaw had said, it was easy enough to find out who owned a piece of land. All you had to do was fill out a short form and that was it. Property holdings were a matter of public record.

“Millie Holmes,” Brooke read from the piece of paper in her hand as she and Joelle walked back outside.

“Do you know her?” Joelle asked hopefully.

Brooke shook her head. “No. But she lives at 2300 West Park Street. That’s not very far from here. Come on.”

“What? We’re going over to her house right now?” Joelle asked.

“Sure. Why not?”

Why not indeed! Joelle picked up her pace to match Brooke’s. “What are we going to say to this woman when she comes the door?”

“We’ll think of something,” Brooke said with a shrug. A few blocks later, she turned and marched up to a little brick bungalow. Joelle was right there beside her.

Brooke gave the door a rap with the brass knocker. Joelle crossed her fingers for good luck.

A small, elderly woman came to the door. “Yes?” she asked. Her voice was strong and clear. “May I help you girls?”

Joelle and Brooke both started talking at once. “I’m Joelle Cunningham—”

“I’m Brooke Hartle—”

They stopped and looked at one another. Then, Brooke motioned for Joelle to go ahead.

“I-I’m Joelle Cunningham and this is Brooke Hartle,” Joelle repeated, stammering a little. “We’re students at Hoover Middle School and we’re trying to get a girls’ baseball league started in this district.”

“Oh yes,” Mrs. Holmes said. “The ladies in my book group
have been following your story.” She opened her door and let them in. “What can I do for you?”

Once they were all seated on Mrs. Holmes’s old-fashioned couch, Joelle started right in. She talked about how hard they’d worked to put together a league. Then Brooke told the older woman that there weren’t enough fields in Greendale for all the baseball and softball teams. And she mentioned the empty lot in her neighborhood.

“We know it’s actually your property, Mrs. Holmes,” Brooke rushed on. “But kids have been playing ball there for as long as I can remember. So we were sort of hoping that you’d give us permission to hold practices and play some of our games there.”

Brooke sat back on the couch. She looked like she was holding her breath, waiting for an answer. Joelle could hear the loud
tick-tocks
from the grandfather clock in the hall.

“Well, I don’t know,” Mrs. Holmes said thoughtfully. “Harold and I had always planned to build on that lot. But now that Harold is gone, I’m not sure what to do with the property. Let me talk to my lawyer and see what he says.”

Joelle’s heart sank when she heard the word “lawyer.” Lawyers knew about all the terrible things that could go wrong if people played on someone’s property. The lawyer would probably say no. And so would Mrs. Holmes.

But Mrs. Holmes seemed like the kind of woman who gathered information and then made her own decision. Maybe she’d say yes.

They could hope, anyway.

What else could they do?