Misunderstood (A Neighbor from Hell YA #1) - R.L. Mathewson Page 0,61
up and grabbed her bag off his shoulder.
With a pitying look, Chloe said, “What do you think?” as she walked away and this time, he let her.
Chapter
25
“She doesn’t look so good,” came the softly mumbled words that Sebastian barely heard as he took in Mikey, slumped over a park bench, quietly mumbling to herself as she stared ahead, looking shell-shocked and adorably pathetic. Not really sure what was going on, Sebastian glanced down at the arm hanging over the side with what looked like a crumpled piece of paper held tightly in her hand before glancing up at his siblings and cousins as they all stood around her, sending her pitying looks.
“What happened?” Sebastian asked when it became obvious that no one was going to jump at the chance to tell him.
With a sigh, his cousin Joshua reached down and gently pried the paper out of Mikey’s hand while she mumbled sadly, “I’m a pitcher,” and handed it to him. Frowning, Sebastian smoothed the paper open and ran his gaze over what looked like the baseball team roster only to curse when he saw it.
Right field.
Biting back a sigh, Sebastian glanced back at the top of the list to find three names with “Pitcher” after their names, noting that all three of them ended with Dilmore. He crushed the paper in his hand and tossed it in the trash can. He couldn’t believe the coach actually went through with it. It was a dumb move, but something that they’d have to worry about later.
“Are you okay?” Sebastian asked softly as he knelt down next to the bench.
“I’m a pitcher,” came the mumbled response.
“I know you are,” Sebastian said, taking her limp hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze.
“I hate right field.”
“I know you do.”
“I hate my new coach,” Mikey said with a sniffle and a nod.
“I do, too,” he admitted on a sigh.
“I don’t think I can do this,” she mumbled weakly.
“Yes, you can.”
“I really can’t.”
“It’s just for a few months, Mikey. Just to get your foot in the door and to keep your skills fresh. Once we get you into a new school with a new coach, you’ll be back on the pitcher’s mound,” he promised her, hoping that it would be enough.
There was a slight pause, giving him hope and then, “I just want to lay here and feel sorry for myself,” Mikey mumbled with another sniffle as she turned her head so she could stare at an old oak tree.
“And you’re doing an amazing job,” Sebastian said, biting back a sigh as he stepped over her and knelt down on the other side so that he could talk to her.
“I know,” came the weakly mumbled response.
“Would it make you feel better if I bought you an ice cream?” Sebastian asked, deciding that they should move on to the bribery phase to avoid wasting anymore time.
A sniffle, and a mumbled, “Maybe,” gave him hope.
“How about a movie? Would you like to go see a movie?” Sebastian asked, mentally calculating how much money he had in his wallet. With his allowance and the money his father owed him for helping him last week, Sebastian probably had enough to take her to a movie, buy her usual snacks, and take her out for a burger afterwards.
“I don’t know,” Mikey mumbled after a slight hesitation.
“We can hit the arcade and maybe go bowling afterwards,” Mathew said, jumping in and earning a killing glare from Sebastian.
Ignoring the warning look on Sebastian’s face, his cousin Elizabeth added, “We can also grab food at the food court.”
Before he got a chance to say anything, Mikey mumbled, “I like the arcade,” sealing his fate. Knowing that there was no way of getting out of this now, Sebastian grabbed Mikey’s bag off the ground and tossed it to Mathew. Biting back a sigh, he reached down and picked Mikey up, threw her over his shoulder and carried her home.
Ten minutes later, when he turned to carry her to her house, she stopped him with a sadly mumbled, “I’m not ready to face them. Not yet.”
That made him pause. “They still don’t know?”
“Do you think I proudly share my shame?” she asked with a shuddering sigh.
Shaking his head, because he honestly didn’t know how to deal with her sometimes, Sebastian turned around and carried her across the street just as his father’s truck pulled into the driveway.
“What’s wrong with Mikey?” his father asked as he climbed out of his truck.