Page 32 of The Perfect Game

I slid onto one of the barstools and leaned onto the countertop. “It was pretty good. I just got back from a date with Ben the Pitcher.”

Liza’s eyebrow rose. “Is that his name?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “No, he’s just really good at baseball, so that’s what my friends have called him for a while. He’s really sweet and fun, except when he cuts his finger open.”

“What?” Liza looked at me with a shocked expression, trying to figure out if I was teasing or not. I tended to do that with her, as she tended to overreact. But then again, I told her just about everything in my life. She was the one I saw the most in this house, even though she only came in a few days a week.

“He just caught it on a hook.” I waved at the platters of food and asked again, “What’s all this for?”

Liza took a deep breath, giving a slight shake of the head. “Your mother has a fashion show tomorrow night. I’ve been baking all day, trying to get ready for it. I just need to box most of it up so it will still be good for tomorrow.” She pointed to the pot. “I’m making chicken alfredo for dinner, so I hope you have some appetite left.”

As if in response, my stomach growled. It had already been two hours since I’d eaten the sandwich, and true to form, I was still hungry.

“Can I help you put these all away? Where are the boxes?”

Liza looked at me, her brows furrowed. “Are you okay?”

I laughed and waved her off. “I know, I know. I’m not usually the most helpful person in the world. But maybe that needs to change.” I thought about Mrs. Gates’s statement about me being a good nurse. Maybe that’s what had spurred a little change tonight. Maybe I had hope for the future, something I actually wanted to do that would be fun.

Liza pointed me in the direction of the boxes, and I pulled one out, tucking in some of the corners to where they needed to be to hold their shape. As I carefully picked up cupcakes and set them side by side in the box, I said, “Do you think I would make a good nurse, Liza?”

There was a pause, and I waited to hear the worst. When it came to Liza, she always spoke the truth, though she could deliver it in a way that didn’t make me feel like I was a horrible person.

“Serena, I think you would make an incredible nurse. You’ve always taken care of your dad when he’s had injuries. And you’re quick in the science area. You should look into some classes to start preparing for it if that’s what you want to do.”

Excitement filled my chest. The thought of becoming a nurse felt more right than anything I’d done in my life up to this point.

“I think I’ll do just that.”

Nineteen

Serena

“Serena? Serena.” I heard my mother’s voice and opened one eye, not ready to be waking up.

“What?” I groaned, pulling the covers over my head. I could see a sliver of bright light through the blinds, and I knew it was already late in the day. I’d been up late researching things on nursing but was sad that I wouldn’t be able to start anything like that until I was eighteen. At least my birthday was coming up in a few weeks to speed up the process.

A hand touched my shoulder, shaking it softly. “I need your help, Rena.”

I rolled over, rubbing my eyes. They felt like sandpaper had been rubbed against them, and with the light on, water rushed to them.

“Are you all right?” my mom asked, feeling my forehead with her hand.

I pushed her arm away and sank down in the covers a little more. “I’m fine.” She almost never came into my room, and I wondered what the emergency was all of a sudden. “What do you want, Mom?”

The clock on my nightstand said it was ten in the morning, and I turned my focus back to my mother. Her hair was done and she had her makeup on, dressed and ready for the day. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d not seen her like this throughout most of my life.

“I need to ask a big favor.” She grimaced, trying to make it look like a pleading smile. As much as I didn’t want it to, my curiosity surged. She must have seen something on my face because she continued. “One of the models who signed up for the show tonight came down with the flu and won’t be able to walk. I need this show to go well so I can get the attention of the magazines and get some celebrities wearing my line. Will you fill in?”

I started with a slow laugh, increasing the intensity and volume bit by bit. “You want your daughter to wear your clothes? The one who just sprained her ankle a few weeks ago? The one you forget about all the time?” I clamped my mouth shut, surprised I’d said anything and with such force.

My mother’s face looked as if she’d been slapped, her skin turning a splotchy red. “I don’t forget about you. Is that really what you think?”

“I’m not modeling for you, Mom. Your teen line is not my style.” It was the most blunt I’d been with her in months, and as much as it hurt to see her reaction, I needed to tell her that.

“Please, just do this one thing for me, and then I’ll be at every game of yours this fall. This means a lot to me.”

If it hadn’t been for the pleading in her voice, I might have had the courage to say no. I wanted to scream that she shouldn’t be bargaining for supporting my life, but I was too tired to care about that right then.

---