Page 17 of The Perfect Hit

I wrote down the names next to their parts in the play. Then my pen hovered next to the male lead, and I wondered if I should put Colt’s name there. Sure, he didn’t have the finesse Scott had demonstrated, but the play was about teenagers, and he’d been the most real.

“Who should take the male part?” Mrs. Sanderson asked.

Still second-guessing my instincts, I glanced up at her. “Who do you think?”

“I know it’s unorthodox, but Colt did seem to be able to do it well. Your other option is Scott Daniels. He has the skills and experience to pull it off.”

I thought back to Scott’s audition. He’d done a great job as the Beast, but pretending to be a high school student seemed like it hadn’t worked out quite as well for him. I chuckled at the irony in that thought.

“Do you think Colt could do it? I mean, he’s never been on stage before.” Was I more worried about him messing up? Or that he’d ruin the production?

I thought over the role of the lead, trying to picture both guys in the position. Scott had the acting prowess, but I kept going back to Colt, knowing he’d kind of been my inspiration for the role.

“Well, if I know anything about Colt, it’s that he came here for a reason, despite having his second day of baseball tryouts. But I’m not one to judge on priorities.” She sat back, tossing her gray braid behind her shoulder.

I’d almost forgotten about tryouts for baseball and knew that even though Colt came to auditions, he was probably still trying to make it to practices and games there.

“Should I cast him as the understudy for Kurt? Then he would be able to do both, right?” As much as I’d have loved for Colt to embody my mental picture of Kurt, I didn’t want to take away his chance at taking state. Maybe I needed to have a conversation with him about why he’d decided to try out.

Mrs. Sanderson nodded. “That would be a good idea. And then if anything happens, he’ll be ready to take over the part. We’ll just have him work closely with Scott.”

I gave her a small smile. “We’ll see how that goes over. Colt isn’t a big fan of Scott.”

Shaking her head, Mrs. Sanderson said, “That’s showbiz.”

We both laughed at that.

I leaned over and wrote down Scott’s name next to the male lead and then put Colt as the best friend/understudy.

I thought I’d feel better about all this once we’d cast the characters, but instead, my anxiety had kicked up a notch. Directing was the next step, and I didn’t want to mess anything up.

10

Colt

Iwasn't sure what I'd been thinking. Trying out for the school play in the middle of baseball tryouts? Maybe it was just the worry that Scott Daniels would try to demean Hazel again that got me like a crazy person. But I'd been kind of curious about stuff like musicals and plays ever since I met Hazel. She always talked about it like it was the greatest feeling in the world, and I wanted to be able to experience it at least once.

It had been tricky, though, trying to get out of the second day of tryouts at just the right time. Usually, we couldn't leave for a bathroom break, but I'd told Coach Maddox that I needed to go and bad. But I wasn't feeling well since I was battling the decision and it had twisted my stomach to the point that it was uncomfortable.

Did anxiety count as not feeling well? Because everything inside me wanted to do this play, but I was extra anxious that my teammates and my brothers would find out. I guess they would know by the time the performance happened, but that was a few months away, and I'd find a way to explain it by then. And I’d have to earn a hundred bucks to pay the bet to Sterling. That didn’t last long.

“What happened to you, man?” Dax asked, grabbing a drink from the water bottles in the dugout.

“Just something I ate, I think,” I said, wiping my mouth.

“Well, at least you didn't miss conditioning,” Nate said, slapping me on the back.

I nodded, internally groaning at that. But then again, it might be a good thing. I’d have a way to work out some of my fears while focusing on keeping my lunch down.

We endured fifteen minutes of relay sprints, and in a weird way, I felt better. But as soon as we stopped, I remembered what I’d just done, the nerves I’d felt on the stage and the way I’d looked at the next line in the script and knew I couldn’t say it, not in front of Hazel at least.

Now I had to worry about which part I might get. I could be one of the teammates, or even one of the random characters in the background. But would I be able to make it work with baseball going on at the same time? I’d already made a commitment to the team, and I wanted to be here, but I also wanted to try out something new, something that would challenge me even more.

“Good tryout today, guys,” Coach Maddox said. “Make sure to check back tomorrow morning. I'll have the list posted outside the locker room. For those of you who don't make it, just keep working at it, and try out again next year. For those of you who do make it, practice starts at three thirty tomorrow afternoon until about six. Come to practice focused, because this year we are taking down Groveton.”

Everyone cheered as we packed up our bags. We walked toward the school, but before I walked all the way, I realized the chances were high that some of the drama people were still in the building. I didn't need them commenting on anything in front of my friends, least of all my performance on stage.

“Where are you going?” Nate asked as I turned around in the direction of the parking lot.

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