Page 96 of My Life with the Walter Boys
“You’re out!” the umpire shouted at a player who tried to slide into home.
“Yes!” Isaac shouted, fixing his attention back down on the field. “Was that two or three?”
“Two, I think,” I answered absentmindedly, but then Alex’s team began to jog back from the field toward the dugout.
Isaac rolled his eyes at me. “Not much of a baseball fan?”
“No, that’s not true,” I said, pressing a hand to my sticky forehead. “I love the Yankees. It’s just that—”
“That she can’t stop thinking about Cole. And you,” Danny said, jabbing his cousin in the chest, “keep forgetting you’re supposed to be helping me practice. God, Isaac, you’re a horrible Benvolio.”
“Hey!” both Isaac and I shouted at the same time.
“I’m not thinking about Cole,” I said, defending myself.
“And I’m a great actor. Academy Award winning, thank you very much,” Isaac said, shaking his finger back and forth in Danny’s face.
“Isaac, if I remember correctly, you were the one who couldn’t play a tree in the spring recital without messing it up.”
“That was kindergarten,” Isaac mumbled, but Danny wasn’t listening.
“Jackie, I’m quiet, not blind,” he told me. “That dazed look that’s been on your face ever since you two came out of that closet says otherwise.”
“Say what?” Isaac demanded.
“I wasn’t like that,” I said. “I swear.” Because of his shy nature, Danny might have developed a certain affinity for perceptiveness, but this time he had it all wrong.
“Sure it wasn’t,” Isaac said.
Okay, so maybe I wasn’t telling the truth. Yes, I was thinking about Cole, but not in the way they thought. And that was exactly why I couldn’t quite concentrate on the baseball game. When we were playing hide-and-seek, Zack took forever to find us. Ignoring Benny’s protest, Cole got impatient and opened the closet door. His shower was running, and he didn’t want it to get cold. Danny, who had been looking for someone to read lines with, had seen both of us tumble out of the tiny room. I was worried he would get the wrong idea and tell everyone. What would Alex think if he found out?
“There’s nothing going on between me and Cole,” I objected. “Danny, you saw Benny climb out of the closet too. Tell him that.”
“What the heck was he doing in there with you both?” Isaac said. “That’s disgusting and definitely not PG-rated. Poor Benny is going to be scarred for life.”
“We were playing hide-and-seek,” I said, starting to panic. “Come on, Danny, tell him the truth.”
“I don’t know, Jackie,” he said, his face straight. “Cole didn’t even have a shirt on.”
Isaac shook his finger at me. “Now that’s naughty.” He put his hand on my leg and grinned. “Why wasn’t I invited?”
“God, you’re disgusting,” I said, pushing him away.
“Did you rip his shirt off with your teeth?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
“He was going to take a frickin’ shower!” I exploded.
A few moms sitting around us turned to frown at me. Both boys watched me for a moment before bursting into fits of laughter.
“Wow, it’s fun to watch you squirm,” Isaac choked out, and I punched him on the shoulder.
“We were only kidding, Jackie,” Danny said, wiping away a stray tear.
“Not appreciated,” I grunted, crossing my arms. I stared down at the game, refusing to look in either of their directions.
“Come on, Jackie,” Isaac said, putting a hand on my arm. “I was just messing around.”
I stuck out my tongue and continued to watch the game going on below.
