Page 75 of The Change Up
“Clowns! Out of all the things you could’ve pranked me with, you just had to choose CLOWNS!” Niko yells as he comes down the aisle. Ty is right behind him, but he’s walking at a more leisurely pace. I shrug because his fear of clowns is absolutely ridiculous. So what? I taped a creepyIt-style clown on the inside of the medicine cabinet so when he opened the door, he came face to face with his favorite creepy character.
Coach Weber is sitting in the front of the bus shaking his head as the guys freak out over the small, minor pranks theyfaced this morning. Bunch of babies. It’s not like I shaved their eyebrows off or caused anyone harm.
Hudson actually pulls off the pink hair. Of course he does—the fucker pulls anything off.
Niko stomps past me before tossing his bag on the empty seat next to his. His frustration radiates off him, while Ty doesn’t say anything. He simply sits next to Chloe. She says something to him, and he only shakes his head.
Sliding my headphones in place, I reach inside my pocket and pull out my phone. Thumbing through my apps, I find Spotify and click on my road trip playlist. It’s the same playlist I listen to on every road trip. It’s filled with classic rock anthems and 90s country. All the songs are made to put you in a good mood while being chill enough to sleep to on the bus. Before I lock my screen, I send Chloe a quick text.
Me: I’m sorry.
Chloe: Not as sorry as you’re going to be.
Me: What’s that supposed to mean?
Chloe: Guess you’ll find out.
With a sigh, I lean my head back and settle in for our drive.
Another “W” was placed next to our name as we won another game. Super happy for the team, but it wasn’t a game I was ableto pitch. I hate the stupid pitch count rules. I mean, I totally get it and appreciate that the league wants to save our arms from throwing too many pitches in a week. It just sucks to be on the bench.
The only good thing that came from me being on the bench was that I was able to sit back and watch Chloe work her magic. The guys treat her like she’s one of us. Some of them incorporate special handshakes with her. Or she heads out to the grass to celebrate awesome hits. She tries to hide behind the lens of her camera and say she’s getting a shot for the paper, but we all know Chloe likes to be front and center in the action now.
Coach Weber even cracks jokes with her or makes fun of her so-called celebration dances.
The morale this season is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I’ve never played for a team where the players gel together so seamlessly. I think our camaraderie is why we are playing so strongly and have a great chance of making it to Omaha—where the tournament ends with a national title game.
Coach gave us the night off, which is how all of us ended up at a local sports bar.
“Okay,” Chloe starts, a pint glass in her hand as she points to where I’m sitting across from her. “We all know their walk-up songs, but since you don’t get to hit, I’ve been curious what you would choose.”
Baseball walk-up songs only last around thirty seconds before a batter takes home plate. It’s a song that can get them hyped, calm them down, or just get the crowd entertained about what’s to come. Some guys like to choose fun songs while others choose classics or even current hits.
Tapping my finger against my chin while holding my own pint of beer. I stare at the woman in front of me. Her pretty blue eyes are a little droopy from the alcohol consumption. She’s still as pretty as ever.
“‘Kickstart My Heart’ by Motley Crue. Especially since I’ve got my girl. It’d be the perfect reminder as I walked up to the plate.”
Her cheeks flame while Niko, Ty, and Hudson all make a gagging noise. It is just the five of us at a table while the rest of the guys filter around the space chatting up girls, throwing darts, or casually drinking.
“Oh, like your walk up is any better. Mine would be a classic!” I leaned forward, straightening my back as if I was preparing for battle…battle over the walk-up songs.
Hudson tsks as he folds his arms across his chest. “No, a classic is ‘Party In the USA,’ which is why I picked it.”
My eyes roll as Niko laughs. “Nah bro, ‘Party in the USA’ is meant to be for batters who drop bombs.”
“Fuck you, Niko.” Hudson has been in a slump over the last couple of weeks, and we can’t figure out what the problem is. Typically he’s our number one hitter, but not right now. And Niko digging at him is just going to piss Hud off even more.
Niko raises his hand in defense before taking a pull out of his bottled Mexican beer.
“Yours is a song where no one understands the lyrics,” Ty adds while he taps the table with his coaster. It’s a habit he has. One that gets old after a while, especially in a quiet bar. Thankfully, this place is not quiet. At least it hasn’t been since the baseball team showed up.
“It’s not my fault you don’t know good music when it’s right in front of you.”
Ty stops tapping the coaster and points it in Niko’s direction. “Hey, I’m not saying it’s not good, but not all of us grew up in Southern Cali.”
I shake my head as the guys fight over who has the better song: Ty’s “Boombastic,” Niko’s “Titi Me Pregunto,” or Hud’s “Party in the USA.” My eyes find Chloe who’s staring right backat me. A smirk is on her lips as she chews on her bottom lip. I watch as her eyes bounce from guy to guy.
She’s enjoying the show. The show which she started. I squint my eyes as I observe her. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she knew her conversation would cause a fight between the guys.
