mj-baz
04-06-2009, 10:41 AM
That day I knew what it felt like to be famous. I woke up that one dreadfully magnificent day to the house phone’s shrill buzz. My friend Tommy called and told me that the gang was going to play baseball before school today and that I should run to the field as fast as possible. This was really strange because the gang only plays baseball on Tuesdays and Fridays, today being Monday. I snagged my Ken Griffey replica glove, my grandfather’s sooty old Dodgers hat and I ran out the door barely snagging my backpack on the way out. The baseball field was only a 5 minute run and with my outfielder’s legs I could make it there in 3. I came up upon the school and went around the back where the newly renovated Cedar Springs baseball diamond was situated. As I came running into the dugout, I spotted Billy standing right near the cages. “Hey Billy, why didn’t you tell me about the practice today?” Billy looked really nervous when he saw me but I didn’t understand why they had Bernardo playing right field. “Look JP, Bernardo has stepped his game up to new levels and he never stops improving” “It was a group decision”. He looked at me and realized through my deathly facial expression that I was unhappy. “All he wants to play is right field, so I can offer you the backup position”. I didn’t want a backup position in a friendly elementary school hardball game. The tournament was going to be a joke anyways. I stormed off not even considering Billy’s backup position offer. I bet the boys did it because of the stupid argument at the diner last Saturday. I shrugged off this miserable start to the day and eventually navigated to my seat in room 401. I hated my seat in the classroom because it was the furthest left in a semi circle set of desks. Nobody sat in the desk directly opposite from me so I was the only one who had a skewed view of the board. I couldn’t fool around in class too much because I was close to the teacher but I didn’t want to fool around. I sat next to Nathan who was a badass and did all of the fooling around for me, making me laugh hysterically on a regular basis. As I was eagerly waiting for Ms Clark to start the class, I noticed her put a stack of important looking papers in her desk then seal it with a key. She looked around to see the half empty classroom of oblivious students and when she thought no one was looking, slipped the key into a secret hole in her desk. I took out my green note tote binder as Ms Clark stood up and commenced the attendance. I noticed a familiar looking yellow sticky note with big red writing on the front. I had obviously thought too much about baseball on the weekend because on the note was written: “MATH TEST MONDAY DO NOT FORGET”.
I had not studied at all for the test nor would studying even have helped my cause. I went through half of the day worrying about school and baseball until I finally decided to go talk to Nathan. I met him at lunch time, approximately 2 periods until my doomed attempt at math would have to begin. “Nate, I know the whole team is pissed at me because of the mess at the diner but I really want to get back in the squad”. Nathan didn’t seem to be the same cheerful jester as before but was actually looking quite angry and upset. “JP, did you know about the math test today?” I realized the source of his unhappiness and thought of an answer on the spot. “What if I could tell you how to pass this test with flying colors”? Nathan raised an eyebrow and a glimmer of hope shot across his otherwise helpless face. I told him all about my lucky seating arrangement and what I had witnessed before first period. I thought about the consequences of this plan but if I were to steal the answers and give them to the team members, they would accept me again. We both came to the conclusion that the best way to solve both our problems would be for me to sneak the answers and write them down. I was so eager to execute the plan; I thought it fitting to dive right into it. After talking with Nathan, I walked around the school to the side entrance and I covertly made my way to room 401. Ms Clark would be on Lunch Break so there would be no chance of capture. My head was sweating under my Dodgers hat while my heart felt like it was falling into a gorge. I twisted the doorknob to the room and made my way to the desk with as little noise as possible. A crisp breeze paraded through the window so I placed my hat on the desk letting the brisk air rush coolly through the locks in my hair. I got down on my knees next to her desk feeling refreshed and ready to execute the plan to perfection. The key had not moved since the morning and lay there limp, begging to be utilized. I grabbed the entry source and uncovered the treasure that would secure both problems of the day. The answers were all long and confusing so writing them down would not be an easy task. I stood up admiring the answers when I noticed something shocking out of the window in my peripherals. A figure that was known as Ms Clark was approaching at a devastating speed from the parking lot. I hastily tucked the answers into my pants pocket and ran out of the room being careful to place the key back in the same exact spot. Class was going to start in 10 minutes and I was dying to boast about my plans succession. I hit the doors and threw them open, revealing a vast tarmac of kids playing and screaming on their spare time. I spotted the gang near the usual pine bush so I broke out into an adrenaline fueled run, almost smashing the group like bowling pins as I arrived. “I got them! I got them! Nathan I got the answers for everyone”. The whole group cheered with triumph not sparing any joy in my great accomplishment. The gang even wanted me to play right field after school during the practice game. I was overjoyed to play baseball again and to completely ace the math test. The school bell rang hard and loud amidst the large playground. I looked all the way back to the school and realized I had run a long way. I strutted slowly back to class as if I had an S on my chest. I walked by the class window and I noticed this blue and white blur for an instant by the teacher’s desk. I could not help it but my smile oozed into a pale horrific face. As I stood there dumbfounded, my long hair waiving in the wind, I realized that it was going to be a very long walk after all.
I had not studied at all for the test nor would studying even have helped my cause. I went through half of the day worrying about school and baseball until I finally decided to go talk to Nathan. I met him at lunch time, approximately 2 periods until my doomed attempt at math would have to begin. “Nate, I know the whole team is pissed at me because of the mess at the diner but I really want to get back in the squad”. Nathan didn’t seem to be the same cheerful jester as before but was actually looking quite angry and upset. “JP, did you know about the math test today?” I realized the source of his unhappiness and thought of an answer on the spot. “What if I could tell you how to pass this test with flying colors”? Nathan raised an eyebrow and a glimmer of hope shot across his otherwise helpless face. I told him all about my lucky seating arrangement and what I had witnessed before first period. I thought about the consequences of this plan but if I were to steal the answers and give them to the team members, they would accept me again. We both came to the conclusion that the best way to solve both our problems would be for me to sneak the answers and write them down. I was so eager to execute the plan; I thought it fitting to dive right into it. After talking with Nathan, I walked around the school to the side entrance and I covertly made my way to room 401. Ms Clark would be on Lunch Break so there would be no chance of capture. My head was sweating under my Dodgers hat while my heart felt like it was falling into a gorge. I twisted the doorknob to the room and made my way to the desk with as little noise as possible. A crisp breeze paraded through the window so I placed my hat on the desk letting the brisk air rush coolly through the locks in my hair. I got down on my knees next to her desk feeling refreshed and ready to execute the plan to perfection. The key had not moved since the morning and lay there limp, begging to be utilized. I grabbed the entry source and uncovered the treasure that would secure both problems of the day. The answers were all long and confusing so writing them down would not be an easy task. I stood up admiring the answers when I noticed something shocking out of the window in my peripherals. A figure that was known as Ms Clark was approaching at a devastating speed from the parking lot. I hastily tucked the answers into my pants pocket and ran out of the room being careful to place the key back in the same exact spot. Class was going to start in 10 minutes and I was dying to boast about my plans succession. I hit the doors and threw them open, revealing a vast tarmac of kids playing and screaming on their spare time. I spotted the gang near the usual pine bush so I broke out into an adrenaline fueled run, almost smashing the group like bowling pins as I arrived. “I got them! I got them! Nathan I got the answers for everyone”. The whole group cheered with triumph not sparing any joy in my great accomplishment. The gang even wanted me to play right field after school during the practice game. I was overjoyed to play baseball again and to completely ace the math test. The school bell rang hard and loud amidst the large playground. I looked all the way back to the school and realized I had run a long way. I strutted slowly back to class as if I had an S on my chest. I walked by the class window and I noticed this blue and white blur for an instant by the teacher’s desk. I could not help it but my smile oozed into a pale horrific face. As I stood there dumbfounded, my long hair waiving in the wind, I realized that it was going to be a very long walk after all.