The Ghost and the McGee Twins

The (Un)natural

A couple weeks ago, I joined the middle school softball team. Sounds great, right? It is. Only problem is, they all suck. "Let's go Lemmings! You gotta believe!" I hear Molly shout. Two of my teammates were trying to catch the ball, only for them to bump into each other as the ball landed by Andrea, who was just taking a bunch of selfies on her phone. "Why?" I mumbled. "You gotta believe and be aware of your surroundings!" Molly exclaimed. As I pitched the ball, the opposing player hit it in Libby's direction. "You got it, girl!" She shouted as Libby loses focus and gets hit in the head.

The team was getting discouraged from the losing streak. I packed up my gear as I joined Molly and Libby. "Great pitching, sis." Molly complimented. "That was some great standing in the field, Libby. It was outstanding, um, standing." "It's okay, Molly. We know we're awful." Libby said. "Awful? We suck." I corrected. "Thanks for coming, though. It was nice to hear your cheers." Libby thanked. "Over all the weeping." "Welp, time to call it a day, huh?" Scratch asked. "We should really get going. I've got a nap with my name on it." "Amber and the Lemmings don't believe in themselves, Scratch." Molly said. "They don't believe they can be winners." "Molls, I'm sure that's not true." I explained. "Well, they believe correctly, Moll, because, follow me on this... they're losers." "You watch your mouth, Scratch!" I shouted. "Hey, everyone deserves a chance to succeed." Molly said. "So, what if I joined the Lemmings and taught them the power of positive thinking? A lifetime diet of animated films has taught me that as long as I believe in myself, I can do anything!" "Yeah, but, uh, have you ever even played softball?" Scratch asked. "Not a day in her life." I replied. "We're still doomed."

At our next game, we huddled up as Molly encouraged us. I'm not sure if it helped though. "Okay, Lemmings. To win this game, all we need to do is believe in ourselves." Molly encouraged. ""We're winners" on three. One, two..." "We're winners?" A teammate of mine questioned. "I'm hungry." Another one said. "I can't believe they moved me to outfield." I groaned.

"For the Skylarks, batting first, Tammy Myers!" The announcer exclaimed. "Let's see what you've got, kid." Tammy said at bat. Molly tried pitching the ball, but made a complete fool of herself. "Is there a circus in town? 'Cause there's a clown on the mound!" She tried pitching again, only this time, the ball knocked down the shortstop. "Strike one!" The ref shouted. Everyone was shocked, even Molly herself. What was going on? "I'm confused." I said to myself. "Lucky pitch." Tammy rolled her eyes as she missed another pitch. "Strike two!" He shouted again. Molly pitched again as the ball was floating all around Tammy. "Strike three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. You're out. Three times." "Whoa! Let's hear it for the power of positive thinking!" Molly exclaimed.

The rest of the game was a miracle! Molly came out on the field, giving her all into this game. She's never played softball in her life. "I don't understand. You never played the game before." I said. "How'd you do it?" "Well, it started out rough, but man, I guess positive thinking can really supercharge you, because I crushed it!" "Yes, you Molly." Scratch chuckles. "Certainly crushed it on your own." "What are you doing?" Molly asked. "Why are you laughing like that? Why..." "It was you and your ghost powers!" I gasped. "That's why she was good! You cheated, Scratch! And I'm gonna be on the bench the rest of the season." "Why would you do that?!" Molly wondered. "Is it because we're friends?" "No! Listen, if somebody's gonna crush your spirit, it's gonna be me!" Scratch shouted. "Sorry I screamed, but I just... Point is, I cannot wait until the next game when we do it all over again. "No, Scratch! We're not doing this again!" Molly refused. "I may have just cheated, but I am no cheater!" "Molly, you said it yourself, "Everybody deserves a chance to succeed."" Scratch explained. "Well, today, your sister and the Lemmings tasted victory. For the first time in their miserable lives, they believed in themselves. And look at the parents! You wanted to enhappify Brighton, right?" "I know it's technically wrong to cheat, but to help Amber, Libby, and the Lemmings and Brighton, wrong feels kinda right." Molly sighed. "You just won yourself a hug. Bring it over here." Scratch said. "Okay, but only until the Lemmings believe in themselves." Molly agreed. "That's not gonna happen." I mumbled.

Long story short, because of Scratch, we won our following games. Although, I was not expecting him to help me, too. Unlike Molly, I actually knew how to play the game. And before we knew it, we made the finals. "Lemmings, we weren't supposed to make it to the Tournament Final, and yet, here we are." Molly said. "Our town is proud of us. I'm proud of us. And now we are ready to face off against our arch rivals, the Skylarks. And it's all because we believed in ourselves!" "Not even close." I exclaimed. "Molly, we're winners because of you and Amber." Libby explains. "The rest of us, we're still terrible." "I'm here just 'cause I like the uniforms." Andrea confessed. "Look, we know we stink, but it doesn't matter, because we've got you guys to mask the scent of our incredible stinkiness." Libby continues. "You are our team deodorant. Now, let's get out there, Lemmings and watch Molly and Amber win this championship for us!" All of a sudden, Scratch rejoined us on the field. "Hey, guys. Look what I'm doing with my tongue!" Scratch exclaimed, showing off a trick with a softball. "I'm cheating for nothing, Scratch." Molly sighed. "Our teammates don't believe in themselves." "Yeah, they believe in us. You and me. I'm just playing by the rules!" I added. "Ah, well, there's nothing you can do. Except keep on cheating!" Scratch shouted. "Yeah, there's nothing I can do." Molly said.

In the last inning, we were up 18 to 0 and about to win. Before she could pitch the ball, Scratch was being summoned by the Ghost Council. "We're doomed." I whispered to myself. Regardless of Scratch's absence, Molly was determined to finish the game. However, without Scratch, Molly sucks at softball. She managed to give away 17 runs and the bases loaded. Next thing I knew, Scratch backed away from the ball. "Ugh! Stop talking to yourself and pitch!" Tammy complained. Once Molly pitched the ball, Tammy hit it and the Lemmings kept losing the ball, but it remained above the ground. The ball was coming in my direction and Libby's. The ball flew over my head and headed towards Libby. Libby got hit in the face, but still managed to catch the ball in her mouth. The crowd cheered for Libby along with the rest of the team.

After the game, I sat on the bleachers with Molly and Scratch. "We did it, guys. The good people of Brighton are happy because the Lemmings, even Libby, believe in themselves." Molly said. "And the best part is, it was an honest win." "It wasn't." Scratch and I corrected. "The only part anyone will remember was an honest win." Molly repeated. "You may have won today, McGees, but tomorrow, you'll still be pathetic." Tammy teased, walking away with laughter. "No one calls me pathetic, Myers!" I shouted. "Oh, hey, that reminds me. I'll be right back." Scratch said, leaving us to go scare Tammy. "So, is that Tammy with an I, or a Y?"