The Laws of Emotion

Chapter Seven

Margaret would've loved the atmosphere at the baseball game tonight. It was the first of the regional games, and a lot of people from our school piled into the stands. Me and my friends were front and center to watch Harvey play. Unfortunately, Sophia couldn't sit with us because she was on the cheer team. Chris sat to my left and Ethan sat to my right, and we were squished between a ton of people.

"The game hasn't even started yet, and these people are so loud!" Ethan said, his head right next to mine. 

"I know! It's like they love baseball or something!" I shouted back.

"I think they love Harvey!"

I laughed, nodding. Our town had a passion for baseball because we hadn't been beaten for over fifty years. People especially loved Harvey because he was the poster child for a baseball player. He was tall and very handsome, and he was really good at baseball. He could hit like a beast and run faster than most anyone on the team. 

"Here they come now!" Chris said, tapping my shoulder.

The West Bridge Rockets ran out from the dugout. I immediately noticed Harvey in his blue jersey. He led the Rockets to the field and stood in the outfield to the right. I had the best view of him and I was pretty sure he waved to me. I waved back. 

The other team lined up in the dugout, besides to guy who was going to bat first. He waved to his side of the stadium and cheers erupted from that side. I guessed he was one of the best players as he pressed his fingers to his lips and pointed to someone in the crowd.

He got into position and the pitcher on our team, Greg Hannah, threw a fast pitch. Unfortunately for us, the guy hit the ball. It popped into the sky, heading toward the right field. Harvey ran forward and took a flying leap before tucking and rolling. The crowd gasped when he stood up, holding the ball in his glove. A triumphant smile appeared on his face.

"Yes!" I yelled. "Go Harvey!"

He seemed to hear me, and his smile grew. I wanted to run out there and give him a high five, but I knew the umpire would threaten to kick me out of this game. I knew this umpire because he did one of our games. He was very strict.

With one guy on the bases and two outs later, our team got ready to bat. By this time, I knew that the boys would beat the other team. The other team hadn't scored a single point. They were toast.

"I'm gonna go get something to drink!" Chris said to me. "Do you or Ethan want anything?"

I quickly asked Ethan before saying, "No, we don't."

He nodded and disappeared into the crowd. I glanced next to Ethan and didn't see his girlfriend. "Where's Priya?" I asked him as one of our guys batted.

"She was sick today," he answered. 

"And you're not taking care of her?"

He stared at me, a battle going on in his mind. "Well, her parents are with her . . ."

"But she probably wants you to stop by."

"How do you know?"

"I would want my boyfriend to do that for me."

"Do you think I should go see her?"

"Yeah."

I laughed when Ethan suddenly stood up. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and said, "Tell the others where I went, okay?"

"Okay."

"I blame you if they get mad at me."

I giggled. Ethan smiled before shouldering his way through the crowd. He towered above most everyone so I could watch him longer than I could for Chris. He finally disappeared and I sighed. Where in the world was Chris? I didn't want to be alone here.

Harvey stood at home plate, his bat slowly going in circles. The pitcher geared up and threw a curve ball to Harvey. That didn't phase him, though. He swung, and the muscles in his arms were very accentuated because of his jersey. The ball soared through the air, and I knew he hit a home run. 

"What'd I miss?" Chris asked as he stumbled next to me. A soda bottle sat in his hand. 

I watched the ball soar over the fence. "Harvey hit a home run."

"Where'd Ethan go?"

"Oh, yeah. He went to go take care of his girlfriend."

He nodded, taking a sip of his soda. "If my girl was sick, I would do that too."

"That's what I told him."

Harvey ran all the bases, raising his hands toward the sky. I jumped up with the rest of the crowd, screaming. The largest smile graced his face. He was in his element out there on the baseball field. A glow emanated from him. He looked like a star.

"Cat! Are you even listening to me?"

I turned to face Chris. "What?"

"I met this cute girl at the concession stand, so I'm gonna get you something to drink," he said, a grin on his face. "What do you want?"

"Dude, you were literally  just there. Won't that seem a little desperate?"

He shrugged and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "She seemed interested. What do you want?"

"Water."

"I'll be right back."

He disappeared again, leaving me alone in a sea of people. I knew most everyone around me, but I didn't feel like talking to them. I wasn't really in the mood for people tonight, but I had to support Harvey. He came to every single one of my games, so I had to do it for him. 

Suddenly, an arm was thrown around my shoulders. A guy with greasy black hair and sunken eyes grinned at me. "Well, I'm here," he said.

"I have no idea who you are," I said, trying to throw his arm off of my shoulder. His grip was solid tight.

"I was your first wish from the Genie."

I stared at him. Who did he think he was? I guessed that he was an underclassman, probably a freshman. I plastered a sweet smile to my face and said, "Do you want to know what my second wish is?"

He seemed to be enjoying this. After my next sentence, he wouldn't be. "My second wish is for you to disappear."

His smile dropped off his face when my words sank in. "What about your third wish?"

I threw his arm off my shoulder. "I wish there weren't people around so I can punch you."

His eyes flashed. "Don't worry. This was just a dare," he said, shaking his head. "I would never want to ask you out for real."

Anger flared through my body, making me warm. "Why?"

His eyes traveled along my body before settling on my eyes. "You think you're better than everyone else."

He turned on his heel and went back to his friends. They patted him on the back like he did a great job hitting on a girl. But I couldn't focus on them congratulating him. What he said kept replaying in my mind. Did I really act like I was better than everyone else? My confidence level was high considering me being a teenage girl. 

People cheered, but I had no idea why. I tried to get back into the baseball game, but Chris wasn't here with me. I also didn't feel like it. Someone bumped into me, and I whispered a sorry. No one seemed to notice my sad mood. I wanted to go home, but I stayed for Harvey.