Count The Stars

Chapter 3

Note:This is a long chapter and is when the scene is set  with the whole mystery kinda like the scene of the crime.As boring as it is, it's important.Please push through! Sorry it took so long but this chapter is crucial and required a lot of revising on my part.Enjoy!

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here"-Shakespeare

Hunter's POV                                                                               Thursday, 4:40 PM

I'm scrolling through my phone at the corner of the baseball field when coach finally decides to show up.I get really irritated with anything having to do with tardiness.It throws off my whole schedule.He's lucky I have nothing in particular for this evening.The coach exits the school building and blows his obnoxiously loud whistle.

"Everyone! gimme two laps around the turf. Quickly!Now!" The coach bellows and on command all the players line up single file and start running around the huge turf.I watch them mesmerized by how they could embarrass themselves like this.I spot one player at the front of the line, surpassing all the others in the line.I wonder if he could keep it up for two laps.Soon, he surpass me and I realize by "his" physique that "he" is in fact a girl.I almost laugh.I watch some hair slip out from under her baseball cap and I watch her.It's interesting really, watching her pass all those who are stereotypically "better than her" just the way she runs shows that not only does she do it in style, she's pretty smug about it.One guy reaches out to touch her butt but amazingly, she grabs his hand and twists it without even looking behind her. I cock an eyebrow up.Well she's interesting.I look up and find the coach, who's about to blow his whistle.They finish there laps and I cover my ears.I roll my eyes.He insists on torturing me. He gestures to the players to line up.The girl does as she's told but lines up front and center, inches away from the coach as if daring her to tell her no, to deny her from being who she wants to be.This girl's not only interesting, she's stupid.I would never leave it to the coach to decide if I should be there or not.I would've hid, made the team and them left them stuck to deal with fixing their image of who should be a player.I would never leave my fate in someone else's hands like that.The coach points at her, which is inevitable and stares real hard

"YOU! Girl! you sure you want to tryout? CAN.YOU.HANDLE.IT." He talks to her like she speaks another language and is mildly deaf, pauses between the words, making sure he's extra loud and clear. She smiles. 

"I'm the best of the best. I'm Adrian Santo."

"Hell ya you are!" a boy screams from behind her. She turns to fist-bump him and then repositions herself in front of the coach.

"Okay" he screams and sighs "If ya get hurt I mean...It's varsity" he says and I'm baffled by this.One, because he's never used his "inside voice" before as far as I know and how he could continue to doubt her after the run and the confident reply. The coach looks kind of perplexed on how to handle this situation and she just keeps grinning as if she was made to confuse people, to push the limits.She's actually being kind of bitchy about it. I would like people to be able to read my mind sometimes.I want them to know that I want them to leave me alone sometimes or to know exactly how I want things done. She folds her arms.I can't help but watch in anticipation of what she's about to say.

"You can kick me off the team if I get hurt." she says slowly so sure of herself and I kind of envy the way she holds herself.So confident and strong and it's not all a show.Sometimes the weight of what my father's asking of me just cripples me.Sometimes I hate myself so much for being such a puppet under his will.

The coach nods hesitantly at her and scans the lines once again. 

"You! Blondie!" and seeing at least a third of the guys here are blonde in one shade or another, no one knew who he was talking about.Until he pointed to Cody.Cody Miller was one of the most popular jocks at school.Strengths? He's good at every sport from golf to soccer and can have any girl he wants. Weaknesses? His temper.Iv'e seen him kick violently at a vending machine because it didn't have any more Cheetos.He's an insecure dickhead and always lets his emotions get in the way.Weak. I've actually gotten his attention before because of my being a popular kid myself.He envies me because of my father's status.How I wish we could swap positions.I'm fairly certain that the girl got his attention too. Anyone or anything that doesn't fall into his "normal" gets a talking to. Coach's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, "MILLER! get over here, NOW!" he howls and Cody rushes over.The coach starts talking to him and I can't make it out so I grab my phone. I've got a text message from my father which is extremely peculiar.We only ever talk in person.

Father: No more waiting around and hiding, son.I'm tired of it. It's time swallow your emotions and deal with it.You are being utterly pathetic.We need to handle the Curacorp situation.My office.Tom at 6PM.

I sigh and do what I always do.Obey.Obey or his wrath will turn on me and innocent people I'm associated with.Seeing my father is emotionally and physically draining but it's a necessity. Curacorp has been biting us in the ass as long as I can remember. Kenji Carruthers' (the CEO of Curacorp) son Cassius has been my personal arch foe since diapers.We're constantly in competition with each other, our grades always a point difference.Anything I do, Cassius has the urge to compete with me on it.Besides Video club, we have basically the same extracurriculars and classes.I guess that's why I needed this club.A way out.Cassius only reminds me of my father.I knew he would'nt join because his ex, Kinnley Brown, is the president.

"Hey Thompson! Coach wants you out there."Cody points to the coach at the far corner of the fields where the players are still lined up.Was I that immersed in that text? I didn't even hear him coming.I nod. As I walk at a brisk pace I feel the dust clinging to my suit and cringe.I have to fight my urge to clean up.I need this suit gone and the only way anyone i'll let me get rid of it is this.If I ruin it like my father ruined me.

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"Alright! Now that you know which returning varsity player your with, You should know that you're being filmed." Coach Stratford motioned for me to stand next to him." This here's Hunter Thompson" he bellows.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes at the sudden applause. Almost everyone started clapping at my name. Almost. I glance at the girl and she's wearing a puzzled expression on her face. I glance away before she looks back at me. They don't actually like me, they just respect me for who my father is.

"Quiet" The Coach says abruptly and the roaring applause is assuaged at the sound of his voice. " Hunter here is from the film club and he's here helping me out with the tryout for today and after tomorrow for the catching and throwin." He pauses and let's the information sink in.He's used to dealing with imbeciles.

"ALRIGHTY." Stratford claps his hands together and starts spewing out cage assignments."Sam's group go to cage 7, Jace's go to cage 10..." 

The girl was in Sam's group in cage 7 and my camera and stool are there so I followed them there.I sit down on my stool and get it in the position of my first shot.Cage 7. The coach walks over to me.

"Good Thompson" he slaps my neck. "I want to see if the girl's as good as she says she is but make sure you get the other cages too" He says to me and adds "But..I'll watch the others over there more closely.You focus on cage 7, 9, 10.I trust your judgement" I nod and he walks away. He shouldn't trust me.He's never met me before and he's relying on me to determine the others futures.To decide how to portray them in the video.It's like there's something in my genes that my father passed on to me that compels people to give me power.It's infuriating.

I watch the returning varsity players explain to the others how the machine works for safety purposes.The school bought new high tech machinery that launched the baseball. The speed was fixed at what a Varsity player should be able to hit, so says the coach since I haven't seen anyone in action yet.It looks like I'm about to.

''Alright! Iv'e set the machines.Line up and start batting! Now! Returning Varsities, you're in charge!" He howls out through his megaphone since we are spread out on this massive field.I wince.He's trying to torture me.His voice on it's own is a natural megaphone.He walks back to his post, getting ready to watch the other cages.I set my sights on cage 7.

Martin Dougal was written on the machine. Coach randomized and programmed the names in them.The machine also records how much you hit through it's scanner.A guy who I'm assuming is Martin stepped up and started batting.He had an uneasiness with the bat, like he wasn't supposed to hold it,he did okay, missing a few shots, a little below average but okay.He huffed out a breath when he was done like he was relieved and a weight had been lifted.He's lucky I didn't get his performance on camera this time.This thought reminded me to rotate my camera towards cage 7.As if on cue, I saw her name in flashing lights.She grinned as if everything was right in the world.Like she was born for this.Like she was born to bat.

AND THERE YOU GO

I really appreciate you guys being so patient and pushing through it means the world to me.I WILL MAKE IT UP TO YOU . Post your stories here! I'm happy to read them and give feedback.

XOXO-Summer Wrightsss