“Here you go,” she hands the paper over. Then she says, “Just don’t put me in right field. That’s boring.”
I chuckle again. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
She nods, her face more serious than any other child I’ve ever coached.
“You can call me Spike, too,” she adds. “You know, like the first queen of baseball?”
I nod.
“You do know about the queen of baseball, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Good, because if you didn’t, I might have to ask you to please go find out. I can’t have a coach who doesn’t know about Spike.”
Avery smiles at me and her mouth twitches in amusement. “Mia’s a little obsessed. You’ll have to excuse her. She’s got every intention of being the next queen of baseball.”
“And she will be,” Mia’s grandma adds with so much confidence, I find myself actually believing her.
“Baseball is a team sport, Mia,” I say. “You need to share the field with everyone and focus on winning as a team.”
“Oh, I know. Don’t worry. I’m not one of those divas who can’t play nice.”
This kid is seven going on thirty.Not a diva. I get a kick out of the things the girls on my team say all the time, but that’s a new one.
“Okay.” I take the pen from the clipboard and read aloud as I note on her paper, “Not a diva. Goes by Spike.”
She beams. My shoulders settle as I drop the clipboard to my side.
I turn to Avery and Margie. “First practice is next Monday.”
Then I turn to Mia. “See you there … Spike.”
“See you, Coach G!” she shouts, turning and running across the field in the direction she came from. She waves at another player. “Hi, Gemma! Remember me, Mia? I’m in your class!”
Gemma waves. “Hi, Mia!”
Margie turns to me and in a conspiratorial tone, says, “She’s been through more than she lets on. Her parents divorced when she was little. Her mom raises her single-handedly.”
I nod. A lot of these girls go through more than they let on. It’s one of the reasons I take coaching so seriously.
My eyes follow Avery as she walks toward Mia.
Avery grabs Mia’s hand and swings it playfully. They laugh about something. Mia turns her face upward toward Avery and her smile widens.
Another player approaches me. “Coach G?”
“Yes?”
“Can we rename the team this year? I don’t wanna be the Possums anymore.”
Chapter 5
Hallie
I’m not going to limit myself
just because people won’t accept the fact
