Plopping on the couch, I dug out my phone and texted Lee. He wouldn’t look until later, as the few hours before a game were his busiest time. I never heard from him until after the game, sometimes during if no one was hurt or needed treatment.
I tapped the screen with my fingernail and tried to figure out where to begin—the trouble Bennie had had at school or that I’d had right after.
Stella
Hey! I know you’re working with the guys right now, but I wanted to let you know Bennie had a little trouble in school today. Two girls picked on her on the way out of class and she pushed them away, so they all got into trouble. But they’re assholes, and it wasn’t Bennie’s fault. So I’m keeping her up late and stuffing her with pizza and ice cream, and you can get on me later for being a pushover. Good luck tonight!
I pressed send and tossed the phone on the table, laughing at a memory of my mom being escorted out of school when she’d lost it after bullies had come for my brother. I’d always laughed when the teachers would eye her with caution, all the way up to my eighth-grade graduation. Now, as I’d be monitoring lunch twice per week, they’d probably all regard me like a ticking time bomb.
“Stella,” Bennie called out in a little voice as she slid next to me on the couch.
“Yeah, kiddo?” I looped my arm around her waist and drew her into my side.
“I’m glad you’re here.” She peered up at me with sad eyes, dropping her head to my shoulder.
“So am I, Ben,” I said, pulling her into a hug. “But we aren’t going to think about mean girls or school anymore today. I already told your dad I was breaking all the rules for a night.”
She nodded, smiling up at me.
My mother would get a kick out of how I’d kept tradition, even though Bennie wasn’t my kid.
But during all that anger and sadness I’d felt on her behalf, she’d sure felt like mine. The no-mother comment one of the girls had made had enraged me, but it was more than that. I’d fallen for Bennie pretty hard after only a week of taking care of her.
My mother had warned me about attachments and blurred lines, but they didn’t only extend to Lee.
After dinner, we only made it through half our sundaes and took to the couch for the rest of the night, watching random shows Bennie wanted to show me on YouTube until game time.
“Look, there’s Nate,” Bennie said, nudging my side with her foot as we watched the Bats game from the couch.
Her crush was cute and innocent, but I hoped she wouldn’t be hurt if she ever saw him out with a woman since I was sure that smile got him plenty once he stepped off the field.
The Bats were home for a week after Tuesday night’s game in Boston. Maybe Nate could pick her up from school one afternoon. It would cause chaos at dismissal, but it would be worth it to see those girls eat all that crow. I waspetty enough to orchestrate it all, but Lee might not be so on board.
My phone buzzed on the coffee table after Nate got a single.
Lee
Everyone seems to be healthy tonight, so I thought I’d reach out. Bennie’s okay?
Stella
She is. Now. What bothered me the most was that the principal and teacher didn’t want to do anything about it.
Lee
Let me guess. Sienna and Jessica?
Stella
She’s had trouble with them before?
Lee
I think they all have. Their parents attended school there and still run all the events. They’re like legacy, so their kids never get into that much trouble, no matter what they do or how they act. It’s a lot of bullshit, but nothing is really done about it.
Stella
Do their parents volunteer for lunch too?
