“Yeah, well, we grew up,” Dan said.
“You hit that ball, Jed!” Sawyer roared.
“Always a first time!” Jed fired back.
It broke the tension in the dugout, and everyone laughed. Jay knew harmony wasn’t going to come that easy, but for now, they had a game to win, and he’d seen his girl.
“Let’s do this,” Dan said.
Caleb Stanway hit a home run when the Leaders were fielding after being all out for 0.
The roar from his partner, Jonathan, was loud enough to reach all corners of Lyntacky.
“Wake up, Haddon!” Finch yelled at him.
“It wasn’t me who missed the catch, McAllister!” Jay called back from second base.
“This fucker is not making home plate,” Sawyer said from the outfield, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Beau Keller just smiled.
“Strike!” Bart roared when Dan’s pitch whistled past Beau.
“That wasn’t a strike!”
“No arguing with the umpire, loser,” Brody roared.
He connected with the ball, and it sailed toward the outfield. Sawyer ran, which was like a large grizzly bear lumbering across a prairie, and caught it first bounce. He then fired it to Zoe on first, who then fired it to Jay on second. Two runners out.
“Yahoo!”
Looking to the bleachers, he saw Blue standing, cheering them on. Jay waved back.
“You’re so whipped now.” Ryder smirked.
“Leaders! Levelers!
Dust in the air!
Swing that bat,
We don’t play fair!
Leaders! Levelers!
Hear the crowd roar,
Lyntacky pride?—
Score! Score! Score!”
Jay looked to where Betsy, SJ, and Linda from the Do Si Do diner stood chanting those words.
“I’m not ageist, sexist, or whatever-ist,” Ryder muttered. “But I don’t think body paint looks good on some people is all.”
“You can’t look away once you see it either,” Jay hissed. “The chanting’s new, right? I don’t remember hearing it at the last game.”
“They’ve been practicing them for all of us,” Ryder said as the next Leveler got up to bat. “They were doing it in the library, and Mom moved them on, so they came to the cafe.”
