Wind Up Read online

  “I can see you’ve got other things on your mind.” She sat on the edge of the bed next to him. “Want to talk about it?”

  Derek shrugged and sighed. “I don’t know. It’s just… we’ve got our first playoff game coming up, and there’s a bunch of teams with better records than us….”

  “And…?”

  “I just wish Dad was coaching us instead of Sharlee’s team. Like last year, when we won it all. With him as our coach, we just knew we were going to win. But without him…?”

  “This year it was Sharlee’s turn,” she reminded him. “And by the way, old man—and I know your dad would agree—remember that it was you kids who went out there and played your hearts out and won that trophy, not him. And it’s going to be the same this time around.”

  Derek shook his head. “I just feel a lot more nervous about it this year,” he admitted. “And I’m not the only one. Avery’s a mess. Pete’s losing his cool….”

  “Poor Avery. I know how much this means to her, with her brother and all.”

  Derek nodded. Avery’s big brother had taught her the game, and she’d idolized him, much like Derek idolized his dad.

  “And there’s something else,” Derek told his mom. “Dave didn’t show up to play on the Hill today.”

  Mrs. Jeter shrugged. “Something probably came up.”

  “It’s never happened before. And he said he’d be there!”

  “Don’t worry, old man. I’m sure it’s nothing serious.” She kissed Derek on the forehead. “Now try to get some sleep.”

  “Ow!” Derek said as he realized that lying on his left side was too painful. He turned over, got comfortable, and said, “G’night,” as she turned out the light.

  “Remember, Derek—no matter what happens, it’s still a game.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Meaning that if you’re not having fun, what’s the point?”

  After the tension of his last ball game, Derek could relate. Both he and Avery, not to mention a number of his other teammates, had all played tight as the pressure had built to a boiling point.

  Derek understood what his mom was getting at. But it was hard to relax and stay loose when he had so much on his mind.

  As he lay there in the dark, he wondered whether Dave had purposely stayed away, knowing that if their teams kept winning, they were on a collision course to meet in the final round.

  Could that be it? Derek wondered.

  Or maybe it was about Avery.

  Ever since Derek and Vijay had made friends with her, they’d seen less and less of Dave. Partly that was because Dave was on a different team. But Derek remembered that Dave had been weirded out at first, dealing with the fact that a girl was now part of their regular get-togethers.

  Avery was definitely part of their tight-knit gang now. The question was, was Dave?

  * * *

  From the moment when he woke up on Saturday, Derek was in a bad mood. First of all, his ribs still stung pretty badly. Second of all, Dave didn’t call all morning.

  Derek started studying for finals, but he just couldn’t keep his mind on his work. He tried math, science, history, English—it didn’t matter the subject. Nothing was sinking in, and it was only making him more irritable.

  Finally he’d put in the studying time he’d promised his parents—a minimum of one hour a day. As part of the contract they’d drawn up together and Derek had signed, he had to abide by a strict set of rules—one of which was that he had to finish his daily homework before going out to play ball or hang out with friends.

  But today it was raining hard, and Coach Stafford had called midmorning to say that their game was now rescheduled for Wednesday at four o’clock. That would give Derek time to heal. But it would also give him more time to worry about everything.

  It didn’t help that Sharlee was in such a state of happy excitement and refused to leave him alone to sulk.

  “You’ll never guess the surprise!” she teased, coming up behind him as he sat on the couch, watching the Tigers play the Red Sox in sunny Boston.

  “Just tell me already,” he said, rolling his eyes as he looked away from her.

  “I can’t tell you!” she said with a giggle. “What kind of surprise would that be? Besides, your birthday isn’t for two more weeks!”

  “Are you going to torment me about it for two weeks?” he asked, raising his eyebrows so that she laughed again.

  “Yes!” she said. “Come on, guess!”

  “If I guess right, you’ll be upset.”

  “You’ll never guess.”

  “Then why make me try?” he asked. “Oh, wait. I know. To drive me crazy, right?”

  “Right! And by the way, you’re coming to my next game, right?”

  “Of course, duh,” he said. “But right now I’m actually watching a different game. So unless you want to watch with me…”

  “Derek,” his father said, looking up from his newspaper as he sat in the easy chair opposite the sofa. “That’s enough now.”

  “I’m going to hit a home run for you,” Sharlee promised, leaning in and whispering it right into his ear.

  “Is that the surprise?” he asked.

  “Huh? That’s not a surprise. I hit a home run every game!”

  She did, too, Derek knew. Sharlee was quite an athlete. And she couldn’t help it if her excitement irritated him. She was simply having fun, like their mom said was the whole point of playing.

  Mrs. Jeter came in just then and placed a bowl of freshly popped popcorn on the coffee table. “Mommy!” Sharlee cried, throwing her arms around her. Then Derek heard her whisper to their mom, “Let’s go work on our surprise!” Sharlee shot a cunning glance at Derek.

  “Ohhh, so it’s something you’re cooking up together!” Derek said. “Sharlee, you’d better watch out—I’m going to worm it out of you yet.” He reached over and tickled her. She hid behind their mom, giggling, then pulled their mother away into the kitchen.

  Finally, thought Derek. Now he could watch the game in peace.

  “Derek,” said his dad, lowering his newspaper and giving him a serious look.

  “Huh?”

  “I didn’t like how you were talking to your sister just now.”

  “What’d I say?”

  “It was your tone of voice, Son. I think you came pretty close to hurting Sharlee’s feelings.”

  “She was fine!” Derek protested.

  “This time. But maybe not next time. In any case, remember, it says in your contract—read it again—to always treat your family and all people with respect. I didn’t hear respect in your tone just then. I let it go, just to see if you’d stop on your own, and you did.”

  Derek was silent. He knew his dad was right.

  “I know you’re sorry about it, and I don’t expect to hear that tone from you again. Understand?”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “Now, if you want to talk about what’s making you so thin-skinned, I’m listening,” said Mr. Jeter.

  “I’m sorry, Dad,” Derek said. “I don’t know why I got so annoyed. I’ve just been… I don’t know… tense lately.”

  “Well, I guess it’s understandable. Finals coming up, playoffs coming up. Just remember—two more weeks, and all of that will be over. But your sister will be around a whole lot longer.”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “Summer will be here before you know it. Meanwhile, try to find ways to relax and enjoy the moment.”

  Derek knew his dad was right. His mom had told him pretty much the same thing.

  So why was it so hard for him to actually do it?

  Chapter Four EARTHQUAKE

  Derek’s ribs felt better the next morning. After two hours of review for his tests and a break for lunch, he asked if he could be excused to go play ball.

  “How’s that injury of yours?” asked his mom. “Sure you’re okay to play?”

  “It’s fine,” Derek said, causing his mom to raise an eyebrow.

  �
�In that case, you’re a fast healer,” she said. “Well, be careful out there. Don’t make it worse. No diving for balls, okay?”

  “Mom,” Derek said, raising his own eyebrows in return. “I’ll be back for dinner.” He kissed her on the cheek and was out the door, headed for the Hill.

  He thought he knew now what had really been on his mind the past two days. Not the upcoming playoff game on Wednesday. Not his finals bet with Gary. Those things were on his mind, sure. But what was really eating at him was Dave.

  As Derek neared the field, he saw that once again Dave was missing in action.

  The vague sense of unease that had been eating at him all weekend suddenly grew into a wave of outright foreboding. What could possibly be going on?

  Derek tried to put his worries aside and have fun. The kids got a game started, and soon Derek started feeling a little more at ease. But maybe that relaxed feeling was just a mirage—because he booted the first grounder that came his way—something he rarely did.

  The embarrassment of blowing an easy play made him shake off his worries and really concentrate on the moment. The game kept him busy until five thirty, when it was time to go home for dinner. As he was rounding the bend in the path at the corner of his building, he stopped short.

  There, parked outside the Jeters’ townhouse, was the familiar black sedan, with Chase sitting behind the wheel. Standing on the sidewalk next to it was Dave—and from the glum look on his face, Derek knew right away that something major was wrong and he hadn’t been worried over nothing after all.

  “Hi,” Derek said. Uh-oh. Here it comes, he thought.

  “Sorry I didn’t make it on Friday,” said Dave, looking down at the ground.

  “Or today.”

  “Or today.” Dave heaved a big sigh. “Sorry.” He looked like he was about to cry. “It’s just—” Another big sigh, and Dave stared up at the clouds. “We’re moving.”

  “Huh?”

  “My mom and dad and I. We’re moving.”

  Derek felt the ground suddenly shift beneath his feet. His stomach heaved. “What? When?”

  “Soon as school’s over,” Dave said.

  “Where?”

  Dave brought his gaze down to look right at Derek. “You’re not going to believe it.”

  “Try me,” said Derek.

  “Hong Kong.”

  “No way!”

  “Way.”

  “I can’t believe this.”

  “Told you. Me neither—it’s crazy, right?”

  “What happened? Why are you moving?”

  “My mom’s job got transferred,” Dave explained. “She’s got a two-year posting at the firm’s Hong Kong office, and my dad’s going to start his own company to operate out of China.”

  “This totally stinks!” Derek said. “Two years? And then what? You’re coming back here?”

  Dave shrugged and shook his head. “Who knows? We’ve moved before, a bunch of times. But I really thought this time was going to be it. ‘The last move’—that’s what they said then.”

  “Poor you,” Derek said. However hard this was for him, it was going to be a lot harder for Dave.

  “I know. I’ve been so bummed out about it ever since they told me. That’s why I didn’t show up on Friday… or today. I’ve just been trying to deal with it… you know? It isn’t easy.”

  “Man.” Derek shook his head. “A foreign country? All new kids? Who knows if they’ll even speak English!”

  “Oh, they will,” Dave assured him. “My parents are putting me in an international school, with kids from all over. They teach in English, so it’s a good bet all the kids speak it.”

  “Well,” said Derek. “At least there’s that.”

  “Yeah, but it’s like, I’ve got to start all over again—again. Every time we move, I’ve got a new school to get used to, I’ve got to make new friends from scratch—I’m sick of it!”

  No wonder Dave’s friendships here in Kalamazoo were so precious to him, Derek realized. No wonder he was so upset!

  Chase rolled the driver’s window down. “You okay, Dave?” he asked. “Hi, Derek.”

  “Hi, Chase,” Derek said. “I guess you’re leaving too, huh?”

  “No, not me. The Hennums want me to stay and look after the house. And they’ll be around more for Dave over there, so…”

  Derek suddenly felt the weight of this new reality pressing down on him. Chase must have sensed how he felt, because he added, “You know, two years isn’t really that long; you have your whole lives ahead of you. In the meantime, you guys can write to each other, even call once in a while. It doesn’t have to be the end of the world.”

  Derek nodded, but he had a hard time believing it. Two years might as well be forever. By that time, Dave would have made all-new friends. And who knew if the Hennums would move back to Kalamazoo?

  “We’ve got to get back, Dave. Your folks said six o’clock for dinner.”

  “I’ve got to go too,” Derek said. “See you tomorrow in school?”

  Dave nodded, still looking at the ground. Derek turned and went inside. He heard the car door shut, and the sedan drive off. He closed the front door, as if he were closing it on his past life and leaving it behind forever.

  Chapter Five END OF THE LINE?

  “I’m so excited for my game, Derek! Aren’t you?”

  “I am so excited, Sharlee. Very, very excited. I’ll be even more excited for you on Wednesday, when the game actually happens.”

  Derek looked up from his math textbook. Sharlee was staring over his shoulder at the pile of review papers scattered around him on the coffee table.

  “You don’t sound excited,” she said, pouting. “You sound annoyed.”

  “Sorry,” he said sincerely. “I’m not annoyed. Not at you. More at life.”

  “Huh?”

  “Ah, forget it. It’s not important.”

  “Well, my game is important. You could at least pretend you were excited about it.”

  “Aw, come on, Sharlee. I really am excited—for both of us. But you know I’ve got a game on Wednesday myself.”

  “You mean you can’t come to my game? Again?”

  “Can I help it if we both have games at the same time? I don’t make up the schedules.”

  “Can’t you just skip your game and come see mine? Pleeeeze?”

  “You know I can’t, Sharlee. Remember, my team’s in the playoffs. It isn’t every year you get a shot at a championship.”

  Sharlee seemed taken aback. “Yes, it is,” she insisted. “My teams win every single year.”

  “So far. One of these years, you might not.”

  “That’s just silly.”

  “Sharlee, didn’t anyone ever tell you that you can’t win ’em all?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head and grinning. “And I wouldn’t believe them anyway. You never think you’re going to lose!”

  “Well, I’ve been on teams that didn’t go to the playoffs, so…”

  “Yeah, but that’s you, not me.”

  “Well, there you go. I can’t argue with that. Case closed.” Derek tickled her ribs, and she ran off, giggling.

  Then she came back, keeping a safe distance. “What is all this mess, anyway?”

  “It’s for school. Big tests coming up.”

  “But it’s Sunday night, Derek! Aren’t you done studying yet?”

  Derek shook his head and sighed. “Not yet,” he confessed.

  “You’re being so boring!” she said, turning and heading for the kitchen. “I’m going to see if Mommy wants to play.”

  Derek would rather have been playing with her than trying to pound numbers into his skull. His brain was so stressed, it was hard to concentrate on anything!

  He still hadn’t told his parents about Dave. They’d asked him what was wrong over dinner, but he’d said he didn’t want to talk about it.

  Derek shut his textbook, piled the mess of papers on top of it, and carried the whole stack upstairs
to his room. “You okay, old man?” his mother called after him. He turned back to look at her and saw that Sharlee was clinging to her leg, dragging her toward the living room to play.

  “I’m not feeling too well,” Derek said. “I’m going to go to bed.”

  “Oh dear. I’ll come up in a little while and see you.” Then, “Don’t pull, Sharlee. I’m coming.”

  Derek washed up and got ready for bed. He had no energy at all, as if something had been drained out of him. He must have been lying on his back for a full half hour before he heard his mom’s soft knock on the door. “Come in,” he said.

  “Still not feeling well?” She took one look at him and answered her own question. “What’s wrong, honey? What happened?”

  Derek told her, feeling a lump rising in his throat.

  “Oh, Derek.” She hugged him as they sat side by side on the edge of the bed. “That’s a hard blow. Really hard. I’m so sorry.”

  She gave him a little squeeze, then let go. “But you know, it doesn’t have to mean the end of your friendship. If you two both want to stay friends, you can make it happen.”

  “By writing letters?” Derek asked. “That’s what Chase said too. But I don’t know…. I’ve never been much good at writing stuff.”

  “You’ve never had to be!” she said. “But if you knew it would help you stay friends, and stay in touch till you see each other again, why wouldn’t you do it?”

  “I guess.”

  “There you go.” Giving him a kiss on the forehead, she added, “Now, good night, early bird. Feel better in the morning.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Lying in bed, Derek pictured himself sitting at a desk, writing Dave a long letter, telling him everything that was happening—all the games on the Hill, school stuff, the basketball team this fall…

  Dave wouldn’t be there for that, either. They’d been looking forward to being starters together on the Friars in September.

  Well, thought Derek, if it meant he had a chance to stay friends with Dave, he would sit down and write letters, whether he liked doing it or not.

  But what about Dave? Would he be willing to go to all that trouble?