Page 79 of Catching Dreams

“My girl, mature beyond her years. I love you, Hazel. Play your best and have fun. And don’t let any boys give you a hard time about being a girl playing baseball.”

“I won’t let them bother me, Dad. But it will be even better if we win.”

Dad and Uncle Landon both laughed. “There’s my girl!”

After hanging up with Dad, I saw Mom, with Michael on her hip, in the family room. I ran over to give her a hug and tickled Mikey’s side. Two years ago, we all thought for sure Mom was going to have her fifth baby girl. Just like with all their other babies, they never found out if we would be getting a sister or a brother. Everyone was shocked when it was finally a boy! My big, tough grandpa had cried when they told him his grandson was going to be named after him. Michael Thomas Stone completed our family. Mom said no more babies.

“Come see your very own cheering section, Hazel,” Mom said as she took my hand. We walked outside and towards the stadium. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Gigi and Gramps were here along with Uncle Dominic, Uncle Carter, and their families. I ran over to them to hug them all. Aunt Meadow, Aunt Penelope, and Aunt Emma were waving from the side and waited for their turn to get hugs. Dad’s old coach, Mack, was here, too. I was sad Nico wasn’t here, but he was starting college soon and already in the dorms. All my cousins and honorary cousins (all my parents’ friends' kids) were there, too. They were running around and wanting to go down the muddy hill on cardboard boxes. I couldn’t believe all these people had come for my game!

“Hey, Hazel! Warm-ups are in ten. We gotta go!” My best friend and teammate, Malcolm Hawke, said. He said hello to my mom and waved at my big, crazy family.

“You are so lucky you get to play baseball with a cute guy like Malcolm!” my twin said as she hugged me and told me good luck.

“Hi, Liv,” Malcolm said. He gave her a big smile and then turned to me. “Your sister looks nice. Why don’t you look like her?”

I just rolled my eyes. Olivia was wearing one of my jerseys, but she had it knotted at the side and was wearing a jean skirt with it. “We do look alike! We’re twins, you know?!” I said and punched him in the arm.

“We all know you’re not identical,” Malcolm told me. “You always say you’re an inch taller and a few minutes older.”

“Well, look, I have a braid in my hair. How about that?” I said as I took off my hat and showed him my hair. “Liv has one, too.”

“Let me guess,” Malcolm said as he looked back over his shoulder and looked at my sister, who was heading up the hill to watch some of the others go down the muddy hill. “Olivia braided your hair.”

“So?” I said. “Olivia can’t throw a knuckleball, now, can she?”

Malcolm shrugged. “You’ve got me there.”

“Good luck, sweetheart!” Mom said and gave me a huge hug. “Don’t forget. If you meet a cute boy, don’t let him give you any cookies. You are allergic to nuts, just like your dad.”

I shook my head. I didn’t have time to think about boys. It had been drilled into me ever since they found out I was allergic to nuts and shellfish, just like my Dad, never to take homemade goods from anyone. Mom had never been happier to have an allergy-free kitchen since Dad, Lucy, and I are all allergic to nuts.

I ran with Malcolm towards Lamade Stadium to pitch in the Little League World Series. With Malcom as my catcher, I knew we would be a hard team to beat. In the history of the Little League World Series, there hadn’t been that many girls to play, and I was honored to be one of them.

“So, we are playing the team with a girl!” one of the opposing players for the Dogwood Bulldogs said as we walked onto the field for warm-ups and tossing the ball. Malcolm and I were heading to the bullpen area to get my arm warmed up. “This is going to be an easy win!”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Malcolm said with a bite in his tone. “She’s our best pitcher.”

“Probably only on the team because of who her daddy is,” another player taunted.

I just ignored them and kept walking towards our bullpen. I had heard both jabs before, and I just let them roll off me. I knew what I was getting into when I wanted to play baseball and not softball. Trust me, I had tried underhand pitching for softball, and it just felt unnatural. I had grown up around tons of Major League Baseball players and loved the game. I was born to play baseball, just like my dad had been.

Malcolm just shook his head and kept walking with me. It was a new voice that had me turning around. “Shut up, idiots. If you had seen Hazel Stone play before, you’d know she’s good. I’m scared to death of her slider, and I’ve been practicing how to hit it.”

I locked eyes with the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes I had ever seen. He had a few freckles on his nose, and his blonde hair was covered by his Bulldogs hat. He gave me a wide smile, and I liked how his eyes crinkled at the corners with his genuine grin. I felt the butterflies in my stomach that Mom told me I would feel when I finally found a boy that captured my attention.

Finn Reinhart wasn’t the only one who studied his opponents. I knew all about the athletic third baseman for the Bulldogs, who had the most home runs of any player in the Little League World Series. For him to be worried about my slider was the ultimate compliment.

“Hey, my mom makes awesome homemade pretzels, and it’s my tradition to eat some before every game. Would you like one?”

“That would be really nice…” I began.

“No!” Malcolm said. “Don’t you remember what happened to your dad when he took homemade cookies from your mom?”

I looked up into the stands where my mom was sitting with everyone who had come to support me. I knew exactly how my parents met, and I smiled as I looked back over at Finn. “Are there nuts in your mom’s pretzels?”

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