by me
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Completely and totally mine! Similarities to real stuff is purely your imagination. Really.
Notes: I came up with a title. Doesn't it suck?
I wasted no time plugging in my computer when I got home. Kyle was too good to be unknown. I pulled up Google and typed in �Kyle Wilbourn high school pitcher� and got a bunch of hits. The first article I clicked on was from the Durham Herald-Sun. �Wilbourn gets All-State Honors�.
From that one, I found he had led the state in ERA with a 1.98, better than my 2.03. From �Local Pitcher Watched Closely by MLB Scouts� I learned that he planned to go to college, but was keeping his options open.
But the most intriguing one was �Durham High Falters One Step From Championship.�
Accompanying the article was a picture of Kyle, crouched the mound, facing the outfield. The �Wilbourn 35� was obvious on his jersey. He was holding his head in his hands and looking generally devastated. Damien started reading the article. �For the first time in school history, DHS survived into the Finals of the State AAAA Baseball Championships, largely on the back of junior pitcher Kyle Wilbourn. Their great season came to an end on Saturday with a 14-2 loss to Charlotte Central. Wilbourn gave up 9 runs in 2 1/3 innings as CCHS cruised past Durham to their third state title in 5 years. �We can�t blame Kyle for the loss,� Coach Riley Titon told reporters after the game. �He�s been outstanding for us all year. We wouldn�t be here without him.� Wilbourn himself seemed to disagree. �I screwed up,� the junior said, when asked how he felt about his pitching performance. �I know I can pitch much better than I did today.� Durham looks forward to next season, as the majority of their team will be returning.�
Well. That was interesting, anyway. Not too good in pressure situations? Curiosity quelled for the moment, I shut down Internet Explorer and flipped off my monitor screen. It was late, and I needed sleep more than my homework needed to be done. It�s amazing what a cross-country move takes out of you.
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Kyle's POV
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I shut the door quietly behind me. Or as quietly as I could, which wasn�t very. �Keep it down!� my father yelled from the TV room. �Your mother�s trying to sleep!�
I refrained from mentioning that his screaming was going to do much more damage than the door, but it sounded like he�d been drinking again, and there was no need to antagonize the man. I took my stuff towards the back of the house, stopping when I noticed my sister, Elizabeth, standing in the doorway to her room in her nightgown, clutching her blanket. �Lizard, what are you doing up? It�s past your bedtime.�
�Can I sleep with you tonight, Kylie?� She blinked up at me with wide brown eyes.
�Why�s that, sweetheart?�
�I�m scared of thunder.�
�It isn�t thundering.�
�It might, though,� she whispered. I picked her up, and she wrapped her skinny, eight-year-old arms around my neck.
I couldn�t deny her much. She adored me, and I felt the same way about her. I set her down on my bed and dropped my backpack on the floor. �I�m going to take a shower, ok, Liz? I�ll be out in a minute.�
She nodded, and I kept my shower brief. She hadn�t moved when I emerged. �Where were you tonight, Kyle?�
�I played baseball with someone from school.�
�Mikey? Russel?�
�Nope, a new guy. His name is Damien.�
She nodded seriously. �Is he trying out for the team tomorrow?�
�Oh, fuck!� She giggled, and I realized what I�d said. �Sorry, Lizard. I forgot to tell him about that.� I realized that I didn�t know his phone number and that there�s no way he�d be listed yet. �I�ll have to go by in the morning, I guess.�
�Guess so.�
I smiled at her. �Ok, time for bed. Did you brush your teeth?�
She nodded emphatically and bared them for inspection. �Very nice,� I told her, throwing the covers over her and flipping off the overhead light so only my desk lamp shone. �I�ve got homework, you go on to sleep, ok?�
�Ok, Kylie,� she said sleepily. The next time I looked up from my European history homework, she was sound asleep.
Elizabeth woke me up a minute before my alarm went off the next morning. �I have a game today, Kyle.�
�Oh, that�s right you, do,� he groaned, coming to full wakefulness. �What time.�
�I hafta be there at 6:00.�
�Well, you have all your stuff packed and ready when I get home, ok?�
�Ok, Kyle.�
�Now go get dressed, the bus will be here in half an hour.�
She jumped out of bed and scurried back to her own room. I got my stuff together more quickly than usual and walked her to the bus stop where Mrs. Marvin was waiting with her son Max, and he and Liz started jabbering immediately. �See you at 5:45, kid.�
�Bye, Kyle,� she called, as I dashed off. Yeah. I�m a slightly busy guy. But you know, when your parents don�t care if their eight year old daughter has any fun in her life or not, you kind of get handed that job. But hey, I said I couldn�t say no to her. She wants to play hockey, that�s what she does. It took a lot of my own money � and a little stealing from my parents � to outfit her, but the joy on her face when she�s on the ice makes me forget momentarily that she�s the same kid who sleeps with me every other night in case it thunders.
I knocked on Damien�s door, hoping he hadn�t left already, and was somewhat surprised when his dad�stepdad�whatever, answered the door in teddy bear scrubs. He must�ve noticed my startled look because he gave me a grin and said, �Pediatrics, you know.�
�Uh, is Damien still here?�
�Sure is.� He stepped back to admit me. �Dame!�
�I�m coming, I�m coming � oh, hey Kyle.�
�I�m going to bed. See you after school.� Ryan ruffled his hair and went upstairs and Damien turned to me.
�What are you doing here?�
�Oh...I, uh, forgot to tell you yesterday that tryouts started today, I can�t believe I forgot, but. Um. I�m sorry.�
He gave me an amused look. �Oh, that�s ok�let me get stuff. I�ll be right down.� He ran upstairs and returned a moment later with his bat bag slung over one shoulder. �Ok?�
�Let�s go.�
We walked quickly through the chilly February air, mostly in silence. �You look cold,� he finally told me.
I shrugged and tried to keep my teeth from chattering. �It�s not that bad.�
�Want my jacket?�
�No,� I snorted. Yeah, I wanted him to lend me his jacket. Like we were 6 or something.
�Fine, then. Be an ice cube by the time we get school.� He grinned at me, and I found myself smiling back without thinking about it.
We didn�t say anything for the last half block, and separated to our respective homeroom classes when we got inside the building. �Hey, Kyle?� he called as I turned away.
�Yeah?�
�Thanks for coming to tell me this morning.�
�No problem,� I assured him. And that was it.