Living With the Bad Boy

Chapter 3: Flames and Fights

I woke up on a bright and early Saturday morning to the sun pouring into my window and the birds tweeting. I sat up and walked downstairs to see an empty house, a large stack of chocolate chip pancakes, and YouTube loading on my laptop.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I was woken from my perfect dream to hear the smoke alarm going off and the smell of smoke.

I got up and raced down the steps, nearly falling, and running into the kitchen. I saw Daniel trying to cook something and it was smoking terribly.

I picked up the fire extinguisher and used it on the possible fire. Once the smoke alarms stopped going off, Daniel turned around to me and looked really angry.

"I don't need any help from you. I can handle everything by myself." Daniel growled and walked out of the kitchen, bumping my shoulder in the process. I cleaned up Daniel's mess and walked back up to my room.

I didn't bother getting in the shower and just changed into my softball clothes and walked downstairs.

"Why are you dressed so funny?" I heard Millie ask. I turned around and found her sitting at the table waiting for me.

"I'm going to my practice. Want to come?" I asked leaning down so I was her height.

"YEAH!" She yelled.

I took a piece of paper as wrote Daniel a note so he knew where Millie is and walked out the door and into the garage, grabbing my bat bag on my way. Millie and I got into Macy's car which she lent me for the week.

I drove off to the field that we practice at and got out of the car grabbing my bag and Millie. I walked over to the bench and set down my Gatorade and hung my bag on the fence.

"Millie, stay here and watch me and my team practice." I said. She nodded her head signalling that I got my sentence through her little four year old head.

I grabbed my mitt and ran out onto the field. I started playing catch with Lindsey who happens to be the person who catches my pitches.

"Ok, so for practice today we are doing infield and outfield drills and then live hitting off of Joey here like a little scrimmage." Coach Brown said pointing towards me.

We got through the in and outfield drills and went to take a drink of water.

I took my Gatorade and drank half of it, leaving the other half for later.

"You were AMAZING!" Millie said jumping up and hugging my legs because she is too short to reach my torso.

"Awe!" The whole team basked in the cuteness of Millie.

Coach called us back and I did my warm ups to get ready and I got my first batter. The strikes and she was out. I struck out all three of the rest people up and went to get my batting stuff on.

"How do you do that?" Millie asked running up to me with a gleam of excitement in her eyes.

"It's how we pitch. It's really fun. When we get home maybe you can pitch to me. Sound good?" I asked.

"Yeah, I want to be just like you when I get older." Millie said looking up at me as I would look at Kurt Cobain, one because he is dead and that would be weird, two because he is the lead singer of Nirvana. Who wouldn't be excited?

"Thanks." I said walking out onto the field and into the batters box.

The first strike I watched go by and I hit the second one, it traveling fast and far.

The team that we are scrimmaging I used to play for but when I tired out the last time they didn't want me.

The ball flew over the fence with the bases loaded.

4 RUNS!

My whole team piled around home plate and waited for me, cheering me on. As I stepped on home plate the whole team formed a circle around me and congratulated me on my hit.

After the game was done, we won 4-0, Millie and I got into the car.

"Now where are we going?" Millie asked bouncing around in her booster seat.

"Let's go out for ice cream!" I said and instantly her face lit up and she started cheering.

We got ice cream from Dairy Queen and drove back home. I put my stuff in the garage and walked in the house with Millie at my side while eating her ice cream.

"Where have you guys been?!" An angry Daniel asked walking into the kitchen with his arms crossed and his face was red as a fire truck.

"I took Millie to my softball practice and we got ice cream. I left you a note. No need to get angry." I said putting my hands up in defeat.

"She's my sister, not yours." Daniel said ripping her from my grip and hugging her.

"Why don't you go upstairs and play with your dolls. Let me and 'that' have a little talk." Daniel said referring me to 'that'.

"Please don't hurt Joey." She said walking upstairs. I could see the sadness in her eyes. Why did he have to do that to such a sweet little girl.

"Why are you taking my sister from me?" Daniel asked as soon as Millie's door closed.

"Because I like having a little sister. I don't have one!"

"Well that's your parents fault not mine." Daniel said crossing his arms with a large smirk on his face.

"No it's not. It was the drunk driver's fault. I used to have a little sister, she died. She was in a car accident and died!" I yelled with tears brimming my eyes and threatening to fall.

"Well at least you have a dad around, mine's in the army." Daniel said trying to find reasons to make me sound wrong.

"I don't have a dad. He died to in the same fricken accident. I was in the car along with my mom. My mom and I survived and everyday I blame myself for my dad and sister's death because I lived. I didn't have to live. I could have just died, but I didn't. It tears me down everyday to know that my dad and sister are up in heaven looking down at me. I should be up there not them. I don't deserve to be here." I said letting all the stuff I had been bottling up inside of me out.

There was a kind of awkward silence that filled the air between us and you could practically feel the tension between us.

It was undeniably, awkward.

"You win." Daniel said stalking off leaving me in the kitchen bewildered.

If only it were that simple.