Supercharged Infield Read Online Free PDF

single.
    Sophie came up next, and doubled. And Karen, who Penny thought would hold up at third base, raced all the way in to score.
    “Oh, wow!” Melanie exclaimed. “Can she
run!
”
    Penny looked at her, wondering. “Have you noticed how much
faster
she’s been running lately? And how much
better
she’s been playing?”
    “Who hasn’t?” Melanie replied. She had her cap tipped back, revealing her short, blond hair that partially covered her ears.
     Her blue eyes were wide, enhanced by her long lashes. “You’d think she was getting tips from some big-leaguer or something.”
    Penny looked harder at her. Maybe I can confide in
her
, she suddenly thought. Melanie was eleven, sensible, and smart. She’d understand.
    “Can I talk to you after the game, Melanie?” Penny asked, making sure only Melanie heard her.
    Melanie stared at her, frowning. “Sure.”
    Penny smiled, a wave of relief sweeping over her. At last, she thought. Even if Melanie couldn’t help her solve the problem,
     Penny at least could share her views with someone. Talking with her mother or father, or with both of them, was out of the
     question, Penny had decided. They didn’t know any of the girls half as well as she did, and they wouldn’t be able to compare
     the girls’ present behavior with their past.
    It would seem that their own parents, or their brothers and sisters — especially Karen’s brother Jonny — would recognize the
     change in them, Penny thought. But, so far, none of them had said anything. Were they so naïve as to think that whatever it
     was that had changed the girls was temporary? Or that it wasn’t serious? Maybe someday I’ll find the answer myself, Penny
     thought. I just hope that by then it won’t be too late.
    Too late for what?
she asked herself. But how could she know what would finally happen?
What if, whatever it was, had already happened?
    Penny was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t see what: the next two batters did. Not till she saw Faye leaving the
     on-deck circle for the plate did she notice Mary Ann on first base.
    “How’d Mary Ann get on?” Penny asked Kim Soo, sitting on the other side of her.
    “Jean grounded out to short, and the shortstop missed Mary Ann’s grounder,” Kim Soo answered, flashing one of her bright,
     eye-sparkling smiles. “Aren’t you watching the game, Penny?”
    Penny shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t paying much attention to it,” she admitted.
    She focused her attention on Faye now, and saw her take two pitches, both almost hitting the plate. Then Faye swung at the
     third pitch so hard that one would think she was trying to smash the softball into pieces. The sound of bat meeting ball was
     solid, and almost instantly a roar exploded from the crowd as the ball soared out to deep center field. Everyone in the Hawks
     dugout stood up — stunned silent — as the ball cleared the fence by at least thirty feet for one of the longest home runs
     ever hit there.
    The team cheered and applauded, and then each member of it dashed out of the dugout and up to the plate to shake Faye’s hands
     — both of them — as she crossed the plate behind Sophie and Mary Ann. Penny met her eyes, and for a moment their eyes were
     locked as Penny said, “Beautiful hit, Faye. It was just fantastic.”
    “Thanks,” Faye said.
    “Thanks.”
That was all. She never even cracked a smile.
    Penny saw Faye go down toward the end of the dugout and sit next to Karen, and looked to see if there was room on the other
     side of Faye. There was. Penny then got up, walked down to the vacant spot, and sat down.
    She looked at Faye. “Faye, I’ve got to talk to you,” she whispered.
    Faye looked at her. Her eyes were blank. “I don’t want to talk,” she said.
    “Faye! We have to!”
    Faye looked at her a moment longer, and nothing on her face or in her eyes suggested she was interested in what Penny wanted
     to say. “I told you, I don’t want to talk,” she said