Shadow Over Second (2 page)

The Mudders gathered in the dugout, slapping each other on the back and exchanging high fives.

“Some fine hitting there today, Nicky,” Coach Parker said. He gave Nicky a meaningful look but said nothing more. Nicky smiled
gratefully. He knew that the coach knew about the record — and about Nicky’s superstition against talking about it.

Nicky began collecting the bats and balls. Then he overheard something that made his heart stop.

“Do you know who holds the RBI record?” the Mudders’ scorekeeper asked the Dragons’ scorekeeper.

“Some guy named Sam Jolly. He made it three years ago.”

“Well, I doubt he’s going to hold it for much longer!”

Nicky bolted out of earshot and almost ran into Turtleneck Jones. “Let’s get out of here!” he cried. Turtleneck looked surprised
but grabbed his glove and followed Nicky off the field.

That was close
, Nicky thought.
But they didn’t mention my name. So I think I’ll be okay
.

By the time he and Turtleneck reached their neighborhood, Nicky was feeling better. “Hey, don’t forget to come over after
dinner to see what’s in the shed!” he reminded Turtleneck.

Turtleneck looked mystified but promised he’d be over as soon as he could.

Mrs. Chong had cooked a tasty dinner. Nicky was so hungry, he wolfed his meal down in no time. As he reached for the bowl
to serve himself seconds, he knocked over the saltshaker.

“Whoops!” He righted the shaker, then grabbed a pinch of salt and tossed it over his shoulder. “For good luck!” he said with
a grin. His mother looked at him quickly but said nothing. Nicky knew she didn’t believe in superstitions. But he figured
that every little bit of luck helped. Look what his batting ritual did for his hitting, after all!

After dinner, Nicky put his dishes in the dishwasher, then hurried out to the backyard.
He had just pulled the peg out of the shed door’s latch when he heard someone call his name.

“Hey, Nicky!”

It was Turtleneck.

“Shhh!” Nicky warned. He motioned for Turtleneck to look inside the shed.

There before them lay a big brown dog. Beside her were five little puppies, wriggling and making soft noises.

“Wow!” Turtleneck breathed. “Can I touch one?”

“If Babe Ruth lets you,” Nicky said. “But move slowly so she doesn’t get spooked.”

Turtleneck knelt beside the dogs and carefully reached out his hand. He stroked the closest puppy, then looked up at Nicky
with shining eyes.

“Its fur is so soft!” he whispered.

Nicky crouched beside him and petted Babe’s head gently. “Yeah, they’re pretty neat.”

Babe Ruth laid a paw on Nicky’s knee and gave a soft
whuff
.

The boys stayed in the shed until Mrs. Chong called them in. Reluctantly, Turtleneck stood up to go.

“Can I come again, Nicky?”

“You bet!”

Nicky slept soundly that night. When he woke up the next morning, he was full of energy.

“My, you look ready for just about anything today,” his mother said at the breakfast table. “Good thing, too. Those stacks
of newspapers in the garage need to be tied for recycling.”

Nicky started to groan until he saw the look on her face. He quickly covered it up with a cough.

Nicky’s father leaned over and whispered loudly, “She’s got me mowing the front
and
back lawns. You’re gettin’ off easy!”

Nicky burst out laughing. “Hey, save me a four-leaf clover if you find one. I could use a little extra luck!”

Mrs. Chong shook her head at Nicky, then said, “You and your superstitions. Sometimes I think you really believe in that stuff.”

Nicky knew better than to try to explain. He just followed his father out to the garage. His mother disappeared into the shed.

Half an hour later, Nicky dragged the last bundle of newspapers to the curb.

“Hey, aren’t you Nicky Chong?”

Nicky looked up. A tall, lanky boy with sandy hair stood in front of him. He was straddling a mountain bike with big knobby
tires. He looked familiar, but Nicky wasn’t sure who he was.

“I’m Stick Jolly,” the boy on the bike said. “I’m the third baseman for the Bulls. We’re playing your team on Monday, aren’t
we?”

Just then, Nicky’s father appeared, carrying one of the puppies.

“Nicky, have you seen the peg that holds the shed door closed? This little tyke was trying to make a getaway!”

Nicky shook his head. “Mom must have it. She told me she’s not going to give you another chance to sneak up on her and lock
her in!”

Mr. Chong laughed. “I wish I’d had my camera when I let her out! The look on her face!” The puppy gave a little yip. Mr. Chong
held it up to his ear. “What’s that? You’re tired of being outside and you want to find your mother? Okay, off we go!”

Mr. Chong vanished around the corner of the house. Nicky turned to see Stick Jolly pedaling away.

Nicky shrugged, then followed his father around to the back of the house. He thought it was strange that Stick hadn’t said
goodbye. But the sight that greeted his eyes as he rounded the corner chased that thought away.

Puppies were everywhere!

“They just decided today was the day to go outside!” Mrs. Chong gasped as she ran by Nicky, scooping up a puppy with one hand
while holding another under her arm. Nicky joined in the chase. Mr. Chong was nowhere to be seen.

Ten minutes later, all the runaways had been carefully returned to the shed with their mother. Mrs. Chong wedged the peg securely
in place.

“Whew!” she said. She glanced sideways
at Nicky. “Thanks for your help. Your father just disappeared when he saw what had happened!”

Suddenly Nicky heard a soft laugh. He spun around to see his father walking toward them. “Well, I had to get this!” he said
gaily. He waved a camera over his head. “That was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while! It will be the perfect addition
to the family album.”

Mrs. Chong and Nicky both groaned. An
embarrassing
addition to the album, Nicky thought.

Later that afternoon, Nicky called Turtleneck to see if he wanted to play some pitch-and-catch. Turtleneck agreed to meet
him at the ball field.

When they arrived, some other kids were riding their bikes around the bases. Nicky recognized Stick Jolly in the crowd.

“Hey,” he called when Stick rode past
him. “Don’t you know you shouldn’t ride here? Your tires could really chew up the turf!”

Stick rounded first, then turned his front wheel sharply. He rode fast toward the pitcher’s mound. Reaching top speed, he
pulled back sharply on his handlebars and jumped over the small hump. He landed with a thud and pedaled straight at home plate
— right where Nicky and Turtleneck were standing!

The two boys leapt out of the way just as Stick skidded to a stop a foot in front of them. A cloud of dust blew up from the
ground and surrounded Nicky and Turtleneck. When the dust cleared, Nicky saw with dismay that Stick’s tires had made a deep
rut in the dirt.

“Whadja do that for?” he cried. “Someone might twist an ankle in that hole unless it’s fixed before the next game!”

Stick shrugged.

“It’s not my team’s playing field,” he said. “And since your team is playing on my field on Monday, what do you care? Someone
will take care of it before you play here again, right?”

“So then you’re just making work for somebody,” Nicky fumed. “It’s just wrong to do it — that’s all.”

Turtleneck nodded in agreement. “Yeah, why don’t you guys ride somewhere else?”

“C’mon, Stick, let’s get going,” called a boy. He looked a lot like Stick but was older. In fact, all of the other bike riders
looked older. “Or would you rather stay with these Goody Two-shoes than ride with us?”

Stick snorted. “No way, Sam! I’m coming!” He rode off the field and down the street with the others.

“That guy really burns me up,” Turtleneck said angrily.

“Me, too,” Nicky replied, staring at the
rut in the dirt at his feet. “Hey, T., let’s go back to my house and get something to fix this, okay?”

“Good idea,” Turtleneck said. “I’ll bet we find some other places where the field is dug up, too.”

Twenty minutes later, they were back with a long-handled garden rake. They took turns smoothing over the holes left behind
by the bike tires. Soon the diamond looked as good as new.

The boys tossed the baseball back and forth for a while, then went back to Nicky’s house to play with the puppies.

Turtleneck lay back and put a puppy on his chest. The dog wriggled for a moment, then fell asleep. “Say, Nicky, are you nervous
about the game on Monday?”

Nicky’s heart fluttered. “I’ll just play like I usually do, I guess,” he mumbled.

“Are you talking about Nicky’s near-record-breaking RBI stat?” a voice boomed.
The puppy on Turtleneck’s stomach woke with a start. Both boys jumped.

Mr. Chong stood in the doorway. What he said next made Nicky’s heart sink to his stomach.

“Only four to go now, isn’t that right? That’s some impressive hitting streak, son!”

Nicky couldn’t believe it. His
own father
had jinxed him!