Read Online Out of Left Field: Marlee's Story by Barbara L. Clanton - Free Book Online Page B

like, forever. Since I was in second grade and she was in third. We played T-ball together.”
    “Wow. Jeri and I met in middle school. Algebra.” Marlee traced the pattern on her bedspread with her finger. “I guess you’re lucky that Christy was already home last night.”
    “Yup,” Susie said, “but even so she wasn’t easy to handle. She got mad at me because Jeri left. I guess they’d been having a swell time. She’s not fun when she’s mad. She wouldn’t let me go home.”
    Marlee sat up in alarm. “What do you mean?”
    “Oh, she gets a little rambunctious and, uh, clingy when she drinks. I had to stay with her until she fell asleep. Then Sam and I got rid of the beer cans and stuff. And then I went home.”
    Marlee felt herself relax. Susie’s liquid voice soothed the tightness in her shoulders and neck.
    “Hey, Marlee, hang on a minute.” Marlee could hear Susie’s muffled voice, “ Abuelita, estoy hablando por teléfono. Dame diez minutos, por favor . I promise.”
    “Sorry, that was my Grandmother,” Susie explained. “She doesn’t know much English. My parents brought her here from Puerto Rico just before I was born.” Susie laughed. “She’s been here for about seventeen years and still hasn’t picked up the language.”
    “Really?” Marlee laughed in response. Marlee hadn’t known that Susie was Puerto Rican. Even in Spanish, no, especially in Spanish, Susie’s voice was refreshing like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
    They talked about softball, school, Jeri, The D’Amicos’ Restaurant, what Marlee did that morning, what Susie did that morning, and the SAT’s in May. Marlee didn’t need her cardboard list of topics after all. Oddly, they didn’t talk about Christy anymore, but Marlee was more than okay with that because Christy wasn’t her favorite topic and Susie didn’t seem to want to talk about her anyway. Marlee didn’t mention Bobby much, either. She and Bobby didn’t have any definite plans so why bring him up? She glanced at the clock on her bedside stand and noticed that it was 2:35. They had talked for over an hour.
    “ Aay, Dios mio! ” Susie exclaimed as if she had just looked at a clock, too. “I have to get going. I promised Grandma I’d drive her to her friend’s house. They play cards all afternoon. Sometimes I stay and play with them.”
    “You do?”
    “Yeah. These old ladies are pretty ruthless sometimes. But it’s fun spending time with my Grandma and I get to practice my Spanish. Shoot, I gotta go. But listen, have fun with Bobby.”
    “How did you...” Marlee started to ask. She hadn’t mentioned Bobby, but after the Truth or Dare game she supposed he wasn’t any big secret.
    “Lucky guess.”
    “Oh,” Marlee said. “And, by the way, how’d you get my phone number?”
    “Another lucky guess.” Marlee could almost hear Susie smile. “No, I looked you up in the phone book. You’re the only McAllister listed in Clarksonville. I took a chance.”
    “Lucky.”
    “Yup. Uh, listen. Would you guys like to come out here again next Friday? We’ve got a night game against Northwood at seven and we’re going to Christy’s after that.”
    “Yeah,” Marlee said with way too much enthusiasm. She raked a hand through her short hair. “Uh, sure. We’ll come by your game after our game against Racquette.”
    “Oh, no. I didn’t know you had a game, too. Maybe you guys’ll be too tired.”
    “No!” Marlee cringed at her over-zealous response. “Uh, no, no,” she toned down. “We’ll be fine. I’ll talk to Jeri about it.”
    “Okay, call me, uh, call me during the week. Or even tomorrow if you want. And let Jeri know that Christy had a great time with her. Really took to her.” Susie laughed loud into the phone. “But maybe from now on Jeri should stick to root beer like you.” She seemed to hesitate before adding, “And bring anybody else from your team, except, uh, it’s an all-girls’ thing so Bobby’d probably feel