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  Copyright © 2018 by Kris Hui Lee

  Cover and internal design © 2018 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

  Cover design by Kerri Resnick

  Cover images © Léa Jones/Stocksy; Mesamong/Getty Images

  Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.

  Published by Sourcebooks Fire, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.

  P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410

  (630) 961-3900

  Fax: (630) 961-2168

  sourcebooks.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Lee, Kris Hui, author.

  Title: Out of left field / Kris Hui Lee.

  Description: Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Fire, [2018] | Summary: “Can Marnie pitch for the boy’s baseball team and field an unexpected crush without striking out at the game...and in love?”-- Provided by publisher.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2017051758 | (pbk. : alk. paper)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Baseball--Fiction. | Friendship--Fiction. | Love--Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.L4173 Out 2018 | DDC [Fic]--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017051758

  Contents

  Front Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Back Cover

  To BIFFLE, who knew Marnie & Co. back when they were still in junior high.

  1

  Seventeen years of existence have taught me many lessons—some relevant to survival, others not so much—but one that I have come to fully understand is that there are three kinds of idiocy.

  The first is what I call Mundane Idiocy. This is the type of idiocy that happens when you, say, walk into a dark room thinking you can manage without the lights, and then you stub your toe on a table. It happens to the best of us.

  The second kind is Voluntary Idiocy. Sticking your tongue to a frozen pole or prodding a beehive with a stick or eating fourteen brownies in one sitting would fall under this category. Discretion is advised.

  And finally, the last level of idiocy has been achieved by only one person, and his name is Cody Kinski.

  • • •

  Here I am, in the bleachers of my high school baseball field on a brisk May night—crickets chirping in the darkness beyond the bright stadium lights, the scent of french fries hitching a ride on the gentle breeze. I’m on the tips of my toes, waiting in anticipation like all my fellow game goers. Usually the excitement at high school baseball games never gets higher than the occasional collective gasp after a great hit followed by an anticlimactic defensive play, but our team is far from what you’d call usual. And this particular game is miles from being typical.

  It’s the bottom of the seventh. The last inning. There are two outs and two strikes. Kyle’s on first. Cody’s at bat. We’re down five to four, and even though, to me, it feels like our chances of turning it around are borderline zero, everyone else seems to have an ounce of belief left in them.

  The pitcher’s given name is Santino Acardi, but in our neck of the woods, he is commonly known as Douche Face.

  There are only two things you need to know about this olive-skinned, curly-haired, smarmy bastard: (1) no one on this planet knows how to wear a condescending, self-righteous smirk like he does, and (2) every time he and Cody get within two hundred feet of each other, the apocalypse seems imminent. I mean, they’re two of the best pitchers in our entire region. They have both been playing on varsity since freshman year, on teams with a notorious rivalry. It’s the kind of clash that’s going to put an end to the world as we know it.

  Basically every time Cody has been up at bat during this game, Santino has thrown at least one brushback pitch past Cody’s face. It is only thanks to Cody’s lightning-fast reflexes that he hasn’t been knocked unconscious. Santino has been pulling this stunt since freshman year. He suffers from an oversize ego. Jock stuff—you know the deal.

  Standing behind home plate, bat raised over his shoulder, eyes focused on Santino, Cody looks beyond prepared. He’s ready for anything. And he should be, considering Santino’s brushbacks are consistent. Parents, classmates, and residents from around the neighborhood cheer for Cody all across the home-team bleachers. Iron-Arm Kinski, they call him. He was first dubbed that when he was eight by his Little League coach. His killer fastball got him that name, but Cody is one hell of a hitter too. He’s not a god, but sometimes he doesn’t seem to be entirely human.

  On the mound, Santino winds up his pitch. Every part of his body, from his long legs to his muscular arms, displays his power.

  Then it comes. The ball launches out of Santino’s hand at Major League speed.

  Right toward Cody’s head.

  But he must not be as prepared as he seemed.

  Does he move out of the way?

  No.

  He stands there like a moron, like there’s not some sadist on the mound. It’s only at the very last second that his left arm flies up to shield his head.

  The ball smashes into Cody’s left forearm. His bat clatters to the ground, and it’s like everyone from here to the moon and beyond gasps. Cody clutches his arm to his chest as his face twists in pain. It’s a look I recognize to mean I’ve broken a bone, and I’m in some real fucking pain.

  Fire from the pits of hell radiate from the glare Cody shoots Santino, and if I were Santino, I’d want to jump on the next flight out of the country. All of Cody’s fury and hatred—three years in the making—engulfs his face, his whole body. Cody has never been the kind of guy to be provoked by cheap shots, which I’ve learned in the eleven years I’ve known him, but right now, not even I can predict his next move.

  But even though he might want to react, Cody doesn’t get the opportunity. Jack Chizz, our coach, runs out to home plate as the ump calls, “Time!”

  Joey, our guy on deck and Cody’s best friend, follows Chizz. The three of them—Chizz, the ump, and Joey—gather around Cody, blocking my view of what’s happening.

/>   Santino’s cronies in the outfield crowd together too, but unlike those huddled around home plate, they seem unconcerned about what their overlord Santino has done. And Santino, for all the emotion he’s showing, might as well be standing in line at a grocery store. I’m surprised he isn’t shooting off fireworks and confetti of triumph over his good aim.

  The buzzing energy is gone, and it's replaced by silent anticipation.

  And then:

  “WOOOO! WAY TO GO, CODY!”

  This is Sara, who’s standing next to me. To everyone else, it probably sounds like a cheer of encouragement. But Sara is no overzealous cheerleader.

  She’s teasing him.

  “You’re an asshole,” I tell her, trying to keep a straight face.

  Under the florescent lights, her normally tawny skin seems lighter. Her grin widens as she claps loudly. “Bringin’ ’em to state!”

  “Oh my gosh,” I mutter, but I can’t help but laugh a little. Sara, like me, has more than a decade of history with Cody, which entitles her to be a complete asshole to him in this very serious and stressful moment.

  Cody, who has gotten some breathing room, takes off his batting helmet to reveal his disheveled dark brown hair. He then takes a moment out of the time-out to nonchalantly scratch his forehead with his middle finger in our direction. Those eleven years of friendship work in Cody’s favor too—he gets a pass on being nice.

  Cody drops his hand and listens intently to what Chizz is saying. At first, they both seem rather calm, given what’s happened, but then Chizz says something else, and Cody goes ballistic. His eyes bulge in rage, and his uninjured arm flies in all directions. Cody points to first base. Chizz points a commanding finger toward the dugout.

  “Don’t be an idiot, Cody,” I mutter. “Go to the hospital.”

  As if he can hear me, Cody kicks his bat to the side and stalks toward first. Chizz objects, but Cody shrugs him off. The interaction looks dramatic from here, which is so unlike Cody. He has always been a quiet, modest guy, but being on the field changes him. Out there, he’s the confident jock everyone expects him to be.

  Everyone cheers as Cody takes his base.

  I wonder if they can see him wince in pain with every step. Proud, stubborn bastard.

  As the game resumes, so does the crowd’s excitement. They’re exhilarated by Cody’s perseverance (or, as I would call it, idiocy).

  The count: two outs, zero strikes, with Kyle on second, Cody on first, and Joey at bat.

  Tufts of Joey’s blond hair stick out from under his batting helmet as he steps up to the plate and takes a few practice swings. This is a guy who walks into closed glass doors and trips on perfectly tied shoelaces, but I swear he has magic powers when he’s on the field. He will move mountains to catch a foul ball and has been known to belt homers at the exact moment they’re needed. You’d never know it though, because he can be a real baby sometimes. A few months ago, he was reduced to an inconsolable teary mess after he found out his ex-girlfriend is a lesbian. No one would have guessed at the time that the crying weenie he was then is our best hope for bringing in a miraculous run to tie up the game now.

  On the mound, Santino winds up again. One of his trademarks is his sidearm pitching style. That’s why he’s one of the best; he’s unique. I feel like a traitor, but I must admit that I admire his skill.

  He throws the first pitch against Joey: foul tip. Strike one.

  Second pitch: the ball and bat connect, and the crowd gasps. It’s a foul over the first baseline. There’s a collective sigh. Strike two.

  The count: two outs, two strikes, five to four. The hopelessness settles in deeper.

  On the third pitch, Joey smacks the ball with an echoing clink! and he runs. Screams of excitement follow him.

  The ball soars toward the fence. It looks like it will be a home run between left and center field. Unfortunately, that’s the kind of luck you can only dream about.

  The ball hits the back fence and bounces onto the grass where two fielders race to snatch it up.

  Kyle’s past third, on his way to home, and Cody’s passing second.

  The ball is traveling from the outfield to shortstop.

  Kyle’s foot lands on home plate. It’s now five to five.

  Cody’s foot hits third.

  From the dugout, Chizz shouts at Cody to stop where he is.

  The ball is at the shortstop.

  And Cody’s going home.

  “Idiot!” Sara and I both shout.

  But it’s no use. The ball and Cody race toward home.

  The throw to the catcher is off by a foot. He steps away. Cody dives, headfirst, arms outstretched.

  He collides with home plate and becomes buried under a plume of sand and the catcher.

  “Safe!” the ump shouts. “Safe!”

  The shouting and cheering intensify as our team hops over the dugout wall and dog piles Joey, who brought in the runs. Santino and his team look like they’re about to commit fifteen different types of manslaughter.

  And there, still on the ground in the fetal position clutching his arm, ladies and gentlemen, is the third and final category of idiocy: Cody Kinski.

  2

  I haven’t been in the Corrington field dugouts since freshman year, back when I was on the softball team. It feels familiar, walking across the infield, past the pitcher’s mound, the sand dusting my shoes. But it also feels unfamiliar, like it might have been a dream. Normally, unauthorized personnel are not allowed on the field or in the dugouts, but seeing as everyone is too busy freaking out about the team’s win, no one notices us. And even if someone did, Sara and I would still march across the infield to see our injured, moronic friend.

  On our way to the dugout, we catch snippets of conversations:

  “I can’t believe Cody got injured!”

  “Who’s going to pitch at sectionals now?”

  “Santino will be watching his back for the rest of his life.”

  “Did you see Cody flip off Sara Fox after he got hit?”

  “Does Cody have a girlfriend?”

  “He’s so hot.”

  “Now we’ll never make it to state, let alone the semifinals.”

  The same thoughts churn in my mind too. Well, the ones pertaining to baseball, not Cody’s relationship status. It was pretty much guaranteed that our team has a spot in the state finals. We’ve got one of the best high school coaches in the nation, a killer pitcher, some of the biggest hitters in the region, and four guys who were on the team three years ago when they won the state title.

  At least going to state was guaranteed until about ten minutes ago when Cody got nailed in the arm.

  I mean, sure, we’ve got relief pitchers, but none who can even begin to match Cody’s talent. This means that sectionals, which used to be an easy step to the top, is now as much as a mountain to climb as the semifinals and the state game.

  In our team’s dugout, the guys are huddled in a tight bunch shouting over one another. Chizz is nowhere to be found. Neither is Cody. I’m so focused on finding out how Cody is that I don’t even see the Willow Heights team approaching until they cut right in front of me and Sara on their way to the buses.

  Sara pulls my arm so I don’t walk right into their paths. They death march past us, so close we can smell their sweat. In the presence of their tall, looming figures, I forget all about Cody. Instead, the scathing voice in my head says, Screw you and you and you and you, and I zero in on Santino and think, Especially you, asshole. But I keep my mouth shut because I know eighteen guys against me and Sara are not good odds.

  But then this one really short guy looks over at us—or, more precisely, at Sara—and then he looks down to Sara’s tank top and then down her long, tan legs, and then at her oblivious face.

  I’m no stranger to assholes checking out Sara. Her Filipino and
Hispanic parents gave her a melting-pot look that is difficult to walk past without noticing. She attracts guys and girls (and conveniently for her, she is attracted to guys and girls). Even the dogs at her mom’s shelter seem to like her more than they like other people.

  I give him the evil eye, but he doesn’t notice. He nudges his friend, glances back at Sara, and then makes an extremely vulgar gesture involving his finger going through a hole he’s made with his other hand.

  When I was younger, I used to pick fights all the time. I’d find all sorts of reasons to have a go at someone. It’s still a struggle to restrain myself, even though I’m supposedly more mature. But there’s no way in hell this guy is taking another step. Not without hearing a word from me first.

  I catch his name on the back of his jacket and call, “Hey, Jonings!”

  He and a couple of friends slow their walks, trying to figure out who’s calling.

  “What’s it like to be the same height as your bat?” I say. “Go back to the Shire!”

  Sara snaps her head toward me, her eyes wide in confusion and amusement. “Nice,” she says, “but kind of uncalled for?”

  “Trust me. It wasn’t,” I say as Jonings marches over.

  It’s only when my gaze meets Jonings’s glare that I realize I’ve probably made a very big mistake. Good job, Marnie. Why the hell do you always have to open your big mouth?

  I can’t let him think he can scare me with those clenched fists and demonic eyes.

  “What did you say?” he questions, two of his teammates flanking him. Up close, the top of his head hardly reaches my chin, which makes him slightly less intimidating.

  “What?” I say. “Did Bilbo Baggins forget to teach you how to not be a dick wad?”

  I mentally pat myself on the back. My arsenal of insults never ceases to amaze me.

  But in a matter of seconds, I go from congratulating myself to anticipating a punch in the gut. I’m about to pull Sara in front of me, because she’s the one with the black belt in karate, when, seemingly out of nowhere, Santino Acardi yanks Jonings away from behind.

  “Leave it, Alan,” he says. He glares at me, dragging Jonings to where the rest of their team is loading onto the buses.