M.W.B. Character - What I Did This Weekend

I gripped the bat, clenching my fingertips tightly around the neck. I watched Uno as he spat onto the dirt mound he was pitching on.

"You ready?"

I nodded.

I turned around to where all the neighborhood kids were watching. Liberty was there. Wearing a white shirt and jeans, she seemed to look pretty in anything, with her long silky black hair running down her back. She made eye contact with me, and I immediately turned away. A ball came whizzing past me.

"Yo, Danny, you gonna hit or what?"

I nodded again and shifted my feet over the home plate. As if in slow motion, I watched the first ball come flying toward me. I locked my eyes on it and then, SMASH. Crushed it with the bat. I watched as it soared over the two houses behind Mr. Rodrigez's house, like it did the first day I hit in this cul de sac.

I looked down at my arms. There were scars from yesterday morning.
Sofia's pop was telling him he should go to the fair again and see how fast he could pitch, this time without being drunk. When all Danny could think to do was lower his head in discomfiture, Uncle Tommy lifts up his head.

"It's all right D," he said, "there will be other Saturdays to go to the fair. Besides, it's not your fault you're half white and not wantin' to be around all them full crazy Mexican kids partyin' all the time." Danny dug his nails into his arm. Hard. He'd love to be one of 'them full crazy Mexicans.' He cringed as Uncle Tommy took another gulp of his 'Pepsi' and snorted, "But don't sweat it, D, you still familia." He tripped over the carpet and shut the bedroom door behind him, still laughing as if what he said was hilarious.

I dug my nails even harder. My arm was numb and bleeding now. Digging was the only thing that stopped me from shouting my lungs out at Uncle Tommy.

Focusing back on the baseball game, I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my t-shirt sleeve. I knew I caved under pressure at the pitching mound, and it was my turn to pitch for Uno. Uno jogged towards me.

"You sure you wanna do this?"

I nodded again.

"Alright, man," he said, tossing the ball to me, "You can do this, man. Just don't freeze up and you'll be good." He smiled, pat my shoulder, and jogged to the home plate.

He picked up the bat, and nodded.