One Adventure Chapters 1-6 (Please READ)

Chapter One: Sudden Surprises

“ I don’t understand. It sounds like there’s a catch,” Liliana said in her southern voice.

“ Nope!” Jenny screamed on the school’s web cam.

“ Well then I guess we should go girls!” I said enthusiastically.

“And BOYS! Listen Jenny. I’ve got to work at the parlor. I can’t go!” Wilson sadly explained.

“ I can though! I’m up for a challenge! I mean, if all we have to do is play one stinking’ game of baseball and win tickets to the World Series,” Jim said.

“ Well…”

“ Jenny! Out with it!” Liliana yelled.

“ If we win this game we don’t actually win the tix. It’s a tournament. All over the country. All summer long. We play the best teams in the country,” she admitted.

This ticked me off. No way was I going away the whole summer. I’m Mia Niko. The famous girl baseball player. Well, I’m not really famous, but I’m famous to the town of Wyomissing. A nice little town in nestled in Pennsylvania. I like it here. I like it just fine.

I am a student at St. Ignatius Loyola. I’ve got a teacher named Mrs. Keeley. I’m a fourth grader. My sister, Kathryn is sometimes a pest. She never lets me go in her room. Mom says she is 15 now and should be treating me nicer. And I’ve got a brother, except he doesn’t live with me anymore. He’s getting married to this girl who used to be our neighbor. Then she went to college. She used to be my babysitter too. But, like I said she went off to college.

Do you know what was such a coinkidink? She and my brother went to the same college! I guess it was all uphill from there! The next summer they came back and said that they were officially buds! When they were at home together when they were younger, they hated each other!

A year later they come back and they’re actually sharing a milkshake at Conny’s Parlor! Do ya think ya know what happened the next summer? They were holding hands! And last year, guess what! At graduation, they announced they were ENGAGED! Who coulda guessed THAT one?

Anyway sorry about ya story interruption!

“Excuse me? Did you just say all summer? No way Jose!” Wilson said.

“ Ya. No way.” Jim agreed.

“ They’re right. Not only does Wilson have a JOB, but, he’s got a new little sister. I just don’t want to waste my summer,” I said.

“ I just don’t want to,” Liliana said quietly.

There was silence from Jenny.

“ Listen guys I…” Jenny started.

At that I saw Wilson’s screen go blank. Then, Jim’s corner went dark. Liliana’s was next. I was just about to turn my webcam off when…

Jenny said, “I’ve never told you guys how much I wanted to go.”

All I did was nod my head and flip off the webcam.

* * *

I woke up the next morning feeling like junk. I finally pushed myself out of bed. I noticed a strange silence on the main floor. I heard laughing in the backyard. Was everybody outside? Without me? That’s jank!!

I peeked out the window. Nope, wasn’t the family. Just a couple of teenagers kissing on the porch… WAIT!!! It was KATHRYN!!! With some guy! She does NOT have a boyfriend. At least it doesn’t say she does in her diary. Well, come to think of it, she does write about this guy named Rio Coblin. Except, I’ve seen him before. He was over at the Y shooting hoops on the basketball court.

I had been swimming. I was out of the pool and he made an incredible shot from half court.

The guy outside making kissy face with Kath was much more skinny. He looked like a long pencil. I couldn’t figure out WHY Kath was kissing him. I know her. She hates those long thin pencil types. She likes the ones who are a bit more muscular. But, I had to admit the guy out there was pretty good looking.

When they were done I heard Kath say something like, “See ya Peter.”

She came in and started twirling around like some Cinderella.

“ Love, love, LOVE. Isn’t it a rascally little thing,” I said. Kathryn spun around to face me.

“ You… you saw that, didn’t you,” she said softly.

“ Ya. I did. Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend? That’s kind of jank not to tell me stuff, you know,” I questioned her.

“ Well I thought you and your big mouth would go off and tell everybody. Okay, nosy?” she snapped.

Chapter Two: Ready?

I keep thinking about the situation. A little league baseball tournament to determine the best baseball team in the country. I was still not sure about it.

On Monday I looked at my e-mail on my Mac-Book. I had 40 unread messages. I read each one. About the first 38 was junk mail. The final two I read closely though. The one was a Limited Too coupon. I printed it out and admired it. I put it in my wallet. The next one was from Jenny.

I opened it up. I read this letter:

Dear Mia,

I went up to school 2day. I found out that we can still enter! Please try 2 convince the others. I know you want to win those tickets! C’mon girl. Please…

***Jenny Tree***

Wow. She really wants to go.

That day I called up Liliana. It only took a couple of minutes to convince her.

I also called Jim and Wilson. Wilson agreed to quit his job. Jim agreed to do it after I explained how boring this summer would be without Little League. (Our coach got called to serve in Iraq) I was already ready.

Chapter Three: Trouble

We all met at the school that next hour. Of course Jim brought along his brother Teddy who was also on our team. He’s our catcher. And as always, he was eating ice cream.

“ Teddy, you’ve got to not eat that junk right before a game. It’s gonna make you hurl one day, right on †he field,” Jenny said sternly to Teddy.

“ Do I tell you how to play outfield? No! So, don’t tell me what I have to do and what I don’t have to do,” Teddy snapped.

We were told we had to have at least 10 players that day. Teddy, Jenny, Jim, Wilson, Liliana, and me made six. The other four we waited for to come was Miss Emma, Jack, Amy, and Mark. I’m the pitcher. Teddy’s our catcher. Jenny Jim and Amy are out field. Mark is first base, Jack is second, and Wilson is third. Liliana is shortstop. And Miss Emma is our coach. She was a last minute attachment since we didn’t have a coach. She’s around 30, I’d guess. Miss Emma is supposed to be really good at coaching. She used to coach softball at some school in Reading.

“ Well, where do we go Jenny,” Jack asked when the others had arrived.

“ It said on the flyer I read it was over in the baseball field at Whitfield Elementary,” Jenny answered.

Good thing Whitfield was right across from our school. Once we had crossed the street to the field, Lil made a comment about Emma’s shoes. I think she said they were really beautiful.

What a kiss up, I thought. Even though she was one of my BFF’s, she is a huge kiss up.

A big muscular man was standing in Under Armor shorts, and an Adidas shirt.

“ ATTENTION!” he screamed at us.

We all covered our ears.

“ AND WHO MIGHT YOU GUYS AND GALS BE?!” he yelled. I wondered if he was always like this. Like at his wife. Does he scream like this at his wife?

“ We’re Wyomissing’s Cowboys. We’re here to try out for the Summer Adventure Baseball Tournament,” Jenny explained.

“ WELL THEN!! I AM MR. BATBALL! YOU WILL CALL ME FEARLESS LEADER! LET ME EXPLAIN SOMETHING TO YA’LL! IF YOU WIN THIS GAME AGAINST THE BURROWERS YOU WILL BE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT GAME IN THE TOURNAMENT! I WILL BE YOUR UMP FOR THIS TOURNAMENT! ALL SUMMER! LET’S GET MOVING TROOPS!” Mr. Batball screamed.

I caught an afraid look from one of the Burrowers in the outfield.

“ NOW, LET ME SEE THOSE PERMISSION FORMS FROM YOUR PARENTS!” he yelled.

Oh no! Jenny had sent a permission form attachment to the E-mail I had gotten.

Jenny had them attached to the messages she had sent to us all about it all week. Everybody on my team was smart enough to remember them!

After everybody was done turning them in Mr. Batball looked at me and said,” NOW WHERE IS YOURS PRIVATE?”

“ Um… I kinda forgot it,” I explained.

“ WELL THAT AIN’T GOOD ENOUGH!! NO FORM, NO PLAY!! NOW EVERYBODY GET ON FIELD!! AND SINCE LITTLE MISS I FORGOT MY FORM CAN’T PLAY, MY LLOVING DAUGHTER SUSAN WILL BE PITCHER FOR THE COWBOYS IN THIS TOURNAMENT!” He yelled.

Right when he said that, a girl that looked like she could’ve been my twin walked to the mound.

That’s when the wheels in my head started turning.

Chapter Four: The Plan

When I got home, I started packing. Our team had won game one, and was headed for Philly. You’re probably wondering why I’m going. I didn’t get a permission form signed, did I?

You know that girl Susan? The ump’s daughter. I talked to her after the game. Well, I didn’t actually talk to her.

“ I’ll give you Four Bennys if you trade places with me for the summer,” I persuaded her.

“ You’ll give me what?”

“ Four hundred dollars,” I groaned.

“ Do I get three meals a day?” she said.

“ Snacks too,” I added

“ Deal,”

At that we shook hands.

And that’s how it happened.

We had agreed that she and I would officially switch places at 6:00 the next morning.

Once I had finished packing, I heard a popcorn kernel hit my window.

Just as we had planned.

I opened my window. “ Climb the tree!” I yelled to an anxious Susan. She slowly climbed the thick branch. Branch by leafy branch, she climbed. The bright summer sun was just starting to set. The warmth was like a reading light on a book that’s been on for five hours. Not to hot, but just hot enough to warm an Eskimo.

She climbed through my squeaky clean window and fell onto my fuzzy pink carpet.

My black lab, Mickey, started licking Susan all over.

“ He is so cute,” she squealed, once she got up and dusted herself off.

Then, she looked at my dresser drawer.

“ Labs must be popular in your family,” she said.

She was looking at a picture of our old lab, Johnny.

“Well, I’m ready. Tell me how I have to act,” I said

Chapter Five: Download

“ First of all, you’ve got to call my dad Mr. Batball,” she explained to me with a weird look on her face.

I sensed something was wrong with her. “ What’s wrong?” I asked.

“ Well, I’ve been thinking about something. Could you do a favor for me?”

“ Sure. Depends on what the favor is,” I said suspiciously.

“ My dad is really tough on me all the time. I really want him to change. And you’re really tough too. I was in 4.1. Anyway, I’ve tried to get inside his head and figure out why he’s so hard to get along with. I just can’t do it though. I hate to butt into his personal thoughts. So I was wondering if maybe while you were playing in the tournament, if you could maybe change him,” she asked.

“ Well, I can try,” I said.

“ Thank you so much!” Susan yelled, a little louder than I had expected.

“ That’s all I need to know about acting like you,” I questioned her.

“ Yes, that is all,” she answered politely. Wow. I can be her. It’ll be easy, I thought.

“ Well, even though being you is easy, being me is going to be way difficult for you. For starters, say the word ya, instead of the word you. And wear your hair in a ponytail at all times. Make sure you act like you hate Kathryn, even though that shouldn’t be so hard. Never eat lima beans, other wise my parents will be suspicious about you,” I instructed.

“ What’s wrong with lima beans?” she asked.

“ I hate them. Now make sure you give my brother a hug if he comes over for dinner. You like him.” I continued, “ Make sure that when you go to Philly to visit Grandma you call her Nan Nan. And if she tries to take you to work, say NO. We’ll be playing where she works.”

“ You’re Grandm… I mean Nan Nan works in a baseball field?” she asked.

“ Yes, she’s head chef at the hot dog stand,” I answered.

“ I think that’s all. Call me if you have any questions,” I said. I’ve always wanted to say that.

“ Okay, so we switch tomorrow, right?”

“ Right,” I answered her.

Then she climbed down my tall and proud oak tree.

Chapter Six: The Switch

I woke up the next morning feeling strange. I couldn’t remember what was so important about today.

Then, I heard a rustling sound. I ran to my bedroom window.

Now I remembered! The switch!

Susan was hanging on for dear life on my tall and proud oak tree. Her sunny yellow dress was ripping. A large, sharp branch was stuck through her dress.

“ Susan! Hang on for just on more second!” I yelled to her.

I started rummaging through my closet. There was everything from memorabilia from our trip to Alaska, to pieces of old dolls I used to play with. I couldn’t believe I had left all of that junk in there. Then I had a brainstorm. I pulled my four-foot tall Ken’s arm off. Then, I grabbed rope from my rock climbing kit. I tied the two together and threw the weird contraption out the window. There was a slight tug on the rope and then, KA-BLAM!!!!!!! I flew out the window. Susan had held on with all her might and had gotten through the window. However, I had gotten launched from all her weight outside.

I landed with a boom on the ground