Hard Drive to Short Read Online Free Page B

fat inning put the Spacemen
     into the lead, 6 to 4.
    It was nearly six-thirty. Sandy became anxious as one by one the Batwings belted Duke for safe hits. A run scored. Then another,
     and the score was tied!
    It must be twenty minutes of seven now, thought Sandy worriedly. It must be. A hard grounder sizzled down to him. He reached
     for it but missed it. Another run scored.
    “Time!” yelled Coach Malone. “Sandy, come on out!”

    Impatience was written all over Mom’s face as Sandy pounded into the house. He waited anxiously for almost an hour for Nibbs
     Spry and Jules Anderson to come by. They told him that the Spacemen had won, 11 to 8.

7
    O N Saturday morning Mom sent Sandy to the store to purchase two dozen eggs. She had forgotten to include them on the list of
     groceries she had purchased Friday morning. Sandy crossed the tree-shadowed street so that he would walk by Rod Temple’s house.
     He hadn’t seen Rod in three days.
    Rod was in the driveway, working on the motorbike.
    “Hi, Rod,” Sandy called, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk.
    “Hi, Sandy. Where are you going so early in the morning?”
    “Got to buy eggs,” replied Sandy.
    Rod said the gas line had sprung a leak and he was fixing it. The sound of loud voices came from the house, and Sandy thought
     it must be Rod’s mother and father. He looked toward an open screened window from where the full volume of the voices seemed
     to come, then turned quickly away with embarrassment. Mr. and Mrs. Temple were arguing fiercely.
    Rod grinned at Sandy and shrugged his shoulders. “They’re at it again this morning. My old man came home plastered to the
     gills last night and he doesn’t want to go to work this morning, so Mom is giving it to him.”
    The argument kept on. And the longerSandy stayed the more uncomfortable he felt.
    “I wish they’d cut it out,” grumbled Rod.
    Sandy started to leave. “See you, Rod,” he said. “I’ve got to go.”
    “Sure,” said Rod.
    Sandy was glad to get away from there. What a miserable household to live in! It seemed to bother Rod, too. Maybe more than
     he showed.
    Sandy purchased the eggs and returned home. About half past one Nibbs Spry, Jules Anderson and some other guys came to the
     house. They were carrying their swimming trunks. The sun had risen high, the sky was clear, and the temperature had soared
     to ninety-six degrees.
    “Come on swimming with us,” Nibbssaid. “Let’s get out of this heat for a while.”
    Sandy stood on the threshold of the front door, feeling the heat envelop him. The cool pool was indeed the place to be now.
     He was about to tell them to wait while he got his trunks when he spotted Rod Temple coming out of his house and heading for
     the garage.
    “Ah… no, thanks,” replied Sandy, cracking a weak smile. “You guys go. I’ll see you later.”
    Jules frowned and looked over his shoulder. Rod was opening the garage door.
    “Oh, I see,” he said. “You’re going with Rod Temple on his motorbike.”
    Sandy shrugged. “I might.”
    Ike Norman yanked Nibbs’s sleeve. “Come on. Let’s go.”
    Punk Peters was already on his way. “Come on, guys,” he said curtly. “I can’t hang around all day.”
    The others turned and followed him. Sandy hopped off the porch and ran across the street. Just as he reached the garage Rod
     came out and closed the door. He had a couple of wrenches in his hand.
    “Hi, Sandy,” he said. “What’s new?”
    Sandy’s smile faded. “Fixing something, Rod?”
    “Not me. My father is. The kitchen sink sprung a leak.”
    “Oh. Well… see you later, Rod.”
    “Sure thing, kid.”
    Sandy went back across the street and looked for the guys. They were out of sight. Well, heck, he didn’t feel like going swimming
     now, anyway.

8
    T HE Spacemen were up first in their game against the Sharks on Tuesday, June 21. Red Billings, the Sharks’ tall right-hander,
     got easily by Kerry Dean and Jules Anderson. Kerry flied out