Twenty-Four.

                                    

                                          
Chapter Twenty-Four.
                          
A few days later, Louis and I returned to Elmo and things went on as usual. I went to school, learned nothing, and came home and did nothing. However, tonight my parents had other plans.
                          
They decided suddenly that they would try and get out of the house to do something as a family, and no matter how much I fought them they wouldn’t have it. So, here I stood, waiting in the car for my parents to join me, sitting in black leggings, a tank top, and an unbuttoned baseball t-shirt with the Blue Bird’s logo on it. My dad insisted that I dressed like I was an actual baseball fan, and I insisted that I was eighteen years old and didn’t have to listen to him, which resulted in him making a speech about how I was under their roof and wasn’t allowed to have an opinion.
                          
I sat in silence as we drove along the busy road towards Cannon, the city that I have mentioned numerous times before. We pulled into the stadium and parked our car, then started towards the entrance.
                          
Bounce houses were in large areas just off the field that little kids took turns jumping up and down in, and baseball players for the Bears were at the head of lines waiting for their next picture with a fan.
                          
“Addie, why don’t you go take a picture with him?” My dad suggested.
                          
“No thank you” I say, shaking my head.
                          
“If you don’t, I will” My mom says, eyeing the tall blond and muscular baseball player up and down.
                          
I crinkle my nose at my mother and my dad just grins like his wife didn’t just practically hit on the guy. However, because I don’t want to see what my mom would do if she got up there, I step in line and my parents get the cameras ready.
                          
When I get to the front of the line, the Blue Bird’s player wraps his arm around me and smiles for a picture. I smile awkwardly at the camera, and just as my mom is about to take the picture, the Blue Bird’s mascot, Lenny runs up and stands next to me, pointing to the camera with his ‘wing’. My mom snaps the picture, and I step out of line and brush a strand of hair out of my face. My parents start towards our seats, and I follow behind them trying to avoid eye contact with anyone and everyone.
                          
We eventually make it to our seats, and I sit just above my parents next to a man with a toddler in his hands. The mascot runs up and down the top of the dugout and does weird dances while trying to get the crowd excited. The baseball game starts and I direct my attention to my phone in my hands.
                          
“Lenny!” The little boy calls from beside me maybe an hour later.
                          
Lenny takes pictures with different children, obviously not hearing the kid behind him.
                          
“Lenny!” The kid yells again, standing on his father, legs and waving his arms.
                          
Lenny doesn’t hear the boy’s voice again and starts off towards a different section of the small stadium.
                          
“Hey! Lenny!” I yell and stand up out of the seat and wave my arms along with the kid, trying to get the poor boy noticed.
                          
Lenny looks up from where he is heading and starts towards us, coming up to my row. I am sitting on the edge of the row only five rows up from the field. It is the top of the ninth inning, where the game stops and the fireworks start, regardless if the home team has won or not.
                          
Lenny soon makes it to our row, and the dad of the boy hands the boy over to Lenny. The boy screams in delight as Lenny holds him and takes a picture. When the picture has been taken, I can’t help but smile at how happy the boy looks when Lenny throws him into the air and catches him. Lenny hands him back to his dad, and looks around for any more kids to take pictures with.