Hurricane Heat

By Steven Barwin

Everything stops making sense for southpaw Travis Barkley when his parents die in a car crash and he is separated from his sister, Amanda. After years of being in the foster-care system, Travis receives a puzzling postcard from Amanda and heads to southern California to try to find her. His search is a dead-end until he meets Jesse and Ethan. With the help of his new friends, Travis continues to look for Amanda. Travis's love of baseball is rekindled when Ethan convinces him to pitch on his baseball team. His attention divided, Travis must decide between jeopardizing his chance at a future in baseball and connecting with his sister.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: May 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781459802155

Steven Barwin

Steven Barwin leads a double life as a writer and a teacher. He is the author of a number of sport-themed books, including Orca Sports titles Hardball and Hurricane Heat. He has also written for numerous television shows and contributed to the creation of the NASCAR and World Wrestling DVD board games. Steven lives in Toronto with his family. For more information, visit www.stevenbarwin.com.

Book preview

HURRICANE HEAT

STEVEN BARWIN

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

Copyright © 2013 Steven Barwin

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Barwin, Steven

Hurricane heat [electronic resource] / Steven Barwin.

(Orca sports)

Electronic monograph.

Issued also in print format.

ISBN 978-1-4598-0214-8 (PDF).--ISBN 978-1-4598-0215-5 (EPUB)

I. Title. II. Series: Orca sports (Online)

PS8553.A7836H87 2013                 jC813’.54                 C2012-907470-5

First published in the United States, 2013

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012952951

Summary: Years after Travis’s parents die in a car crash and he and his younger sister, Amanda, are separated, Travis sets out to search for her at the risk of losing an opportunity for a future baseball career.

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Cover photography by Corbis

Author photo by Jenna Grossi

www.orcabook.com

16 15 14 13 • 4 3 2 1

To my grandmother, Ettie Nochomovitz,

who taught me almost everything I know

about baseball. You are greatly missed.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Author’s Note

Acknowledgments

chapter one

I watched the baseball swerve below the batter’s powerful swing and punch into the catcher’s glove with a loud thump. The score was tied 5-5 at the bottom of the seventh inning. I wiped the sweat from my forehead. It felt great to be distracted by a heated game.

The batter spat onto the ground. He was a right-handed hitter. Even though I didn’t know his name, batting history or anything else, with two balls and no strikes I knew the pitcher had to go with a fastball down low on the batter’s right side. Attack his weak spot, where he couldn’t swing the bat around fast enough to make contact. The pitcher wound up and released the ball. It started up high and then broke, falling down and to the right. I shook my head. He might as well have fed the batter the baseball on a silver tray. It arrived in the bottom left side of the batter’s box. The batter stepped into the pitch and made contact, with a loud crack. I watched the ball rip through the air and land deep in right field. The go-ahead run made it safely to third base with a triple.

Someone in the stands said, Let’s go! You can do it!

The next batter took a few practice swings and stepped to the plate. The pitch crossed the plate too high, but the batter swung, nerves probably getting the better of him. The foul ball popped up high in my direction. I had it in my crosshairs and watched it reach the top of its arc and begin a fast descent. In the row ahead of me, a young girl no more than ten years old shrieked and buried her head under her mother’s arm.

I stretched out my bare hand and felt the ball wallop into it, just above the little girl and her mother.

The mother looked at me for a moment, her eyes wide. Thank you.

She and her daughter weren’t the only ones in the crowd surprised by my catch. People started to clap. I smiled, half embarrassed, handed the ball to the girl and made my way out of the stands.

I crossed the parking lot and headed toward the high school. That’s where I was going before the game lured me over. I needed to stay on task, keep moving. My palm still stung. When I looked at it, it was red, but I could move my fingers.

I got to the front of the school and tried the doors. They were all locked. Banging on them didn’t work either.

At the side of the school, I found a scratched-up metal door. I knocked on it with my shoe. To my surprise, it jarred opened. A large unshaven janitor appeared, wearing blue uniform pants and a matching button-down with the sleeves rolled up. He had a suspicious look on his face. Yeah?

I’m looking for a girl, I said.

He smiled and moved to close the door.

I wedged my foot in the doorway. After all the people I’d approached, questioned and bugged in the last two weeks, I’m looking for a girl wasn’t my best opening line. Her name’s Amanda, and she’s my sister, I added. I think she goes to this school.

Sorry.

People used to say we look alike. She’s got the same black hair as me, but obviously hers isn’t buzz-cut. There’s Hispanic blood on my mom’s side, so she’s a little dark like me.

He caught a glimpse of my watch. It was gold with a steel band and black face. I figured he was probably wondering what a teenager in a hoodie was doing walking around with a gold watch. He didn’t know that it was my dad’s watch. It was vintage, and the only thing of his I got after the accident.

The caretaker shrugged his shoulders. Exams ended today. No one around but me.

Is there any way I can take a look inside?

What for?

I might see her picture on the wall or something. She was into sports. I’d guess on the swimming team. I knew it was a long shot.

Sorry, kid. Wish I could help you, but I can’t.

I was frustrated. I had come to California to find Amanda. My younger sister. Five years ago, our parents died in a car accident. I was only eleven and she was nine. We didn’t exactly get along back then. The social worker tried to find someone to take both of us, but he couldn’t. Amanda went to one foster home, and I went to another. When her foster family announced one day that they were moving to California, that was it for Amanda and me. I never heard from or saw her again.

Five months ago, I found a postcard sitting on top of a pile of mail in the kitchen. The postcard had a picture of the Hermosa Beach Pier on the front and my name on the back. I knew it was from her because Amanda was in California. But I still didn’t know exactly where, because except for my name and address, the postcard was blank.

When summer holidays arrived, I convinced my foster parents to allow me to go look for her. They were nice enough to drive me the six and a half hours to Hermosa and set me up in a room at a family friend’s house. They even helped me get a job as a dishwasher. I’d do anything to find Amanda. She’s my only real