And So It Begins…

Part II

An R.L. Mathewson Chronicle

“Is there a reason why you felt the need to kidnap me?” Mikey asked, not really sounding all that concerned about it as she pulled a baseball out of her sweatshirt pocket and began rolling it between her hands.

“I need your help,” Jason said, knowing that it was better to just get to the point when dealing with his niece.

“That would explain the kidnapping,” Mikey murmured with a nod of understanding.

“Can you really call it kidnapping when all I did was promise you a new bucket of baseballs in you got in my truck?” Jason asked, still debating the odds of this plan actually working.

“Yes,” Sebastian murmured absently as he continued to read on his new iPad while Mikey shifted to get more comfortable on his lap only to give up and settle back against him as she gestured for Jason to get on with it.

“I’d like to point out that I don’t see this bucket of baseballs that was mentioned,” Mikey pointed out as Jason sat there, trying to figure out how he was going to pull this off with Sebastian tagging along.

“You get them after we do this,” Jason explained even as he debated grabbing Kasey and bringing her along only to quickly dismiss the idea since she would end up telling Reese where they were going and that wasn’t going to work for him.

“I want two buckets,” Mikey said, deciding to get right to the negotiation portion and reminding Jason why he adored her.

“One,” he countered.

Narrowing her eyes on him, Mikey said, “Two.”

“You should probably say no,” Sebastian said, sounding bored as he swiped to the next page.

“Probably,” Mikey murmured in agreement as she considered him.

“This isn’t going to end well,” Sebastian said with a sigh.

“It never does,” Mikey said, not really sounding all that concerned and that’s why she was perfect for what he had in mind.

“I just need your help for a few hours,” Jason told her.

“A bucket an hour,” Mikey said as she continued to roll that ball between her hands.

“Does the fact that I’m going to be your history teacher next year mean nothing to you?” Jason asked, narrowing his eyes on the little girl that was his ticket to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

“It would probably mean more to me if you were my baseball coach,” she pointed out, making his lips twitch.

Chuckling, Jason said, “Fine. A bucket an hour.”

“Then we have a deal,” Mikey said with a firm nod and a satisfied sigh.

“You might want to find out why he needs you before you agree,” Sebastian drawled, swiping to another page.

“Probably,” Mikey murmured, pursing her lips as she thought it over only to shrug it off and-

Pulled her phone out of her sweatshirt pocket when a chime drew her attention. She read the message and went still. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, she looked from her phone, to him, and back again before clearing her throat, nodding and clearing her throat again as she reached back to open the door. “I, ummm, just remembered that I have something that I need to do first,” Mikey murmured as she popped the door open, cleared her throat, and-

“She never listens,” Sebastian said with a sad shake of his head and a heavy as his best friend tried to make a quick escape only fall out of the truck and land on ground with a sadly mumbled, “Ow.”

“Which one ratted me out?” Jason asked as Sebastian reached down and plucked the phone out of Mikey’s hand.

Sighing heavily as he sat back up, Sebastian swiped her phone open and nodded as he said, “Cole, Joshua, Elizabeth, and Aunt Haley warned her about the buffet.”

“I see,” Jason murmured as he sat there, debating his options only to frown when Sebastian said, “That leaves Plan B,” as he reached back down and-

“No! I want to live!”

-pulled back Mikey back up, and before she could make another run for it, he was dropping her on the bench between them and closing the truck door while Mikey sat there, whimpering.

“Shouldn’t have made that deal,” Sebastian said with a sad shake of his head as he pulled his iPad back out.

“But…I want to live,” Mikey mumbled sadly while Jason started the truck.

“I warned you,” Sebastian said, swiping to the next page.

“I don’t think that I can do this,” Mikey whispered as she blindly reached over and grabbed Sebastian’s hand.

“It will be over before you know it,” Sebastian said as he slid his iPad back in his sweatshirt pocket so that he could pull Mikey back onto his lap.

“You’re just making sure that I can’t make a run for it and ruin your chance of getting into a buffet, aren’t you?” Mikey asked with an accusing glare aimed at her best friend as he wrapped an arm around her.

“That just went without saying,” Sebastian said with a satisfied sigh as he pulled his iPad back out.

Nodding, Mikey said, “We are no longer speaking.”

“Totally worth it,” Sebastian said as he met Jason’s gaze in the rearview mirror as they came to an understanding.

It was every Bradford for himself.