The Bull Pen Camera

The cable was frayed at the ends, dangling from the stadium rafters like a dead snake. Jax stuffed it into his backpack, heart hammering. If Coach caught him stealing the school's broadcast equipment, he'd be benched for the rest of the season. Not that it mattered — everyone already knew he was the worst player on the baseball team.

"You're still doing that spy mission thing?" Mara asked, leaning against the bleachers. She was the only person who didn't make fun of him for constantly filming everything.

"It's not a mission," Jax said, though it kind of was. For weeks, he'd been secretly recording the varsity team, looking for the thing he was doing wrong. The thing that made everyone groan when he stepped up to bat.

The announcer's voice crackled over the PA system. "And now, folks, the moment you've been waiting for — the annual Bull Pen Challenge!"

Jax's stomach twisted. The Bull Pen was this stupid thing the baseball team did every year — where they had to hit against this pitching machine that could throw like, MLB fast. Last year, Jax had struck out three times in a row. Someone had yelled, "That's absolute bull!" and the whole stadium had laughed.

He'd started running home afterwards, six miles in the dark, trying to outrun the humiliation. But tonight, he had a plan.

"You ready?" Mara asked, holding up her phone. "I've got the livestream set up. You're about to go viral."

Jax positioned the stolen cable camera behind home plate, angled perfectly. He'd spent weeks studying footage, analyzing every swing. He knew what he'd been doing wrong — trying to power through like the other guys, when his real strength was speed.

When his name was called, Jax didn't power up. He bunted. The ball trickled toward third base. By the time the fielder recovered it, Jax was already sliding into second, safe.

The stadium went silent. Then someone screamed, "WHAT" and suddenly everyone was losing their minds.

"You literally just outsmarted the Bull Pen," Mara said later, as they walked home under the highway lights. "That's not bull. That's genius."

Jax smiled so hard his face hurt. For the first time all season, he wasn't the worst player on the team. He was the smartest one.

"Spy mission accomplished?" Mara asked.

"Something like that."