The Phenom Page #6

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Goddang.

Ah.

I could kiss you forever.

You expecting someone?

As a matter of fact, I am.

Don't be too sore with me, okay?

Whatever's got a tail at one end,

has teeth at the other.

What the f*** are you talking about?

I claimed that from The Nature Channel.

Door's not locked.

It's okay, it's okay.

It's okay.

I'm just gonna...

I'm just gonna take this, okay?

And this.

- Do whatever you want.

- Those are real nice.

Oh, you need a watch, right, baby?

Earrings.

Don't you worry.

Turn over and lie on your stomach.

My ride's downstairs

in the form of a motorcycle.

I'm going to take your party favors

and start the engine.

My pal sees you move,

or hears you breathe,

he's gonna blast you

in the back of your head.

So, don't move or breathe, Hopper.

- Are you breathing?

- No.

Well, you can breathe a little.

Oh, man, sometimes,

I'm just plain mean and salty.

Son of a b*tch.

I'm sorry that you're in distress

but that doesn't change

the way things went down.

- You know?

- Yeah.

I thought I was your best friend,

and, all of a sudden,

you treated me like a stalker.

I felt bad for even calling you.

You don't know what it's like.

To be what, like, illustrious you mean?

Are you still on that trip?

No, I'm not.

Still trying to be the dude

from the Wheaties Box?

No.

The sooner you realize

that we are all just utterly unique aliens

in this vast universe,

and stop trying to be

some commercial, conditioned,

brain-washed, TV cowboy

version of yourself,

- Yeah, I know. I know.

- ...the less you're gonna suffer.

I know and that's not... I was...

I was confused.

I'm sorry.

I can't. I don't know what else to say.

I go back to New Haven soon.

I don't know what else I can do.

Do you have another boyfriend

waiting for you?

No.

But I have papers and,

teachers...

I can't be here for you like that anymore.

You're scared and you need somebody,

maybe anybody.

That's not what it's like. Okay?

That's not what it's like. I promise.

Then what is it like? Talk to me.

It's not fair.

I'm not good at talking about stuff.

Well, when you want to talk...

I'm in love with you, Hopper.

Like a lot, you know?

So, when you do want to talk,

let me know.

Okay. Now I want you to throw one

right over the plate, strike.

Okay? Show me what you've got.

What do you want? Cheese, Charlie?

- Change up?

- Whatever you want.

- Anything?

- Just throw me a strike.

All right?

All right.

What's the most fun

you ever had playing baseball?

- Fun?

- Hm-mm.

Now, come on, there must have been

one time. Come on.

Yeah, I guess there was one time.

When I was five or six, we used to play

in this abandoned parking lot.

That was fun.

- Did you pitch?

- Yeah, that's the first time I pitched.

- And that was fun?

- Yeah.

What was so fun about pitching then?

I don't know. We were just stupid kids.

Nobody expected anything of us, you know.

How do you think you can

get pitching to feel that way again?

I don't know. That's the big question.

You add millions of dollars to it

and something changes, I guess.

Probably have to do hypnosis

to make me think

I'm in an abandoned

parking lot or something.

Close your eyes.

- I wasn't serious.

- I am. Now close your eyes.

- Huh.

- No laughing, come on, man.

See it, hear it, feel it, smell it.

- Smell it?

- Yeah.

Yeah, you are five years old.

Uh...

could be a warm day like this one,

if that's what you remember.

- Seriously?

- Can you see anything?

Can you see anything?

Yeah, I can see it, kinda.

And what do you see?

I don't know.

I, uh...

You are, what, five years old.

Deep, deep breath.

That's it. Take another deep breath.

Wind up and throw whenever you want.

Go for it.

How'd that feel?

Felt good.

How did it look?

Perfect.

- There he is!

- Hopper! Hopper!

Any comment on your dad's arrest?

How do you feel about

his criminal record being exposed?

Come on, Hopper. It's me, talk to me.

Ladies and gentlemen,

my client has no comment at this time.

Give me an exclusive.

I'll put sugar on it.

Oh, you filthy little girl.

We can't get the public to be sympathetic

to Hopper if they don't know him.

Hey, where are JD Salinger

and Boo Radley staying? Go there.

C*nt.

Go. Go.

You got to tell me when the club

puts you in a shitty dump like this.

They didn't put me in here,

I asked to be put in here.

Huh.

What's with the get-up?

Ah, fundraising benefit.

I figured I'd go as the Duke of Earl.

Hm.

You look like hell, Hopper.

You should have Mobley

prescribe you some sleeping pills.

Well, Mobley doesn't like pills.

- He doesn't like pills, huh?

- No.

- You still like him, though?

- He's all right.

- Those f***ing parasites.

- What did they get my dad on?

Drug smuggling.

- It's pretty serious.

- So did we lose any endorsements?

No, you did not.

Under Armour has contacted me.

They want to talk. But it's cool.

You did not get into trouble,

your father did.

Could you not worry

about the companies? That's my job.

Yeah.

Okay. Sick.

Let's dry you off.

Okay? Let's not catch a cold

on top of everything else.

I'm gonna stay with you

till things settle down.

It's all right. You don't need to do that.

- With all your other clients...

- Nonsense.

You wanted to stay here, huh?

We're stuck.

We've got the leeches outside.

All right. I'm gonna order us dinner

from the Four Seasons, okay?

Pass me the salt, please.

Thank you. So...

now that I've shown up, it's gonna deflect

a lot of negativity away from you.

The press hates me more than anyone.

When we have the families come in, when

we are representing the premium people,

the draft, you know, the parents,

fathers and mothers and players,

and they look at me

and they thank me for what I do,

I don't give a sh*t what the press says.

I mean, we got to have

a thick skin in this game.

All of us do.

- Right?

- Right.

Big league team is calling you up.

Go to LA, couple of days.

My dad's in prison in LA.

I thought of that.

You don't have to think about that.

You gotta try that with butter.

I won't tell.

So, where did they find Dr. Mobley?

Everyone in sports knows him.

- He's got a good reputation?

- What do you think? Yeah.

The guy was on the cover of Time Magazine

when he was, like, 22 years old.

He's brilliant.

What was he on the cover

of Time Magazine for?

He was the first mental skills coach hired

full time by a big league club at, like, 21.

He was a prodigy. He was like

the Bobby Fischer of Sports Psychology.

Who's Bobby Fischer?

No one. No one you need to think about.

That's a shitty example.

You ever been to any kind of

mental coach or psychologist before? No?

- No.

- So...

When I got some money, the first thing

I did was I got a shrink. Right?

And I went every other day for five years,

And finally, the guy says to me, "Oh...

you want to kill your father

and f*** your mother."

I said, "Oh, thanks, Tyreseus,

that's why people go to shrinks.

Can I have my

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