“I hurt it playing volleyball.” I gave him a sad expression, emphasizing it more than I normally would. It was the way I connected with all kids, and it seemed to have worked because Daniel frowned.
He turned and pointed back at Ben. “You should have Ben fix it. He’s really good with owies.”
I looked up at Ben, chuckling. “I know. Ben helped me the other day. He’s pretty good at his job.”
Ben’s cheeks colored like red apples. “I have a long, long way to go to be good at therapy.”
“I hope your foot heals soon. Do you play on the high school volleyball team?” Ben’s mother asked me.
With a quick nod, I said, “Thank you. Yes. John says I should be ready to go again in a couple of weeks, which will give me about two weeks to get back into shape before tryouts.”
Ben smiled, looking like he’d just won the lottery. “At least you don’t have the crutches today, right?”
I laughed. “That’s for sure. I’d be happy if I never have to use those things again.”
Ben’s mom and brother chuckled, and warmth blossomed over my chest.
“Are you ready to go?” Penny asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.
I glanced at Ben, wanting to talk to him more. “Um, yeah. She’s my ride.” I looked at both Ben’s mom and his brother. “It was so nice to meet you both.”
I waved to Ben before walking back to the parking lot. At the end of the fence, I glanced back, seeing Ben walking in between his mother and brother, watching as his brother talked animatedly about something. The scene pulled at my heart in more than one way. The fact that a guy I was starting to have feelings for wouldn’t just ditch his family because he was around his friends was a big change from my normal crushes. And his mom actually showing up to his game was something I wanted more than anything.
Standing next to Penny’s car, waiting for her to unlock it, I jumped when I saw a shadow next to me. I turned and squinted into the sunlight.
“Hey,” Ben said, smiling at me.
I laughed. “Hey.”
“I, uh, just wanted to thank you for coming to the game.” He paused, rubbing his hands on the sides of his uniform pants. His gaze bounced around the parking lot and finally settled back on me. “This summer is kind of busy with traveling for tournaments and stuff, but I was wondering if you’d like to, um, like, would you go on a date with me sometime?” The last few words came out in a rush, and I could see the cautious way he watched me, waiting for my answer.
With a wide grin, I said, “I’d love to. Just let me know when.”
His smile stretched from ear to ear, and he nodded, leaning forward to open the door once the lock clicked. I sat down in the seat, working to get the bulky boot in the car before he shut the door.
Penny started the car, and I waved to Ben as we drove away. I did my best to keep my gaze forward, sensing that Penny was bursting with questions.
“It looks like things are starting to move there, huh?” Penny said, keeping her tone as even as possible, even though she was grinning at me.
“Oh, shush. I’m glad he asked me. Now I’ll just have to see when we actually go out.” I watched the trees pass as we drove down the road, smiling at my reflection in the window. Ben had asked me out, and I was more excited about it than I’d been since James finally started noticing me. But this felt different. It meant more than anything James had ever done. I’d just have to wait and see how things turned out.
Thirteen
Ben
It had been difficult to get Serena out of my mind over the past week. The way she’d interacted with Daniel made the attraction I’d felt for her the past few weeks jump even more. And seeing her in the stands cheering me on had added a jolt of adrenaline to my pitching game. I’d even been able to ask her out on a date, although we hadn’t decided when to go out just yet. Between work and baseball, a lot of my time was already taken up.
We’d texted back and forth, nothing major, but it was fun to get to know her a little more, and it helped me relax because I could read and reread the message before I sent it, making sure it sounded somewhat decent.
We were at another tournament this weekend, this one a couple hours from home. I’d loosened up, throwing a few pitches with Zane, one of the backup catchers. Tom Dunn had the start on the mound, but Coach Lund had mentioned I would go in if he got into any trouble.
The rest of the team split up into infield and outfield groups, taking some practice balls to get them ready for the game. Zane and I leaned over the fence to the bullpen, watching the team practice. Each grounder or flyball, each throw seemed crisp and clean. We were as ready as we could be for this game and hopefully the next, as this tournament was the second largest attended by college coaches.
“How are things going with Serena?” Jake asked, walking up to the fence. Coach Lund had to go to the meeting with the umpire and opposing coach at the plate, leaving the infielders waiting for the game to start.
I frowned, irritation rising at his question. “Dude, we’re getting ready for a game right now. Get your head in the game.” We’d worked too hard to ruin things right now, and even though I liked Serena, now was not the time to be talking about girls and crushes. If I ruined our chances of doing well in this tournament, I’d never be able to forget it. I didn’t need to add one more nightmare of my imperfections to my nightly routine.
“Serena? Since when are you two dating?” Colt asked, strolling up behind Jake. He let his glove dangle over the fence as his other hand wiped at the sweat dripping down the sides of his face.
I shot Jake a look, my eyes narrowed and lips pursed. “We’re not dating.”
“You should be,” Jake said, grinning.
“Again, not the time to talk about this, Jake,” I said through gritted teeth. We were at the opposing team’s field two hours away, and I didn’t want to reflect on a loss for the entire ride home.
Colt looked between both of us, trying to figure out the connection. “Serena’s cool. I’d be all for you dating her. How does she feel about your stutter?”
Jake swiped Colt’s shoulder with his glove, sending the kid back a few steps. “Seriously? I’ll make sure Coach has you walk home from here.” He turned back to me. “Your stutter has gotten better lately. Is that because of Serena?”
He was just as bad as Colt. “I don’t know, I guess. I usually just have a hard time when I’m nervous.”
“Have you asked her out yet?”
I glanced over to where Coach Lund stood next to the plate, still listening to the umpire. Why wasn’t he done already?
“I said we should go out sometime, but we haven’t set anything up yet.” I studied my glove, tightening a knot in the leather that was starting to come loose.
Jake took a step back, pounding his fist into the palm of his glove. “Let’s make a bet.” This conversation was about to go off a cliff. “We win this game and you have to ask her out on an actual date. Not some future date that might happen before you start going gray.”
“And if we lose?” I asked dryly.
“We’re not losing, so let’s not worry about it.” All of us turned when we heard Coach’s voice calling the team to the dugout. To say I was relieved would be an understatement. I’d been trying to work up the courage to ask Serena out for several days, each time backing out at the last minute, whether it was through text or at therapy.
I thought about the text message she’d sent me before we got to the ballpark.
Wish I could be there. Good luck!
I tried to see the stands from where I stood, but I could only see the upper tier. None of the usual people I’d gotten used to seeing at our home games were there, and I just hoped we made it through this game so we could go to the championship.
I had to come in during the second inning, and I was glad we’d had enough days in between to rest because digging us out of a bases-loaded, no-outs situation had taken all the focus I had. The next few innings were better, allowing me so
me room to breathe. When Jake hit a three-run home run to put us up by one, I knew all I had to do was work with the last three outs and we were moving on in the tournament.
The first batter had been an easy strikeout, being the ninth batter. But starting at the top of the lineup, I had to hit every spot Dax set up at to get him out, and even then, he fouled off at least five pitches. I’d made the mistake of glancing into the stands and spotting several radar guns trained on me. I tried to push it away, tried to zone in like I’d been able to do for every other pitch that game, but the pressure was seeping in.
With two strikes on the last batter, I missed and threw it right down the middle, cringing as I knew at the release it was too good to pass up.
The ball connected with the bat, the sound echoing in my brain as it sailed into left field. Every part of my body tensed, and I stopped breathing as I watched it get closer and closer to the fence.
“Come on, Logan,” I said under my breath. The freshman was fast, but I wasn’t sure if he’d make it. At the fence, just as the ball was about to go, Logan somehow got his glove up and snagged it, tumbling to the ground after. He hopped up, holding his glove in the air as proof that he’d caught it.
We all ran out, yelling and tackling Logan to the ground.
“We just beat the number-one team in the state, boys!” Jake yelled so we could all hear above the crowd’s roar.
We made our way in to shake hands with the other team before heading back into the dugout. I glanced up into the stands, waving to my mom and Daniel. My stalwart fans. I smiled at them and let my eyes wander around the rest of the stands, wishing to see a brunette girl with a megawatt smile.
As we packed up, the guys all talked at once, the excitement loud. It felt good to have this game in the books. But it would have been better if Serena had been able to come.
Fourteen
Serena
It had been a long day, and I was so over rehab. John supervised my drills since Ben was gone, and I wished I could be there cheering them on. It was strange to be so excited for baseball since I’d grown up with every other sport but that one. But the more I’d gotten to know Ben, the more I wanted to be around him. And part of being around him was understanding the terminology that came with one of his passions.
Ben also listened to me ramble on and on about volleyball, especially when one of the sand volleyball games for the national team was on TV while I was at the clinic. He’d asked me sincere questions and seemed interested in the answers. It was refreshing that someone outside of my small friend group would care enough to listen to me. Everyone else seemed to tune me out whenever I talked about something I loved.
John’s phone dinged with a text message, and he pulled his phone out of his pocket. A broad grin spread from ear to ear.
“They won.”
I stopped moving the band back and forth with my foot, my head snapping in his direction to figure out what he meant. “The baseball team?”
Nodding, John turned the phone toward me. I saw Lund, Ben’s summer ball coach, at the top and a quick text that said, “They beat last year’s state champs! Win for Rosemont 3-2!”
I started my reps again, knowing the faster I got done, the sooner I could retrieve my own phone. Hopefully Ben texted on the drive back to the hotel.
“Are you good friends with the coach?” I asked, curious that John would get a message so soon after the game ended.
John laughed. “Am I good friends with Coach Lund? We played together with Coach Maddox, the high school coach, in college. Lund was one of the fastest guys I’ve ever seen. Too bad he blew out his knee in the outfield, or he could have gone onto the pros. He knows quite a few of the college and pro scouts, so he’s the ideal coach for the boys. My wife has been trying to set him up on a date for the last two years.”
He walked away, saying he had to grab a couple of papers, and I pushed through the exercises, ready to be out of there. It was a Friday night, and all I wanted to do was hang out and wait for Ben to get back, which wouldn’t actually happen until late Saturday night, barring some tropical storm. Did that make me the sappy girl waiting around for a guy? Maybe, but at this point, I was pretty sure he liked me back. I mean, he did ask me on a date, unless that was for a bet or something.
My foot was healed enough to drive, and I’d never been so excited to be behind the wheel as I was after relying on people the last two weeks. I pulled into the driveway and parked, smiling when I saw a couple of lights on. At least I wouldn’t be completely alone.
We won! It was awesome. I pitched five innings.
A shiver ran up my back as I read the text from Ben. I was surprised by how fast my feelings for him had grown over the past couple of weeks. It had been a rocky start, but he’d texted me after his game, which had to mean something.
The phone rang, and I saw his name on the screen. A thrill shot through me at the thought that he’d contacted me so soon after the game was over. Probably enough time to call his mom or even talk to her if she’d driven up for the games.
I leaned against the brick next to the garage door and answered. “Hey! Congrats! That’s so exciting. When is your next game?”
“Thanks,” Ben said, sounding more shy than normal. “It’s, um, tomorrow night. I probably won’t be throwing much. They brought me on early in the game.”
“How many pitches did you throw?” I’d learned this important detail after the last therapy session we’d had together. The fact that Penny could throw game after game while Ben was only allowed so many pitches before he had to rest for several days blew my mind.
Ben cleared his throat. “You remembered. I think it was around seventy.”
Grinning at the fact that I remembered all the little details he’d explained, I asked, “So you’ll probably come in as the, oh dang, what’s the word? The last pitcher of the game?”
His deep laugh rumbled through the phone, and I wished he was there by me. I didn’t know at what point I’d started liking Ben the Pitcher, but what I felt for him made my feelings for James earlier in the year pale in comparison.
“Relief pitcher. Yeah, I can come in as relief.”
I smiled, trying to keep the giddiness out of my voice. No wonder Penny turned into such a mush when she started dating Jake. No matter how much I tried to be chill, I just couldn’t.
“Maybe I’ll drive up tomorrow. I could probably get Penny to come with me.”
“Really?” The sound of the one word made me laugh. He seemed stunned, like he’d never expected that to happen.
I nodded even though no one else was around. “Of course. Are you on the bus right now?” I listened and heard guys talking and laughing in the background. Sounded like a winning team with all the energy.
“No, we’re just getting ready to head back to the hotel. No buses in summer ball.” Ben’s voice trailed off, and I heard a healthy pause. If I hadn’t heard all the other noise, I’d have thought we’d been cut off.
“That’s good. Well, I should let you go. Text me when you get back.” Panic took over my chest at my words, and I hurried to say, “Or just tomorrow. Whenever.”
Ben cleared his throat. “I was, uh, thinking, um, that m-maybe we, if you’re not busy, that, uh…” He paused and what sounded like a cough echoed through the phone. A few more seconds passed, and he said, his words going so fast it took a second for me to comprehend, “Let me know if you’re coming for sure. It would be fun to see you in the stands again. I was, uh, wishing you were there earlier today.”
I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt, and my heart soared. “Yeah? John got a text from your coach about the win, and I wished I’d been there. The daughter of a pro-football player and now baseball enthusiast.”
At my response, I heard a whole bunch of cheering, and I laughed. “Sounds like a lot of people there. Teammates?” A sliver of fear hit my chest, wondering if anyone had heard my last statement. I’d been through a lot in my life because of the status of my parents, but I’d done a
s much as I could to avoid talking about them so casually as I’d just done. Most of the people at school knew who my parents were, but I still didn’t like being made fun of or even people sucking up to me because of it.
“No, well, yes.” His voice sounded so far away, like he was going through a tunnel or something, even though there were no tunnels in between where the game took place and Pecan Flatts.
“Oh, John said I’m almost healed. I’ve progressed faster than he thought I would.” I’d been excited to hear that, and the fact that he’d been so surprised I’d rebounded in three weeks. An ankle injury wasn’t something I wanted to repeat.
“No way! That’s so awesome, Serena. You deserve it after how hard you’ve worked to get back to normal.” I could hear a smile in his voice, and my cheeks ached from smiling for so long.
Was this how relationships were? No worrying about the other person sneaking behind my back with another girl? Or having someone to tell all the exciting parts of life to? If so, I wished I’d found Ben months ago. Then I could have avoided some major heartaches.
I chuckled. “Thanks. I had a pretty good assistant trainer.”
“Intern.” He paused for a moment. “Sorry, I’ve got to run. Coach has some news about the game tomorrow.”
“Okay, good night.”
“Good night, Serena. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” His words sounded like a promise, one that made me giddy just thinking about it.
Fifteen
Ben
The guys gave me a hard time the night before about not setting a firm date with Serena, but if she was coming to the game, I didn’t want to ask her over the phone. I wanted to see her face to know that she really wanted to go and wasn’t just saying yes out of pity. It seemed like over the past few weeks she’d been less sarcastic and brooding, more happy and confident.
The next day sped by, and it was soon game time. The sun was down, the lights on, and we were in the big stadium used by one of the community colleges. As I saw the number of scouts with their guns ready and aimed at the field, I was glad I wasn’t starting. I just needed to focus enough to pitch flawlessly when called in and hope it would be enough.
The Perfect Game: A Young Adult Romance (Rosemont High Baseball Book 2) Page 8
