Team Player 2: A Sports Anthology

by Paige, Rochelle

  She takes a breath. “I booked at a different time. Wasn’t sure I was going to make it because of a class I was trying to get into.” It’s said quickly, her lips rolled in and pressed between her teeth the moment the words leave her mouth. I’m trying to think of another question to ask when the plane does a little dip and shimmy, making Maeve jump and latch onto my arm, her nails biting into my skin even through my hoodie. Her eyes are screwed closed, head pressed into the back of her seat. She looks half a second away from a panic attack. The plane levels, and Maeve slowly begins to relax next to me.

  “You good?”

  “Yeah, sorry. I hate takeoff. The rest of the flight doesn’t bother me, just the takeoff. I’m always expecting the plane to burst into flames before we even get into the air.” She laughs nervously.

  “Ummm…you sure you’re not the drama queen?” Her level of drama is kind of cute. But I’ve seen firsthand how cute can turn to not so cute with a flip of a switch.

  “I’m a girl, so I’m moderately dramatic through genetics. It can’t be helped. Just as boys are born with the asshole gene, girls are born with the drama gene.” She shrugs, smothering a little grin. “It’s science.”

  With a look that clearly says how crazy I think she is, I can’t help but laugh. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how science works.”

  “Are you a science major?”

  “No.”

  “Then you don’t know shit,” Maeve says matter-of-factly and sticks her tongue out at me before turning her attention to the book she pulls from her bag. A science book. A science book on…genetics.

  “They teach you that in your fancy book? You might need to do some more research.”

  “No. I learned that from having an older brother and constantly being around all his friends all my life. It’s like a lifelong experiment at this point.”

  “So you’re saying I’m an asshole?” I’m slightly offended.

  “Not that you’re an asshole but that you have the ability to be one just as I have the ability to be dramatic.”

  “And you don’t think that that’s a little dramatic?”

  She shrugs. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but since you’re my brother’s friend, I guess we’ll never know. I’ll have to do my research on someone else.”

  It’s all said jokingly. She’s not even a little serious about any of it, and still, it makes me want to fight an imaginary, maybe asshole who Maeve would give her attention to. Even if she wasn’t Levi’s sister, I don’t mess around with sweet girls like her because she’s right, I am an asshole. Just like her brother and the rest of his friends she’s been surrounded by all her life. We’re all just in it for the smash and dash. And that makes me all kinds of an asshole, one who has no business even talking to hot as fuck Maeve Sexton. Fuck me, this is going to be the longest flight and even longer two weeks of my life.

  Maeve

  “What were you doing being all nicey-nice to Benny Hayes?” Millie asks as we unpack our suitcases. We’ve been at the hotel for all of five minutes, and she’s already grilling me. I’m actually surprised she waited this long, considering she gave me the stink eye on the whole bus ride from the airport.

  “I wasn’t being all anything. We were just talking.” I hang up the couple of sundresses I brought on my side of the closet. The rooms are huge, complete with a kitchenette area so that we can cook some food instead of always eating on campus. We would typically stay in the dorms for this clinic, but a recent fire has them out of commission. The hotel is literally right across the street, though, so we can walk over to the cafeteria and the fields. “Did you want me to ignore him the whole flight?” There’s no way I could have, even if I tried. He’s too much…just too much everything for that. Not only his size, which is pretty damn impressive up close, but Benny has a presence about him without even trying. I loved joking around with him, and our banter was easy. Maybe because he was safe just by being Levi’s friend. I could relax and be me because I knew nothing could come of it.

  “No, but you were all cozy, and you gave him my pillow!”

  “It’s my pillow, Mill, and we were definitely not cozy.” Making my way into the bathroom, I strip off my leggings and shirt so I can shower really quick before we go to our team meeting. “We sat together, we chatted a bit, then he went to sleep. The end.” I won’t mention how even with the borrowed pillow, he ended up leaned against me. Or that I liked it. And I especially won’t divulge that the clean smell of his cologne clinging to me is the real reason I need to shower.

  Millie comes into the bathroom, not caring that I’m in the shower. “Well, you shouldn’t be nice to him. He’ll get ideas and want to hang around, and I do not want him hanging around, Maeve.” She whips the curtain back, and I do my best to cover my bits.

  “Seriously, Mill?” My sister has no boundaries with anyone, but especially not with me.

  She pulls the curtain closed again. “I’m serious, Maeve. There are a whole bunch of baseball teams here, and we can find soooo many boys to keep us occupied while we’re here.” Her tone is positively wistful.

  “You know there isn’t going to be a whole lot of time for all that, right?”

  “There’s always time for boys.” She pokes her head around the curtain. “So don’t like him, okay, sissy?” Oh, she’s really pouring on the sugar now. That’s the only time the sissy card gets pulled.

  I flick water at her, and she retreats. “I don’t like him. I don’t even know him. Plus, he’s Levi’s roommate.” That in and of itself makes the argument moot. Even if I did like him, which I don’t—at least, I don’t think—my brother would never let it fly. He’s never bothered too much with any of my relationships. Mostly because they’ve all been short lived or kept quiet, but also, they weren’t with anyone in his circle. Benny is totally in Levi’s orbit. He’s his roommate and teammate, which makes them part of the hockey boy brotherhood or whatever they are. Millie is a totally different story. She always goes for the bad boys, which is what makes Levi get all up in her business.

  “Yeah, you’re right. That’s a big one. Levi would kick his ass.” Obviously satisfied with that, she leaves, calling back, “Hurry up. We have to be there in twenty-five minutes. This is why I came prepared.”

  “Liar! You came dressed for summer because you thought you might get to sit next to some Hottie McHotterson,” I shout over the sound of the water falling around me and the whir of the exhaust fan. “And don’t pretend you don’t hear me,” I add for good measure, positive that I’m right.

  * * *

  “Are you sure that isn’t mine?” Millie asks for the third time, pointing at my romper. It was one of the new ones I had bought just for this trip and super cute with its pink and white arrows all over the gray cotton.

  “I’m positive. Nice try, though,” I volley as I stand to throw my plate away. After the meeting, we were able to grab an early dinner at the cafeteria and get a quick tour of the fields and campus, apart from the dorms that were in the process of being gutted and rebuilt. “And no, you may not borrow it. I’ll never see it again. Just like I’ve never seen that Adidas track suit you promised to hang right back up in my closet.”

  My sister pretends she doesn’t hear me and links her arm with mine, knowing damn well that I’m right. “Are you coming with us over to Fraternity Village tomorrow night? We were invited by a couple of the baseballers.”

  “You know that the sisters are not going to like that.” Sorority girls can be a little territorial, so they will not appreciate us being there.

  “We were invited. Plus, it’s winter break for them, which is weird to say since it’s so hot. I’m sure most aren’t even on campus. And you know what that means?” she singsongs.

  “Ummm…no.” I laugh at her exasperated expression.

  “It means more boys for us.” Ever the boy crazy twin, I should have known she was going there.

  “Where are there more boys?” Lakyn asks as she and Kenna join us at the cross
walk leading back to our hotel.

  “I was telling Maeve about the party tomorrow night.”

  “Yes, girl! You are totally going, Maeve.”

  “You guys act like I never do anything fun with you. I’m fun.” My friends and sister are going to give me a complex.

  “You are fun!” Kenna is hurried to assure me, her smile just as quick as her words.

  “But you’re also the responsible one, and the DD whenever we go anywhere,” Lakyn adds, hooking my other arm. My pale, freckle-covered skin a stark contrast to her tanned, olive, and freckle-free one.

  “Not that we aren’t grateful for that! You’ve saved my ass more times than I can count,” my sister offers unnecessarily. I know just how many times I’ve come to her rescue, and it’s more times than she even realizes. She keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure. Her hazel eyes twinkle, the same mossy color except for the blue bursts in mine.

  “I’m sure I’ll go, depending on what happens on the field tomorrow. What are we doing tonight, though?” It’s too early to go sit in the hotel room, but we’ve just eaten, and we aren’t old enough for any of the bars that I saw on the ride in.

  “I think there was a coffee shop around the block from us,” Kenna offers as a suggestion.

  “I could totally go for some coffee. What time is curfew?” They won’t care, but I’m not blowing curfew our first night here, especially if we were going out tomorrow night and will undoubtedly be pushing it.

  Millie rolls her eyes at me. “We’ll be back in time, Cinderella,” she teases as we walk past the hotel, turn the corner, and walk right into a brick wall.

  “Ooomph.” I’m stumbling back from the force when I feel strong hands grip my arms. Millie lists sideways into Kenna who catches her easily.

  “Whoa, Smalls. Easy.” Benny steadies me, a little flash of teeth and a barely there smile drawing my attention and distracting me from the new nickname he’s given me. “Where’re you going in such a hurry?”

  “We’re not in a hurry. You’re just in the way,” Millie bites out.

  I’m a little dazed, but I’m not sure if it’s the feel of his hands on my bare skin, the smell of clean sweat coming off him, or that I seriously feel like I just took a line drive to the solar plexus. What the hell is he made of?

  He ignores my sisters snipping and squats a bit so that we’re at eye level. “You okay?” His hat is turned backward, the long strands of his chestnut-colored hair licking at his ears, and the brim resting on his nape. It takes me a second to gather my wits, but I shake my head and take a step back, breaking contact. “Yeah, sorry. You knocked the breath from me.” My laugh is strained. I can feel all eyes on me, and it’s unnerving. Almost as unnerving as realizing that he’s not wearing a shirt. His shorts hang low on his hips, the band of his underwear visible, a white shirt tucked into the waistband at his back and sweat glistening on his muscular chest. A chest I’m staring at, and if the little flex he did is any indication, he knows it. Shit.

  “Put some clothes on, geez!” Millie complains.

  “Please don’t,” Lakyn says. If he hears them, he doesn’t show it.

  “I make you breathless, Smalls?” His smile widens, a wicked twist of lips that draws my attention away from his torso, though I’m not sure it’s any safer.

  “Nice try, Hayes.” I pretend to play it cool when I feel anything but. “What are you doing out here, you following me?”

  “Not yet.”

  What does that even mean?

  He crosses his arms over his chest. “The gym at our hotel is being cleaned, so I went for a run.”

  “It’s like eleventy million degrees out.” That might be a bit of an exaggeration. It’s more like a very warm eighty, but not by much. It’s supposed to be cooler, but it’s not. It’s so not. Just standing here, I can feel a trickle of perspiration travel between my boobs. The heat is the reason my hair is piled on top of my head in a messy bun, there was no way I would get the wavy strands tamed here. Apparently, my hair doesn’t like the dry heat any more than it likes the humidity. “And don’t even say it’s dry heat so it doesn’t count,” I admonish before he gets the chance to say exactly that.

  “Oh, it counts.” Benny laughs. “After being in Boston for so long, it counts. I like a good workout, though. Is it even good if you’re not sweaty as fuck when you’re finished?” he asks a little smugly. Is he flirting with me? Or is this just Benny Hayes being Benny Hayes?

  There’s a small whimper behind me, my guess it came from Kenna, followed by a snort of disgust. Millie.

  “Oh, my god! Stop flirting with my sister. And seriously, go put a shirt on.” My twin reaches past him and grabs my arm, pulling me away. “Let’s go, Maeve.”

  “Bye ladies, behave yourselves,” Benny calls after us as I will myself not to turn back and look. But I do it anyway. In the middle of the sidewalk in the warm Phoenix sun, hands planted on his hips, bare chest glistening in all its sweaty, muscled glory, he stands there staring at my ass. I don’t know whether to be pissed off, flattered, or turned on. I think I might be all three. And also in trouble.

  Benny

  I’d much rather be on the ice than sitting my ass outside on these bleachers in the early morning sun. At least it hasn’t reached crazy high temperatures, but it’s still hot. Figures that the first time I make it home in a while, we would have some record-breaking heat wave happening. This heat blows, even for Phoenix. Still, it’s better than the summer when it’s already hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk by eight in the morning. You’d think after living here my whole life I’d be used to this heat by now, but after spending so much time in the cold rinks, I don’t think I ever really acclimated to the level of hell that Arizona can be. It’s fucking winter, and it’s supposed to be much, much cooler right now, which is one of the reasons they do these clinics this time of year. Clearly, we’re not getting any of that weather. I promised my sister I would help her out, though, so I’m stuck here for the next couple of hours at the very least. The girls have a game first thing, and then three different clinics today, so I told Olivia I would stay for the game and then come back later. Even though it’s only across the street, the chaperones and coaches are responsible for getting the players back to the hotel since it’s technically off campus.

  Quite a few people are in the stands as the players take the field. A lot of them are other players, both softball and baseball, but there are more people than I thought. Some even look like they may be scouts. I scan the girls, looking for Maeve as they’re huddled together. The name on the back of their black jerseys is not going to be any help since I don’t know what number is hers and which is Millie’s. I’ve been to a couple of games with Levi and the rest of the guys, but I can honestly say I wasn’t paying that much attention to either twin. Especially not with their brother sitting right next to me. There’s a Sexton with the number ten emblazoned in white and red on her back and then right next to her is another Sexton with the number one. I’m surprised that I’m immediately certain which is which.

  They break apart and start off for their positions on the diamond. “Let’s go number one!” Fingers tucked into my mouth, I let out a sharp whistle. Maeve doesn’t glance up, but I know she heard me when she hesitated for the briefest moment. She’s not the only one who heard. Even from here, I can see the evil eye Millie is giving me. Maeve takes her place at third base, focused on the girl stepping into the batter’s box. The one I should be watching. Instead, I can’t take my eyes off the girl on third. She’s got her legs planted wide as she focuses, waiting for whatever play comes her way. Her black hat pulled low to shade her eyes, a black and red glove at the ready. Their uniforms consist of black on black with red accent sleeves and socks, and Fulton spelled out across her chest in the same red. As an athlete myself, seeing her in her element, ready to kick ass and take names, is fucking hot. And I know that it shouldn’t be. Or at least not to me, but that’s where I’m at right now.

  The crack of the
ball against the bat drags my attention away as I follow the ball until it’s caught by the left fielder for the out. After the play is made, I go back to watching Maeve, still focused, still hot, still off-limits. Maybe that’s my problem. We always want what we can’t have, and I for sure can’t have Levi Sexton’s little sister. I pry my gaze away from her and instead force myself to watch Lakyn over on first base where it’s safer. It lasts only a few seconds, though. My eyes make their way back to Maeve, and I’m reminded of the way she felt slamming into me last night. Her soft curves meeting my hard planes with absolutely no resistance. Knocking the wind right out of her gave me a reason to put my hands on her wicked soft skin. The freckles from her face traveling down her neck and spanning her chest and shoulders and down her arms. I’ve never seen so many freckles in all my life. It was like a constellation across her skin. A constellation I wanted to trace.

  A cheer through the stands brings me out of my head to see that the Fire made quick work of the first inning and were headed off the field and into the dugout to bat. I watched as the girls took their at bats, one by one until finally, Maeve stepped up to the plate with a runner on second and two outs. My hands clasped, dangling between my legs, and I bit my lip to keep quiet. I didn’t want to make her nervous by calling out to her or whistling like I wanted to. She looked dialed into the pitcher, her face set in concentration. That’s one good thing about a hockey game, the glass gives you a level of separation from the spectators and makes it a little harder to hear anything over just the noise. Everyone is loud—the music, the people banging on the glass, and the cheering—but it’s a lot harder to make out what any one person is saying. Here, though, you could hear a pin drop right now. The only sounds came from the other games happening on the other two fields, the birds in the trees bordering the stands, and the girls calling out encouragement to each other every so often. It’s a totally different atmosphere than I’m used to.