The Perfect Play: A Boy Next Door Young Adult Romance (Rosemont High Baseball Book 1)

by Britney M. Mills

  “Watch out!” Penny pointed to the car stopped at the exit. “This was a bad idea. Why I even thought of accepting a ride from you was a lapse in judgment on my part.” She was clinging to the handlebar above the window, looking as though she was ready to hop out at any moment.

  “Chill,” I said, trying to calm my own heart rate. I didn’t need to be in another accident, and the fact that I’d let myself get that distracted while behind the wheel had my stomach twisted in knots. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and shook her head. “Yeah, you’ve told me that before.” She pulled her arms tight against her middle and frowned, her attention on something in front of us. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have said she was trying to light something on fire.

  I didn’t want to admit it, but she was right. Years ago, she and I did everything together, and every time her parents fought, she’d come over and hide out in my room. I’d do everything I could to reassure her that I’d never hurt her, at least not like her parents did to each other. And then I’d ditched her right around the time her mother walked out. Acted like she no longer existed.

  Guilt constricted my chest, making it difficult to breathe. Some friend I was. But there was a lot more to it than that. I couldn’t tell her why. After everything that had happened in the few short years since, I wasn’t worthy to be her friend—or anything more, for that matter.

  “How many advanced classes are you taking this year?” I asked, hoping to pull my mind from the well of deep thoughts.

  “Four. The more tests I can take and pass, the less I have to pay for college. I’m hoping to have an associate’s by the time we graduate.”

  I thought about my dismal schedule and laughed. “Associate’s. Do you still want to be a therapist?”

  She looked at me as though surprised I would actually remember something like that. “Yep. It’s a long road to get there, but I want to help people.” Sadness passed over her features, and she rolled her lips in, glancing down at her intertwined fingers.

  “Well, if anyone can do it, my money’s on you, Pen. I’ll be lucky to graduate at all at the rate I’m going.” The D plus from my last history test flashed in my mind, and I grimaced.

  “It doesn’t make you weak to actually try in school, Jake,” Penny said. She’d turned her body toward me, leaning her head against the window as she stared in my direction.

  I pulled onto our street and then turned into my driveway a few seconds later. “You sound like my mother.”

  Shifting into park, I caught her shaking her head and hopping out of the Jeep like it was suddenly on fire. She stomped over the small strip of grass that ran between our driveways and was almost in the house before I shouted, “You’re welcome for the ride.”

  A sarcastic, “Thank you,” rang out before the door slammed shut. I guess it wasn’t possible to make up for three and a half years all in one day.

  Chapter 5

  Penny

  Thankfully, I’d remembered to dry my uniform the night before, because with the delay, I was going to have to throw it on and bike to the diner. I hated being late. It was the worst thing a person could do when other people were depending on them, and I knew tonight was going to be crazy. The Rosemont Book Club usually came in on the third Tuesday of the month, and given how many ladies attended, I was usually hopping around the diner to keep up.

  I threw my wallet and phone into a small drawstring backpack and redid my ponytail, smoothing back the wisps that kept flying out the sides. Running out the door, I grabbed my old bike, grateful my father took such care in maintaining things like that. He knew how unreliable my car was, but with funds so tight, this was the best option when things didn’t go as planned.

  As I pushed on the pedals to cross the driveway, movement from the upper window of the White house drew my attention, and I saw Jake looking down at me with an expression I’d never seen on him before. Old Jake was always transparent, but new Jake seemed to be guarding so much behind the mask of indifference and sarcasm. This look, though, was something mixed, as though he were feeling both pity and shame at the same moment.

  I thought about flipping him off, but that wasn’t my style, no matter how much his just leaving me behind still hurt after all this time.

  Lou’s Diner was a mile away from our house, and I pulled up breathless and one minute late. I parked my bike around back and ran into the kitchen, pulling an apron from the wall and tying the strings in back.

  “Penny Davis, late?” came a deep rumbling voice behind me.

  I turned to see my boss, Lou, flipping burgers next to the grill. “I know, I know. I had tryouts today, and then my car wouldn’t start, so I had to ride my bike. I’ll make it up to you, Lou.” I gave him a small smile.

  He waved his hand at me. “It’s all good, girl. I’m just glad to see you. We’ve got the monthly book group in the back corner, and I’m afraid Claudia is ready to quit.”

  The Rosemont Book Club consisted of nearly fifteen ladies in their sixties and seventies. Each of them liked to meddle in the townspeople’s lives, and I’d never met a more opinionated group of people. But they could also be the typical sweet old grandmas if shown you weren’t one to be walked all over.

  “Do you want me to take them from Claudia?” I asked, making sure my apron was stocked with straws and my order pad.

  “Yes, please,” came a feminine voice from the other side of the prep station in the middle of the kitchen. Claudia looked more frazzled than usual, her slightly graying hair looking more silver in the fluorescent lighting. “They’re driving me crazy, and all I’ve done is bring the drinks out.”

  I waved a hand and smiled. “No problem. I’ll go make sure we’ve got everything figured out.”

  It took about ten minutes for the women to give their order, even though it was nearly the same month in and month out. Some changed a little because they were on a diet or wanting to try something new, but for the most part, their orders were as predictable as their showing up at the diner every month.

  “What book are we discussing this month, ladies?” I asked, finishing up the last order on my notepad.

  “It’s one Gladys picked out,” Karla said, pointing to the woman at the far end of the table. The woman leaned a little closer and covered her mouth so only I could hear. “It was the most boring piece of trash I’ve ever read. I wish I was like some of these gals and could just pretend to have read it.”

  I covered my mouth to keep the rest of the group from hearing my laughter, wondering what it was about. When I got myself under control, I clicked my pen and said, “Perfect. I’ll go get your meals going and be right back to fill up your drinks.” The one lady at the end was always a camel, and I’d probably have to refill her glass at least four times before she left.

  The bell above the door rang, and I said, “Welcome to Lou’s. Take a seat, and we’ll get you taken care of,” before even turning to see who it was. When I turned, I stopped in my tracks, swallowing hard. “What are you doing here?”

  To his credit, Jake looked just as shocked to find me in the diner as I was to see him again so soon after our ride home from tryouts.

  “We decided to meet up for some food,” he said, pointing to his crew of baseball friends behind him. “You work here?” The disbelief in his voice caused me to shift from one foot to another.

  Deciding not to answer the obvious question, I repeated, “Take a seat. I’ll send someone out to help you,” before turning on my heel and marching back into the kitchen.

  I took a breath, trying to hide the burning shame that kept creeping up, heating my cheeks. I’d been working at Lou’s for the last three and a half years, starting out bussing tables and then waitressing ever since. In that time, I’d only had a handful of students from Rosemont come in on my shift, and I’d always been able to avoid waiting on them. But the look on Jake’s face as one nostril turned up at the thought of working in a place like this made me feel like I’d
just swung and missed at a change-up.

  “Claudia,” I said, walking up to the middle-aged woman. “There’s a group of guys out there who go to my school. Will you take their table?”

  “Sure. Looks like there are five of them? Can’t be worse than those ladies out there.”

  If only she knew.

  I gave Lou the orders and helped get a few of the sides ready, knowing that prompt service would help avoid complaints—and I prided myself on good service. Any extra tips went into the large Mason jar in my closet, and I still had a ways to go to fill it.

  A couple of times, I looked up and glanced out of the kitchen, where I saw Jake staring at me, a slight smile on his lips. If he hadn’t looked so surprised upon walking into the diner, I would have thought he was stalking me.

  Focusing on the orders and what I needed for each helped me avoid thinking about him, for a few minutes anyway. Why couldn’t I just stick to thinking of him as a spineless jerk whose friend was killed in a drunk-driving accident in Jake’s car? Why did my pulse race and my mind conjure up all the fantasies I’d had when I was hard-core crushing on the kid? Because as much as I told myself those were over, his sudden attention to me was throwing off my opinions of him.

  I carried a large tray with several of the orders, grabbing a stand on my way out. I’d done this enough times that it felt automatic, but when I glanced in Jake’s direction again, my foot caught. I dropped the stand and grabbed the tray with my now-free hand, knowing that sending a tray full of orders to the ground would be more embarrassing than I could ever get over and Lou wouldn’t be happy.

  “A little clumsy today? Aren’t you supposed to be the all-star pitcher?” one of the boys called out, and from the sound, it was Dax. The rest of the group chuckled.

  I didn’t give them the satisfaction of another look. Once the tray was steady, I used my foot to kick the stand back up to where I could grab it and continued over to the book-club ladies. I gave out their orders before heading back to the kitchen with an empty tray, ready for round two.

  “Looks like they need more help around this place,” Jake said, his voice drawing my attention right before I walked into the back. The smirk on his face was the same he’d had for the last few years.

  I knew it. He hadn’t changed, but he was up to something. I just wasn’t sure what.

  Chapter 6

  Jake

  I was impressed with Penny’s skill at keeping everything balanced. At first, I was sure the tray was going to go toppling to the ground. I’d thought about getting up and helping her, but something kept me firmly seated. Maybe it was the fact that I was with the guys and they’d already started making fun of her.

  When I’d spoken, it wasn’t to say anything bad against her. I was just making a statement. But it acted as a double-edged sword, fooling the guys into thinking I was in on the jokes. Making fun of Penny wasn’t something I would ever do—at least, not intentionally. Sure, I’d avoided her like the plague for years, but anytime someone had brought her up in conversation, I’d tried to give her some sort of compliment.

  She reappeared with another full tray, not even glancing our direction. Some of the pieces of her auburn hair had fallen out of the tight bun-like ponytail she wore so often, and I wondered if it was as soft as it used to be. When she’d been stressed, it always helped to play with her hair, which somehow eased any tension I felt as well.

  “What’s wrong with you, Jake? You look like you haven’t seen her in days,” Dax said, slugging me in the shoulder. “Doesn’t she live next door?”

  “Yeah,” I said, massaging where he’d hit me.

  “Maybe you should ask her out. Then at least you’d get her out of your system.” Colt took a sip of his water the older waitress had brought out a few minutes before.

  Shaking my head, I leaned onto the table. “She’s not in my system. We were friends growing up. Just leave her alone, all right?”

  Nate was sitting on the end of the booth next to Ben and stood up, a smirk on his face. “Well, if you’re not going to ask her out, I will. Do you think she’d go for me?” He took a few steps in the direction of the old-lady table, his swagger a telltale sign that he wasn’t kidding.

  I pushed Dax out of the booth and ran after him, pulling his shoulder back. What I wasn’t expecting was a fist to come flying at my face. The impact sent waves of pain through my nose and face, causing tears to well up as it grew more intense. As an instinctive reaction, I balled my fist and gave him his own punch to the jaw, sending his head twisting to the side with a crack.

  With a mischievous smile, Nate threw another punch, this time allowing me to dodge to the side and push him behind me. But instead of staying in the aisle, he plowed over the side of the booth we were sitting in, knocking over the glasses of water. The water on the table seemed to propel him even farther, and in a matter of a few quick seconds, Nate’s head and shoulder crashed through the window looking out onto the street.

  The restaurant paused, every pair of eyes staring our direction, every mouth agape.

  I swore under my breath and ran over to Nate, hoping he was okay. It had just been a joke like we’d done so many times before. But as I got closer and pulled two of my friends out of the way, my heart thrummed in my ears.

  “I’m calling 9-1-1,” Ben said, his voice reaching an octave higher than normal as I saw the thin line of blood seeping onto the back of the booth.

  Please let him be okay. I couldn’t live with myself if I’d gotten another one of my friends killed because of my foolish antics.

  Nate moved slowly back into the booth, and I looked at the large gash that sliced from one side of his forehead and down across the bridge of his nose to the ear on the other side. Dark red blood already coated his face, and it kept dripping.

  I grabbed several napkins, dabbing them around the wound and then finally holding them against it.

  “Are you an idiot?” Penny’s terse words caused me to turn, and she pushed me back, trying to get to Nate. She took over holding the napkins and whispered things to him, her voice more soothing than I’d ever heard it.

  I stood away from the booth, looking at the aftermath of our friendly fight and knowing I was in deep. Not only had we broken a window, but would one of our key starters be okay to even play this season?

  “I-I’m sorry,” I stuttered, trying to process the quick succession of thoughts that sent me right back to that night nine months, two weeks, and one day ago. I ran a hand through my hair and sat down at a booth across from where Nate and Penny were. Dax and Colt moved closer to me, their expressions stunned. I glanced back at Ben as he explained the situation to the emergency people on the phone, taking deep breaths between speaking.

  Flashing lights and sirens sounded, and a few seconds later, they were outside the diner. I glanced over to Nate again. The color had drained from his face, making him look ashen and sickly.

  Paramedics urged Penny out of the way, and they put Nate onto a gurney, wheeling him out the front door and into the back of the ambulance.

  I hadn’t even seen the police come through, but they stood in front of the four of us, their expressions just as stern as they’d been the night of the accident. “What happened here?”

  I felt Dax, Ben, and Colt turn their eyes to me, boring into my skull.

  “We were having a friendly scuffle, and I didn’t realize I pushed him as hard as I did. He ended up sliding over the booth and into the window right there.” I pointed to the spot, even though I was sure they didn’t need help finding where the injury had occurred. The cracks in the glass ran all the way up, and a thick trail of blood stretched across the table.

  Feeling lightheaded, I turned to study a scratch on the table in front of me. Blood still got me, even after all this time.

  “Your name?” the officer asked.

  I swallowed. “Jake White.”

  “We’ll have to talk to the owner and the parents of the other boy and see if they want to press charges, Mr.
White. Why don’t you take a ride with us?”

  I nodded, knowing that submitting would be the best option for my future. I didn’t need a felony or misdemeanor on my record, or I’d never get into college. One of the officers walked in front of me to the door as the other one breathed down my neck behind me.

  Remembering I’d driven, I turned and tossed the keys to Dax. “You need these more than I do right now.”

  Dax caught them with ease and nodded, his grim expression the same as the other two behind him.

  As I walked past the long table of older women, each of them seemed to be trying to take in as much as they could so they could spread the news around town. Just what I didn’t need. An audience who couldn’t keep quiet.

  Chapter 7

  Penny

  There had been a lot of clean-up after Jake’s fight, and I was grateful the book club broke up sooner than usual, no doubt ready to go tell everyone in town what had happened at Lou’s diner.

  Jake hadn’t changed a bit. He’d always had a bit of a temper on him, but throwing his friend through a window? That wasn’t something I’d expected of him.

  The other three baseball players had paid their tab, and when I walked over with a large bucket and a rag, hoping to clean up as much of the small shards of glass as I could, Dax stopped me.

  “Sorry about all the mess, Nickel.” His use of Jake’s nickname for me caused bile to rise up my throat. I didn’t even like it when Jake used it, but his best friend should have known better.

  “Don’t call me that. Jake’s your friend. You’re lucky you aren’t the one in the hospital.”