Playing the Field

by Christina Benjamin

  I wished I could pull out my phone and fire off a text to Hannah. Of my best friends, she was the one with the most experience when it came to boys and feelings. It was something Jordan and I lovingly teased her about. But the feels Grant was serving me certainly didn’t feel laughable, making me regret my previous mocking of Hannah’s boy drama.

  When it seemed like our teacher had forgotten about us, Grant spoke up again. “Sorry about Tyler, by the way. He’s an idiot.”

  “Ah, I’m guessing he’s the owner of this morning’s cheesy pickup line?”

  “That’s him.”

  I let myself study Grant unabashed. Although there was a mischievous twinkle to his alluring gray eyes, he looked like he had a good head on his shoulders. Confident, but not without cause. He was charming with his chiseled jaw and dimpled smile, and obviously strong from the way his long-sleeved t-shirt stretched taught across his chest and arms, but he seemed to have depth hidden behind his good looks which gave me hope that if I could get past the battlefield of butterflies his smile invited, we might be friends.

  “I know we just met, but you don’t strike me as the type to hang out with idiots,” I replied.

  Grant grinned. “Normally, I’d say that’s true, but Tyler throws a mean splitter.”

  My heart leapt in disbelief. I’d known Grant was a jock, but I’d pegged him as a football player based on his sizable muscles.

  “You play baseball?” I asked.

  It was his turn to look surprised. “You know baseball?”

  “You could say that.”

  What the heck was that, Alex?

  I never played coy!

  I cleared my throat. “I play softball,” I clarified. “Shortstop.”

  His dimples deepened. “I knew I liked you.”

  I met his smile. “Oh yeah?”

  “I play shortstop, too. Team captain.”

  Okay, I was impressed.

  I most certainly was not boy crazy, but if I were, it would be for this boy, with his dimpled charm and baseball skills. I was usually pretty good at spotting frauds, but everything about Grant King said he was the real deal.

  Maybe chemistry class had just gifted me my first friend at Northwood High.

  Maybe more . . .

  Chapter Five

  Grant

  All through class I had to remind myself to stop staring at her.

  But how on earth does one manage to sit next to his dream girl and not stare?

  I also had to keep reminding myself to call her Alex. I normally played hard to get, but if I accidentally called her dream girl out loud it would kill my game.

  Although, did I even want to play games with a girl like this?

  And wait, I wasn’t supposed to be playing games at all!

  This year is about baseball and nothing else, Grant!

  I glanced at Alex again. She was beautiful, sassy, had a great sense of humor and most importantly, liked baseball! Most girls at Northwood didn’t know the first thing about the game that ruled my life. The few girls I bothered to date had tried to talk game with me but came off sounding ridiculous when they said things like ‘your outfit is so cute,’ or ‘score a goal for me.’

  First of all, our uniforms were not cute. They were badass! Secondly, I scored runs not goals, but it honestly wasn’t worth explaining to any of the girls I’d briefly dated. That’s one of the reasons I swore off girls this year. They were a distraction. A fun distraction . . . I mean I wasn’t a saint. No teenage boy gets voted baseball captain and doesn’t enjoy the perks.

  But right now, dating was a distraction I couldn’t afford. Of course, sitting so close to Alex made it suddenly more difficult to remember that. She had me ready to reverse my dating restriction immediately and I’d only met her this morning!

  Maybe taking dating off the table really such a smart decision.

  I’d made it before I’d known a girl like Alex existed, much less would be gracing my lab table for the rest of the year.

  Wasn’t Coach always saying not to make decisions until we had all the facts?

  Alex was certainly a game changer. I was already imagining what it would be like to have her by my side at Tyler’s pre-season party. The idea of dating a girl who looked like Alex and knew baseball was making me dizzy.

  Yeah, I definitely needed to rethink my ban on girls . . .

  “So,” Alex said, pulling me from my thoughts, “when does the season start?”

  “Tryouts are next week.”

  “How’s the team?”

  “We’re the pride of Northwood.”

  She raised a skeptical eyebrow.

  “I’m not being cocky. We’re really good, but we also don’t have to share the glory.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m sure you’ve noticed but Northwood High is pretty small. We don’t have enough players or resources to fund a football or soccer team, so baseball rules the school.”

  “Well, at least they didn’t cut the only sport that matters.”

  Again, I found myself smirking. If she got any cooler, I’d have a real hard time not dipping her over our desk and laying one on her.

  “What about girls’ sports?” she asked.

  “We have some co-ed sports like track and field, and cross country and we have a dance team. They lead the pep rallys and stuff.”

  “So, there’s really no softball team?” she asked, her voice laced with disappointment.

  “Nope.”

  She rested her delicate chin in her hands and let out a sigh so sad I barely resisted rubbing her back. But her depression quickly evaporated. She sat up straight again, lifting her chin as she brushed her long chocolate locks over her shoulder. “Well, I guess I’ll have to start one.”

  I felt for her. I really did. I couldn’t imagine attending a school where I couldn’t play baseball. “You can try, but the girls here aren’t really the sporty type.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked defensively.

  “It means they’re more into dating athletes than actually being athletes.”

  “Well, too bad. I’m not going to miss out on a scholarship because I got transferred to some Podunk middle of nowhere school. No offense,” she added.

  “None taken.”

  And I meant it.

  If I’d had the choice, I would’ve left Northwood when my mom did, but apparently, she wanted to leave everything about her life here behind, including me.

  I pushed the painful memory from my head and focused on the angel sitting next to me. Alex was chewing her full lips and I fought the urge to unpin the delicate flesh with my thumb. Instead I said, “Carson City has a softball team.”

  Her blue eyes brightened with hope. “Really? How far away is that?”

  “About an hour.” I instantly regretted my comment. The last thing I wanted was for this athletic angel to transfer to another school. “Maybe they’d let you play interscholastically.”

  She arched one dark eyebrow at me.

  “It means playing a sport for a school you don’t attend,” I explained.

  “I know what it means,” she replied. “I’m just surprised you do.”

  I smirked. “Small town doesn’t always mean small-minded.”

  “Right, I-I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s okay,” I said, as the bell rang. “You can make it up to me at lunch.”

  She looked at me like I was speaking another language. “What?”

  I just laughed and picked up her books. “Come on. You’re gonna buy me a milkshake and I’m gonna show you how to survive the cafeteria.”

  Chapter Six

  Alex

  By the time I finished my chocolate milkshake I think I had my first full blown crush and I didn’t regret a minute of it. I was already drafting my email to Jordan and Hannah in my head.

  Love at first sight exists at Northwood High, and it goes by the name of Grant King. He has captivating gray eyes, dreamy dimples I could drown in and a smile I
’d run suicide drills for! Yes, it’s true, I’ve been completely disarmed by dimples and I don’t care!

  Grant was the total package. Not only was he a gorgeous baseball star, but he made me laugh and, in my opinion, nothing was sexier.

  He introduced me to his lunch table, which consisted of pretty much the entire Northwood High baseball team. They explained the school mascot was the Trojans, so the first ten minutes of lunch was a nonstop joke-fest at the expense of a certain contraceptive company. Then, we had a milkshake chugging contest.

  Despite Grant’s taunts, he bought his own shake and mine. I easily out-chugged Grant and his friends, Tyler and Dustin. My superior chugging skills prompted Grant to kiss my hand, making the brain freeze totally worth it.

  “Did you forget to mention you’re a competitive eater?” Grant teased.

  I laughed. “No. But I have four older brothers. It’s eat fast or go hungry in my house.”

  “Dang, shorty. Give a guy a chance,” Tyler whined, pinching the bridge of his nose against his brain freeze.

  Lucas snorted. “Ty, she’s as tall as you. ‘Shorty’ doesn’t really apply.”

  “Thank you,” I replied, winking at Lucas.

  Of all Grant’s friends, he was easily my favorite. I noticed he didn’t compete for attention like the other guys with lame pickup lines or fart jokes. But when he did speak, everyone listened. It was the trait of a leader, so it made sense when Grant told me Lucas was the team’s catcher. It also made sense that Tyler was the team’s pitcher—all hot air and flash.

  “Would you rather I call you shorty?” Tyler taunted, tossing a fry in Lucas’s direction.

  Lucas threw a roll at him and the table erupted into laugher when Tyler took a bite out of it before chucking it back. Some of the other guys joined in what was starting to escalate into a food fight. A few rolls flew by me before I couldn’t resist the fun. I tossed a handful of fries at Tyler after he hit me with a crouton. Sensing the coming chaos, Grant took my hand and pulled me from the table.

  “Come on, we better get out of here before it gets any worse. I’m not a fan of detention.”

  I followed him, running to keep up with his long strides. We were both laughing so hard we were gasping for air when we reached the quiet of the hall outside the cafeteria. Realizing we were alone suddenly made my pulse go through the roof.

  We were still holding hands and the sensation affected me all the way to my core. I’d never really wanted to hold anyone’s hand before, but now that I was holding Grant’s, I didn’t want to let go. Which was precisely why I did. Then instantly regretted it.

  Ugh, I was no good at having a crush!

  But I forgot my nerves when Grant’s gray eyes met mine. The storm I’d seen in them earlier seemed to calm as he gazed at me. His face was so close to mine it made me hold my breath. And the way he was looking at my lips made it impossible not to want to kiss him.

  I swallowed hard, thinking of what to say, because I wasn’t ready for a kiss.

  Was I?

  I guess that was the problem with never having been kissed. This was uncharted territory and I wasn’t a fan of playing off the cuff.

  I retreated a step until my back met the wall, trying to stall and give my head time to catch up to my heart. “Uh, so was that what you meant about surviving the cafeteria?”

  Grant grinned. “Yeah. But I’m sure you can handle a little chaos now that I know you have four older brothers.”

  “Oh, right.” I giggled, nervously and wanted to cringe.

  Smooth, Alex!

  I felt like I had cartoon hearts in my eyes!

  Grant graciously ignored my idiocy. “So, what else do I need to know about you?” he asked softly as he moved closer.

  I shrugged fighting the embarrassing heat flooding my body. “What do you want to know?” I managed.

  He closed the distance between us, leaning in as he placed his hand on the wall next to my head. His eyes met mine in a smoldering gaze. “If I said everything, would it be too much?”

  My throat went dry, officially making me hate the way his dimples prohibited my ability to think clearly. All I managed was an uncertain shake of my head.

  “Good,” he whispered, his mouth moving closer to mine.

  Omigod! He’s going to kiss me!

  This wasn’t how I’d imagined my first kiss—bits of lunch in my hair and chocolate milkshake still on my lips. Not to mention Grant was a boy I barely knew. But for some reason the way he made me feel, made the moment feel perfectly right.

  My breath caught in my throat as he brushed my hair away from my face. His hand was warm and gentle as he cupped my cheek, pulling me closer. I was tall, but Grant was taller, and I’d just stretched up on my toes when the loudspeaker crackled to life above us. We startled apart as our names boomed through the speaker.

  “Alex Prince and Grant King, please report to the office.”

  Shock colored my cheeks as I looked around for cameras.

  Had they seen our almost kiss?

  Even Grant glanced up and down the halls, looking perplexed.

  “Are we under surveillance or something?” I asked hoping to break the awkward tension building in my chest.

  Grant stuffed his hands deep in his pockets, looking frustrated. “Nope, this is a first.”

  Just my luck.

  “Getting called to the office for almost kissing someone?” I hedged, hoping he’d confirm that he had in fact wanted to kiss me, because now it was all that I could think about and I really wanted to know it wasn’t all in my head.

  “Getting called to the office at all,” he replied, deflating my hopes.

  I laughed, trying to play cool. “Huh, I didn’t peg you for a teacher’s pet, but I see it now.”

  His grin returned as he gave me a playful nudge. “Come on, trouble. We better get to the office before you ruin my reputation.”

  And just like that he slipped his hand in mine and the world felt right again.

  Gah! I was in trouble.

  Never had a boy made me feel like this. My stomach was in constant freefall when he was around. But he was just so stupidly cute and easy to be around that I couldn’t stay away. And he liked baseball! It was like the universe had served me up a huge dose of Kryptonite named Grant King. There was no way I could resist.

  As we walked to the office, I probably should’ve been wondering why we’d been summoned, but all I was thinking about was how good he probably looked in a pair of baseball pants.

  Chapter Seven

  Grant

  The bubble I’d been existing in since laying eyes on Alex Prince burst the moment I walked into the principal’s office. If I thought today couldn’t get any better, I’d been wrong. There, standing next to a red-faced Principal Turner and Coach Beeler was my baseball hero—David Prince, in the flesh.

  I’d idolized the major league record holder ever since I got his baseball card as a kid. I even had a signed ball from the season his team made it to the World Series. They hadn’t won, but that didn’t make me respect him any less. He was a legend in the sport and I couldn’t believe he was here, in my school.

  Why was he in Northwood?

  Was he here as a scout?

  Had he heard of me?

  For a brief second my hopes soared, thinking maybe I’d get to play for my idol, but as soon as Alex spoke, all my dreams were shattered.

  “Dad? What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Making sure your new principal and I are on the same page,” he said gruffly.

  “We are,” Principal Turner assured him. “There’s no need to take legal action, Mr. Prince.”

  “I should hope not,” David Prince replied turning to my coach. “I’d hate to drag your ball club through Title IX legislation and tarnish its impressive record. A few of your boys have got a real shot in the big leagues,” he added, his blue eyes flicking toward me.

  I was startled by how similar Alex’s eyes were to her dad’s. Now that I
was looking at them side-by-side, it was impossible not to see the family resemblance. Blue eyes, brown hair, lanky frame . . . but Alex had something more, something that had blinded me from the athlete she most definitely was. She had fire—like me.

  I’d felt a connection with her, a spark . . . but was I mistaken?

  From the tension in the room I had a distinct feeling I wasn’t going to like whatever Principal Turner said next. Especially not if the words Title IX were being thrown around. I was all for girls playing sports, just not on my team. That would make us the laughing stock of the state and I couldn’t afford that this year. Not if I wanted a scholarship to a decent school.

  My own dad’s words echoed in my ears. ‘Never trust women. When they get what they want, they break your heart. It’s best you do the heart-breaking first.’

  “Title IX?” I asked calmly.

  Principal Turner’s attention came back to me. “Uh, yes Grant, sorry, I should make introductions. Mr. Prince, this is Grant King, captain of the baseball team. Grant, I’m sure Mr. Prince needs no introduction, and I see you’ve already met his daughter, Alex. Alex, this is Coach Beeler,” Principal Turner said nervously. “He’s been leading our boys to victory for years.”

  After the obligatory handshaking subsided, I got back down to business. “So, why are we talking Title IX?”

  Principal Turner dabbed his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief before answering. “Well, Grant, Title IX is a law that entitles athletes to equal access to sports programs receiving state funding regardless of gender.”

  “I’m familiar with the law,” I replied. “My confusion is why we’re talking about it.”

  “Well, that’d be because my daughter will be joining your baseball team,” David Prince said, slinging an arm proudly around Alex, who looked like she wanted to disappear.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Coach Beeler interrupted. “I agreed to let her try out. No one made any guarantees she’d make the team.”

  “You did what?” I shouted, outraged.

  Every eye in the room swiveled in my direction.