Playing the Field

by Christina Benjamin

  “For now,” Grant added.

  I bristled and marched over to him. If everyone here wanted a show, I would give it to them. I was tired of being pushed around. It ended now. “Give it a rest, Grant. I made the team, deal with it.”

  “All you’ve done is made a fool of yourself,” he snapped.

  “Really? I seem to remember you were the one who looked like a fool on the field today.”

  “No thanks to you,” he snarled. “You may have made the team, but that doesn’t make you one of us,” Grant said, lowering his voice.

  I huffed a laugh. “Trust me, I don’t want to be anything like you.”

  “That’s not what I heard, Princess.” He grinned a cocky smile I wanted to knock off his face as he tried to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

  I took a breath and reached up to remove his hand. “Grant, let me clue you in on a secret. Not everyone wants to date you. This is what striking out feels like. You should be used to it after the way you batted today.”

  The guys near us all sucked in a breath, a few of them chuckling as Grant’s face reddened.

  “I don’t strike out,” he snarled.

  “With me you will. Every. Single. Time.”

  He regained his cocky posture and laughed. “Interesting that you used the word, single, considering that’s going to be your status forever.”

  It was my cheeks that flushed this time. “If I wanted a boyfriend, I’d have a boyfriend,” I said willing my voice not to shake with indignation.

  “Pity to waste all that passion, Princess,” Grant said throwing me a wink. “But I don’t think you could get a date if your life depended on it.”

  The only thing I was passionate about at the moment was punching Grant King in his perfect face, but I wasn’t about to let him win this sparring match. I needed to prove him wrong so he’d finally lay off! I wasn’t the enemy but if he wanted to make me one, I was up to the challenge. “Care to put your money where your mouth is?”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “I bet I can find a date by the end of the night,” I challenged.

  He scoffed at me. “Yeah right. No one wants you here, Princess.”

  “Fine let’s bet on it. If I win, I get to play shortstop.”

  His confident smile faltered.

  “What’s the matter?” I taunted. “You scared?”

  “He should be,” Tyler said walking up to me with his lanky strides and throwing an arm over my shoulder. “Because I’ll be your date tonight, hotstuff.”

  I smiled at Grant. “Seems you don’t know your team as well as you think.”

  Grant’s furious glare moved from me to Tyler and back again. “I know one thing, you’ll never earn shortstop over me. But good luck wasting your time,” he muttered before he turned on his heels and stormed out of the barn.

  Grant

  “Dude, was that necessary?” Lucas asked catching up to me outside.

  “She came at me guns blazing. What do you want me to do? Lie down? I’m the team captain.”

  “Exactly,” Lucas replied looking disappointed. “It’s up to you to set the tone. If Coach put her on the roster she’s not going anywhere. The sooner we all accept that, the better.”

  “How, Lucas? She’s making a joke of our team. Look at what she’s doing! Teammates dating each other? That’s never going to work! What’s Tyler thinking?”

  “It’s Tyler!” Lucas said throwing his hands up. “He’d date a gnat if it had boobs.”

  “Then he’s an idiot because Alex doesn’t care about him or our team. She’s probably planning to date her way through the roster and dismantle us one at a time.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s not her master plan. She’s just trying to play a sport she enjoys. If our school had a softball team, I’m sure she’d rather be on it than subjecting herself to this kind of ridicule. Did you see the stuff they’re saying about her on the Tattler?”

  “No. You know I don’t waste my time on that trash.”

  “Yeah, well it doesn’t change the fact that Alex has been dealing with that trash. She’s got a lot of courage to keep her head up through it all and that’s something I respect. Plus, you can’t deny she’s good. She killed it at tryouts. She could be an asset to our team.”

  “Ooo! Are we talking assets?” Tyler asked, suddenly appearing with a fresh beer in his hand. “Prince has got some fine ones I’d like to explore,” he added grabbing his chest as he laughed at his own lame humor.

  “Shut up, Tyler! This isn’t a joke to me,” I roared.

  Tyler rolled his eyes. “Bro, you need to chill! You blow a gasket every time someone brings up your girl.”

  “Excuse me? My girl? Did you just call, Alex Prince, my girl? Did you hit your head at practice or something because if memory serves, you just announced that she’s your girl.”

  Lucas gave Tyler a warning look, but as usual, he ignored it.

  “Come on, bro,” Tyler crooned. “I was just making a point.”

  “Which is?”

  “That you’re being a dick,” Tyler replied.

  “I’m the dick? You’re my teammate. You’re supposed to have my back.”

  “Yeah, well she’s our teammate now, too.”

  I glared at Tyler trying to control my temper, but the kid never knew when to quit.

  “Look,” Tyler said. “It’s obvious you both feel the same way about each other.”

  We both feel the same way?

  Was he being serious right now?

  I tried to calm the pulse thundering in my veins. “Yeah Ty, we both loathe each other.”

  Tyler smirked. “You know what they say. There’s a thin line between loathe and love.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I snapped.

  “That if you’d just makeout with her already it would make our lives a lot easier.”

  I’d never wanted to deck one of my teammates before, but if Tyler didn’t get out of my face in the next five seconds, that was exactly what was going to happen.

  Always the peacemaker, Lucas moved between us. “Come on guys, let’s just go back to the party. It’s freezing out here and you’re up next at beer pong, Tyler.”

  “Fine by me,” Tyler replied, already walking backwards toward his dad’s barn. “I should be getting back to my date, anyway.”

  I shot him another hostile glare. “I didn’t know tomboy was your type, Ty.”

  “I don’t have a type,” he added with a wink, then turned to jog back to the party.

  Lucas was starting to follow when he noticed I wasn’t behind him. He gave me a questioning look. “You coming?”

  “I’m not really in the partying mood. I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

  Lucas waited until Tyler was swallowed up by the noise of the party before speaking. “Listen, if there’s something going on that you want to talk about, I’m here for you, Grant.”

  “I don’t need a heart-to-heart, Lucas. I just don’t feel like partying. You know drinking’s not my thing.”

  “I know, but supporting your team is. Come on man, we’re kicking off the season. Let’s start on a good note, together.”

  I crossed my arms.

  Lucas sighed. “Suit yourself, but you promised to be my DD tonight and I’m holding you to it. I’m gonna go play beer pong with my teammates and it’d be nice if you joined us, Captain.”

  With that, he walked away and left me standing alone under the starlit sky. I looked up and let out a breath, watching the steam rise away from me, wishing my anger would float away as effortlessly.

  What the heck was wrong with me?

  I never fought with my teammates. I needed to stop letting Alex Prince get under my skin. Lucas was right. She was a good player and she probably didn’t want to play on a guys’ baseball team any more than I wanted her to. But it was the situation we were in. I needed to deal with it and move on or I was going to lose everything I’d worked for.

  But it was easier said tha
n done. I couldn’t get Tyler’s words out of my head.

  A thin line between loathe and love. Ha!

  Where did he come up with that crap?

  And why did it make my heart go haywire every time I thought about it?

  If I’m being honest, it was jealousy that had wounded me most when I watched Tyler put his arm around what should’ve been my girl.

  How could I desire and despise her all at once?

  I didn’t know how to rectify things in my head or my heart, but I’d better figure it out soon or I was going to lose my team and the girl of my dreams.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Alex

  “Princess, you any good at beer pong?” Tyler asked.

  “I’m good at everything,” I taunted.

  He smirked. “Then you’re on my team.”

  “Fine by me, but I don’t drink.”

  He looped his arm over my shoulder and grinned. “You sink ‘em, I’ll drink ‘em.”

  I laughed. “Deal.”

  And just like that, I was in.

  The rest of the party was actually pretty fun. Sure, there were still kids gossiping behind their phones and the occasional lingering stare, but I was focused on winning over my team too much to care. It turns out, the way to earn their respect was on the beer pong table.

  Who knew?

  Tyler and I faced-off against pair after pair and I sunk shot after shot earning so many hi-fives my hand hurt. I was only being mildly cocky when I said I was good at everything. My brothers and I had been making up variations of games like beer pong—sans beer of course—since I was a kid, but even I was surprised by my winning streak.

  I was also pleasantly surprised that Tyler wasn’t as annoying as I’d originally thought. Sure, he was full of corny pickup lines and might have been taking the whole ‘date for the night’ thing a little too seriously, but he was actually a fun guy to hang out with. He had no trouble taking my taunts and teasing me right back.

  After a few more undefeated rounds of beer pong it felt like I was back at home hanging out with my brothers—just one of the guys.

  I was in my element.

  “Okay, Princess, sink this shot and we break the Roster Rager record,” Tyler whispered in my ear.

  I raised my eyebrows. “So, no pressure?”

  He winked. “No more than you’ll face on the field with us. You’re a Trojan now, we gotta be sure you’re not gonna fold under pressure.”

  I shook the water off the ping pong ball and blew on my fingers to get the right grip. I lined up my shot and then before I released it, I looked Tyler in the eye and grinned. “I’m like a diamond, baby, pressure only makes me better.” Then, with my eyes still locked on his, I let the ball fly, sinking the shot into the final cup without looking.

  The room erupted with cheers and I let the wave of enthusiasm sweep me up.

  Grant

  By the time I collected myself enough to rejoin the party, Alex Prince had won over more than just Tyler and Lucas. She’d taken over my entire baseball team. The first thing I saw when entering the barn was her sinking a winning beer pong shot. The crowd gathered around her erupted into a traitorous bunch of groupies, cheering and clapping as Tyler and my teammates lifted her onto their shoulders and roared their approval.

  All that work, standing out in the cold wrestling with my emotions had been a waste of time. I’d told myself that I wouldn’t let Alex Prince affect me. But that was a lie. The girl had just stolen my team. Next it would be my shot at a scholarship . . . and if I wasn’t careful, my heart.

  Her eyes met mine and she grinned like a fox eyeing a rabbit caught in a snare. Alex Prince was going to ruin me, one sly smile at a time.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Alex

  “Tell me everything!” Casey demanded when she met me at my locker the next day.

  “About what?”

  “Duh! Tyler’s party!” she huffed, thrusting her phone in my face. “I’ve been following the whole thing on the Tattler.”

  I pushed her phone away. “I’m sort of avoiding the Tattler.”

  Casey’s cinnamon eyebrows shot up. “Wait! You haven’t read it since the party?”

  “Nope and I don’t plan to. In case you haven’t noticed, people on the Tattler aren’t my biggest fans.”

  “It seems you’ve changed their minds.” Casey grinned, shoving her phone at me again.

  A picture of me smiling atop Tyler’s shoulders took up the entire screen and I couldn’t stop my eyes from wandering to the caption below.

  Trojan Tattler:

  Princess proves she’s got game, forcing friendly-fire between Tyler Bishop and Grant King over a boyfriend bet. Tyler walked away victorious from the feud at his Roster Rager, but our fair Princess is the real winner. Anyone who can force a throwdown between those two titans might be Trojan material after all. Don’t prove me wrong, Princess.

  @trojantattler: And watching her take down the boys at the beer pong table was epic! – Khaleesi4eva

  @trojantattler: Does anyone know her screenname? I need dating tips stat! – amieeeeee14

  @trojantattler: Please! That two-bit tomboy doesn’t have game. She’s fresh meat, she’ll spoil. Just give it time. - camiluvsme

  @trojantattler: Sounds like someone’s two-bit-ter! lol. – amieeeeee14

  @trojantattler: Yeah, don’t hate her, cause you aint her. – venus69

  @trojantattler: Forget dating tips, can you please open up beer pong tutoring, Princess? I’ll be your best student, promise ;-) – baseballer20

  I handed Casey her phone back and fought my grin. I had to admit it felt good to have changed the tides in the Tattler—for the most part. But I wasn’t happy it was at the expense of Grant and Tyler’s friendship.

  They hadn’t seemed like they were truly fighting at the party, but I knew things could easily get blown out of proportion with the Tattler weighing in. I sighed, hating that even a more positive review in the vile tabloid was making me overanalyze things.

  Overall, I’d had a good time at the party and thought things ended pretty well, considering. I’d connected with some of my teammates and felt less like an outsider than I had yesterday. To me that was a win, but I didn’t like thinking my victory came at anyone else’s expense.

  Tyler didn’t seem like the kind of guy who took things too seriously. He had a flirty personality and was just having a good time at the party. But maybe the way things went down had been a bigger deal to Grant. I hadn’t really seen much of him after our verbal duel. He’d come back into the barn during my victory lap on Tyler’s shoulders, but I hadn’t seen him again after that.

  Did I need to do damage control?

  With the way the Tattler was spinning things, I had a feeling I did.

  This is exactly what Coach warned me about.

  The last thing I needed was him thinking I was pitting teammates against each other over a date!

  I was trying to prove girls and guys could share the playing field, but the Tattler made it sound like I was purely here to ‘play the field.’

  That wasn’t the point at all. I’d only been trying to stand up for myself and show Grant that I wasn’t going anywhere, while also proving to the rest of my teammates that I was worth getting to know. But maybe I’d gone a little too far.

  I’d know soon enough since I’d be facing Grant in chemistry class later today.

  “So, is it true?” Casey asked taking her phone back from me.

  “Is what true?”

  “Are you really dating Tyler Bishop?”

  I laughed. “No! Definitely not. We were just beer pong partners.”

  She frowned. “So, he and Grant didn’t fight over you?”

  “Not really. Grant was just being Grant. He was giving me a hard time as usual and Tyler told him to lay off.”

  “Oh.” Casey chewed her lip in concern.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing . . . it’s just, I kinda liked the idea of you datin
g Tyler.”

  I wrinkled my nose at the thought. “Why?”

  “Well . . . ” Casey paused to take a deep breath and let the next words tumble out in a long jumbled rush. “I have a huge crush on Lucas and if you were dating Tyler, I wouldn’t have to worry about Lucas crushing on you, because I think he might be and I can’t compete with you. You’re pretty and talented and a beast on the ballfield.”

  “Whoa! First off, you and I, we’re not competition,” I said, placing my hands confidently on Casey’s shoulders.

  She tipped her head up, her deep brown eyes full of hope. “Sisters before misters?”

  I smirked. “Exactly.”

  She surprised me by pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. “Oh thank God!”

  I laughed and squeezed her back. “Remember what I told you when we met? You don’t have to wait for the guy to make the first move.”

  She nodded. “You’re right. I’m gonna ask Lucas to the Sportsman Carnival.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Only the most fun event of the year! It’s a huge fundraiser put on for the baseball team. Local vendors donate concessions and prizes to auction off. There’s a band and funnel cakes and games and carnival rides! All the proceeds from the auction and the ticket sales go to help support the baseball program.”

  “Cool. I’ve never been to a carnival.”

  “Really?”

  “Nope, but my brothers went once. They still tease my brother Will about throwing up on the tilt-a-whirl.”

  Casey laughed so hard she snorted, then covered her face in embarrassment. “Oh no! What if I snort-laugh when I’m with Lucas?”

  “Then you’ll know if he likes you for you,” I replied. “Which is the only kind of guy you should waste your time dating, by the way.”

  A wide smile stretched Casey’s pale features. “You’re right. Hey! We should double-date to the carnival! I bet Tyler would be your date. His dad and grandpa are huge sponsors. It would be a big deal to go with him.”

  “Tyler’s not really my type.”