What if you’re what I want, Lucas? The thought entered my head so swiftly it made me dizzy. All I could do was smile back, loving his silly nickname for me.
Firecracker.
As a redhead, I’ve heard a lot of strange nicknames, but somehow, none had ever made my heart flutter the way Lucas just had with that simple little word.
I wanted to be his firecracker!
The way he was looking at me made me wonder if I’d spoken my thoughts out loud. His bright eyes studied me with unbridled desire. Electricity crackled between us as Lucas’s fingers lingered against my cheek. The pause in his touch was like the silence that follows lightning right before the thunder.
Was he going to kiss me again?
We were certainly close enough. The anticipation caused me to draw in a nervous breath and just like that the spell was broken. The spark fizzled and we were two old friends again.
Lucas stuffed his hands in his back pockets again. “So . . . want to grab some snacks and find our seats?”
* * *
Balancing hot dogs, a tray of nachos, a bag of popcorn, and a pair of giant fountain drinks, we managed to slide into our seats just in time for the National Anthem. Next up was Alex and Grant. When they were announced over the speakers the crowd applauded wildly.
I noticed that a few members of Alex’s fan club had made it to the game. They were always easy to spot in their tiaras and tutus. It made my heart swell with pride for my best friend. It also made me want to pursue playing baseball even more.
So what if my school didn’t have a girls team? It didn’t stop Alex. Why should it stop me? And the fact that Alex had impacted enough kids that she had her own personal fan club of supporters was more proof that it was time some boundaries were broken.
As I watched Alex walk up to the pitcher’s mound with Grant, I couldn’t help noticing how beautiful she looked. Mrs. Prince had been right to dress Alex in blue. She shone like a beacon of beauty among the sea of baseball players dressed in gray and black uniforms. Grant looked rather dashing, too. He stood beside Alex, dressed in a sport coat and jeans.
Alex’s dad walked out from the home team dugout, wearing his coach’s jacket. He approached Grant and Alex along with the coach from the visiting team. Both shook hands with Alex and Grant, then the mayor strode out onto the field to present Alex with a plaque of excellence.
“Alex, you have served as a positive role model in your sport and in your community. We couldn’t be prouder of the strides you’ve taken to encourage young people to never give up in the pursuit of their dreams. Thank you for being an inspiration and best wishes for your future at Arizona State.”
I fought tears of joy as I leapt to my feet to cheer along with the crowd after the Mayor’s speech.
That was what I wanted.
To follow my dreams fearlessly.
I didn’t want my gender or expectations of others to hold me back.
I wanted to be a tomboy, date the star catcher and look good while doing it.
The applause echoing around me cemented my resolve to pursue my dreams and not let anything hold me back. I swiped away another joyful tear and hollered my heart out as Grant was introduced next. He waved to the crowd, noticeably more comfortable in the spotlight than Alex.
He shook hands with the catcher and then handed his sport coat to Alex, who dutifully folded it over her arms as Grant rolled up the sleeves of his Oxford preparing to throw out the first pitch. He wound up with grace and style before letting the ball rip. It landed with a satisfying smack in the catcher’s glove and the crowd cheered again when the announcer yelled ‘Let’s play ball!’
Chapter Five
Lucas
“Grant’s not half bad as a pitcher,” Casey said after watching his opening throw. “Tyler better look out.”
I smirked. “Don’t say that in front of Tyler. His ego’s a little fragile.”
“Yeah right!” Casey laughed. “He once told me he wanted to build a time machine so he could go back and strike out Babe Ruth!”
I chuckled. “That doesn’t surprise me.” Our over-zealous pitcher was famous for his ridiculous confidence.
“Seriously, though,” Casey pressed. “I didn’t know Grant could pitch. I wonder why my dad has never tried him there.”
“Grant can play a lot of positions. Tyler can only play one.”
Casey huffed. “Debatable.”
I gave her an amused look.
“What?” she argued. “Tyler could do with some humility.”
“Yeah, but maybe not from a potential teammate.”
She beamed at me. “Aw! That’s the first time you’ve called me your teammate.”
“Potential,” I clarified, but she ignored that detail, winking before turning her attention back to the game.
Honestly, I didn’t know how I felt about having Casey on my team. On one hand she was already part of the team. Casey had been a fixture in the Trojans dugout since her dad started coaching. Recently she’d been helping out as the team’s equipment manager. But there was a big difference between being part of the staff and being my teammate.
The latter worried me.
I knew with certainty that I didn’t want Casey to have to endure the ridicule that would follow if she tried out. Not just from some of the players, but from the Tattler.
The Trojan Tattler was a gossip site run by an anonymous group of tech-savvy mean girls at Northwood. It was famous for brutal tactics of shaming and mockery. Alex had been tormented by the site last year and Casey wouldn’t be an exception if she made the team.
Then there was the rest of my teammates. It was true that Alex had eventually won them over, but I was pretty certain that didn’t mean the guys wanted another girl on the team.
Even with our winning season, there had been some grumbling beginning. Some of the guys were starting to get fed up with all the attention Alex was getting.
Apparently, the thrill of victory had worn off over the summer leaving my less confident teammates a bit bitter at being overshadowed by a girl.
And on top of all of that, there was the minor detail that I was sort of hoping that Casey would be my girlfriend. I knew the guys would never let me hear the end of it if my girlfriend joined the team. And let’s not forget the little gem of her dad being my coach!
It was already hard enough avoiding his glares after I kissed her. If she joined the team and I pursued dating her we’d be under a microscope.
My temples began to pound as I longed for summer to extend indefinitely. I wasn’t ready for any of this. I just wanted to sit here next to Casey and not have to make any life changing decisions.
“You’re making that face again,” Casey said, her brown eyes studying me. “What’s wrong?”
Thankfully, Grant and Alex’s arrival saved me from answering.
The four of us watched the rest of the game together, alternating between enthusiastically cheering and listening to all the behind-the-scenes activities Grant and Alex had witnessed. All in all, it was a great late summer night. Cheering and laughing with Casey and my friends had put me at ease. So much so actually that I’d casually grabbed Casey’s hand during an exciting play and forgot to let go.
I was on cloud nine with her hand firmly in mine. It kept my mind from wandering to future worries.
With two innings left, Grant and I decided we were still hungry, so we walked down to the vendor level to buy soft pretzels for us and cotton candy for the girls.
“What a great night,” Grant said as we headed back with our food.
He was obviously still buzzing from his promising conversation with the Arizona coaching staff and I couldn’t blame him. Plus, I had to agree that tonight was awesome.
“Yeah, it’s been pretty perfect.”
“Perfect enough to ask Casey to homecoming?”
“Dude, do you ever quit? How does Alex put up with you?”
Grant grinned smugly. “She says my tenacity is adorable.”
“More like annoying!”
“I’m just looking out for you, man. I saw you two holding hands. It’s going well, right?”
“Yes, okay, I’m going to do it after the game! Will you leave me alone now?”
Grant slapped me hard on the back. “That’s great news, man! This is gonna be the best year ever.”
As we walked back to our seats, I was met with Casey’s bright grin. It overwhelmed me with confidence, and I couldn’t help but believe that Grant was onto something—it might be a great year after all.
Chapter Six
Casey
“Miss Prince! Over here!”
Reporters rushed toward us as we made our way from the stadium, flashbulbs bursting in our faces. Grant practically growled as he tried to shield Alex from the pushy reporters. We moved through the crowd, the boys blocking us like bodyguards, but inevitably, one reporter bulldozed her way through, shoving a microphone in Alex’s face.
“Miss Prince, do you plan to play for the Trojans again this year?”
“Yes,” Alex replied.
“How do you feel about taking a position away from a male student who could potentially earn an athletic scholarship considering you already have one to Arizona State?”
Alex flinched away from the reporter and Grant looked like he was ready to slug the woman. Hoping to diffuse the situation, I jumped in. “Alex isn’t trying to take a position away from anyone. If Northwood High had a softball team this wouldn’t be an issue, but until they do, we have as much right as any athlete to try out for the boys’ baseball team.”
The reporter’s eyebrows rose. “We? Are you implying you’ll be trying out for the boys’ team as well? I didn’t catch your name.”
“It’s Casey Beeler. And yes, I do plan to try out this season.”
“Really? Are you joining Miss Prince and her feminist movement?”
“We don’t have an agenda other than to play the sport we love. As I said, if Northwood had a softball program, I’d play softball.”
“Are you saying Northwood is unfair to female athletes?”
“Does spending seventy-five percent of their annual athletic funds on the boys’ baseball program sound fair?”
“Seventy five percent? That’s a big number and a bold accusation. Can you back that up?”
I shrugged. “It’s not a secret. The school’s public and so are its records.”
“You’re Casey Beeler? Any relation to Coach Beeler of the Trojans baseball team?”
“He’s my dad.”
“It must’ve been hard growing up watching your father secretly give preference to a male sport you can’t play.”
I fought hard not to roll my eyes. “Don’t single out my dad. Everyone sees the special treatment the baseball team gets. I mean, they don’t even have to pay for meals at Champs. No other athletes get that kind of treatment.”
The reporter grinned like a cat who’d just spotted her next meal. She prowled closer to me and turned to face the camera. “Well, you heard it here first. Northwood High and its surrounding businesses are adding to the biased culture where male athletes can get away with anything. It takes brave women like Casey Beeler here to stand up and say ‘we’re not going to take it.’”
I didn’t like the direction this was going. I was merely trying to deflect the woman’s rude comments from my best friend and dad, but she was trying to turn me into a feminist sports figure. I tried to shrug away from the reporter, but she slung an arm around my shoulder like we were besties and squeezed keeping me in front of the camera.
A crowd began to circle around us watching as the reporter rattled off statistics about athletic bias. I was too distracted to listen. The crowd was growing, and a group of teenaged boys rushed up behind me to ham it up for the camera.
“Hey hot girl, you can play on my team any day!” one of them yelled while the others whooped and made inappropriate hip gestures.
In the corner of my vision I saw Lucas’s face redden with anger as he started pushing his way toward the hollering boys. Sensing they were about to get even more foul, the reporter quickly wrapped it up. “For Channel 2 News, this is Vanessa Vane.”
As soon as the camera light switched off, I darted for Lucas, but I was too late.
He was already confronting one of the boys and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Chapter Seven
Lucas
“At least it’s not broken,” Alex said quietly as she handed me a new icepack for my hand. I winced as I settled it over my injured knuckles.
“Yeah, and your dad’s a lawyer,” Grant added. “He’ll have your back against those jerks. Besides, they started it.”
“I threw the first punch,” I muttered.
“Yeah, but that reporter got the guys taunting Casey on film. They were asking for it!” Grant argued. “At worst, that kid only has a fat lip.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Alex said for the hundredth time.
I knew my friends were just trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t working. And honestly, the only person I wanted to hear say it was going to be okay had been strangely silent since we arrived at the hospital.
I stared at Casey, willing her to look at me, but she only continued to stare at the floor. Tears dripped onto her lap, leaving tiny blots of sorrow on her pretty pink dress. Each one a reminder of how badly I’d screwed up. Right now, I should be kissing her after asking her to be my date for homecoming. Instead, I was sitting in a hospital room icing my swollen hand after knocking some guy in the teeth for insulting her.
It all happened so fast. I’d never been in a fight before, but I just snapped. One minute I was watching Casey stand up to that rabid reporter and the next I was pounding some guy who’d been pretending to air-hump her for his fifteen minutes of fame.
At least it was over as quickly as it started since campus security had been on site. But the news crews had caught the entire scuffle on film. My parents were already blowing up my cell phone. They’d be here any minute and all I really wanted was a moment alone with Casey so I could apologize and wipe away her tears.
I hated the silence between us. I needed to know what she was thinking.
Was she mad at me?
Was she afraid of me?
Was she over me?
The questions were eating me alive. I needed answers.
“Do you think you could give us a moment?” I asked, my eyes still searching out Casey’s.
She finally looked up and the hurt in her eyes nearly knocked the air from my lungs.
Grant and Alex quickly shuffled out of the exam room.
When I heard the door shut, I leapt off the cold table and crossed the room to kneel in front of Casey. I gently took her hand with my good one as the words I’d been choking on finally tumbled out. “I’m so sorry, Casey. I swear I’m not that guy. I don’t get in fights but when I saw the things those jerks were doing . . . I . . . I don’t know, I just snapped. Please, please don’t be afraid of me. I’ll never do anything like that again. I promise.”
Her lips trembled as she fought to control her sobs. Her slender hands lifted to frame my cheeks. “I’m not afraid of you, Lucas. I’m afraid of what I’ve done to you. This is all my fault.”
I stood, pulling Casey into my arms. She immediately burst into tears, shuddering against my chest. “I’m so sorry,” she cried. “I ruined everything.”
“Shhhh. You didn’t do anything wrong,” I whispered into her hair. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
“No, it’s not. Your hand is injured, and that boy said he was going to call the cops!” She looked up at me through watery eyes. “If this goes on your record it’ll ruin your chances to get into Harvard.”
“My hand will be fine, and I’ll deal with the rest as it comes. But the only thing I really care about right now is us.”
Her brown eyes flicked to mine. “Us?”
“Yes. Are we okay?”
She looked at me with trep
idation, but I wouldn’t be able to rest until I heard her say it. “Please, Casey. This is not how I wanted tonight to end.”
“How did you want it to end?” she asked timidly.
I took a deep breath. It’s not like you have anything to lose at this point, Lucas.
“Like this.” I whispered, pressing my lips to hers, capturing her inhale of surprise.
At first she didn’t move, but then I felt her body begin to tremble. I thought she might pull away, but she proved me wrong. Casey threw her arms around my neck, pulling me toward her without an ounce of gentleness. Her hands fisted in my hair as her lips found mine again.
This time she kissed me back like she was searching for something. She invited me in, our tongues tangling. The sweetness of her taste made me groan low in my throat. I couldn’t get enough. Though there was no space left between us, I ran my hands down her back trying to gather her closer still. Her warmth engulfed me. I was lost and awakened all at once.
I pulled back, blinking at her with new eyes. In the time since our lips met the world had been painted anew and time . . . time was as useless as ever. Because there would never be enough of it when kisses like that existed.
For a full minute after our kiss I did nothing but hold her, afraid to let the feeling go. I closed my eyes as I pressed my forehead against hers, just breathing in her nearness. Casey calmed me in a way I couldn’t comprehend. Maybe tonight hadn’t gone as planned, but I’d still ended up where I belonged—with Casey in my arms.
“Are we okay?” I asked again when I could trust my voice.
A grin curved her heart-shaped lips. “Yeah. I’d say we’re more than okay.”
Then she pressed her lips back to mine and I melted into a puddle of uselessness.
Chapter Eight
Casey
“School starts tomorrow,” Alex said. “They can’t keep you apart forever.”
Tomboys Don't Wear Pink: How To Date A Tomboy Page 3
