The Ninth Inning Page 9

  “You have a theory about me and Cole? Two people who have nothing to do with you?” I tried to make her feel as stupid as she sounded, but it obviously wasn’t working.

  “Yes.” She sounded pleased with herself, and I wondered for a second if this was all some sort of joke that I was about to be the butt of. Hair-Flipper sat there, grinning at us, her too-white teeth practically blinding me.

  “Care to share the theory with the rest of the class?” Lauren interjected, and I shot her a questionable glance, unsure of what was about to be said.

  “Oh, right.” Hair-Flipper clasped her hands together before looking at her cohorts for permission. She cleared her throat like she was about to give a presentation she’d practiced for months. “We think that Cole won’t commit to you because you’re not marriage material,” she started, and I practically choked on my laughter.

  “What?” I shook my head like she was insane as the stadium erupted in cheers around us.

  I glanced toward the field to see the guys jogging back toward the dugout. I hadn’t even noticed them take the field in the first place because I’d been so distracted.

  “You see, there’s no point in settling down with you if you’re not the one.” She sounded so convinced in her assumption and so impressed with herself that she continued without prompting, “Cole’s going places, and he obviously doesn’t see you there with him. If he thought you were cut out to be a baseball player’s wife, you’d be a baseball player’s girlfriend first. But you’re not. And you never have been. So, it’s clear he sees no future with you, and that’s why he won’t commit.”

  She wrapped up the first part of her argument with a wide smile while her doppelgängers all nodded their collective heads in response. I was actually a little stunned, a part of me wondering how much truth existed in her analysis. I’d never even gotten to marriage in my own head when it came to me and Cole, so it seemed a little far-fetched that he would be thinking that far ahead. But what if she was right? What if Cole couldn’t see a future with me, and that was why he never let me get too close?

  Hair-Flipper cleared her throat to get my attention. I’d zoned out for too long, lost in my own thoughts, and I hated that I’d probably given her some sort of satisfaction about it.

  “And—” she started up again.

  “There’s more of this?” Lauren interrupted, and I knew she was only trying to help me. There was no way that she had missed the way I’d gone all internal and quiet.

  “Well, there were two points, and I only addressed the first one,” she said, looking almost wounded.

  “Oh. Well then, by all means”—Lauren waved a hand in their direction—“please continue.”

  Hair-Flipper clearly wasn’t fluent in the language of sarcasm because she grew giddy. “We also think that Cole can’t let you go because he met you first. If he had met any other girl before he met you, he would be doing this with her. But he didn’t. It could have been someone else, but it just happened to be you. And now, he’s stuck on you by default.”

  That exact idea was something I had considered multiple times before, but hearing it from a complete stranger stung more than when it had been born from my own thoughts. It was one thing to think it for myself on the nights I stayed up way too late, overanalyzing everything ever said between us. But it was embarrassing to learn that other people had come to the same conclusion.

  It made me feel stupid.

  “Anything else?” I asked, trying my best to sound bored, but I was coming unglued inside. I needed to get the hell out of this stadium and away from these Barbie lookalikes who had clearly struck a nerve. I refused to let them see how much they had gotten under my skin. Girls like them had been saying things to me for years, but this felt different somehow.

  “Nope. That’s it. So, what do you think? How close are we? Pretty accurate, right?”

  “Are you seriously asking her what she thinks about your half-cocked, stupid-ass theories? It’s actually embarrassing that you have nothing better to do with your time than focus on two people you don’t even know,” Lauren ranted, her tone bitchy. “You really should focus more on those shitty extensions you put in your head. They’ll probably get you kidnapped.”

  “What?” She reached for a fistful of hair and ran her fingers through it. “They aren’t shitty. It’s real hair. I paid good money for these.”

  Hair-Flipper looked at her friends, and they all reassured her that her luscious locks were “beautiful” and “looked real” and we were “just mean girls who are jealous.”

  Right.

  We are the jealous and mean ones.

  “I have to go to the restroom,” I said before pushing to a stand, thankful that I was sitting at the end of the row and didn’t have to create a scene to get out.

  “Don’t leave me here with the bad-hair triplets,” Lauren said loud enough for the girls behind us to hear, and I couldn’t help but laugh. They deserved it.

  Hustling up the cement steps with Lauren on my heels, I made my way out of the crowded seats and into the open walkway.

  “I can’t stay here,” I said as soon as we got to the top.

  “I know,” Lauren said before she wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Baseball’s so boring anyway.”

  “It is not,” I argued as we headed away from the field and toward the parking lot.

  I loved watching Cole play. Even though we were never officially together and even when I was mad at him, I still wanted him to succeed. There wasn’t ever a part of me that rooted for him to fail. Not even when he deserved it. And there were plenty of times when he had deserved it.

  Letting out a long breath, I clicked the key fob on my car and opened the driver’s door. My mind was replaying the two theories, her words repeating on a loop.

  “So”—Lauren buckled herself in—“what are we going to do about this Cole situation?”

  “Do you think the helmet was for me? Be honest,” I insisted as my car revved to life. I didn’t care what her answer was. I just wanted to hear her opinion.

  “I do.”

  I nodded because my gut told me it was for me too. “Do you think what those girls said was true?”

  “Hell no!” she argued. “Cole isn’t thinking about marriage. That was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard. He likes you. He’s always liked you. He’s just too stupid to do anything about it. And once he realizes it, it’s going to be too late.”

  I didn’t say anything in response. I drove back to our apartment before realizing that I’d left the game because of Cole, but I’d gone to it because of Logan. “Think Logan will be upset that I left?”

  “I’m sure you can make it up to him if he is.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  A small laugh escaped. “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “Promise me you’ll at least give Logan a chance.”

  “I promise,” I said, and I meant it.

  “One hat wave from Cole doesn’t change the past three years,” she added, and my stomach instantly dropped.

  “I know,” I reluctantly agreed because she was right.

  The gesture changed nothing. And I refused to be the last one to realize it.

  She’s with Him

  Cole

  Christina had left sometime during the game. I thought she might have gone to the restroom, but she never came back. I checked her seat without getting caught by Coach whenever I ran on and off the field. I wanted to tell her to wait for me when the game ended, so I could talk to her right away. Once I realized that I wanted her, I didn’t want to wait a minute longer than necessary to tell her. But her leaving had put a pin in my plans.

  “Looks like you’re back, kid,” Coach Carter said as he clapped my shoulder.

  I grinned, feeling on top of the world. “I am.”

  “You looked great at the plate today.”

  I’d had five at bats during the game and got hits in four of them.

  “Thanks. I felt great.”

  “Keep it u
p.”

  “I will,” I said with confidence because I would. Everything had finally clicked into place.

  Logan, on the other hand, looked like someone had kicked his dog. He was most likely pissed off that my hitting was back on track. There was no fucking way he was taking my position now, and he knew it. Baseball was over for him.

  I watched as he headed my direction. “Come to congratulate me?” It was a dick thing to say, but Logan didn’t deserve my respect or kindness.

  “On what? Finally hitting the fucking ball?” he said a little too snarky for my liking, and before I knew it, Mac was at my side making sure I didn’t lose my cool.

  “For starters, yeah,” I bit back, putting a cap on my anger. Logan wasn’t worth it.

  “Wow, Cole. One game. Doesn’t mean shit. Try keeping it up,” he said before throwing one last barb in my direction, “Heard you saw Christina.”

  I bristled. I fucking hated the way he said her name. It made me want to hurt him. “I think it was the other way around.”

  That classic LeDouche shit-eating grin was back on his face. “She was here for me today. Not you. You might be keeping your position for now, but you’ve lost the girl.”

  I laughed, hoping it would rattle his confidence when it came to her. “We’ll see about that.”

  Logan didn’t have history with her the way I did. They couldn’t have the same kind of connection that she and I shared. There was no way. I refused to believe it. No matter how many signs told me otherwise.

  I shook off my Mac’s and Chance’s shadows after reassuring them both that I was fine and that I’d see them later at the party. Even though it was a Saturday, today had been the last game of the series, and we’d swept the opposing team, winning all three games. Coach had actually smiled during our team talk and then proceeded to give us the day off tomorrow. He rarely did either.

  I headed toward my truck with a half-baked plan in mind. Since Christina had ignored my text from a few days ago, I knew that any more of that type of communication was off the table. If I waited for her to respond to something new, I’d most likely be waiting forever. Texting wasn’t effective. I had to be more aggressive. Showing up at her apartment, uninvited, seemed to fit the bill. Her roommate wouldn’t like it, but as long as I promised not to sell her off to the highest bidder, she might be willing to let me in. Then again...

  I considered stopping for flowers, but I wanted to get over there as quickly as possible. Anything, even romantic gestures at this point, would take too long. I’d been an idiot for long enough. And now that I’d realized it, I didn’t want to waste another minute being apart from her.

  When I hit the gated entrance to her complex, I cursed under my breath, forgetting all about the barrier that had helped them decide on this place to begin with. Rolling down my window, I punched four numbers into the keypad and waited, hoping it was still the same code that she’d given me from when they first moved in. It had always worked before, but I hadn’t tried it in months. There was a slight possibility that it could have changed. Just when I was about to give up hope, the gate unlatched and swung open, allowing me inside.

  I navigated the small road toward her building, searching for her car as I drove. This plan would be shot to hell if she wasn’t home. I hadn’t even considered that she might not be here, and I reminded myself that I could be really fucking stupid sometimes. Spotting her car, I felt myself grin as I eased my truck into the spot next to hers and shut down the engine.

  Instantly, I regretted not getting the flowers. Walking up to her place empty-handed seemed like a bad idea now that I was here. I hesitated, my hand resting on the door handle before I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing.

  I’ll drown her with flowers after she’s mine, I promised myself.

  Huffing out a quick, calming breath, I pushed the door open and hopped out. I was at my next obstacle within seconds. Christina’s building had its own secured entrance. If you didn’t have a key fob to enter, you had to be buzzed in by a resident. Pacing back and forth, I wondered what my other options were. I hated the idea of using the coded phone system. It would be too easy to either ignore my call or decline my entrance. And I refused to be denied right now.

  No sooner had the thought entered my mind when the door swung open, and a twenty-something-year-old female walked out. She shot me an appreciative glance, and I gave her my most charming smile as I reached for the door, holding it open for her before I let myself inside.

  I walked the hallway like I belonged there, like I could remember how to get to her place blindfolded or in my sleep. And to be fair, I could. I made a right, followed by a sharp left, before I stood, staring at her front door, my hand held in the air, ready to knock. What the hell am I going to say to her?

  Maybe coming here with absolutely zero plans in mind isn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.

  Rapping my knuckles against the wood, I leaned back on my heels and waited, my heart lodged in my throat. The peephole in the door grew dark before it lightened again, and I knew that it was too late to turn back now—not that I wanted to.

  The door creaked open.

  “How did you get in here?” Lauren asked from a mere two-inch space. She refused to open the door any wider, letting me know that I was not only not wanted, but also not welcome.

  “Good Samaritan?” I said, trying to be cute, but Lauren didn’t even crack a smile.

  She wasn’t happy to see me, which could only mean one thing—Christina wouldn’t be happy to see me either.

  “How’d you even get on the premises?” she asked, her tone even sharper than before, and I stuffed my hands in my front pockets.

  “I have the code.” I admitted with a shrug, knowing that I probably should have lied, but I didn’t want to.

  “I’ll have to make sure they change it,” she said, and it made me laugh because I’d expected that reaction from her. “Why are you here, Hat Boy?”

  Hat Boy? I thought to myself before realizing that she was talking about my helmet pointing into the stands from earlier.

  “I’m here for Christina. Is she home?” I pulled my hands out of my pockets and fidgeted.

  She let out a clicking sound before saying, “Sorry, you just missed her.”

  “Where is she? I really need to talk to her.” I leaned against the doorframe, hoping that she would sense my sincerity.

  “She’s on a date,” Lauren said before adding with a finger point, “and you should let her enjoy it.”

  I swallowed hard as I choked down my fear. “Who is she with, Lauren?” I asked, knowing damn well what the answer would be. My fingers gripped the doorframe so tight that I thought it might splinter.

  “Who do you think?” Lauren was taunting me, and she enjoyed it.

  “Logan?” I asked, my tone wary, desperate to be wrong.

  “He isn’t just a great baseball player, ladies and gentlemen; he’s smart too.” She pretended to address a crowd in the empty hallway.

  “Do you know where they went?” I all but ground out through clenched teeth, my fists clenched. I needed to get to Christina before things with her and Logan went too far.

  “No. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Look at you, acting all caveman right now, like she owes you anything. You’d go there and cause a scene. She doesn’t deserve that, Cole. She deserves better. And you’ve never been the one to give it to her.”

  Her words were like weapons, blunted, sharp, and aimed to kill. I took a step back like she had struck me before pulling it together—barely.

  “Lauren. Please. Listen,” I started, but she interrupted, finally pulling the door wide enough so that she could step through it.

  “No. You listen,” she said, jabbing a bony finger into my chest. “You’ve done nothing but hurt and confuse her. You don’t get to do it anymore. She has a chance to be happy, and if you give a shit about her at all, you’ll let her be.”

  “But Logan isn’t a good guy,” I said, my head
shaking, wishing that Lauren could see the real Logan and not whatever fictitious one he was pretending to be.

  “Says the guy who is worse than all of them,” she said, glaring.

  I wanted to tell her that she was wrong about me. That I’d changed and seen the error of my ways and that I needed Christina at a level that scared the hell out of me, but there was no use. Lauren would never believe it, and those words weren’t meant for her anyway.

  “I’m not sure why you did that thing during the game today, Cole. And I have no idea why you’re here right now, but I do know that it’s not fair.” She shook her head as she made her way back into her apartment, her hand holding on to the door. “And you know it. You’ve played her like a yo-yo for years. Cut the damn string already and go find a new toy to play with.”

  The door closed without another word, and the sound of the dead bolt clicking into place reverberated throughout the hallway. I stood there like a kid who had just been scolded by his parents, staring at my shoes, wondering what the hell to do next.

  Crossed the Line

  Cole

  I tucked my tail between my legs and drove back to the baseball house. But not before driving past five local restaurants and three bars, all looking for Logan’s car. It wouldn’t be my fault if we all happened to end up in the same place at the same time. I wasn’t sure which of us I deemed the lucky one when I finally gave up.