Chapter 11
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
CARSON
Nash yanks his catcher’s mask off, sweat dripping down his brow. “What the hell, man? You are off today.”
I stretch my arm out, rolling my shoulder in a circular motion, “Sorry. I just need some rest. It’s been a crazy few days.”
My eyes scan my surroundings, anchoring on the real reason I’m off my game.
She’s watching intently, her head bouncing wherever the ball goes. Trey Clark, Jovie’s dad, is our assistant coach, and he’s hitting grounders and hoppers to the infielders.
I turn up my Gatorade, watching her march down the metal bleachers, “Madden, the play was at home! You gave up the score!”
Coach Clark turns, rolling his eyes at Cori, “It’s just practice, Corinne but good lookin’ out, sweetheart.”
She waves her arms around dramatically, “Yeah, well, don’t practice bad habits and expect to win!”
Our head coach—Alexander Torres— gives him a questionable look.
“My niece,” he acknowledges.
Coach T crosses his arms, “Well, that explains a lot, actually.”
I can’t read the look that crosses Coach Clark’s face, but I’d say it’s a mixture of pride and embarrassment.
“Corinne, you want a spot on my staff?”
She shakes her head vigorously in disagreement, smiling at my scowling best friend, “Absolutely not. Looks like you got it all under control. Well, minus the fact that your third baseman shouldn’t be playing third base.”
Crew throws his hands up in disbelief. She’s ruffling everyone’s feathers.
“That’s enough for today, boys. See you tomorrow.”
Coach T approaches Cori, “Seems like you might be waiting for one of my boys, but you’re banned if you ever interrupt my practice again.”
She smiles, “Yes, sir.”
“What the hell is she doing here?” Nash seethes. “She’s everywhere.”
She really is.
Madden walks up to Cori and Lainey, escorting them to his car. “Guess she likes Madden?” I note, but it’s more of a question.
Nash clenches his fists at his side, although I’m not sure he even realizes he’s doing it. “That’s funny because Madden was really cozy with your girlfriend this weekend, from what I remember.”
“Before or after you shoved her?”
His eyes find the ground, “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to hurt her, and I don’t know.” He stammers, “I thought she was someone else.”
I raise my voice, “And that makes it okay? What the hell is the matter with you? Ever since Cori Clark walked into the cafeteria on Friday, you’ve been on some kind of warpath.”
Nash just completely shuts down, opening the door of my truck, “Let’s go get the stuff for our video.”
I shift my truck into drive and head in the direction of Home Depot. It seems like every red light is catching us, so I press my luck and decide to try and talk to Nash.
“So, is there something I should know?”
He taps his phone screen, trying not to make it too obvious that he’s ignoring me.
“Nash!” I bark. “If something is wrong, just tell me. I don’t like you being all broody and upset, I need the normal you back.”
“Nothing is wrong.”
He can’t even look me in the eye.
“You’re lying,” I snap. “Is it your mom? Your dad?”
He snaps, slamming his palm against the dash. “Damn it, Carson, would you just leave it alone. It’s everything! You don’t understand because everything in your life is so perfect! The perfect family, the perfect girl, the perfect game!”
I very forcefully yank my truck off the road, slamming the brakes and putting the truck into park.
“Are you kidding me right now? Are you that damn blind, Nash? I’m struggling too. I’m basically trapped with Avery, afraid to hurt her by calling it off, and the pressure of the scouts this year is basically suffocating me! No eres el único que lidia con alguna mierda!”
You’re not the only one dealing with some shit!
He stills, surprised at my outburst. I don’t ever yell at him, or anyone really.
He laughs, “You dipped into the Spanish part of your brain. You’re pissed.”
I laugh, too, because it’s impossible to stay mad at him. “I just want to know what’s up with you. You’re my best friend.”
He drags his hands down his face, “Corinne Clark is the girl that I kissed that summer, the reason Jovie went crazy.”
My eyes go wide, “You kissed her cousin?”
“No, Carson! I basically fell in love with her, right there in your batting cage.”
Now it all makes sense. It explains why Jovie was so pissed back then and why she turned on Nash and leaked the tape. Instead of blaming Jovie, Nash blames Cori.
“Is that why you are so bitter? You think Cori is responsible for your dad leaving?” I sigh, “Tell me you know how messed up that is? The only person responsible for that is your mom.”
Nash growls, slamming his fist against the dash again, “I can’t even look at her!”
I sit and stare at the steering column for a second, remembering that he said he fell in love with her.
“You love her?”
“No. God, no.” He spits, “I want to forget her and all the pain that kiss has caused.”
“Well, that’s going to be hard to do with her everywhere we look.”
He shakes his head, “I know. She isn’t going anywhere either, is she?”
“I don’t think she is. At least, not anytime soon.”
“We need to find out why she’s here. It’ll be easier to take her down if we need to, and we can get her shipped back where she came from.”
I sigh, “Why don’t we just leave this one alone.”
“You’re right,” he agrees. “Jovie will handle it.”
I shake my head, “Not everything needs to be handled.”
“Do you like her?” he asks, getting defensive.
“I don’t even know her.”
He opens the door, “Neither do I.”
I don’t tell him how I wish that I did.
After we load all the wood into the back of my truck, we head over to his house to build the ramp. We know that his mom won’t be home or care what we were doing if she was. We make sure we get the foam under it to float, stand back, and stare at our masterpiece.
“This is a terrible idea,” I laugh, shaking my head.
“It’ll be fine,” Nash beams. “We can go out on the water tomorrow. We’ll take everyone with us.”
This crazy stuff doesn’t even phase him. He’s an adrenaline junkie, and if there’s an opportunity for it, he goes too far. Every single time. He pushes it because he feels like there isn’t anything left to lose.
“I’m going home,” I sigh. “Mom keeps texting me every ten minutes, reminding me of my curfew.”
Nash rolls his eyes, “At least she cares. I’m probably going to have to go find my mom and drag her home.”
“Why don’t you just come over and stay at my house?”
He runs his hand over the top of the ramp, “Nah, I’m good. I’ll just see you tomorrow.”
I give him a stern look, “You know it’s not your job to take care of her, right?”
He nods, walking away without another word, and I feel my heart sink. I hate that he doesn’t have the support system he deserves.
I walk through the front door of my house, my dad sifting through an enormity of papers on the kitchen table. “Good timing,” he smiles. “Mom was about to march down the street to drag you home.”
“Technically, I had about eight minutes to spare,” I grin, reading the time on my phone screen. My smile quickly vanishes when I see all the missed texts from Avery.
I don’t even consider reading them and head up to my bathroom. It’s been a long day, and after baseball and building a ramp, I need a shower. I’m dead tired, so I hurry up and return to my room and close the door.
I pull my drawer open and grab some clothes out, but just out of the corner of my eye, I see movement out the window. Looking out to the one across from mine, I slip my shirt down over my head. I see Cori sitting on her bed, legs crossed, and a computer on her lap.
I yank my blinds up, my movement causing her head to jerk my way. She doesn’t even have blinds up, just some sheer curtains. I pull my window up, waiting for her to come to open hers.
“What do you want, creep?” she asks, leaning out the window. Her hair is tied up in a bun. A sports bra and high-waisted workout leggings are pulling my eyes, but I’m trying not to make it obvious.
“Just wanted to see if you had any coaching advice,” I laugh, causing her eyes to roll.
“What is the point in having runners if the coach wants you to make the play at first?”
She’s not wrong.
“What are you doing?” I ask, her head snapping back to her laptop and closing it.
“Nothing, just over here trapped in my tower.”
I smile, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”
She giggles, blowing me off, “Well, goodnight.”
“Wait!” I whisper-shout. “Come over.”
She glances around her room, then at the ground. “I can’t, it’s 11 o’clock, and they’ll kill me. Besides, the Yankees are playing the Red Sox, and it’s close.”
Her love for the game that I love makes me even more attracted to her, “Fine, I’ll come to you.”
“No!” she huffs, desperation in her voice. “No. I’ll just, I’ll sneak down.”
I laugh as I watch her slowly open her bedroom door and tiptoe away. A couple of seconds later, she appears in my yard with her arms crossed, staring up at me, “Aren’t you going to come down?”
“No, you’re coming up,” I wink. “There is a game on, you know.”
Her attitude flares, “What! There’s no way I can get up there without your parents seeing me.”
I point to a ladder pushed behind the hedges against the house. “That’s what the ladder is for.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. No way! I’m not some late-night booty call that uses a ladder just like all the other girls at school. No.”
I laugh, “The only person that uses that ladder is Nash.”
She stares at me for a moment, huffs, then yanks the ladder out, perching it against the house. I hold it still for her and help her into my window.
“Wow,” she breathes, glancing around the room. “Your room is so... clean.”
“Thanks?”
“No,” she laughs. “That’s good. It’s just unexpected.”
“Not all teenage boys live in pig styes.”
“Noted,” she smiles, hiding the sliver of her stomach with her arms.
“Are you cold?” I ask, noticing the goosebumps trailing her arms.
“A little, but I’m alright.”
“Here,” I toss her a hoodie, watching as she stares at it for a second before pulling it on.
My breath is nearly stolen from my lungs. I know it sounds sappy, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier sight. Red is most definitely her color.
Her eyes find my TV, zoning in on the game, and I watch as it reflects in her blue eyes.
“I’ve never met a girl that likes baseball.
Most of the girls at school sit at the games like they’re bored to death.
Last year there was an entire Instagram page dedicated to rating our butts in our baseball pants. ”
She shrugs off my comment, “I love the game, but I could’ve totally gotten on board with that page.”
My phone constantly buzzes on my nightstand as Cori watches the game, “Aren’t you gonna get that?”
“Uh,” I lean over her on my bed, grabbing it off the nightstand. “It’s just Avery.”
She sits up straighter, “I should go. I forgot you have a girlfriend, and this wouldn’t look too good if someone found out.”
I blow it off, “I’m allowed to have friends.”
I want you to be more, though.
She continues watching the game, getting all worked up when there is an error in left field. She rambles on about how he should know better.
The fire behind her eyes as she watches the game makes me feel more alive than any stupid Legacy party I’m supposed to enjoy.
Her eyes glow as she watches the game, and I can’t keep from watching her.
I realize it sounds childish, but I can’t help but picture her in my jersey number, watching my games.
I feel her barefoot touch my leg, it only stays there for a moment, but the heat is still there.
Geez, what is wrong with me?
I keep stealing glances at her, wondering what has happened to make her so distant from everyone. She said she didn’t want to be noticed. Is that because she was popular at her old school?
“Why don’t you have social media?” I blurt, letting out an uneasy laugh.
She jerks her head my way, knitting her eyebrows together. “I don’t want it.”
I know I shouldn’t push, but I can’t help it, “You know that’s strange for a teenage girl, right?”
She yanks my phone up off the nightstand, waving it at me, “This thing cost me my old life. Everything that I thought I knew was ruined because of this.”
Wow.
I stare at her as she hands it to me, her eyes distant and hurt. I glance down at the lock screen, notifications filling the entire thing.
Is she right?
“What happened?” I ask, genuinely curious, hoping she will open up to me.
“I value my relationships now. Enough to put my phone away and spend time with the people I care about.”
Hearing the sadness in her voice with the confession, I pull her closer. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugs out of my arms, “It’s okay, Carson. I should get home before they realize I’m gone.”
I know it isn’t smart, but I feel the need to cling to her, “Or you could stay.”
“Your parents finding me here would be even worse,” she huffs, standing up and starting to pull my hoodie off.
“No, it’s okay,” I pull it back down over her torso. “Keep it.”
She looks up at me, a glisten in her eyes, “Thanks. I uh... I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She turns around, and my number on the back of the hoodie sets me off. I lock my hand around her wrist, stopping her.
Pulling her into a hug, she melts into my chest. I can feel her body go slack, and I use my thumb to angle her face up to mine.
The tension between us is too much at this point.
I slowly lower my lips to hers, capturing them.
It’s just a simple, delicate peck, and her eyes remain closed as I pull away.
“I hope I see you every tomorrow,” I whisper roughly, still inches from her lips. I feel it, and I know she feels it too.
She nearly stumbles backward, her eyes fluttering open, the pad of her finger on her lip. “I can’t be here. You have a girlfriend, Carson.”
I step closer to her, my words nearly desperate, “No,” I defend. “It’s all a lie.”
She straddles the window, “Maybe, but it’s still wrong.”