Chapter 86
“Iwant to check your shoulder,” Maggie said as Rhys came out of the video room. He very nearly groaned, but from the look on her face, figured that would be a mistake.
Not like it was the first one he’d ever made.
Rhys hadn’t seen Alfie after he sent that message to the text thread with him and Mel. He’d made sure of it. Rhys was doing the right thing, no matter how much it hurt. For once in his life.
They would both be better off without him.
It never failed. He always fucked everything up. The only thing he’d ever been good at was baseball and making people feel good. He couldn’t even do the second anymore, unless it involved the first.
He apparently wasn’t allowed to have anything else. That was fine. He’d done okay with only having baseball in his life. It would be better to return to having casual sex with people who didn’t really know him. Then, he didn’t have to worry about letting anyone down.
If only he could get rid of this ache in his chest. He rubbed the heel of his hand over it as he followed Maggie into the training room.
She stared hard at him. “You do something to your chest? Do you make everyone want to pummel you with baseballs?”
Rhys tried to laugh, but the most he could manage was to shake his head. She narrowed her eyes even more. And put one hand on his shoulder. He thought she’d go right into working it around, but she just looked into his face. “Whatever’s going on,” she said, “we’re here for you. All of us.”
Not if they knew how terrible he was. He didn’t say anything to that. He figured if he opened his mouth, it would all come tumbling out. He couldn’t deal with it right now.
Maggie heeded his silence at least and after a few minutes stepped back. “It seems to be in fine functioning order. If that changes, I want to hear about it instantly. No need to hurt yourself more just because you’re stubborn.”
When he came out of her office, he saw Nik on one of the mats, going through a yoga flow. He came up to his feet, and Rhys noticed dark circles under his eyes.
“You all right?” Rhys asked. “You left the bar earlier than we did. Did you go somewhere else?”
“Just home,” Nik said, a wide grin on his face. “Had a hot date to finish.”
“Oh yeah?" Rhys asked. “And you didn’t bring her along?”
Nik laughed. “No, that’s the name of the book I was reading. The fake dating didn’t become real until three in the morning. I couldn’t stop before that, you know.”
A laugh cracked out of his chest. “You and your romance books. Wouldn’t you prefer the real thing? I’m sure there were any number of people you could have hooked up with last night.”
“Not really my thing.”
“With the way that relief pitcher for the Comets looked at you when he showed up, I’m pretty sure he wants to make it your thing.”
Nik shook his head, but color flared up in his cheeks. “He is such a… He’s so full of himself. Probably thinks he’s God’s gift to everyone. Even if I was attracted to anyone, it wouldn’t be him.” His gaze flicked over to Rhys. “And no, I don’t need to be fixed just because I’m asexual.”
“I wouldn’t ever say that. There isn’t anything wrong with you. Sorry if I’ve ever been…”
“You haven’t,” Nik said with a sigh. “You’re just being you, and that’s fine.
My grandparents are just… It doesn’t matter.
They’ll try to set me up with a nice girl from their church when I go home at the end of the season.
It won’t matter what I say, or that we have nothing in common. And you don’t care about any of this.”
“Of course I do. What you want matters, Nik. You shouldn’t let anyone make you think you deserve less, even if it doesn’t look like what everyone else wants.”
“I wish you could convince my grandparents of that. As if I haven’t disappointed them enough by playing baseball instead of taking over the ranch.”
“Trust me, I get disappointing people. But, you can’t live your life for them.”
“I owe them a lot.”
“You owe yourself to be happy.”
Nik shot him a smile. “I am. I just get a little… angsty near the end of the season.”
“At least we still have a little over a month left.” Rhys shifted, feeling antsy. “I’m going to get some stretching in before we go back out there.”
And not think about how what he’d said to Nik could never apply to him. He didn’t deserve it. He never had. He was worthless after all, just like Craig said.
He just needed to make sure no one else figured that out.
Playing the Field…Even off the field
We’ve reported on Deltry Ocelots catcher, Rhys Molson, and his exploits before. But, it’s never been anything like this. Last night, the team was seen at Embers, though that isn’t unusual. When Molson was spotted dancing with yet another new woman, it still wasn’t anything to speak of.
Then, we received pictures showing him coming out of a house, with not only that same woman, but one of his teammates as well. Just what is going on with the Deltry Ocelots? Are they all hooking up? You’d think if they’re too busy getting in each other’s pants, their games would be suffering.
Although they haven’t been playing their best ball the last couple weeks. Between all of Molson’s bench time— and we’re wondering if that was more a punishment now than true injury— and losing Throckmorton to the majors once again, their hopes of making the postseason might just be sinking.
Molson might not be able to stop a pitch behind the plate lately, but he certainly seems to be catching something.
- Colby Moss
Blocking Pitches and Hate
Yes, I’ve seen the pictures. No, I don’t think Rhys Molson has anything to apologize for. Not to his teammates. Not to his fans. Certainly not to the children who look up to him.
I’ll tell you what I saw in those pictures. Three people. That is it. One of them kissing one of the others. So?
Rhys Molson has not been silent about the fact he’s bisexual.
It’s not his fault the rest of the baseball world would prefer he keep himself in the closet.
None of his teammates have ever complained about his behavior, on the field or off.
In fact, the only thing I’ve heard in my time reporting for the club is how much of a team player he is.
How he is the one who makes sure a game goes smoothly.
I spoke to the Ocelots’ manager, Andrew Turner, and he said that while yes, Molson had been benched a couple times this season, both times for the good of his health, they would continue to rely on him as a backstop.
“There is no one better at the job than Molson,” Turner told me.
“His personal life has nothing to do with it. When he’s behind the plate, the game is all that matters. ”
He wouldn’t say much about the reason Molson has seen more bench time recently, though the shoulder impingement was genuine.
As for his sudden slump when he had been playing so well…
I wouldn’t doubt a lot of that had to do with everyone else in the baseball world telling him he’s wrong for whom he loves.
It should not matter whom he is with: cis, trans, male, female, nonbinary.
We’ve been over this before, players’ lives aren’t up for speculation.
You might see them as only entertainment, but they are still human beings.
They certainly deserve the space to fall in love, and not have to deal with your hate over that.
- Cai O’Byrne
Mel
I saw the picture.
And those idiotic captions.
Are you okay?
If it’s any consolation, I think we look hot
Please, just talk to me, Rhys