by E. M. Moore
After class, I walk right out of the school and am surprised when no one stops me. The Ballers are already out there along with a motor coach. Alec, now dressed in a suit, is standing by as the rest of his baseball teammates head onto the bus. He sees me coming and waits. With his hand on the short railing up the steps, he says, “You’ll drive Shawn, Matt, and Hayes.”
“O-okay.”
He gives me a quick once-over and then follows the last guy onto the bus. When I turn, Shawn, Matt, and Hayes are already standing next to my car. Matt and Shawn’s eyebrows are both raised. Hayes, though, is just watching everything with that cool expression of his. Does he ever get mad? Riled up? The only time I see him show emotion is on the court. It’ll be interesting to see him in practice.
We pile into the car as Sloan’s Jeep pulls away, taking with him Ryan, Lake, and a couple girls. Hayes has to put the seat back to fit in the passenger side of the car, which means Matt’s feet have to ride the hump. The Mustang is a sweet car, but it’s also not meant to carry a bunch of people, especially huge guys like Hayes. “You okay?” I ask, once he’s situated.
He nods, then glances over the dash with its technology and sleek buttons. “It’s nice,” he says.
Nice? Starting the car in response, I find Matt and Shawn in the rearview mirror. They’re expressions mirror mine. This hour-long ride is going to be pretty quiet. Hayes isn’t one for talking, and the rest of us won’t want to talk because we’re with him and he’s one of them. We do drive with the top down, which seems to make things a little smoother. Hayes’ deep blue eyes are almost shining as we catch all the scenery between here and Preston.
“So, if RHS wins tonight, they’ll go to the playoffs, right?”
I look back to see Shawn leaning forward in the seat, eyes on Hayes. Hayes just looks slightly toward him and grunts in approval.
I smile at Shawn in the rearview and keep driving. If this isn’t the most awkward drive I’ve ever had, I don’t know what was. Pretty quickly, though, we end up in Preston, and then it’s only a couple minutes until we find the high school and the accompanying baseball field.
“Park here,” Hayes instructs. “Then we’re walking over to the diner across the street.”
I do as he says, parking right next to Sloan’s Jeep, and then we all get out. There’s no one in Sloan’s Jeep, but that doesn’t deter Hayes, he just sets right off for the diner like he knew that’s where they would go. When we walk in, a delicious smell hits me. Hayes walks right up to the booth the guys are sitting in with the two girls and takes the last seat. Shawn, Matt, and I just stand there awkwardly until I sit in the booth next to theirs after getting leers from the two girls. Whatever.
The same waitress who takes care of them takes care of us, but we don’t interact with their table at all. Mostly, they talk about a party that happened on Sunday at Sloan’s house. They relive the fact that they got drunk and went swimming all day. The girls giggle, so I can only imagine what happened after that. At first, I think about Ryan kissing his girl, but then I think about Alec kissing someone else. My cheeks burn at the thought.
When we’re done, the waitress drops off both checks. Ryan suddenly moves in front of our table. He’s got a wicked glint in his eye that makes me wonder how I even crushed on him in the first place. “You guys got ours, right?”
He slaps the bill down and then takes off, the Ballers and the two girls trailing behind him. I stare at their backs, hoping they can feel the dagger-eyes I’m giving them.
When I turn back to the table, Shawn and Matt are squirming. Matt’s the first one to say, “I’ve got like five dollars on me. That’s it.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. They didn’t do this to us. They did it to me. “Don’t worry,” I tell them. “I got it.” I pull out the credit card I’m allowed to use in emergencies and take it up to the counter. The Ballers can think they’re fucking me over. The truth is, they really are. I don’t get an allowance. My dad always says if I want money, I have to work for it. I have picked up jobs here and there, but it’s hard to do when I have to quit once basketball season starts. I refuse to let a job interfere with that, so mostly I just ask my parents for money when I want to do something like every other kid in America. My only saving grace for this charge might be if I use the Ballers as an excuse.
When I return with the copy of the receipt, I take a picture and send a text to my dad that I paid for the Ballers dinner. His response: Glad you’re having fun, Honey.
I roll my eyes. Yeah, I wouldn’t call it fun.
“Thanks, Tessa,” Shawn mutters. “I had no idea they were going to do that.”
“None of us did,” I said. It’s not even buying the Baller’s food that makes me angry. It’s buying the girls’ food when neither one of them look at me, and if they do, it’s to give me a look like I’m a dirty whore when they’re the ones who are always hanging off the guys.
I put everything back in my purse and then head out across the street with Shawn and Matt. While we were inside the diner, Preston started to get busy with cars heading toward the game. We end up finding the Ballers in the away team’s side. Before we sit behind them, though, Sloan stops me. “Tessa, why don’t you be a doll and ask if they need a water girl?”
My hands clench to fists. I want to shove a water bottle up his ass. Shawn and Matt go to get up with me, but Lake says, “No, no. Not you guys. Just her.”
The acting as a team thing must have been all talk. They’re actively trying to split us up.
I turn and make my way down the outdoor bleachers. With a quick swallow, I step around the dugout. In Preston, there’s an actual dugout lined in wood, so you can’t see the players until they come out onto the field to play. The coach of RHS’s basketball team is standing right there, flipping through sheets on a clipboard. “Coach,” I call out, my tongue thick. I really wouldn’t mind being the water girl, it just pisses me off that I was singled out. I look to my left. The nice part about this is that I get a way better view from in here.
He looks up. “Yes?”
“Do you need help handing out water and keeping the bottles filled?”
Coach looks around like he can’t believe I’m bothering him with this. These games may not count, but it’s obvious they take the summer season seriously. If they win tonight, they’ll even go to this quarter season’s playoffs. If they lose, it’s the end of the road for them. And I’m standing here asking him about water.
A few of the guys in the dugout appraise me. From the opposite, Alec looks up from inspecting his bat. He sees me gesturing toward the water bottles, so he stands and walks over. “I’ll show her what to do, Coach.”
Coach just walks away, shaking his head.
My face is flaming. I can’t believe those assholes are making me do this. “Bastards,” I mutter under my breath.
Alec hears me, but thankfully, he pretends not to. He points to two caddies filled with water. “Make sure everyone who comes off the field gets offered one of these. When one gets low, there’s a cooler over there.” He points to the opposite end of the dugout where he just was. I nod once, telling him I understand. “You can sit right here,” he says, backing me up until I hit the bench. It’s the spot furthest away from everyone else. He bends over me, and I immediately stiffen. I don’t know if he’s going to say something or if I even want him to say something. He doesn’t. He just stands back up and heads over to the opposite end of the dugout again while I try to catch my breath.
Being the water girl isn’t that bad of a job at all. I was right in that the view of the game is the best from here. I’m so close I can hear what the Coach tells the players. I even hear the banter between the guys, which reminds me of being on an actual team. I’m fired up through most of it, making sure I offer the water bottle to every guy coming off the field. When they charge back in from being on defense, I just hold both caddies up, and they take swigs before dropping them back down again. Actually, most of the baseball players are nice. Not one of them giv
es me shit for being the water girl, and I even get a few, “Thanks.”
Alec, however, is serious through the whole game. He doesn’t even look at me when he gets off the field after batting. He’s been on base twice and struck out once. There’s one inning left, and RHS is down by two runs. From what I hear in the dugout, they’ve been playing from behind this whole season. Coach is telling them that if they really want it bad enough, they need to get their asses in gear and play like they want to win.
I’m leaning forward in my seat. We’re the last ones up, so it will come down to the bottom of the inning. When Preston goes up to bat in the top of the inning, they don’t score, which is a good thing for us. We already have to come back from a deficit, we don’t need to make it an even larger one. By the time the first batter goes up for RHS, my stomach is tumbling over with nerves. I want so badly for Alec and his team to win this game. I can tell they’re trying. They’re shouting words of encouragement to one another, and I can’t help but get into it myself. Unfortunately, the first batter goes up and is called out on strikes. However, the next player in the line-up hits a single toward the shortstop who botches the catch, so we have one person on base. The run to tie the game is now stepping up to the plate. At that moment, I decide it’s more nerve-wracking to be watching a game you have no control over than it is to be in the position yourself. At least when I’m out on the court and it’s a tight game, I can try my best to win it. Now, I’m completely useless. All I can do is cheer and keep my fingers crossed.
The next batter gets two strikes right in a row. My stomach plummets. But the next pitch he hits goes into the outfield…and drops. I stand up screaming along with the rest of the guys. The player on first makes it to third and the batter makes it to second before the center fielder can throw the ball back into play.
Holy shit. Alec is up next. I hold a breath in my chest as he saunters up to home plate. There’s one strikeout left. How can it be that this whole game now rests on Alec’s shoulders? Shit. Maybe baseball is more nerve-wracking than basketball? How can this be?
Alec hits the first pitch and my heart beats once in my chest. It’s going straight toward the third baseman, but it goes right out of play. Foul. I catch my breath. One strike. Behind the dugout, I can hear the Ballers screaming for Alec. He looks cool as a cucumber even though I’m practically shaking with adrenaline all over. With the next pitch, there’s another crack of the bat. This one isn’t anywhere near the foul line. It’s going straight for the outfield. I stand, watching it just like everyone else. The left fielder runs toward it. It’s going to be so close. Eventually, it drops to the grass. I turn toward the infield. The player on third is just now tagging home base. My mouth drops as I jump up and down. The player on second is rounding third. Coach is out on his feet, waving his hands wildly. “Home! Home!”
The outfielder throws the ball in. He’s throwing it toward third just as Alec runs toward it. He slides. Everything happens so slowly that it feels like forever until the umpire calls him safe.
The crowd goes nuts.
Alec jumps to his feet and fist bumps the air. He’s just hit a triple. RHS is now tied with Preston. I scramble for the water when I notice the two guys who scored are coming in. They slap hands with their teammates and then I’m there, holding up the water bottles to them. Their chests are heaving as they gulp the water down. “That was awesome,” I say, unable to keep my mouth shut.
“Christopoulos has a way of always showing up for us,” the first guy says.
The next one smirks. “Screw basketball, he should be playing for the major leagues and he knows it. A fucking triple?”
I immediately swing my gaze toward Alec. Alec pursuing baseball instead of basketball? I almost don’t even believe it. I understand that he plays baseball, but…wow. That would change everything.
I don’t have much time to think about it though because the next guy up hits a line drive past the first baseman. It just barely curves inside into fair territory. The whole team jumps up as Alec sprints toward home.
They fucking won. Holy shit.
The welcoming Alec receives as he makes his way back to the dugout is epic. I sit and watch as the high fives and butt slaps are shared all around. I can’t help but focus on that when it happens. I bite my lip until Alec walks right in front of me. “Water?”
I stand on shaky legs, bringing a water bottle up with me and handing it over. “Good job.” I close my eyes right after I say it. Good job? Could I be even less enthusiastic? While we’re staring at one another, the crowd starts to cheer. The last batter up hit a fly ball to the third baseman. The game’s over, but RHS wins. “Congratulations,” I tell him.
His eyes rake over me until I feel like I’m exposed. Bright green flecks in his eyes sparkle. Eventually, he has to look away because he’s getting swept up in the after-win celebration. The guys all line up and then meet the Preston players out on the field to congratulate one another on a great game. I look away, making sure that the water bottles are all filled. Once they go into the locker rooms, they’re going to need it.
Alec is the last one to go through the line. The rest of the team heads toward the school. “Follow me,” he says. I grab the bottles and quicken my pace. The familiar sound of a small girl calls out to Alec. He runs toward the fence where his sister is gripping it in fierce little fists. He pulls his sister over the chainlink and gives her a hug. His dad slaps him on the back and his mother kisses him on the cheek. The Ballers are right behind them, waiting for their turn. He doesn’t stay long, just a few moments until he catches up with the rest of the team. I follow behind until I stand just inside the door to the locker rooms. As if someone forgot, one of the youngest players on the team comes out and grabs the water from me.
I’m about to leave, but then I see him passing Alec as he makes his way out to me. His dark hair is drenched in sweat, making it reflect in the shaft of sunlight coming in from the open door. Droplets slide down his face, but I don’t look at any of that. I’m trapped by his stare and then his body as he comes right up to me until my back is plastered to the cool brick wall behind me. I open my mouth to say something, but he descends on me. His lips cover mine. I inhale, taking in his musky scent that makes my nerve endings fire. Before I know it, my arms are around his shoulders and we’re pressed against one another, his knee moving between my legs.
His tongue sweeps over my lips expertly until he pries my mouth open. I moan into his kiss as his fingers dig into my hips, pulling me over his knee. The fire that was already there from earlier burns brighter, hotter. “Fuck, Tessa,” he says when I let him arch into me, and even arch right back into him.
My heart is pounding out a rhythm there’s no ending to. I want to stay like this, wrapped here in Alec’s arms, feeling the warmth of his body and the teasing kiss of his lips.
His hand reaches down, flutters past my belly which makes my muscles jump at his touch. He scoots lower and lower until his hand is resting at the peak of my legs. He presses down and I make a noise in the back of my throat at being touched so intimately.
He tears his lips away. His green eyes burn into me. He rubs me there, his knee pressing his own hand into me. I don’t know how we’ve gone from zero to sixty, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s all the adrenaline. I can’t lay claim to having control over my body right now. “Sweet, Tessa.” He runs his free hand over my cheek and then behind my head. He arches into me, and I feel his need for me plainly through his uniform.
Holy fuck his uniform. I reach up, plastering my hands over the Rockport insignia.
I groan, arching my hips into him, so he’s sliding over my clit.
He takes a deep breath. “Fuck.” For a moment, everything stops. His eyes slice through me, staring me down.
Slowly, he removes his hand, but it’s immediately sneaking past the waistband of my jeans. I suck my stomach in to give him room. I want his hand on me. Just me. They ease right past my underwear until his fingers press onto my n
ub. “Alec,” I groan.
He swallows, his determination stronger and stronger. He swirls his finger over my clit until I’m putty in his hands. All I can do is squirm, waiting for my orgasm to come because it’s so coming. Right here in this little room before the locker room with Alec’s hands down my pants. He moves forward and kisses me again, claiming my lips while he swirls faster. My nails dig into his neck until I’m trembling in his arms.
“Oh God, Alec,” I say just as I’m thrown over the edge, panting against his lips as his fingers slow to a sensual circling. He moves his knee, and I return to my feet, which I think I’ve been on this whole time, but honestly, I can’t think of anything anymore but him. He withdraws his hands from my jeans, but leaves his hand sprawled against my stomach. His now wet finger makes a trail against my stomach.
He leans over me, his chin resting on my head. “Fuck,” he breathes. I can feel him swallow, but then he’s moving away from me. “I’ll meet you by your car when I’m done.”
I watch him retreat, his fine ass purely displayed in the uniform before he slips into the locker room. I press my head back against the wall and try to get my bearings. What the hell just happened?
And why was it so good that I want to do it again like right now?
20
When I make it out to the parking area, everyone else is gone. I can’t find Shawn, Matt, or Hayes anywhere, so I send Shawn and Matt a text making sure they have a ride. Shawn writes back that they were told to ride with Sloan.
I worry over my lip, hoping I’m not being left out of anything again. If they’re going to some recruit training that I’m going to get points taken off for, I’m going to be pissed. Orgasm or not, I’ll light into Alec so quick.
I jump on the hood of my car and lean back against the windshield. What the hell was that anyway? I’m not confused anymore over the fact that Alec wants me. Why he wants me when he and his friends have been terrible to me, I don’t know. I’ll probably never know.