I tapped out a message to Penny, knowing she wouldn’t get it for a while but still wanting to send it anyway.
Coach said some college coaches will be at the game tomorrow.
I paused and tried to think of something else to say. Instead of putting any other emotions down, I pressed send and tucked the phone away in my backpack in my locker. Penny would know what to say, and I hoped she’d respond by the time we were done with practice.
Chapter 22
Penny
We all got on the bus as the sun had almost set, ready for the long drive back home. I’d had an awesome day both on the mound and at the plate, and I felt like I was on top of the world.
“Great game today, ladies,” Coach Ambrose said.
As she took her seat at the front of the bus, we all settled in. I pulled out my phone and stuck in my earbuds, knowing I needed to make the most of the ride back home. I looked for my music and saw I’d received a message from Jake three hours earlier.
Coach said some college coaches will be at the game tomorrow.
It was such a vague statement, and I wondered how he felt about it.
That’s a good thing, right? You’ll be able to show off your skills and get a scholarship for it.
I pressed send, staring at the screen as if his response would appear because I willed it. After nearly a minute with no answer, I started my music and continued reading Hamlet, going through it slowly so I could understand the older language and make sure I got the story correct. I loved English, but Shakespeare seemed to be my own kind of torture just to keep my grades up.
The message pinged in my ears, and I turned the screen on and saw a message from Jake.
I guess. I’m not sure about it yet. I had a rough day at practice. I might not have anything to show them.
The defeatist attitude was something I hated, but after everything he’d talked about on Saturday, I could understand it. He’d probably gotten so sick of his dad badgering him about his practicing and skills that he either didn’t think he was really good enough or he didn’t want to go to college and see his father gloat.
You’ll be fine. I’ll come watch after we get done with our practice tomorrow. Just play like you always do. A cocky, arrogant shortstop who’s better than everyone out there.
I don’t play like that. Usually I’m just hoping I don’t screw anything up.
I bit my lip as I read through his words. A wide smile took over, and I typed out, You fooled me then.
Several minutes went by, and I was worried I’d offended him. But then a long bubble popped up, and I realized what had taken so long.
At least I fooled someone. Tomorrow’s a big game, and I hope we do well. My stomach is already twisted in knots. Sorry, I shouldn’t bug you while you’re on the bus.
Please, you’re helping me avoid my reading for tomorrow.
I waited again and had to click the screen to keep it from going black.
What about you and college? Have you had any interest so far?
I’d gotten mail from at least fifty of the smaller schools, but after checking the classes and majors they offered, I’d been able to narrow it down to ten from there. I still would’ve preferred some of the bigger schools, but it was still early, and I had another year before graduation.
A few. I’ll have a better chance of being looked at over the summer.
I’m at the diner tonight. Wish you were here.
I read the last phrase at least a dozen times, my chest nearly bursting with excitement.
Me too.
I sent it, not wanting to say too much or too little. I liked this simple relationship, where we were slowly feeling things out. From everything I’d learned over the past few years, this was different than any relationship Jake had had with other girls. Usually, they started and ended within a week. It was nearing a week since the kiss, and we’d barely seen each other. Was that the secret to a longer relationship with Rosemont’s playboy?
He didn’t text me back, and I knew he was probably swamped with the dinner crowd at the diner. I stared out the window for a while, imagining several scenarios of the next time I saw him before turning back to my book. If I got it done now, I might be able to see him once I got home and before bed.
I never would have thought I’d want to get my homework done so I could see a boy. Especially not Jake White.
Chapter 23
Jake
I pulled into my driveway after a long shift at the diner. Glancing over, I saw Penny’s car in the drive, and I looked up at her window, wondering if she was already asleep or not. We were different in that way. I was a night owl and usually didn’t go to sleep until after midnight, no matter the day. Penny, on the other hand, seemed to clock out by at least ten unless she was studying for something.
Opening the door, I stepped out of the Jeep and walked toward the side door of my house.
“Hey, long night at work?” Penny’s voice came from the side, causing me to jump for once.
She giggled, and I shook my head.
“I can’t believe you got me. It’s been forever since someone scared me like that.”
Penny stepped out of the bush and grinned. “I thought I’d give it a try. You look tired.”
“Claudia was in a mood today, so I had to work double-time to make sure she didn’t end up throwing plates against the wall again. Lou laughed every time I came back with another load of dishes, and the place was packed until about thirty minutes ago.” I leaned against the Jeep and folded my arms, taking in her appearance.
Her auburn hair shone a bit in the moonlight, and it was all down, looking a little damp still. She wore bright pink and purple heart pajama bottoms and a plain gray t-shirt.
“How was your game?” I asked, watching the features of her face turn into a smile.
Penny moved over to lean next to me on the Jeep. “It was really good. Seventeen strikeouts and three really good hits.”
“Oh man! I would’ve been so bored out in the field with seventeen strikeouts. Sounds like you were on fire, though.”
She nodded. “It felt good. Coach Ambrose was really happy too. I think I’m warming up to her.”
Her hair tickled my arm, and I lifted my hand to rub the spot. A few seconds later, she leaned her head against my shoulder, and I froze, unsure what to do. This had never happened to me, where I wasn’t Mr. Casanova with a girl. But this was Penny Davis, my oldest friend and next-door neighbor. If I screwed this up, it would end up being worse than anything before.
Unfolding my arm, I draped it around her shoulders and pulled her in a bit. “What do you mean ‘warming up to her’? Coach Maddox said she’s always raving about you.”
Penny leaned back, her eyebrows pinched together. “I’ve never heard that. I think today was the second time she’s told me good job since the season started. But maybe that’s good for me so I keep pushing myself.” She sighed, laying her head against me again.
“That could be a good reason,” I said, wondering if she could hear my heart thudding around in my chest with her ear right next to it. “I should probably head in. I’ve got some homework to finish up, and then I need to sleep for the game tomorrow.”
Penny jumped away from me and waved her pointer finger at my face. “Who are you, and what have you done with Jake White? The Jake I know hardly ever does his homework.”
Raising my hands as if she were pointing a gun at me, I laughed. “Well, someone has been telling me to step up my game and take advantage of the skills and talents I have. I figured I won’t make it far or even to a decent college if I don’t make some kind of an effort.” I winked at her and then tapped the tip of her nose with my finger.
“So you’re actually thinking about college now? That’s awesome, Jake. You’ll be amazing. Did your coach tell you which college coaches will be at the game tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “No, just made a point to give me a long stare. He’s been telling me to think about it for the last few weeks.
We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”
Penny reached forward and rested her hand on my forearm. “Please. Just fool everyone with your amazing diving skills and the most accurate swing I’ve ever seen, and the coaches will be lining up at your door.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks, surprising me that a compliment could make me feel so embarrassed. I’d received plenty of praise over the last several years, but for some reason, Penny’s words hit home. Probably because from the look on her face, they were the most genuine of any I’d heard before.
I reached out for her and wrapped my arms around her back, pulling her to my chest. She wrapped her arms around my waist, the top of her head resting just under my chin. I held on to her for longer than was probably acceptable, but something about it infused more confidence in me, like someone else really cared about what I did with my life. If only things could stay this simple.
“Good luck tomorrow,” Penny said, pulling away a few inches. She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek, leaving the spot tingling. Giving me a quick smile, she turned toward her house.
“Don’t screw this up, Jake,” I whispered to myself. If I just took it slow, hopefully I wouldn’t mess up the greatest thing I had going for me at the moment.
“What are you doing home so late?” roared my father.
I took a step back, surprised to see him home on a Thursday night. Usually, his work kept him out of town until Friday afternoon.
I frowned, bending over to take off my shoes by the door and hang up my bag on the hooks. Keeping things orderly helped my mom’s anxiety stay at a minimum, and it was the least I could do when I came inside.
“Answer me, son!” His large figure towered above me as he grabbed my arm, but as I stood to face him, a flicker of fear passed over his face. He hadn’t been around much in the last few months, and I was now just an inch or two shorter than he was. He had at least fifty pounds on me, but if needed, I’d employ my speed and run away from him if the conversation escalated.
“I was at the diner, paying my debt to society, all right?” I knocked his hand away from my arm and walked past, feeling more confident than I had in past years.
His heavy footsteps thundered behind me. “Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you. I’m still your father.”
Whirling around, I stopped short, causing him to go off-balance. His arms flailed to the side, and the smell of his breath reeked of alcohol.
“Where are your mother and the girls? I’ve been here over an hour, and no one has picked up my calls.” He staggered over to sit in the recliner in the family room, leaning back with his legs propped up.
“I don’t know, Dad. I can’t have my phone out at work. Like I said, I just got home. If you don’t need anything else, I need to go shower. I smell like dirt and grease.”
“How’s baseball going? I talked to your coach on the phone yesterday, and he said you’ve got some college coaches coming to watch the game tomorrow. I came home early so I could watch it.”
With just a few words, the excitement and confidence I’d felt with Penny plummeted to the ground. Every time my father showed up to one of my games, it only ended in disaster, with him yelling at everything and everyone on the field.
I shook my head. “You really didn’t have to do that, Dad. I doubt any of them will be there for me.”
“Nonsense. You’ve always had the talent to succeed more than anyone I know. I haven’t been to any of your games in a while, so this will be good. I could even go undercover and chat up some of the coaches, see what they think, you know?”
I groaned. “Please don’t do that, Dad. If there’s even a chance of me playing baseball in college, just let me prove it to them on the field. Please.” I hated hearing the begging in my voice, but at least twelve different scenarios had played out in my mind since he’d suggested it seconds before, and I felt sick at the prospect of even one of them coming true.
“Too good for your dad now, huh? Don’t worry. I’ll just stay to myself.”
I took in a deep breath, not feeling the boldness I’d held on to when I first got inside the door. As much as I wanted to plead with him not to come to the game, I knew it would only anger him into coming for sure.
“No, Dad. Just let me take care of it during the game, okay? Next year, if I don’t have any prospects still, I’ll let you talk to some of the recruiters.” A silent plea went up that I would have a few offers by then. Because if I was going to play in college, I didn’t want to be embarrassed by him trying to “work things” and screwing it all up.
He slapped the arm of the recliner and grinned, the glazed look in his eyes making him look a little insane. “I’m just glad you’re coming around to the idea of getting a scholarship. You’ve got the talent to go far, and I thought I was going to have to beat some sense into you sooner or later. Now I don’t have to.” Picking up the remote, he flipped the TV on and scrolled through the guide.
I blew out a breath and ran upstairs, the adrenaline of his words now echoing through me like a vibration of my anger from his words.
Did I fake being sick tomorrow? The thought barely entered my mind when I shrugged it off.
I could get through this. I’d been through much worse, and with Penny there, cheering me on, I was bound to have a decent game. I just hoped my dad would keep to himself like he promised.
Chapter 24
Penny
Practice went longer than usual, and I grabbed my bag and ran in the direction of the baseball field, not even taking time to remove my cleats. I sat on the side of the third baseline and removed them, all the while trying to catch up on what had happened during the game. The Rosemont Royals were down by four runs, and at that moment, Jake was stepping into the batter’s box.
I stuffed my cleats into the bag and stepped into my slip-ons before standing up next to the fence and yelling, “You’ve got this, Jake!”
He was usually so laser-focused, but he glanced over in my direction as he set his feet, a fleeting smile on his face. He took the first pitch, a ball on the outside corner.
I stuffed my bag next to some of the bags already there and ran up the bleachers. It was difficult to find a seat since so many had come out to the cross-town rivalry game.
I slipped in next to Kate and a few of her officer people and watched as Jake swung and missed at a curveball that moved so far out of the zone he didn’t have a chance of hitting it.
“Come on, Jake! You’re better than that!” I heard a familiar voice bellow from behind me, and I knew part of the story. It was Jake’s dad. No wonder he was so tense.
I cupped my hands over my mouth, hoping he could hear me from the batter’s box. “You can hit this guy, Jake. Find your pitch. Wait for your pitch.”
The pitcher from the opposing team wound up and threw the ball to home plate, the fastball coming on the inside corner and nearly hitting Jake in the hands. He spun out and missed the impact, but the crowd booed, not happy about the near-miss on injuring one of our best players.
I wrung my hands together, trying to send any good vibes I could his way as I heard his father grumbling from the bench a few rows up.
The pitch came in, and Jake drove it into a gap in the outfield, driving in a run as he made it to second base. I stood and clapped, whistling as loud as I could. Second base didn’t make for the easiest view, but I saw a glint of a smile on his face before he turned it back to a somber expression as his teammate stepped into the box.
“So, have you finally changed your mind about liking him?” Kate asked when I sat down again.
Heat traveled all the way to the tips of my ears. “Maybe.”
“It’s about time. I was beginning to think I was going to have to stage some kind of intervention or something to get you to see how that boy is head over heels for you. And I’m pretty sure you feel the same.”
I didn’t say anything, only stared out at the attractive guy on second base, wondering if he really felt the same.
The g
ame progressed, and the boys were slowly coming back, but the other team was doing a good job of keeping the Royals on their toes.
When the game finally ended with Rosemont losing by one point, I could see the defeat in the slump of Jake’s shoulders. But he’d played his heart out, and while that wasn’t enough to make up for the early deficit, I knew whatever college recruiters had been there would’ve seen that over the win.
I waited for the crowds to leave, and a bunch of us students waited for the coach’s pep talk in the outfield to be over before the players started gathering up equipment to head back into the locker room.
“They did so well; don’t you think?” Kate asked, looping her arm through mine. “I know they lost, but at least they didn’t get killed.”
“I guess that’s one way to look at it.” Any loss was hard to swallow, especially if the end goal was to make it to the state championship, but I needed to hold onto Kate’s positivity when I got the chance to talk to Jake in a few minutes.
Kate tugged on my arm. “That guy looks really familiar.” She pointed to Dax, the catcher, and I shrugged.
“He’s been the team’s catcher for a while. You’ve probably just seen him hanging out with Jake in the halls.”
“What if he’s my mystery kisser?” Kate asked, eyes wide with excitement.
Sighing, I shook my head. “Are you still trying to solve that mystery? I don’t know if you’d want Dax to be the one to fit your man. He’s just as much of a ladies’ man as the rest of them.”
“Well, look at Jake. He’s a good example of a reformer. I haven’t heard anything about him hanging out with any other ladies ever since you two have been talking again.”
The thought of it put my mind at ease. If anyone were to hear of anything, it would be Kate. But that still didn’t make it one hundred percent fail-proof, and I did my best to hide my momentary excitement.
The Perfect Play: A Boy Next Door Young Adult Romance (Rosemont High Baseball Book 1) Page 10