Striking Out With The Star Pitcher: How to catch a crush #1

by Maggie Dallen

  But the only truly awkward moment was when Andrew slid into the backseat beside me and looked at me. The interior car lights were on since the door was open and he looked at me.

  I could not stress that enough. He didn’t just glance. He didn’t nod. He just looked straight at me and stared.

  It took everything I had not to lift my arm and wipe the lipstick off on the back of my hand. I sat on my hands to keep from doing it.

  Rose would have killed me if I destroyed her masterpiece—her words, obviously, not mine.

  “Hi,” I said, a little too quietly. Part of me wondered if he heard.

  But then he smiled, that familiar, mysterious, small smile of his that said everything we peons did was for his amusement. “Hey.”

  Jax and Rose held up most of the conversation after hearing our attempt at dialogue in the backseat. Hi. Hey.

  Tracy and Hepburn we were not.

  I found the banter up front oddly soothing. I was getting used to being around Jax as part of a couple, and I was a fan. Rose was good for him, and I approved.

  Also, with the two of them so caught up in each other, Jax hadn’t asked any questions about why tonight of all nights Rose found it imperative to treat me like her own personal Barbie doll. And he hadn’t even blinked over the fact that Andrew wanted to come with us.

  Although, to be fair, Andrew hung with the party crowd, so maybe Jax just assumed he was looking for a good party. And as for the ride? Everyone knew that Jax didn’t drink so he was often the go-to guy for a ride home at the end of the night.

  So really...there was nothing to stress about. Except, of course, for the fact that I was going to see Tony tonight.

  Outside of the usual band practice and while wearing makeup.

  My hands started to sweat.

  What was I thinking?

  Nerves made my chest feel too tight and this shirt? It was so clingy I could barely move. I looked like an idiot. Tony would take one look at me and know that I was trying too hard.

  I rubbed my palms on my jeans over and over, trying to calm myself down. Then I froze.

  “Relax, Simone.” Andrew’s voice was low and quiet—too quiet for the front seat couple to hear. But it was the feel of his hand on mine that made me freeze.

  Large and calloused from no doubt loads of baseball practice, Andrew’s hand on top of mine was warm and steady. A heavy weight that forced my hand to stop in the middle of my frantic movements.

  I stared at our hands for a long moment before turning to see him slouched down in his seat like he’d never been more at ease, his heavy-lidded gaze fixed on me. His lips curved up on the right side. “You’re going to do great.”

  I blinked.

  Um… Was I getting a pep talk from Lakeview High’s star pitcher?

  Why, yes. Yes, I was.

  My life had seriously taken a turn for the surreal and I wasn’t sure how that had happened. Maybe this was what occurred when you got a Rose in your life. Her crazy high-drama lifestyle came along for the ride.

  Yup. I cast a glance over at Andrew who’d left his hand on mine as he tipped his head back and settled in for the ride. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with his hand—jerk mine out from underneath? Flip my hand over so we were holding hands?

  Both felt too weird, so I just...sat there. With his hand on mine. And maybe it was the weight of it, or the heat, or just the distraction of having a guy touching me, but…

  I forgot all about my nerves and my fears, and by the time we all piled out of the car and into the house where the music was thumping, I was almost feeling like myself again.

  5

  Andrew

  * * *

  What was I doing here? I mean, seriously. Did I not have better things to do with my life than chaperone a cute little nerd on her first…

  What was this exactly? A date?

  I didn’t think so.

  Her first...flirt, I supposed.

  I had questions. Lots of questions. Had she ever talked to this guy before? What did she know about this guy?

  As I followed Jax and Rose into the house, a nervous looking Simone trailing behind me, I had to admit—I had very little knowledge of this girl or her crush or why on earth she needed a dummy date to practice on.

  All I knew was the little I’d overheard between her and Rose, and from what I could gather, Rose saw me as some sort of sweet and harmless stand-in for Simone’s adventures in flirting.

  While my ego didn’t exactly love being thought of as some guy’s understudy, I didn’t mind helping Simone. I’d like to say I had better things to do with my time, but that wouldn’t be the entire truth.

  Baseball season hadn’t started up yet, and weight training and cardio only took up so much time. I looked around this sea of new faces around me, reaching back and taking Simone’s hand, because as tiny as she was, she could get swallowed up by this crowd.

  I had a sneaking suspicion the girl wouldn’t mind getting lost in the crowd. She had this tendency to try and fade into the woodwork—in the cafeteria, in classes...she was like a chameleon hiding in plain sight.

  Or trying to.

  But tonight there was no chance she’d blend in with her surroundings. The girl cleaned up good. I mean, she was cute without the makeup and the tight clothes, but they sure didn’t hurt.

  Her lips, for example. I hadn’t noticed when we were talking the other day that her lips were so perfect. Movie star lips. The rest of her might be somewhat average, but she had the lips of a supermodel.

  Had this crush of hers ever told her that?

  Probably not. The moron couldn’t even figure out how to flirt with her.

  I glanced back at her and was glad I’d taken her hand. Her head was bent down so low all she could see was the floor beneath her feet. I rolled my eyes as I gave her another tug that had her almost at my side. Close enough that I could smell her shampoo and it made a welcome escape from the stench of stale beer and smoke.

  Luckily Jax and Rose led us out the back door off the kitchen. We landed on a deck that was filled with people and a stereo that was blasting loud enough that I had no doubt this shindig would end with the cops being called.

  “Come on,” I said, pulling Simone along until we were down the stairs and in the small backyard.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, but it didn’t sound like a protest. More like curiosity.

  “I need some air, don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  What I didn’t say was, she clearly needed some time to ease in. The girl looked overwhelmed. She’d obviously been stressed in the car, her hand a tense ball of clammy underneath mine as she’d tried to keep herself from fidgeting.

  I wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing here, but one thing about me—probably because of a lifetime of working my butt off at baseball—I saw through my commitments. And for better or worse I’d offered to help this girl so…

  She was stuck with me.

  I came to a stop near the middle of the yard. Some small clusters of people were standing around here and there talking. Judging by the loudness of their voices, they’d started this party a while ago.

  I just hoped no one had come out here to hurl. No one needed that right now.

  “So,” I said, turning to face her. “Where’s this crush of yours?”

  “Um, I don’t—”

  We both heard Rose’s laugh. She and Jax had stayed up on the deck and were mingling with the crowd up there. Simone looked up and… She ducked behind me.

  A few moments passed in silence before I addressed the girl hiding behind me. “Hey, Simone?”

  “Yes?”

  I didn’t turn around but I could feel her curled up against my back. “What are you doing?”

  I heard her swallow. “Nothing.”

  I looked back up and saw Rose and Jax talking to a few guys our age. Guys I recognized from Jax’s band.

  Ah.

  “I take it your crush is up there,” I said.r />
  She stayed silent.

  We both stayed still for long enough that I could make out the faint sound of crickets even through the music on the deck and the talking around us. The yard was bordered by a line of trees behind us, and beyond that…

  I wanted to find out.

  I glanced over my shoulder to see a statue.

  I sighed. It wasn’t like we had anything better to do, right? This girl wasn’t going to be flirting with anyone anytime soon.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  I didn’t answer. I figured if I kept walking, she’d—

  “Where are we going?” she asked as she scrambled along beside me, this time in an irritated whisper like she might be overheard.

  “What’s back this way?” I asked.

  She looked from the trees to me and back again. “A playground. My old elementary school.”

  I glanced over in surprise. I’d transferred in sophomore year and unless someone told me otherwise, I just assumed they’d gone to Lakeview their whole life.

  “What are we doing?” she asked again as I pushed through some branches and held them back for her to pass. “The party is back that way.”

  “Yeah, well…” I shot her a sidelong look. “It didn’t seem like you were about to go flirting with your dude anytime soon, and I don’t like crowds.”

  She stopped suddenly at the edge of the woods. “But you’re always going to parties.”

  I laughed at her shocked tone. “Yeah, well, I like being bored even less.” I turned to face her. “What’s your excuse?”

  She started moving again but she gave me a blank look. “What’s my excuse for what?”

  “Why do you go to parties if you don’t like them?”

  “How do you know I don’t like them?”

  I laughed under my breath. So defensive, this one. “Because I’ve seen you,” I said. “I’ve watched you.”

  “You have?” Her voice went crazy high on that last word and I arched my brows in response.

  “Is that so hard to believe?”

  “Yes.”

  I laughed again and shook my head. This girl.

  “Why have you watched me?” She sounded so defensive, so wary… I led us over to the swingset that was way too low to the ground for either of us, but I took a seat anyway and patted the one next to me. “I told you,” I said. “I don’t like to be bored.”

  “So you watch people,” she said. Her nose twitched and her gaze shot over to mine. “And listen.”

  “Well, when you put it like that…” I drew out the words.

  “It sounds creepy,” she finished. But she was wearing a hint of a smile and that made me grin.

  “It does, doesn’t it?”

  She gave a short little huff of a laugh before looking down at her feet. She was short enough that she could actually swing a bit, pushing into the dirt so she was rocking back and forth.

  I just stretched my legs out in front of me and rested against the chains.

  “It beats being bored,” I finally said.

  She arched a brow in my direction. “So you’re like a voyeur?”

  “No need to make it sound dirty.” I kept my voice mild and she snickered in response. “But you didn’t answer my question. I’ve seen you at parties and you look bored, at best. Usually you look miserable unless some of those girls you hang out with are there to keep you company.”

  She shrugged. “Yeah, well, I guess it’s better than being bored at home.”

  I gave that lie a moment to settle and waited.

  Sure enough, she twisted in her seat to face me. “That’s not true. Watching movies at home is way more entertaining. I guess…” She shrugged, her lips pursed as she considered. “I guess it’s a fear of missing out on things.”

  I nodded and the silence stretched between us. I didn’t mind silence but it was obvious that Simone did. She got restless again after three seconds. “Should we go back?”

  I shot her a sidelong look. “Not until you practice, young lady.”

  She wrinkled her nose at the ‘young lady’ part and my teacherly tone. “Seriously?”

  I threw my hands out wide. “That’s what I’m here for, right?”

  She didn’t look convinced.

  “Come on,” I said. “I’ll make it painless, I promise. What did Rose tell you to do?”

  She turned in my direction and...grimaced. Her eyes did this squinting thing as she leered at me.

  I jerked back. “What are you doing?”

  Her face fell. “Smizing.”

  I held back a laugh but just barely. “Excuse me?”

  She sighed, her head dropping back. “Forget it. I knew this was a mistake.”

  “No, come on,” I said, giving her shoulder a little shove so she went swinging sideways. “Let’s do this. Forget whatever Rose told you about smizing and just...talk to me.”

  She licked her lips and studied the ground. “This is so embarrassing.”

  “It’s really not,” I said. “If you’re shy around boys—”

  “Ugh.” Her groan cut me off mid-sentence. “Stop. You sound like my dad or something.” I watched her for a long moment because...the girl was stinkin’ cute when she was flustered. “I’m not shy,” she said.

  “Okay.” I didn’t point out the fact that we’d been sitting at the same lunch table for years and I’d yet to hear her say more than two words to anyone other than Jax.

  “I just don’t know what to talk to him about,” she muttered.

  Him. The crush. I shifted, no longer comfortable on this swing.

  I let her sit there in silence for a bit as I took in the dark playground around us and the sounds coming from just beyond the treeline. By the sounds of it, the party was in full swing. Laughter and shouts were even louder than the music.

  Other than that the neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. It was just a matter of time before this party got busted.

  “So, you play baseball?” Her question was sudden and so awkward it made me grin.

  “I do, yes.”

  I could see her swallow in the moonlight. “How’s that going for you?”

  “It’s going just fine, thanks.” I couldn’t have hid my amusement if I’d tried. So I didn’t try.

  She bobbed her head, her hands moving over the chains, open and closing around the metal like she was looking for the perfect grip. “That’s nice.”

  “Isn’t it, though?”

  I’d admit it. I liked watching her squirm.

  She straightened suddenly and turned my way. “Do you like cars?”

  My eyes widened in surprise. I had not seen that coming. “Uh, not particularly.”

  She looked so bummed by my answer that I felt compelled to add, “Do you?”

  She shook her head. “Not particularly.”

  I stared at her profile. Not exactly pretty, but I knew she could be when she smiled. But pretty was overrated, in my humble opinion. I knew a lot of pretty girls.

  Pretty didn’t make them interesting.

  She shot me a sidelong look. “We had driver's ed together last year.”

  She informed me of this as if I didn’t know. As if I’d somehow gone an entire semester without noticing her sitting alone in the back of our class.

  I gave my head a little shake. “Yeah, I know.” I stilled. “Wait, is that why you thought I was into cars? You do know it’s a mandatory class, right?”

  Her tone was defensive. “Rose said to find common interests.”

  I clamped my mouth shut as I continued to stare at her. “And that’s what you came up with?”

  Her look was half irritated, half pleading. “Do you have any better ideas?”

  I let out a huff of air that was half irritated, half amused as I looked up to the sky and shook my head. Then I turned to her, shifting the swing so I was facing her fully. “Have you seen the latest Taika Waititi film?”

  She blinked several times. Her lips parting as her eyes widened. “Have yo
u?”

  I smiled. Okay, maybe I smirked. Was I a little pleased that she’d finally looked at me like I might have something of interest to say? Yeah. Absolutely. I wasn’t used to being ignored by girls, and this one had been acting like I was invisible for years now.

  “You like movies?” She blinked again. “I mean, like...good movies?”

  I tipped my chin down. “I do.”

  “Oh.”

  I let myself revel in her shock for a little while before getting bored with it. “When did you get so into older movies?”

  She widened her eyes. “How’d you know I like old movies?”

  I stared at her. She was kidding, right? “I’ve heard you quote Monty Python at least three thousand times.”

  She pressed her lips together and even in the moonlight I could see her cheeks darkening with a blush. “Oh.”

  “I also know that you’re a fan of Spinal Tap and Christopher Guest mockumentaries and that you have very strong feelings about Shemp’s role in the Three Stooges.”

  Her mouth fell all the way open. Before she could come up with a response, the sound I’d been waiting to hear cut through the music and the laughter next door.

  The tell tale sound of cops arriving—no sirens, but that little blip of sound they made to let you know they were there.

  Simone started when I reached for her hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  6

  Simone

  * * *

  We ran across the playground, toward the street where Jax had parked, and we reached it at the same time Jax and Rose did.

  We all clambered in, but it wasn’t until we were all in and safely on the road back home that anyone spoke.

  “Well,” Jax said loudly. “That party was a bust.”

  Rose laughed as she smacked his arm at the lame joke. “You’re such an idiot.”

  He shot her a grin. “And you love me for it.”

  She didn’t deny it. We all knew it was true.

  I was staring down at myself. At the pretty, slinky black top, the tight jeans. I’d worn makeup tonight...and Tony hadn’t even seen me.