Playing the Field

by Christina Benjamin

  Then Grant turned back to face his text book, ignoring me for the rest of class.

  I bit back the sting of emotion his words conjured, trying not to let the familiar insult summon years of ridicule. I wish I could say it didn’t hurt. But just as easily as I’d found Grant’s sore spots, he’d found mine.

  I hated when people made being a tomboy sound like a bad thing. But the way Grant said it made it sound like a dirty word; filling me with a churning mixture of shame and anger that took me right back to that summer camp confrontation.

  I was proud of my talent on the ball field. I’d worked tirelessly to be this good.

  Why should I have to hide it?

  Because I’m a girl?

  No way!

  That was a bunch of bull. Guys didn’t go around being modest about their jock status. They bragged to anyone who would listen. Why shouldn’t I?

  Just once, it would be nice to have that same opportunity. But I knew it was a lost cause. Here it was, years later, but nothing had changed. High school was just summer camp with a longer shelf life, where talent was overshadowed by testosterone.

  Grant

  When I saw the hopefulness in Alex’s eyes as she walked toward our lunch table, I almost regretted the plan I’d put in motion, but thanks to Tyler’s usual overzealousness I didn’t have a chance to stop it. Before Alex could even sit down, Tyler was on his feet, shoving his tiara in place.

  Once my teammates saw Tyler don his crown, they quickly scrambled to follow suit. Our table erupted into an array of rhinestones and ridicule in a matter of seconds and I had the unfortunate privilege of watching Alex’s hopeful smile meet public execution.

  Her blue eyes widened in alarm as the guys put on tiaras and bowed, calling her Princess as they pointed and laughed. I felt like my cheeks were as red as Alex’s as I suddenly realized I may have gone a bit overboard. I was known for my pranks, but from the mortified look on her face this one had cut her deeper than I’d intended.

  I’d only wanted to prove a point—there wasn’t room for a girl on the boys’ team—but I had a feeling I’d hit a nerve when the hurt in Alex’s gorgeous eyes narrowed in vengeance. Her thick, dark lashes lowered as she glared at me. I didn’t know how, but she seemed to know I was the one behind the stunt.

  I’d expected her to duck her head and get as far away from us as possible. Instead, she popped her sexy hips into a cocky stance and crossed her arms tightly over her chest until the laughter died down. I had to give it to her, the girl had balls. She stood her ground until we finally shut up and gave her our attention.

  Her piercing blue eyes roved over each person at the table, but they pointedly landed on me. “Are you always this stupid or is today a special occasion?” she asked.

  I wished she’d just walk away, because I didn’t want to make things any worse, but she’d insulted me in front of my teammates. I couldn’t let that fly. I plastered a cocky grin on my face and gave her a wink. “We’re just getting started, Princess.”

  Alex marched right up to me, leaning across the table until she was right in front of my face, her intoxicating citrus scent invading my senses. “Just because you have one, doesn’t mean you have to act like one,” she whispered.

  By the time I’d figured out what her insult meant, she was sashaying away to catcalls and whistles from the rest of the guys at my table.

  Tyler leaned in with a look of confusion on his face. “What’d she say?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I huffed, knocking the stupid tiara off his head.

  But the truth was, I was worried about it. I was pretty sure Alex hadn’t meant her confrontation to come off as seductive, but it did. The way she stood up to me was appealing and when she’d whispered in my ear I’d nearly forgotten how to breathe.

  Alex Prince was a force to be reckoned with and if I wasn’t careful, she just might wreck me and my chances of getting out of this town.

  Chapter Ten

  Alex

  I smiled as I walked away from the table, swaying my hips with exaggerated swagger. Grant may have thought he was clever, but I’d gotten the upper hand this time. I wasn’t surprised. Brains beat brawn every time.

  Now that I knew he was the pranking sort, it was game on. He could try to intimidate me all he wanted, but he’d soon learn I fought for what I believed in. And I absolutely believed I deserved a chance to play ball as much as he did.

  My adrenaline-high from keeping my dignity despite the baseball team’s antics was beginning to fade. As I got further from their table, I realized I didn’t know anyone else as I tried to find a place to eat my lunch. Thankfully, I found an empty table near the back and made a beeline for it.

  No sooner had I sat down did I hear my name being called.

  What now?

  Can’t a girl eat her PB&J in peace?

  I took a deep breath, preparing for another verbal sparring match, but to my surprise, I was met with a smile belonging to a bright-faced girl with red hair.

  “You’re Alex Prince, right?” she asked.

  “Yep.”

  “You’re my hero!” she exclaimed, sitting down at my table without an invitation. “I’m Casey Beeler,” she announced, launching into a rapid-fire one-sided conversation. “I’m a sophomore. My dad is the baseball coach. I think it’s amazing that you’re going to play on the boys’ team. I love that you’re standing up to those over-privileged jocks. If you ask me, they’re the princesses; parading around like they own the school. You know they don’t even know my name? I’ve been the equipment manager since I was in seventh grade and they still call me Red or Bat Girl. It’s so annoying. I’m at every one of their games and practices. I watch the tapes with my dad. Do you think they’ve ever asked my opinion or taken my advice? No!”

  With her petite frame, big chocolate eyes and animated gestures, it was hard to take her seriously, but I was short on friends and decided it was in my best interest to make one. “Why do you put up with them?” I asked.

  “Same as you, because I love the game,” she replied, unwrapping her bagged lunch.

  “I do love it.”

  “I bet you’re super good too, aren’t you? I mean you’re a Prince!”

  “I’m great. But my last name has nothing to do with it. It’s all about discipline and dedication.”

  “Man, I’d love the chance to play baseball. It really sucks that our school doesn’t have a girls’ team. It never even dawned on me to try out for the boys’ team. It’s brilliant! That’s why you’re my hero. You’re paving the way for all of us.”

  I swallowed hard. It was going to be difficult enough to make the team without the added pressure of being a martyr for all future tomboys. “I’m not really trying to be a trailblazer. I just want to play. Playing ball is my life. I’m a junior and I want to play in college so that means I can’t afford to not play this year, whether it’s with the Trojans or some other team.”

  Casey’s pale complexion blanched to nearly translucent. “You can’t play somewhere else. I need you!”

  “If I don’t make the team it’s something I’ll have to consider.”

  She waved off my concern like it was nothing. “You’ll make the team. Especially with me giving you pointers. What position do you play?”

  “Shortstop.”

  Casey bit her lip as she glanced nervously at Grant’s table. “That might be a problem.”

  “Why? Because Grant King plays shortstop?”

  “Yeah. And he’s good. Like, really good.”

  “Well, I’m better.”

  “What about first base?” she asked. “Tommy Hunt plays first and he’s only a sophomore. He’s got potential but I bet you could beat him out for starter this year.”

  “I play shortstop,” I said firmly.

  Casey smiled conspiratorially. “Then you’re gonna need my help.”

  “What’s in it for you?”

  “Let’s call it girl code and good karma,” Casey replied extending her
slim hand.

  I shook it, grinning back at her. “Good enough for me.”

  After lunch my head was spinning. Casey was a wealth of information. She really knew her stuff, including the stats of each player on the Trojans. She gave me batting averages, ERAs, and weak spots to exploit should I need to. I was hoping I wouldn’t. I wasn’t that kind of player. I believed in earning things fair and square. After all, what fun was bragging unless I’d truly earned it?

  Still, I appreciated everything Casey told me. And it was honestly nice to feel like I had at least one person rooting for me. Sometimes it was lonely being an army of one.

  We walked side-by-side down the hall, Casey still chattering in detail about soft spots on the field, when I heard someone call my name. We both turned to see Lucas jogging toward us.

  “Wait up,” he called.

  Casey’s eyes widened as he approached. When I looked at her, she practically had cartoon hearts swirling around her head.

  Ugh, that’s how I’d been looking at Grant yesterday.

  I shook the image from my head.

  “Hi, Lucas!” Casey greeted a little too excitedly.

  “Hey,” he replied, giving Casey a nod before his attention turned to me. “You okay?”

  “Me? Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets bashfully. “Listen, I didn’t know they were planning that. I just wanted to apologize.”

  “If you weren’t part of it, you have nothing to apologize for,” I said matter-of-factly.

  “Right. Well, I guess I just wanted to say I’m sorry on their behalf. They’re idiots sometimes, but just give them some time. Change is rare around here, but it’ll blow over.”

  “It’s not going to blow over if I make the team, Lucas. And I’m going to make the team.”

  The warning bell rang, and he rocked back on his heels. “Then win them over. You’ve already got one guy on your side,” he added, giving me a sheepish grin before jogging off to class.

  Casey practically swooned. “Lucas Hargrove is sooo dreamy.”

  “You think?”

  “Duh!” she hissed.

  “You should tell him that,” I replied.

  “Yeah right. He doesn’t even know I’m alive.”

  “Then make him. Just because we’re girls doesn’t mean we have to wait for guys to come to us. We’re just as capable of taking charge and making things happen. Remember that.”

  Casey smiled up at me. “Thanks. I will.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Alex

  The next few days passed in a monotonous blur. I started to slip into my routine at Northwood—ignoring gossip, being ignored by Grant, lunch with Casey, boring homework, repeat.

  The only thing I looked forward to was video chatting with the Tomboy Trio and getting to practice at the indoor college training facility where my dad coached. He let me come along after school as long as my homework was done, which was a great incentive.

  We’d just finished up a batting practice and I was helping my dad put away equipment.

  “Hit like that tomorrow and you’ll have no trouble making the team,” he said.

  “That’s not what I’m worried about,” I murmured.

  My dad paused, a look of fierce protectiveness blazing in his blue eyes. “Are the boys still giving you a hard time?”

  “No,” I lied.

  Grant and his teammates were most definitely still tormenting me, but my dad didn’t need to know that. When I’d told him about the tiara stunt at lunch, he’d nearly blown a gasket, threatening to call the principal. I was certain if I mentioned the fact that in the past week I’d encountered a locker full of bras, the word PRINCESS scribbled across my textbooks and painted in hot pink on my locker, along with starring in countless unflattering posts in the wretched Trojan Tattler, he would only make my life worse by going back to Northwood and giving the principal a dose of his famous Prince temper.

  “A little hazing is normal, but if it’s going beyond that, Alex, you need to tell me.”

  “It’s nothing I can’t handle, Dad, but that’s not the problem.”

  “Then what is?”

  “I’m not sure playing on the boys’ team is the right move.”

  He frowned. “Then why have me call the school? I thought this is what you wanted.”

  “I want to play, but not on the boys’ team. I thought you could convince Northwood to field a softball team or something.”

  “Alex, it takes a lot of time and money to put together a ball club worth playing on. Even if Northwood could’ve thrown a softball team together, they wouldn’t be contenders for years.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do, and so do you. You can’t expect to put gloves and bats in the hands of kids with no experience and get anything but chaos. You certainly wouldn’t be able to shine for the scouts. You’d be lucky if you escaped without a serious injury. I looked into the Trojans. They’re a good team. They’ve got a real shot at State this year. Especially with you on the team. It’ll get you some real attention too. You can shine with a team like that.”

  “But that’s the problem, Dad. Everyone will know you got me a spot on the team, and they won’t take me seriously.”

  “I didn’t get you a spot on the team, Alex. I got you a fair shot to try out like everyone else. The rest is up to you. And it doesn’t matter why a scout comes to see you play. Your talent is undeniable, kid.”

  “I guess.” I muttered, following my dad to his truck after he locked up.

  I knew everything he was saying was true, but I still didn’t feel the thrill I usually got for the game I loved when I thought about tomorrow’s tryouts. I couldn’t help wondering if that feeling of dread would continue if I actually made the team.

  “Do you ever regret it?” I asked. “Turning something you love into a career?”

  “Not for a second,” my dad replied. “I do wish I’d gotten a college degree first. Baseball is a great career if you can get it, but it only lasts as long as your body will let it. You need something solid to fall back on.”

  “I know, I know, Dad,” I interrupted, not wanting to let him go into his usual lecture about why college degrees were mandatory for all his children. “I guess I meant do you regret making baseball a job? It has to steal the fun from the game, right?”

  I wasn’t even close to going pro yet but already I could feel the fun spirit of the game slipping away.

  Before my dad put the truck in gear, he looked at me. “Alex, everyone has to work for a living, the key is to find a way to love the work you do. I’ve always loved it. Every minute. The good and the bad. So no, I don’t regret it. I would regret making you think baseball is your only option. You know I’m proud of you no matter what you do, right?”

  My heart swelled at the tender moment I was sharing with my dad. He was known for being a hot-tempered hardballer, but when he wanted to turn on the charm he certainly could. And right now, the sincerity I saw in his expression made me so proud to be his daughter.

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I know, Dad.”

  “I love you, kiddo.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He gave me a wink. “Good, now go show those Trojans how to play like a girl.”

  I laughed. “I plan on it.”

  Grant

  “Grant? That you?” my dad called from the living room when I breezed in.

  It was late, I was sore and I was exhausted—a combination that left me short on patience when it came to my dad.

  I’d just gotten home from hitting the batting cages with some of the guys after school and I was starving. I’d wanted to go out for pizza with Lucas and Tyler, but I didn’t have the cash. I know they would’ve paid for me, but I hated humiliation more than hunger.

  I ignored my dad and went straight for the fridge. As expected, it was empty except for a few condiments. I was really regretting wasting the little cash I had on buying Alex’s milksh
ake last week.

  Dang it! Now I was thinking of her again.

  The fact was, no matter how hard I tried not to think of her, Alex Prince was never far from my mind. It didn’t help that she was the only thing anyone wanted to talk about at school. From the guys on the team to the catty girls threatened by her carefree beauty and poise, Alex Prince was Northwood High’s ‘it girl’, whether she wanted to be or not.

  Besides my petty prank with the tiaras at lunch, I’d made up my mind to pretend she didn’t exist. Of course, I’d had little success. But I didn’t know what else to do. She was everything I’d ever wanted in a girl, but she was also gunning for my position.

  There was no way I was giving up shortstop. Not to a girl. No matter how good or how hot she was. I’d worked myself tirelessly to get the starting position on the roster last year and I wasn’t losing it to anyone.

  I’d played through injuries, hit the batting cages and weight room every day after school, kept my grades up and held down a job. There wasn’t another kid on the team who could say they wanted this more. Baseball was my only shot to get out of here, and that had to come first.

  So yeah, as childish as it seemed, I’d been ignoring Alex every single day since the tiara stunt. I was afraid if I didn’t, I’d end up falling for her.

  Her piercing blue eyes and dark lashes disarmed me, and I couldn’t stop thinking about her long legs, and how good they’d feel wrapped around me. And every time her arm accidentally brushed mine in chemistry it was like a bolt of lightning to my core.

  I hated that she affected me so easily, which was why I’d done nothing to stop the stupid antics of my teammates. They’d been tagging her locker, books—anything they could get their hands on really—with the word ‘princess.’ Then Tyler thought it was a great idea to fill her locker with bras. The dance team was all too happy to donate to the cause.