I was starting to feel kind of bad for Alex, but it’s not like I could say anything to stop the hazing. If I stood up for her, I’d never hear the end of it from the guys. They’d call me soft or spread rumors that I was into her.
Which was true and the last thing I wanted her to know.
All I could really do was ignore the pranks and focus on playing my best tomorrow. If I did, then she wouldn’t make the team and that would be the end of all this nonsense. Maybe after a while I could even try to start over with her. I mean if she was no longer my competition . . .
My mind was going down a dangerous tunnel filled with visions of Alex cheering me on when my dad’s voice startled me.
“I hear a girl’s trying out for your team tomorrow,” he said standing in the kitchen doorway.
“It seems so,” I said, filling a glass with water from the sink.
“What’s the world coming to?” he muttered.
“Not sure, Dad.”
“Well, you better not let her make the team.”
“That’s not really up to me.”
“The hell it isn’t,” he bellowed, invading my personal space.
I wanted nothing more than to shove him away, but I knew better. So, I stood there gripping my water so hard I was waiting for the glass to break. I hated him. I hated the life he gave me and how little control I had over it. But the one thing I could control was how I reacted. I would bottle this anger and use it to fuel my workouts, to make me a better athlete so I could finally claw my way out of here and have a shot at shaping my own destiny.
“I don’t want my son playing fluff ball with some girl. You make sure she knows she’s not welcome on your team.”
“Don’t worry. She knows,” I said.
He flashed an ugly grin as he patted my shoulder. “That’s my boy.”
I saw an opportunity to slip past him, so I did, heading straight to my room, with an empty stomach and a renewed hunger to do my best tomorrow. But I was doing it for me.
I didn’t want to be anything like my dad.
Knowing he’d be proud of me for being unwelcoming to Alex made me regret my behavior. A bitter feeling settled in my stomach making it ache even more. This needed to end tomorrow.
Chapter Twelve
Alex
I awoke to a string of text messages from the Tomboy Trio wishing me luck at tryouts today. They knew how rough things at my new school had been and they were rooting for me to make it worthwhile by making the baseball team. Jordan was certain the bullying would stop once everyone saw how good I was, while Hannah encouraged me to give the boys a taste of their own medicine once I had access to their locker room.
This was what I loved about my best friends and fellow tomboys. The three of us were so different, yet we were the only ones who could truly relate to how difficult it was to balance being a girl and an athlete.
Having my friends’ support meant the world to me.
I fired off a quick response to them and turned on my ‘get pumped’ playlist before hopping in the shower.
Heads up, hearts strong!
Today was a good day. Today was the day I would show everyone that a princess could outplay the boys.
After a morning singing along to my favorite tunes, nothing could get me down. Not even the copy of the Tattler stuck to my locker.
Trojan Tattler:
Today’s the day. The tiara toting tomboy takes on the Trojans’ finest. When Marilyn said a diamond is a girl’s best friend, I don’t think she had a baseball diamond in mind. My advice? Stick to the bleachers, Princess.
@trojantattler: For real! We wouldn’t want you to break a nail – Blondeangel_313
@trojantattler: Don’t hate the players, Princess. Date the players ;-) Starting with me – baseballer20
I simply tore down the tabloid, ignored the rest of the rude comments, crumpled it into a ball and tossed it toward the trash can where it belonged.
Swoosh! Nothing but net!
Things were going my way.
That is until I got to chemistry.
Grant was lounging in his chair waiting for me with a smug look on his face when I walked in. His backpack was on my chair as usual, so I pushed it onto the floor.
“Last chance to back out, Princess,” he drawled.
“Oh, are you talking to me today?”
“I’m merely offering you a friendly warning to keep you from embarrassing yourself,” he said, his arrogant grin deepening to show his distracting dimples.
Ignore them, Alex!
My traitorous heart still skipped a beat but I collected myself.
“Are you really that afraid to lose to a girl?” I asked, meeting his grin with a self-assured one of my own.
Grant gave me a sultry look. “Despite what you may think, I don’t like making girls cry.”
“Ha! Wipe your mouth.”
“What?” Grant momentarily lifted his hand to his mouth before catching the glint in my eye.
I leaned in and whispered in his ear. “There’s still a tiny bit of bullshit around your lips.”
It may have been my imagination, but I swore he shivered. Either way, the results were satisfactory since he went back to ignoring me, the tight muscles in his jaw working overtime whenever our classwork required us to work together.
I smirked, loving that I was getting to him and we weren’t even on the field yet.
Chapter Thirteen
Grant
Alex was still invading my thoughts by the time tryouts rolled around at the end of the day. I’d immediately regretted instigating our confrontation in chemistry. Ever since she pressed her lips to my ear to whisper her witty insult, I couldn’t get her out of my head.
The simple fact was, the girl drove me wild and if she wasn’t trying to ruin my baseball prospects, I’d probably have asked her out already.
Perhaps that’s what was driving me crazy.
I freaking liked her!
Despite my best efforts not to.
I didn’t fall for girls easily; or ever, actually. So, it was killing me to admit my feelings, even to myself. But there was something undeniably irresistible about the way she stood up to me. I sort of loved that she wasn’t intimidated. Maybe it was that I liked a challenge in some twisted way or maybe it was just the way she made my pulse quicken against my will. Whatever it was, Alex Prince was my favorite kind of distraction. And that scared me.
I couldn’t afford a distraction like her.
If she ended up on the baseball field with me, I’d have a hard time keeping my head in the game. Another problem was, I couldn’t quite seem to find a way to show her my affection other than engaging in middle school insults.
I wanted to kick myself every time I opened my mouth around her. I swear I half expected to resort to saying things like ‘if I’m rubber, you’re glue.’
It was like I couldn’t control what came out of my mouth around her. Perhaps it’s because I was using all my concentration to keep my mouth from kissing hers . . .
Whatever it was I’m sure she saw me as a complete jackass, which should’ve been a good thing because I shouldn’t be thinking about whether or not she liked me, but I just couldn’t stop myself.
I hated that she brought out the worst in me. I’d meant it when I said I didn’t want to be a jerk.
Okay so maybe I’d phrased it in a cocky ‘I don’t like to make girls cry’ kind of way . . . but the sentiment was there.
Ever since my dad made his rude comment about her not having the right to play with the boys, I think I secretly began rooting for Alex to make the team. Partly because I wanted my opinions to be the furthest from my dad’s as possible, and partly because, well . . . the idea of spending more time with her was as appealing as it was frustrating.
I scrubbed my hand across my face, trying to make sense of my muddled emotions. This was not the way to go into tryouts. I needed to clear my head.
Slamming my gym locker, I crushed my worn Trojans hat ont
o my head and stomped out to the dugout. Hopefully as soon as my cleats hit the clay, I’d get that feeling of calm I craved.
The baseball field had always felt like home to me. I knew it better than anyone else.
I should, considering I’ve been caring for it since I was fourteen.
In a town this small it was no secret that my dad was sort of a deadbeat. Coach took pity on me and hired me to mow the field a few years back.
It wounded my pride to take handouts, but at least this way I wasn’t relying on anyone but myself. I liked earning my own way, even if the job had been a gift. Besides, I’d learned sometimes you have no choice but to take what life gives you—the good and the bad.
As I walked up the steps to the dugout, glove in hand, I inhaled the crisp January air. With the pristine baseball diamond sprawled out before me, I felt like my future was limitless. Baseball was the best gift I’d ever gotten in life. It was one thing my dad did right—dropping me off here all those summers ago. It may have been just to get me out of his hair, but it’s where I’d found my way in the world. And this year was just the beginning.
In just a few short weeks the season would start, the scouts would show up, and I’d be on my way to what I’d worked so hard for. A ticket out of my crappy life to a college where I could make something of myself.
I blew out a quick breath as I heard the rest of the guys thundering up the stairs behind me. Never one to pass up an extra opportunity for good luck, I tapped the Trojans’ slogan, ‘cunning triumphs together’. Then I spit on my hand, wiping the bottom of each of my cleats before jogging out onto the field. All ball players had strange superstitious rituals and I wasn’t about to forsake mine with so much on the line.
As soon as my feet hit the lush green carpet of turf, a familiar mix of nerves and excitement filled my chest. I lived for that feeling. I’d been born to play this game, and nothing was going to stop me. Not my dad nor my confusing feelings for a certain sassy brunette.
Coach blew the whistle from somewhere behind me and I grinned.
“Game on,” I murmured to myself.
Chapter Fourteen
Alex
Even though Northwood High was a small school, their baseball complex was intimidating. Especially with a field full of players stretching and warming up. Grant had been right; it was obvious that the Trojans’ ball club was the pride of Northwood.
I did my best to not feel intimidated by the impressive talent I saw on the field, but it didn’t help that I was arriving late to tryouts. The girls’ locker room had been locked when I’d showed up. No one thought to unlock it since there weren’t any girls’ sports in session—another logistical perk of having a female trying out for the boys’ baseball team. Finding someone to unlock the locker room for me was a challenge.
It was becoming glaringly obvious that navigating uncharted territory at Northwood was going to be more difficult than I thought.
I took a few deep breaths to dispel my nerves, reminding myself that just because the Trojans had never let a girl play baseball before, didn’t mean they couldn’t. My task wasn’t impossible. I just had to go out there and do what I did best, play the game I loved. As long as I did my best and left it all on the field, I’d be happy regardless of the outcome.
At least that’s what I told myself.
In reality, I’d be crushed if I didn’t make the team. Not playing this year wasn’t an option, and I refused to let such negative thoughts into my head as I jogged onto the field. But it was apparently too much to expect my future teammates to let my late arrival slide. Tyler whistled loudly and suddenly all the guys stopped what they were doing to bow and curtsey to me.
This was getting really old.
“Okay, okay,” Coach Beeler hollered. “Save that energy for drills. Now that we’re all here, line up and count off for teams.”
And just like that, tryouts were on.
After Coach broke us up into teams, we ran field drills—batting, fielding, tagging up and the usual. Once we were all limber, he called a scrimmage. Of course, I’d ended up on Grant’s team and we both strode toward shortstop at the same time.
“I play short,” Grant said, punching his fist into his worn glove, in what he probably thought was an intimidating manner.
“So do I,” I replied, spitting in my glove before punching it to one-up him.
“Maybe you did, but this is the big leagues, Princess. Why don’t you see if Bat Girl needs help?”
“Why don’t you make me?” I sneered. “And by the way, Bat Girl has a name. It’s Casey. You’d know that if you ever pulled your head out of your ass.”
Grant looked like a fish gulping for air as he struggled to come up with a snide remark. Luckily Coach spared him by blowing the whistle.
“King,” he called. “I’m putting you on first base.”
Grant’s cheeks turned crimson as I watched horror and indignation fill his stormy gray eyes. “Coach, I always play shortstop!”
“Well, today you’re gonna play first.”
“But Coach—”
“Unless you’d rather sit on the bench?” Coach challenged.
Grant’s eyes shot daggers at me before he trudged over to first base. I couldn’t resist blowing him a kiss when Coach wasn’t looking.
For the rest of tryouts, I made sure to be the most agreeable player Coach Beeler had ever met, switching happily to third, outfield and first before he put me back at shortstop, much to Grant’s dismay.
I couldn’t help noticing each time Grant got rotated to a different position he became more and more agitated, which caused him to miss two easy outs. When it was finally his turn at bat, he was so off his game he struck out, throwing his bat in frustration.
“King! Locker room! Now!”
Grant whirled around in outrage. “What? You can’t be serious!”
“I’m dead serious. I don’t tolerate poor sportsmanship. Now go cool off before you say something you’ll regret.”
“But tryouts aren’t over.”
“I’ve seen enough from you. Cool off. If I have to say it again it’ll be the last time.”
I almost felt a twinge of guilt as I watched Grant slam his batting helmet down and storm down the stairs toward the locker rooms. I was partly to blame for his short temper. I’d been taking cheap shots to get under his skin every chance I got.
But so was he.
Twice he’d cut me off, nearly causing a collision on a ball I’d called. It was only fair I winked at him and purposely dropped the ball each time I was handing it to him.
Right?
I’d also been throwing just outside his reach all day making him look sloppy. It was something I’d never normally do to a teammate, but Grant King was the competition. I couldn’t show him mercy, because he certainly wasn’t going to show me any.
I looked into the stands to see my dad sitting up there and felt my cheeks burn with shame. Maybe Coach didn’t know me well enough to detect I’d been purposely pushing Grant’s buttons, but my dad did and he didn’t look happy.
My heart sank knowing I’d disappointed him, which sucked considering he was the one parent I felt I hadn’t totally let down by turning out as a tomboy. My mom probably would’ve been much happier if I were one of the students in the stands who’d showed up in tiaras and tutus.
I bowed my head in shame. I’d even disappointed myself. I was a better player than this.
Hadn’t I just told myself there’s no joy in winning if you don’t do it honestly?
I gathered up my resolve, hopeful it wasn’t too late to prove I was worthy of a place on the team. I still had one more at bat and I planned to make the most of it.
Gritting my teeth, I spent the rest of tryouts giving it my all. I caught a line drive and assisted on a double play. When it was finally my turn in the order to bat, I hit a grounder that got through the basemen giving me a chance to get to second. Tyler was on third and he was taking quite a lead off. Lucas was up next, and he
hit a screamer to the outfield bringing us all home! When he cleared home plate he whooped and gave me a high-five.
“You run like a girl,” Tyler taunted.
“So do you, but you don’t hear me complaining,” Lucas said giving him a playful jab in the shoulder.
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” Tyler teased, giving me a wink as he flicked the brim of my cap. “Just make sure that tiara doesn’t get in the way.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “How can it when your ego takes up the whole field?”
He snorted a laugh and gave me a whack on the shoulder with his glove as he jogged back onto the field. I couldn’t help but grin. For the first time, I actually felt like I might be getting somewhere with them. Friendly trash talking was something teammates did. And if that was my way in then I was going to take it.
I joked with the rest of the guys a bit when I had the chance and before I knew it Coach was blowing the whistle and ordering us to the locker rooms. I glanced up to the bleachers again. My dad still sat there stoically.
Last night I’d made him promise not to come down to talk to Coach or any of the other players at tryouts. I didn’t need to draw more attention to myself. The bleachers were full of my doubters as it was. It seemed more than a few Northwood High students were curious to see a girl play with the boys. I knew I’d held my own, but I didn’t need them saying I’d only gotten on the team because my famous dad was involved somehow.
If I’d had it my way, I wouldn’t have him here at all, but I knew getting him to agree to stay in the stands had been the best I could hope for. All I could do now was put my head down, and hope I’d done enough.
Chapter Fifteen
Grant
As soon as Coach walked into his office I stormed in after him. My locker room timeout certainly hadn’t cooled me off and I’d even taken a cold shower. If anything, I was more riled up than ever, not to mention immensely pissed at myself for letting Alex Prince get under my skin.
Playing the Field Page 6