Full Count (The Catcher Series Book 1)

by Bri Izzo

“Buzz,” he teases by mirroring me.

  “We can’t,” I tell him for the second time this weekend, even though I really want him to kiss me again. His eyes say he wants to, too, but he knows we aren't truly alone.

  “Then don’t fucking tease me like that,” he demands quietly. There's a hint of humor in his statement, but it's mostly serious, which tugs at my heart.

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” I confess.

  “Sometimes thinking can be a bad thing,” Skyler informs me. When he holds my head with one hand and pulls me closer to him, the only thing I'm thinking about is how are we not drowning right now? I'm only holding onto him and he has one hand on the back of my head. But I honestly don't care. His lips are on mine again, fighting for another moment of isolation from the outside world. Even though in my head I know it's wrong, God it feels so right to be kissing him. After a few minutes I hear some noise from outside the trampoline that sounds like someone is nearby, so I pull our lips apart abruptly. When Skyler is unprepared for it and instinctively leans in for another kiss, I swoon so hard for him and lightly brush my lips against his. The moment is completely ruined when we hear splashing and yelling coming from our siblings who are probably actually playing the game of Capture the Flag. “Us against them, who wins?” Skyler asks me in a slur. It's nice to see he's the one flustered for once.

  “Us, every time,” I answer smoothly.

  “Let’s do this,” Skyler bursts out, sinking into the water and swimming out from underneath the trampoline. I go out the other side so as not to be seen and notice the other team’s bandana tied onto the rope holding one of the jet-skis to the dock. Everyone is paying attention to Rex and Benny fighting in the water, so as quickly as I can, I unknot the cloth and clench it in my fist as I swim completely underwater back towards my team’s side. My eyes are closed as I swim because the lake water would hurt my eyes. With an extended arm I hit someone’s leg; all I hope is that it's someone on my team. I pop up to breathe and see Skyler directly next to me. “Did you get it?”

  “Get what?” I tease, trying to let the boys’ fight play out like it really matters in the game.

  “You know,” Skyler glares at me.

  “Yeah, I got some,” I reply quietly, trying to keep a straight face. I fail miserably, but to mask it I yell, “I got it! We won!” as I hold the bandana above my head. Everyone’s attention turns towards me as I beam with pride in ending the game victoriously. But the eyes I feel on me the most are Skyler’s out of my peripheral.

  “Where the hell were you this entire time?” Rex questions me as he releases his hold on Benny. He's looking in my direction but more specifically at Skyler who is hiding behind his sunglasses he must’ve found after we split from under the trampoline.

  “Under the trampoline listening to you idiots fight,” I admit with a fake laugh.

  “Skyler was under the trampoline,” Rex states firmly as if I don't know.

  “We were working on a game plan,” I try defending us. Shit. Shut up, Bianca.

  “The game plan was every man for himself, not you two against everyone else,” he complains, shaking his head. “I lied before. You two aren’t a good team.”

  “But we won,” I whisper to Skyler, but he glares at me before swimming away to catch up with Rex who is already climbing the stairs to go back inside.

  That's the last time the three of us are together without awkward silences or nasty glares for the rest of the summer. Savannah rides back to Hinsdale with Skyler while Rex and I sit on opposite sides of my mom’s van staring out our respective windows in the worst silence imaginable: my mom talking the entire ride. Skyler is pissed that I ruined our trifecta after he tried fixing it, and Rex is upset that me and Skyler formed our own team. He still has no idea we kissed at all. When we get home Rex and I don't speak for a week, and when we eventually do it's because we're at a family party and have no one else besides each other and Baylee. I hide out in my room most nights if I don't have a softball game and forgo watching the boys’ baseball games, which is more of a punishment for me than them. I don't nicely answer Skyler’s text messages after he sends me one that crushes me the day before Independence Day, when we're supposed to go all go back up to the cabin.

  Skyler Swanson: I’m bringing a girl this weekend.

  Needless to say I don't go to the cabin with everyone else. For real. There's no way in hell anyone can persuade me to go when Skyler is bringing a girl. At least he warned me in enough time to bail. Because of him pulling this shit, I can't care any less about missing the annual July 4th Sandlot Night Game. For all I know, they won't even have it this year. No way will Leah and whatever Wendy bimbo Skyler is bringing play baseball. How dare he fucking tease me by being all cuddly and shit the last time we were at the cabin and then bring someone else the next time! I know we’re fighting, but come on! I let my anger cover up the hurt I’m actually feeling because I don't know what else to do. I thought that I was finally going to get to be with my lifelong crush, but he made sure it wouldn't happen. I convince my mom to let Tiffany and me stay at the house while everyone else resumes plans as normal. She doesn’t care; she just doesn't want me to burn the house down. I ask Rex’s girlfriend, Leah, to provide us with some alcohol, but all she brings us is Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Then I remember that a guy named Chase in the boys’ class has an older sister that he once told me always bought him alcohol. He's on the baseball team but is just an acquaintance of Rex and for good reason: Rex doesn't drink and Chase does.

  Without thinking of any consequences, I go on Facebook and message Chase.

  Me: Hey, I’m Alex’s sister. Just curious if you or your sister could get me some vodka tonight. I’ll pay you for it.

  Chase Morgan: Not sure how Alex would feel about this. Where are you?

  Me: Home with Tiffany. Everyone else is up north for the weekend.

  Chase Morgan: Wow. They left two teenage girls home alone? Ha!

  Me: Is that a yes?

  Chase Morgan: So demanding. Be there in a half hour.

  True to his word, Chase shows up at my front door in a half hour with paper bags covering bottles of alcohol. I think he is just going to drop them off and leave, but he walks into the house behind me instead. Okay… let’s see what happens.

  12 Skyler Swanson

  The Fourth of July weekend that I'm forced to bring Makenna because Alex is bringing Leah is the worst fucking weekend of my life. As expected, Buzz doesn't respond to my text telling her I'm bringing a girl, and she also doesn't show up to the cabin. I feel like such an ass for doing that to her, especially on her favorite weekend of the year, but Leah and Alex insisted. It's the first time since my birthday weekend at the cabin that he even talks to me off the baseball field.

  I can't tell if forcing Makenna on me is Alex’s way of torturing me and calling it even or if it's his way of apologizing and he's just too fucking stupid to know I don't like her. Either way I’m sure Alex knows bringing Makenna will keep me away from Buzz, so props to him for doing what he has to do to get what he wants. Fuck him for ruining my weekend.

  Makenna does not shut the fuck up the entire car ride up north. Once we arrive at the cabin is when I realize Buzz isn't coming, and Makenna continues squeaking in my ear about what we're going to do all weekend.

  “When are we going on the boat?”

  “Are we drinking this weekend?”

  “Can we go skinny dipping?”

  “Are there fireworks on the lake?”

  “Is there a parade?”

  Those are all asked in the first half hour of being in the house before I can't take it anymore and run upstairs and lock myself in the bathroom. Even though I know she's mad at me, I still text Buzz.

  Me: You seriously should’ve come.

  I take a few deep breaths and think about how much I wish the answer to Makenna’s second question could be “yes” to drinking because I already need some kind of aid if I’m going to pretend to tolerate her all weekend.
And Buzz isn't fucking answering me.

  Ugh, this has to be karma for going behind Alex’s back and kissing Buzz. I realize I’m going to have to find another way to get through this weekend without killing anyone.

  Me: What are you and Tiff doing?

  Buzz Ferrari: Partying with Chase Morgan.

  Me: I hope you’re fucking joking.

  Buzz Ferrari: I’m not. Have fun with what’s her name. Bye.

  “Skyler! Come on!” I hear Makenna’s raspy mouse voice on the other side of the closed door as she pounds her hand against it.

  “Gimme a sec,” I beg. This is really going to suck. Im not sure how I'll be able to have any amount of fun at the cabin when all I’m thinking about is Buzz… and apparently Chase Morgan, who's nothing but bad news. And she knows that. He played baseball on our cross town rivals’ team growing up, and since we all ended up at the same high school we became teammates. But none of us guys like him. His older sister and their deadbeat dad both supply him with whatever alcohol he wants at a moment’s notice. He has already played four girls over the course of our freshmen year, and I do not want Buzz to be his fifth. I’m hoping she’s just doing this to get back at me and not for anything serious.

  Me: Fucking be safe.

  Buzz Ferrari: I’m at home.

  Fuck, he’s at her house? And I’m two hours away incapable of doing anything. My mind races with images of him taking advantage of her. I hope Tiffany is really there; at least then she'll have someone as backup. Buzz doesn't really indicate that she is or isn't there, but I have to have faith that she is fucking smart. I know her and Alex share some genes.

  Me: You’re killing me.

  Buzz Ferrari: I’m not the one who brought someone up to the cabin for the 4th of July.

  Me: I didn’t have much of a choice.

  Buzz Ferrari: Fuck off.

  I throw my phone into one of the bathroom drawers and slam it shut. This makes Makenna stop pounding on the door for a moment before she asks, “Sky, are you okay?”

  It’s hard to hear, or see, rather, those words coming from someone besides myself, especially Buzz and even more so when they’re aimed directly at me.

  Swinging the door open, I storm past Makenna and go down the stairs saying, “Please don’t call me Sky.”

  “What? Everyone calls you that,” Makenna points out, following my quick footsteps.

  “Not anymore,” I snicker. I realize I only want to hear that nickname out of one girl’s mouth, and she's two fucking hours away. When we get to the basement where we left our overnight bags, I turn around to Makenna’s already half naked body in a skimpy bikini. Her hot body doesn’t have the same effect on me as it did the first time in the hot tub; fuck, I barely even noticed her exposed skin as she chased me down two flights of stairs. “Did you bring alcohol?” She evilly raises her eyebrows at me in a teasing way and waits to see if I'm serious. It's the first moment of the day she isn't flapping her fucking mouth. “Did you or not?” I ask again.

  “Yes,” she smirks. “It’s in my bag.”

  This will definitely be breaking rule number one under my parents’ roof. To be honest the only thing that actually bothers me about it is that Buzz isn’t here to break the rule with me. We're the rebels together. If I break this rule and get caught, it’ll only be my ass that gets chewed out. We’re no longer a team; she doesn’t have my back. However, if I get caught drinking, especially with Makenna, I’ll definitely be grounded, which means I won’t be able to hang out with her anymore, at least for a while. Darn. Insert a sarcastic Jim Halbert looks-directly-into-the-camera look here.

  “Let’s do this,” I tell her.

  She’s smart enough to already have the alcohol in water bottles, but we mix them in cups and head down to the lake where my dad is waiting for us to go out on the boat. I choose not to go water skiing or tubing; literally all I want to do is drink and get away from this weekend as quickly as possible.

  “Is something wrong with you and Makenna?” Benny leans over to ask me as the girls are being pulled by a rope while lying on a tube behind the boat. Alex is in the back spotting for them while the dads are in the middle of the boat, my dad driving, and Benny and I at the bow looking back.

  “There is no ‘me and Makenna’,” I blurt out. My sunglasses disguise my eye roll, but I’m sure he knows it happened anyway.

  “Kind of like there’s no me and Baylee?” Benny mumbles. Since my birthday weekend he knows me, Alex, and Buzz have all been upset about his charade with Baylee. Everyone is walking on needles around each other. I guess it’s bound to happen with how often we all hang out. But Benny is a fucking idiot if he really thinks there’s nothing between him and Baylee. Everyone can see it.

  “No. That’s kind of like there’s no me and Buzz,” I snap, taking a sip of my vodka and lemonade. He just looks confused, so I add, “Meaning that there is a ‘you and Baylee’.”

  “Seriously get over it-” he starts, but I throw my arm at his shoulder before he can finish his perverted statement.

  “You’re four years older than her when you turn sixteen in a few weeks. She’s not even a fucking teenager for Christ’s sake,” I remind him.

  “And there’s nothing going on, just like there’s nothing going on with you and Bianca. So relax,” he tries convincing me, but I can see the way he acts when he’s away from her. It’s exactly how I am when I’m away from Buzz. Right now Baylee, our moms, and my siblings are back at the cabin. Except for this conversation that included talking about Baylee, Benny has been unusually quiet the whole day. Also he’s a fucking idiot because I just admitted that there is a “me and Buzz” and he acted like he didn’t hear it.

  Just then my dad turns the boat slightly and the girls’ tube falls out of the wake sending them both flying. Rookies.

  “Dad,” I call, raising my eyebrows at him and tilting my head towards the back of the boat for him to see what happened. We all laugh a little, but he slows down so we can go back and pick them up. As he stops the boat near the girls and they climb in, Benny is standing at the front of the boat next to me, so I forcefully shove him overboard. No one notices because their attention is all on the girls, so when he pops his head out of the water and tries to splash me out of anger, I just laugh.

  “Ben, what the hell are you doing?” Benny’s dad, Tom, shouts out to him after everyone else is in the boat except for Benny. His dad is a lawyer and always seems to have a stick up his ass, even when we’re just goofing around.

  “Ugh, you have to be kidding me,” he mutters, swimming over to the back of the boat to climb the small ladder.

  When my dad docks the boat in front of our cabin, I run to catch up with Benny on the dock as everyone else lags behind grabbing their flip flops and towels.

  “Hey, sorry for throwing you overboard,” I apologize, glancing behind us to make sure we are still out of earshot from anyone else.

  “No you’re not,” Benny calls me out.

  “Okay, you’re right. I’m not. But I do want to forget about it,” I tell him.

  Glaring at me through his sunglasses, he chuckles, “Of course you do.”

  “Benny, c’mon. It was harmless,” I point out. “And I need your help.”

  “With what?” he doubts. His head tilts towards the house up the hill when we hear Baylee’s high pitched giggle. I can see him trying to hide a smile and eventually he puts his hand over his mouth and squeezes his face from showing any emotion. Damn, he really likes her.

  “I can’t stand Makenna,” I admit. “Also Buzz told me her and Tiffany are hanging out with Chase Morgan.”

  His entire demeanor snaps as he whips his head back towards me. “What?” he angrily demands a clarification. This is the big brother I need on my team.

  “She texted me earlier and told me to fuck off,” I explain. My insides are boiling as I rekindle my anger from earlier in the day when I received the text. She used my own words against me because she knows it riles me.

&n
bsp; “But Tiff is with her?” Benny questions me. He’s actually concerned for his sister for once; it’s nice to not be the only one who cares.

  “I think so, but the fuck if I know,” I answer, running my hand through my damp hair.

  “Sky we can’t just leave. You don’t even have your Jeep here,” he reminds me. We have another two days up at the cabin and no way out. Shoot me now.

  “So, what? We just let Chase take advantage of the girls? You know he probably brought alcohol over to her house to get her drunk and do shit,” I rant. My chest compresses at the thought of Buzz being with him under any circumstances, whether she wants it or not.

  “Where’s your phone? Fuck, never mind. She won’t answer you. I’ll call her,” Benny suggests, and we both run up the steps on the hill to the basement where he finds his phone. Immediately he dials Buzz, knowing that his sister probably won’t answer him. “Hey, Bianca, it’s Benny… are you busy?” I stand there wishing I could hear what she’s saying but he refuses to put it on speaker in case someone else walks in the room and busts us and her. “Is Tiff with you? … okay.” Another moment of Benny’s silence passes. I just want to fucking rip the phone out of his hand and talk to her myself, but every time I reach for it he turns away and waves me off. “B, you know Chase isn’t the best guy. I don’t want him hanging out with you two……. you heard what he did to- … you’re going to care if he does it to you……. fine then don’t come crying to me when he plays you.” And then he just hangs up.

  “What the fuck was that?” I cry out. Throwing his phone in his pocket, Benny shrugs and sighs deeply out of frustration. “What did she say?”

  “She’s hanging out with Chase Morgan,” he tells me. Um… duh?

  “No fucking shit. I know that. What else?” I plead, following him as he paces the room up and down.

  “I don’t know. Nothing,” he lies. I jump ahead of him to make him stop avoiding me.

  “Look, I know you and Alex don’t like me with her, but you have to admit I’m a better option than Chase. At least I fucking care about her,” I confess firmly. Their feelings aside, Buzz is worrying me.