Extra Innings

by Stevens, Lynn

  “No. I’m not going to do it over the phone.”

  He nodded. “Okay.” He kissed my forehead. “He’s a dick.”

  “No, he’s not. Not usually anyway.”

  Daniel chuckled. “Don’t defend him. Just let me hate him, okay?”

  I smiled. “Fair enough.”

  “What about that douche bag in the living room?”

  I pushed away from him. He didn’t want to hear it.

  “Or do I even want to know?”

  The sliding doors opened to the patio and a couple came into the kitchen. No one was outside. I took his hand and led him through the doors. The fresh air gave me the courage I needed. I fell into a chaise lounge. Daniel sat beside me. After a moment, I told him the whole Erik Perday story. Everything. Not leaving out one bit. Well, except for a few minor details.

  “What is it with you and assholes?” He slid down next to me, pressing his thighs against mine.

  “I have no idea.” I turned to my side and put my hand on his stomach.

  “I’m not an asshole.”

  “I know that.”

  Daniel put his arm around the back of my neck. “So you’ll forgive me?”

  “For what?”

  “Not being very patient?”

  Before I could answer him, he pulled me closer and kissed me like it was the first time. Everything a kiss should be. And I didn’t want him to stop.

  We stayed outside, just talking, until Reggie stumbled upon us. He was wasted and needed a ride home. I reluctantly left Daniel lying there and gathered Calvin, not nearly as drunk as Reggie, to help me drag Reggie to the car. But it was okay.

  For once, everything was going to be okay.

  TOP OF THE 5TH

  Theo refused to return my calls. I tried twice on Friday, then three times on Saturday before heading off to the game. When I got to the field, Daniel and Adam were the only guys there.

  “Did you talk to him?” Daniel asked, touching my elbow.

  Adam whistled as he strolled through the dugout. What an idiot.

  “No, not yet.” I slammed my bag onto the bench. “I’ve been calling him for the last two days. He won’t answer and isn’t calling me back.”

  Daniel ran his hand down the length of my spine. My knees quaked. “Maybe he got the hint.”

  “Doubtful.” I leaned into him then remembered we agreed to keep us quiet at the games. Shaking off the need to touch him, I pulled away and started unloading my gear. “I left a message telling him when my game was. Maybe he’ll show up. If not, I’ll just go to his house this afternoon. I want to get it over with.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  I smiled. Daniel was his old self again. “Come on. Warm me up.”

  He took one step and pressed his body to mine. “Vic, if you only knew how much I wanted to do just that.”

  I threw my glove at him and chased him onto the field. Adam waited for us near second base. We started throwing the ball around and talked about the upcoming game. The rest of the team showed up one at a time, looking hungover but no more than usual. I guess there was another party last night. Coach posted the lineup. Daniel and I were both getting the day off. That was going to make things hard.

  Daniel and Adam took off toward the concession stand fifteen minutes before the game was to start. I watched them, okay I watched Daniel, until they turned around the corner of the cinder block building. Calvin was doing some stupid dance to my right, and I started to turn around when Adam waved me over. He looked panicked. I took off in a dead sprint. Why did Adam wave me over and not Daniel? Was Daniel okay?

  Adam put his hands on my shoulders before I rushed past him to round the corner.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked, straining to look around him.

  “Well …” He smiled in a wicked way. “Yes and no. It just depends on how you look at it.”

  “Adam …” I stopped trying to get around him for a moment. The smile on his face turned into a mixture of amusement and disgust.

  “Just don’t scream, okay?” He let me go.

  As I turned the corner, my stomach was in my heels. I expected to see Shelby holding Daniel in a tight embrace. But Adam wouldn’t have found that funny at all. Daniel leaned one shoulder against the cinder block wall and had his arms crossed over his chest. I followed his gaze to a couple making out by the lone shade tree near the softball field. It wasn’t hard to tell it was Theo. When he kissed the girl’s neck that was when I saw the most heartbreaking thing in the world.

  Theo was getting hot and heavy with Andrea. My supposed best friend.

  “Sorry, Vic,” Adam said over my shoulder. “We thought you’d want to see this yourself.”

  Anger began in my stomach and escaladed up into my throat. I was either going to blow my top or vomit. I walked over to them, spy quiet. Theo was oblivious, but Andy heard me step on a twig. Her lips were firmly planted on his, but her eyes were on mine. She pushed Theo away.

  “Wait, babe, I’m going to tell her after the game,” Theo said, pulling Andrea back toward him. He didn’t even notice that she wasn’t looking at him.

  I cleared my throat. “No need. I think I get it.”

  “Vicky …” Andrea cried. She took a step toward me, but I held up my hand to stop her. “I didn’t mean … I’m so sorry.”

  Theo didn’t say a word.

  “I can’t believe you,” I snapped, spinning on my heel to get away from her.

  Daniel and Adam were still waiting for me. I pushed by them, crying a little. It wasn’t that Theo was making out with someone else. That I could deal with. But not if it was Andrea. The one person I could always count on.

  Daniel didn’t say anything. He didn’t try to touch me or make me feel better. He didn’t even know who Andy was. He just sat with me. Here I was trying to do the right thing, and what was Theo doing? Making out with my best friend.

  We watched the game in silence, side by side on the bench. Neither one of us played. I don’t think I could’ve if I wanted to.

  The dugout emptied. Andrea sat in the stands even as they cleared. Mom and Pepper walked with that I’m-better-than-everyone walk, stick up the butt straight and noses in the air. They never came over to talk to me after we won or lost. I glanced around but didn’t see Theo.

  Against my better judgment, I sat down beside her and said, “So, what’s new?”

  She squeezed her hands together and stared at her feet. “You weren’t supposed to find out like that.”

  “How exactly was I supposed to find out, Andy?” And how am I staying so damned calm?

  “Theo was supposed to tell you when we got back. Then he said that your team jumped him for no good reason and –”

  “No good reason? Are you kidding me? He called Daniel a ‘Chinaman’ and he said they attacked him for no good reason?” I shook my head and stood up. “Just forget it.”

  “Wait, Vicky.” She mumbled under her breath. “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean for this to happen.” The hope in her eyes was too much. “Please forgive me?”

  I glanced at my car. Daniel leaned against it, watching every move I made. He had told me to make her suffer, but I couldn’t do that. “You’re going to have to give me some time to get over this, Andy. I mean, you’re supposed to be my best friend. How could you do that to me?”

  “Haven’t you ever felt like something was just right? Even if the timing sucked?” she mumbled.

  My chest swelled with guilt and I sucked in too much air. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

  “You have to believe me,” she said, putting her hand on my arm. “I tried to hold him off, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. It only started a few days before we got back.”

  “He made the first move, didn’t he?” I remembered how he’d danced with her at the charity event right before we left. I should’ve seen it then.

  She nodded. “Yeah, on the plane.”

  “Well, at least he waited until you were almost home.” And he’d already cheate
d on me.

  “On the way there.” Her words were soft but sounded like a cannon in my ears.

  “Jesus Christ, he couldn’t even break up with me first? Daniel’s right, I do attract assholes.” I collapsed back onto the bleachers.

  “Theo’s not an asshole.”

  “Ha, shows what you know. He hooked up with someone else on the trip, before you. Did you know that?”

  “Yeah, I did,” she snapped back. “Him and Stacey, but they were so drunk.”

  All the air went out of my sails. I wanted to call her a liar, but I couldn’t.

  “Vicky, please,” she begged, closing her eyes. “I really like him.”

  “You know what, Andrea, you two deserve each other. My best friend and my boyfriend both screw me over. What a great summer.”

  I walked away, free of the load that had been bothering me but still weighed down by it. It didn’t matter that I didn’t want to be with Theo anymore. It didn’t matter that I’d kissed Daniel. I didn’t intentionally go looking for someone else. And I certainly wouldn’t have fallen for Daniel if he had been dating Andrea. No, I shook free of my burden and walked to the car with a clear conscience. Theo and Andrea could both kiss my ass.

  Daniel’s expression didn’t change as I got closer. He leaned against my driver’s side door, waiting.

  “You okay?” he asked when I stopped in front of him.

  I didn’t answer. I did what I’d been dying to do for the last few weeks. He smiled as I pushed against him and kissed him openly in public. It felt so right. I didn’t have to worry about the guilt anymore. He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me off the ground.

  “Does that answer your question?” I asked when he sat me back down.

  “Yeah, come on. Let’s go somewhere to celebrate.” He took my keys and waved them in front of me. “And I’m driving.”

  The regular season was winding down. Each game was more important than the last. The Robins were right behind us in the standings. And our last game was against them. It would come down to the wire.

  Tuesday, we played the Bears. We beat them to a pulp the first time. When I got to the field, something felt off. Most of the guys were already there. I was late, but I wasn’t that late. The game couldn’t have started yet. The stands were packed. There were even people lined up in the grass along the fence. Something was definitely up even if I couldn’t see it.

  The flash blinded me. I fell back onto my ass in the gravel parking lot.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Hudson. Forgot to turn the flash off. Don’t know why it flashed to begin with.” The sun was directly behind him so I couldn’t see his face. “Tim Wakefield of the Leader. Can I have a few minutes of your time?”

  He stuck a digital voice recorder in my face. I pushed it away and stood up. Wakefield, my mother’s favorite society columnist. What was he doing at a sporting event?

  “Why are you playing baseball? Is this a feminine protest about sexism in sports? How does your father feel about you playing on an all boys team?” He asked in rapid fire succession.

  Oh God. Not now. I brushed the small rocks off my pants and pushed by him.

  Wakefield wasn’t about to let that stop him. “Are you trying to say that girls can play baseball as well as boys?”

  “No comment.” Ah, the standard answer. It pissed off most reporters, especially the ones like Wakefield who always got what they wanted.

  “Miss Hudson –” he persisted.

  “No comment, Mr. Wakefield.” I ran into the dugout, knowing he couldn’t follow.

  Daniel reached out to touch my arm, but I stepped around him with a slight shake of my head. I hoped he noticed. Calvin and Adam opened their mouths.

  Reggie didn’t give them a chance. He took all the pressure off me. “Come on, boys. Let’s warm up. Vic, you better hurry up. They aren’t going to delay the game because you don’t have your cleats on yet.”

  The boys jogged onto the field without looking back.

  “Thank you,” I mouthed to Reggie.

  He nodded then started yapping his jaws about hitting a homerun, a feat he had yet to accomplish.

  Coach sat beside me as I tied my laces. “What’s that all about?”

  “Reporter.”

  “No kiddin’, Sherlock,” he growled. “What’s he want with my third baseman?”

  This was too much. I’d managed to go all season without anyone finding out. Why now? “Just a girl playing baseball.”

  Coach didn’t buy my half-truth. “Uh-huh. And?”

  “It might be better for the team if I sat out today,” I said to change tactic.

  “Because of this reporter fellow?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, if there isn’t a story, maybe he’ll go away.”

  “You sure?”

  I wasn’t, but I kept up the lie. “Positive. I’d rather be out there but considering the circumstances…”

  “Your call, kid. But if it gets tight, I’ll send you in.” He stood up and yanked his lineup card off the fence. “But you better tell me what this is really all about later.”

  Freddie got the start at third. I sat on the bench, ignoring most of the talk. Several times, Wakefield tried to get my attention as he stationed himself behind the dugout. Without me in the game, he had no story.

  We blew the Bears out of the water again. Coach replaced Daniel with Shane in the seventh. He also subbed Harrison in at second. That left me as the only position player on the bench. Daniel sat too close to me on the bench. I scooted down. The hurt look on his face killed me, but Wakefield would be all over any suspicion of affection between us. He’d been at the charity event when Theo was on my arm and would no doubt remember that. I hoped Daniel would understand.

  The taunting began in the eighth.

  “Hey, man. Put the girl in.”

  “What’s she on the team for if she ain’t gonna play?”

  “Come on, Coach. Does she suck or something?”

  Then my absolute favorite, “Hey girly, girly, girly.”

  Coach looked at me for any type of reaction. I shook my head. Not that it helped my cause any. The crowd handed Wakefield his story whether I played or not, but I stood my ground and sat the entire nine innings. The score was twelve to two when it was over. We lined up to shake the other team’s hands and I slipped in behind Daniel.

  “I’ll explain this all to you later. I promise.” I whispered to him.

  He glanced at me over his shoulder. His expression was blank, but his eyes said it all. He was confused. Who could blame him?

  “I’ll tell you everything,” I said again.

  Wakefield stood by the dugout, pen poised. The man was ready for anything.

  Coach gathered us around home plate.

  “What’s going on, Hudson?” Adam asked. He crossed his arms, pissed as the rest of the team.

  I took a deep breath. “Look, guys, just do me a favor. If he asks you anything, tell him ‘no comment.’ Please?”

  “Why should we?” Calvin asked.

  “I will explain everything. I promise. Meet me at Hansen’s at six. Don’t tell anyone either. Seriously, guys, this is important. You can help me make this all go away.”

  I looked at each one of the individually. Jayden was the only one that didn’t look upset, but his expression only changed from intense to even more intense.

  “Yeah, okay,” Adam said, answering for the team. “We’ll meet you at six. We won’t talk to the reporter. Now, let’s go. Look happy. We just won.”

  Everyone put on their best fake smile as we cleared the dugout. Wakefield tried to question each of them as they walked toward the parking lot. I half expected Jayden to break the digital recorder as Wakefield stuck it in his face. He didn’t flinch, but there was a slight smile on his face.

  I didn’t get a chance to see Daniel before the meeting at Hansen’s. I had too much to do. First, I had to rent the second-floor party room at the soda shop to assure our privacy. Fortunately, it wasn’t already reserve
d. Then I had to arrange for the menu. The least I could do in this mess was feed them dinner.

  Most of the guys were not going to be happy. My father’s politics weren’t always favorable around here. In fact, most people in the city thought he was a con artist out for his own good. When he was in the state house, he voted to close several schools in the area. He also voted against a state health care plan. Since his election to Congress, he voted in favor of reducing taxes for the rich and for a reduction in EPA standards.

  Senator Hudson was not loved in the city, but the rest of the state adored him and that’s why he’d gotten elected and re-elected.

  After changing into a denim skirt and white tank with a sleeveless plaid button down shirt, I got to Hansen’s ten minutes early to oversee everything. And to hopefully see Daniel first. Gina, the owner, set up a buffet per my request. I totally prepared myself for the worst possible reaction from the guys. If they wanted me out, I’d quit.

  Daniel showed up two minutes later in khaki shorts and a green polo. This was going to be my hardest sell. I jumped into his arms, inhaling his sandalwood scent.

  “I am so sorry.” I buried my face into his chest.

  “Jesus, Vic. Will you just tell me what’s going on?” He pushed me into a chair, then sat across from me. “Are you some kind of Romanian princess or something?”

  I smiled half heartedly. “No, nothing quite so glamorous.”

  “Then what?”

  “Okay, it’s like this.” I reached across to hold his hands, but he slid them onto his lap. “I haven’t lied to you. I might have withheld the truth, but I have never lied. Let me get that out of the way. I did move in with my grandmother this summer. And I do go to Xavier.”

  He nodded.

  “Here’s the thing … My father is Senator Hudson.”

  He didn’t react.

  “Daniel?” I was teetering on the edge and he could push me over with a single word.

  “So, your dad is The Senator Hudson? And you never thought to tell me about this?” His voice was cold.

  My breath hitched in my throat. “I’m sorry.”

  “I mean, The Senator Hudson that’s gearing up to run for President?”