Page 10 of The Strike Zone

“Hey,” she replied. Her head tilted as she waited for me to fill the silence and explain why I’d just run down the corridor after her. “Well done on your home run, by the way.”

“Thanks.” I grinned, only my grin didn’t drop. It froze while I was still trying to remember my words.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yes. Just wanted to say hey. And—you know—great work on the TikTok today.”TheTikTok. Fuck my life. “I mean TikTok. Just TikTok. Notthe, obviously?—”

Parker,shut up.

Scout’s brows dropped a fraction and her left eye twitched as she kind of narrowed it at me. Yeah, I definitely forgot to take my cool pills this morning.

If I could read her mind, it would be saying something likeWhat the fuck is happening right now?

“Thanks.” She laughed. “I can’t take the credit today. We have a couple of interns on the social team for the next few months. They were capturing all the content and?—”

“Wait, that wasn’t you? You didn’t take the videos of me…um…I mean us. Of the game? The warm-ups?”

She shook her head slowly. “No, Cyrus and Joey were catching all the pregame content, then went out to the boardwalk.”

Cyrus and Joey.

I hoped it wasn’t obvious my entire chest shriveled like a popped balloon. I glanced down at the floor, half expecting to see a piece of wrinkled rubber lying there. Everything Tanner said about Scout having the hots for me was all based on videos two dudes had made.

Two interns staring at my ass.

And I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

Maybe I had really blown it by taking too long to ask her on a date last year.

“Oh.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s good. I just wondered is all. Thank them for including my home run.”

“Sure. I will. No problem.”

I rocked back on my heel. “So?—”

“So—”

Think, Parker.Think.

“Let me know if you need any more content. Always happy to help out you guys on social,” I added weakly, trying to avoid eye contact with a couple of the guys heading to the locker room.

I didn’t need an audience for this, nor did I want to make it obvious something was happening that I’d then hear about later.

“Count on it. There’s a lot planned,” she replied with a broad smile that lifted my chest a little.

I was saved from another awkward silence by a movement to my left. On second thoughts I’d prefer the silence. Coach was jogging down the stairs next to the elevators, and the moment he spotted Scout and me, his step paused.

Please keep walking, please keep walking.

But luck was not on my side, and instead of walking by, he marched straight toward us.

Not only was I totally choking asking Scout on a date, now my dad may as well be peering over my shoulder.

“King. Don’t forget to sign your form,” he barked, before I could say a word.

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