Page 32 of The Plan

I roll my eyes, then hold the phone up so both Sire and I are in the frame. He smiles and waves at her, but I quickly put the camera down before either of them can start a conversation with the other. “I barely got to see him!”

“You saw him just fine. Bye, Ma.”

“No me cuelgues!” I don’t hang up on her since I don’t feel like hearing her give me a boche about it later and wait for her to go on. “He plays baseball?”

Sire’s in his uniform since he has a game in about half an hour. He’s been picking me up the last few games so we can go together. “Yes, and if we’re late, his coach and Jen are going to kill us.”

Sire starts the car, and I watch my mom as she walks out of her apartment. “Okay, fine. I love you. Tell Hazelnut I said I love hery llámame más tarde.” I tell her I love her and promise to tell Hazel, and then she lets me hang up.

After about twenty minutes, we pull into the parking lot of the other school. I don’t see the team’s bus, so we must’ve gotten here first. Right on cue, my phone buzzes with a text from Jen to meet her at the front of the parking lot, so I quickly tell Sire I’ll see him after the game.

“If I knew the nurseswere this hot, I would've stood in front of the batter a long time ago.” I fake a laugh but don’t reply. TheUC Davis players have been flirting with Jen and me since we walked in, and it was cute at first, but now it’s getting old.

I finish taking a look at his shoulder, then walk over to the drawer and get a pink slip to sign. “Give this to your coach. You’re good to continue playing.”

He takes it from me as he slips his jersey back on. “You should write down your number.” I glance up at him, and he’s cute, but he’s also the enemy, so I don’t think about it twice.

Walking over to the entrance of the tent, I open one side for him. “I shouldn’t. You should get back to the game, though. My school’s whooping your ass out there.” I deliberately add that I attend the other school, and he picks up on it and leaves without another word.

Jen and I see four more players, all from the opposing team, and I’m starting to think our guys are intentionally injuring them. I have no idea what the rivalry between us is about. I doubt they know either, but they make their hatred for each other very clear every chance they get, so a fight is bound to happen before either team leaves this campus.

The game ends, and we win nine to zero. Since it isn’t our school, Jen and I don’t have to pack anything up, so I leave the tent the way it is and text Sire that I’m heading to the bathroom.

I ask someone for directions, but I think I take one too many left turns, and now I’m lost. Not wanting to be stuck in this place, I decide to just use the bathroom once I get home and head back the way I came.

Just as I grab the door to the exit, someone pulls it open, pulling me along, and I bump right into them. Before I can stumble back, their arm comes around me. “Careful there, sweetheart.” At the glance of the opposing team colors on his jersey, I take a step back because UC Davis men are known to be pigs.

“Thanks,” I say for not letting me fall on my ass, but when I try to take a step around him, he gets in my way.

“You look lost. Where you heading?” I look up at him and realize he’s the one who asked for my number in the tent earlier. Before I can respond, one of his teammates makes his way to us from behind him.

“Leave her alone, Cole.” A smile grows on Cole’s face, but he doesn’t look like he plans on leaving me alone, and I feel my hands ball at my side.

“You’re my captain on the field, not out here, Liam.” Liam chuckles from behind him, but his face alone tells me everyone listens to him whether they're on the field or not. I look at Cole, and when I try to leave, he gets in my way again.

“Fuck off, Cole. She’s Griffin's girl, and I don’t feel like kicking his ass for you again.” How do they know I’m “his girl”? At the last part of his sentence, I look back over at Liam, and I realize he and Sire fought at the beginning of the semester, but he didn’t beat Sire’s ass. I watched the video, and if anything, it was a tie, but if there needed to be a winner, it wasn’t him.

“I don’t give a shit about Griffin.”

“You should.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding at the sound of Sire’s voice. “Let her pass.” His words are ice, sending a chill down my spine. Liam is between Sire and the asshole in front of me, so he needs to go through both of them to get to me, and although Liam was on my side a few seconds ago, I’m not sure anymore.

“Get your mut, Walker.” Sire is talking to Liam now, and I know it’s his last name since it’s also on his jersey.

“Come on, Griffin. Let us borrow her, man. Sharing is caring,” Cole says, his eyes still on me like I’m a piece of meat. Ugh, they’re so disgusting.

“Well, I don’t fucking care. I also don’t share what’s mine, so fuck off. I’m not gonna repeat myself.” Sire doesn’t look at me once as he challenges both of them.

“Let her pass, Cole.” Liam finally speaks up, keeping his eyes on Sire. The asshole lets out a disappointed sigh and then moves over just a bit, forcing me to squeeze past him, but I push my way past instead.

Just as I do, I’m shown he doesn’t like being pushed as he grabs my arm and pulls me back to him. “Someone should teach you some manners.”

“Get the fuck off of me.” I pull my arm away, but his grip tightens, and in a flash, Sire passes Liam and is in front of us.

He grabs the arm that Cole is holding me with. “If you want to keep playing ball, I suggest you let go before I break your fucking arm.” He winces. I’m assuming Sire is tightening his grip as Cole loosens on me, but his ego doesn’t let him let go.

“Don’t be an idiot, Cole. Get off of her,” Liam speaks up again, and I’m surprised he’s even on our side. Cole finally lets me go, and Sire pushes him into the door behind him, and when Cole takes a step toward him, he pushes him again, harder.

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