Page 18 of Baseball and Shifters

Damn it. Why’d she have to remind me about that?

“Hot guys in tight pants? Count me in!” Dallas cheers.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Aubree agrees then all eyes turn to me.

Sighing, I drop my pizza on my plate. “You know I have to go for that stupid project,” I grumble.

Maya grins. “Yeah, and it won’t hurt thatBastianis on the team, right?”

I’m gonna kill her.

“Bastian? Who’s that?” Dallas’s eyes light up. “Oh my God is that the hot guy Rach is supposed to be telling me about?”

“He’s captain of the baseball team,” Maya helpfully supplies.

I narrow my eyes at her before turning to Dallas. “He’s no one. I’ve never even spoken to him.”

“Not for lack of trying on his part, I saw those googly eyes he made at you from across the room. Then you dashed out before he could come talk to you after class. Both times,” Aubree snickers.

“That’s cold, Rach. You won’t even talk to him?”

“I’m not here for guys. I’m here to get my degree so I can get a good job and get out from under my father’s thumb. Guys are nothing but a distraction.”

“But what if he’s your mate?” Aubree asks, because of course that would matter to her.

“That’d be even worse, Aubree. I can’t… I don’twantmates,” I correct myself. I can’t let myselfwantmates is more like it, but they don’t need to know that. “Can we just drop it? Please?”

“Yeah. Sorry,” she grimaces.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, Rach. I was insensitive. You told us your feelings about mates. I shouldn’t have pushed you,” Dallas adds.

“Me too. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry,” Maya says.

Damnit. Now I feel like a dick.

“Don’t worry about it. I know it’s unusual for a girl to not want mates.”

“Still. We’re your friends. And as your friends, we’ll make sure you get what you want. If that means keeping guys away from you instead of pushing them toward you like I do with Aub, so be it. I may be short, but I make a good bouncer. No one’s getting through me.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“It’s why you love me.” She shrugs.

“It really is,” I agree, leaning back in my seat. I can’t help but smile like a dope about all of my new friends.

Rachel

This is a terrible idea.

“I had no idea baseball was so popular,” I grimace as I look around at the swarm of fans cramming into the stadium.

Everyone is dressed in Nightclaw colors. Most sporting some version of the current jersey. I take note of the changes I could make to make them better. Right now they are white with thin emerald stripes and navy lettering. I can’t help but imagine how sleek they’d be if they were darker though.

“All the sports here are. Athletics is a big deal at Eldergrove. The Nightclaws have won every tournament for like six years,” Maya informs us, pulling me from my thoughts. “It’s every athlete’s dream to come here. Especially if they have aspirations of going to the big leagues. Did you know out of the sixteen schools in this league, Eldergrove has the most alumni in any major league sport?”

“I had no idea,” Dallas chuckles.

Maya’s eyes widen and she snaps her mouth closed. “Sorry,” she mumbles.

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