Page 94 of Hard Hitter

“Well, Jett, I think it’s safe to say you and I are safely in the platonic friend zone,” Raelyn said, wiping her Jett-slobbered finger on her bathing suit bottoms. “Please don’t ever lick me again.”

“Please don’t everaskme to lick you again.”

Standing next to each other and looking around at anything else for fear of making eye contact, Raelyn and Jett contemplated how to get on with their lives. Raelyn’s gaze drifted back to the pool where Quinn was staring, halting the game, basketball in hand. She looked at Jett whose mouth hung open as though caught doing something particularly heinous, then back to Quinn. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Quinn looked...jealous.

Raelyn smirked, almost triumphantly at the thought. Turning back to Jett, she ruffled up his curly hair and walked off with a notable spring in her step.

The sun was going down, party food had been moved inside, and Quinn had opened his gifts, which were primarily ASU merchandise,baseball gear, and other athletic wear. An envelope from Mr. and Mrs. DeRose contained a check forwaytoo much money. Mrs. DeRose assured him the card was a far better option to her husband’s idea to actually purchase him a car. Charlie’s argument was that if Quinn got a car, he could drive that to Arizona next fall and take Rae along for the road trip. When Quinn asked how Rae would get back if they drove his car, Charlie waved a hand and said, “Just keep her down there with you. She’ll stay out of trouble that way”.

Wouldn’t that be something? Bringing Rae with me to college.

She had her own plans though. Her sights were set on the amazing sports medicine program that the University of Michigan offered. If Michigan had offered him a better scholarship, he would have been on it. Him and Rae together in college? He’d be all over that option.

Rae wandered out of the house wearing a cropped racer back and a pair of blue jean shorts, and Quinn felt like a fresh breeze washed over him.

That bikini she’d been wearing earlier was a fucking treat for sure, but this was the Rae he was used to. Cool, casual, effortlessly beautiful. Her hair was down, and she was still wearing his hat. She had been right, of course; there were actually two new Arizona State University hats in his pile of presents.

As Rae approached him he smiled, maybe his first easy smile all day. “Where’ve you been?” he asked.

“Taking a minute to myself,” she replied. She took in the new maroon colored hat that he was wearing and smiled, “That’s a good color on you.” Before he could respond, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She held her arms around him for a few heavy moments, and his own arms curled around her waist, pulling her in tight as he buried his face in her neck. He breathed in her hair and the familiar summery scent of coconuts and vanilla consumed him.

When she let up, she only half pulled away and Quinn forced her to look him in the eyes. “What was that all about?”

There was a hint of sadness in her smile as she replied, “I’m just really going to miss you next year.”

Quinn’s chest swelled, feeling both elated that she’d expressed this feeling to him, and also sharing her sadness that they would be separated for the first time since they’d met. “You don’t know the half of it, Rae.”

She backed up a little more, her arms dropping from his shoulders to rest her hands on his biceps. Her smile brightened. “Can you believe we’ve been friends for ten years?”

“Bestfriends,” Quinn corrected.

“You’re not allowed to replace me,” said Rae. “If I hear you have a new best friend, I’m not going to be happy. You can call him your college best friend, but not yourrealbest friend.”

“What if my new best friend is another girl?” Quinn questioned. He wanted her to get defensive, even possessive. Give him some clue that she felt like she had a claim on him the way he did with her.

“Bitch better step aside. That’s not happening,” said Rae, completely straight-faced.

Quinn laughed, feeling satisfied with her response, “Deal. No girl best friends. No new best friends. Just college friends. And probably teammates.”

“And I promise not to have any new guy best friends. I don’t think college works that way anyway. I’m pretty sure if a guy expresses interest in you in college, it’s strictly because he wants sex.”

The thought of Rae spending her days on campus and in the dorms with some other guy, laughing and talking, close like Quinn was with her, made his stomach tie in knots. Even more so was the thought of that new friend actually having the guts to say and do what he never has. It made him sick.

“I’d fly back up here just to knock his teeth in,” said Quinn.

Rae grinned brightly. “You do realize we will probably both be having sex in college. It’s a whole different ball game. I don’t think people just hook up for hand stuff.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing with everyone?” Quinn teased.

She laughed and sighed, “It’s funny that you think I do anything with anyone.”

Quinn looked at her curiously. He’d endured enough locker room talk about this girl to fill his head with all sorts of jealousy and envy toward the guys who bragged about going out with her. Though now that he thought about it, he realized Rae had never mentioned anything about them. Would she have told him what goes on when she’s out with guys? Quinn sure as hell didn’t tell her about anything he’d done. The rumors were exaggerated, but he’d always been adamant about avoiding any discussion of the things he did with other girls while wishing he could be doing them with her.

Truthfully, he hadn’t even been out with a girl in a long time. Several months, in fact. After the new semester began the previous year, he’d been completely zeroed in on baseball and deciding on a college. Between training, which he’d been thrilled Rae had offered to help with, and school, and actually playing the game, he really hadn’t had time for anything or anyone else. And over the summer, well, that’s when he got Rae to himself. No other guys gawking at her, no shoving his anger down when someone made crude comments about her in front of him.

“Nate O'Reilly said you guys sixty-nined in his Escalade. I didn’t think that sounded like something you’d do,” Quinn said, remembering how he’d wanted to knock the guy out, and then go puke after hearing this random brag.

“Ew,” Rae scrunched up her face. “False.”

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