Page 132 of Left on Base

“Come on, Jax,” Ollie says, quietly grabbing my arm. “Let’s get out of here before this gets worse.”

“He’s coming with us,” Jameson tells the officers, captain-steady. “We got him.”

King’s hand lands on my shoulder, firm and gentle. “Now, Jax.”

The last thing I see before they pull me away is Inez’s pale face, realizing what she’s done. Not to Camdyn. Not to me. But to herself.

After this? Nobody on the team will ever trust her again.

“Keep walking,” King mutters as we head down the stairs, security flanking us. Ollie’s got my other arm like they think I might turn back.

We don’t stop until we’re outside McCarty, spring air sharp on my face. The officers linger until Jameson assures them we’re leaving.

“You good?” King asks when they’re gone.

I shake my head. “She’s gonna see it,” I say, voice raw. “She’s on the bus from Utah right now. She’s gonna see it and I can’t—” I stop, swallowing hard.

The guys form a circle around me, solid as always, waiting for me to pull it together. Finally, King says, “Come on.”

“We’ll order pizza,” Ollie adds. “Play MLB The Show until you stop looking like you want to kill someone.”

But all I can think about is Camdyn, on that bus, about to have her world blown apart. Again. What the fuck have I done? I shouldn’t… I can’t…

CHAPTER 24

LINE DRIVE

CAMDYN

A hard struck ball that travels in a parallel trajectory to the ground.

The bus is almost silent—just the engine’s hum and a few whispers. I’m looking on Instagram and the school website at stats, still high from our no-hitter against Utah, but Brynn keeps glancing over, restless, her phone lighting up nonstop.

“You good?” I ask.

“Totally fine,” she says, way too fast. “Just... tired.”

I’m about to push when a notification pops up. A blog post, shared by a bunch of student accounts: Madness on the Mound: The Untold Story Behind UW Star Pitcher’s World Series Collapse.

What the fuck?

My heart stops.

I see it’s by Inez, and my stomach free-falls as I start reading.

While fans watched Camdyn O'Hara’s public meltdown in the sixth inning of the Women’s College World Series semifinal—a game that could’ve sent the Huskies to the championship—few know the private tragedy that came before. Sources say O’Hara’s struggles started weeks earlier, during Super Regionals, when a medical emergency forced the freshman phenom to leave a game in the fourth inning. This same stretch coincided with rumors that her relationship with UW catcher Jaxon Ryan had ended…

A lump rises in my throat. My heart’s pounding so hard it’s all I can hear. There were articles after the World Series, but they stuck to the game. Not this. This is my private life—secrets only two people knew.

Brynn’s hand lands on my phone. “Maybe you shouldn’t?—”

“Are you fucking shitting me? She wrote this?” I yank my phone back and keep reading.

“...O’Hara left the field bleeding—an incident that fueled rumors of a miscarriage. Witnesses confirm seeing Ryan rush from his own game in Arizona that night, though both players have stayed silent about what happened…”

My hands shake. I can’t believe this. No way Jaxon gave her those details. Or did he?

“Hey,” Brynn tries. “Why don’t we watch a movie?”

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