Page 24 of The Perfect Game

I thought about the text message she’d sent me before we got to the ballpark.

Wish I could be there. Good luck!

I tried to see the stands from where I stood, but I could only see the upper tier. None of the usual people I’d gotten used to seeing at our home games were there, and I just hoped we made it through this game so we could go to the championship.

I had to come in during the second inning, and I was glad we’d had enough days in between to rest because digging us out of a bases-loaded, no-outs situation had taken all the focus I had. The next few innings were better, allowing me some room to breathe. When Jake hit a three-run home run to put us up by one, I knew all I had to do was work with the last three outs and we were moving on in the tournament.

The first batter had been an easy strikeout, being the ninth batter. But starting at the top of the lineup, I had to hit every spot Dax set up at to get him out, and even then, he fouled off at least five pitches. I’d made the mistake of glancing into the stands and spotting several radar guns trained on me. I tried to push it away, tried to zone in like I’d been able to do for every other pitch that game, but the pressure was seeping in.

With two strikes on the last batter, I missed and threw it right down the middle, cringing as I knew at the release it was too good to pass up.

The ball connected with the bat, the sound echoing in my brain as it sailed into left field. Every part of my body tensed, and I stopped breathing as I watched it get closer and closer to the fence.

“Come on, Logan,” I said under my breath. The freshman was fast, but I wasn’t sure if he’d make it. At the fence, just as the ball was about to go, Logan somehow got his glove up and snagged it, tumbling to the ground after. He hopped up, holding his glove in the air as proof that he’d caught it.

We all ran out, yelling and tackling Logan to the ground.

“We just beat the number-one team in the state, boys!” Jake yelled so we could all hear above the crowd’s roar.

We made our way in to shake hands with the other team before heading back into the dugout. I glanced up into the stands, waving to my mom and Daniel. My stalwart fans. I smiled at them and let my eyes wander around the rest of the stands, wishing to see a blonde girl with a megawatt smile.

As we packed up, the guys all talked at once, the excitement loud. It felt good to have this game in the books. But it would have been better if Serena had been able to come.

Fourteen

Serena

It had been a long day, and I was so over rehab. John supervised my drills since Ben was gone, and I wished I could be there cheering them on. It was strange to be so excited for baseball since I’d grown up with every other sport but that one. But the more I’d gotten to know Ben, the more I wanted to be around him. And part of being around him was understanding the terminology that came with one of his passions.

Ben also listened to me ramble on and on about volleyball, especially when one of the sand volleyball games for the national team was on TV while I was at the clinic. He’d asked me sincere questions and seemed interested in the answers. It was refreshing that someone outside of my small friend group would care enough to listen to me. Everyone else seemed to tune me out whenever I talked about something I loved.

John’s phone dinged with a text message, and he pulled his phone out of his pocket. A broad grin spread from ear to ear.

“They won.”

I stopped moving the band back and forth with my foot, my head snapping in his direction to figure out what he meant. “The baseball team?”

Nodding, John turned the phone toward me. I saw Lund, Ben’s summer ball coach, at the top and a quick text that said, “They beat last year’s state champs! Win for Rosemont 3-2!”

I started my reps again, knowing the faster I got done, the sooner I could retrieve my own phone. Hopefully Ben texted on the drive back to the hotel.

“Are you good friends with the coach?” I asked, curious that John would get a message so soon after the game ended.

John laughed. “Am I good friends with Coach Lund? We played together with Coach Maddox, the high school coach, in college. Lund was one of the fastest guys I’ve ever seen. Too bad he blew out his knee in the outfield, or he could have gone onto the pros. He knows quite a few of the college and pro scouts, so he’s the ideal coach for the boys. My wife has been trying to set him up on a date for the last two years.”

He walked away, saying he had to grab a couple of papers, and I pushed through the exercises, ready to be out of there. It was a Friday night, and all I wanted to do was hang out and wait for Ben to get back, which wouldn’t actually happen until late Saturday night, barring some tropical storm. Did that make me the sappy girl waiting around for a guy? Maybe, but at this point, I was pretty sure he liked me back. I mean, he did ask me on a date, unless that was for a bet or something.

My foot was healed enough to drive, and I’d never been so excited to be behind the wheel as I was after relying on people the last two weeks. I pulled into the driveway and parked, smiling when I saw a couple of lights on. At least I wouldn’t be completely alone.

We won! It was awesome. I pitched five innings.

A shiver ran up my back as I read the text from Ben. I was surprised by how fast my feelings for him had grown over the past couple of weeks. It had been a rocky start, but he’d texted me after his game, which had to mean something.

The phone rang, and I saw his name on the screen. A thrill shot through me at the thought that he’d contacted me so soon after the game was over. Probably enough time to call his mom or even talk to her if she’d driven up for the games.

I leaned against the brick next to the garage door and answered. “Hey! Congrats! That’s so exciting. When is your next game?”

“Thanks,” Ben said, sounding more shy than normal. “It’s, um, tomorrow night. I probably won’t be throwing much. They brought me on early in the game.”

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