Page 26 of The Perfect Game

I laughed and hugged him tight.

My mom took over with a hug after Daniel let go, and then my dad held out his hand. I gave it an awkward shake before giving him a hug. I was too excited to care about anything at that moment. We’d taken the championship, something we’d made a goal to do at the beginning of the summer season.

“We’ll meet you in the car,” my mom said and smiled back at Serena as they walked in the direction of the parking lot.

“That was so amazing!” Serena said, beaming. Her beautiful eyes were open wide, and her smile caused my eyes to focus on her lips too often. She threw her arms around me, and I got a whiff of strawberry from her hair.

When she pulled back, our faces were only inches from each other, close enough to kiss. I glanced down at her lips one more time, wondering what they would taste like, but the knots in my stomach brought me back to reality.

I’d claimed to have kissed a girl when the guys asked, but the truth was, I’d never had the courage to do anything like that. And now that I was this close to a girl I liked, I wished we weren’t in a mob of people, that we were alone.

“So, how about that date?” I searched her eyes and face, waiting for the response. My stomach tightened, preparing for rejection.

“I’m in. My schedule is pretty open for the summer. Besides therapy and hanging out with friends here and there.”

“Um, how about Monday after I get home from work? I can pick you up around six or seven.”

She nodded, a shy smile on her lips. “I can’t wait.” Her voice was airy, and there was a moment where I almost leaned in to kiss her. But the sound around us amplified and a bunch of other people came up and slapped me on the back, saying congrats and good game.

Serena stepped back and smiled. “I should probably go find my ride before she takes off. Penny decided to drive. Text me later?”

I stared into her blue eyes and couldn’t believe someone like her could like a stuttering, awkward guy like myself. “Will do.” What we were going to do was still a fuzzy concept, but I had some good direction. With a little help from Jake, I was sure it would be a date to remember, or at least I hoped it would.

She disappeared into the crowd, and I talked to a few other people before making my way to the parking lot, ready for a shower and bed.

I threw my bat bag in the back of my dad’s SUV and slid into the back seat, grinning at Daniel as I got in. “Thanks for coming, little brother.”

He held out his shirt, and for the first time, I actually read what it said.#1 Ben Fan.

“That’s an awesome shirt. Where did you get it?”

“Mom got it for me. But she said it took longer than she wanted.” Daniel bounced against his seat belt, trying to sing along with the song on the radio.

My mom turned in the passenger seat. “He saw it a few weeks ago, and we ordered it then. Something must have happened with the sellers because it got canceled and then just showed up yesterday. He’s been trying so hard to keep it a secret.” She turned her attention to Daniel, and I followed her gaze, ruffling his hair with my hand.

“At least you got to wear it for the last game of this tournament,” I said, sliding down in my seat.

“There were a lot of recruiters there, Ben. A lot of people said good things about you too,” my mom said.

I turned, curious what my dad’s opinion was. He’d been silent since I’d gotten into the car.

“Uh, thanks for coming, Dad.”

He nodded, looking both ways as he drove out of the lot. “Good game, son. It was fun to see you win the whole thing.”

I stared at the back of his head, wondering if my father had somehow been abducted by aliens. He’d never said something complimentary about my favorite sport, and I wasn’t sure what to say to that.

“Is there something going on between you and that blonde girl?” He glanced into the rearview mirror, making eye contact for a few seconds before focusing on the road again.

I shrugged, my mood changing from shock to defense. “We’re good friends.”

“Keep it that way, son. You don’t want to ruin your future.”

My stomach dropped like a ten-pound weight. “What do you mean, ‘ruin my future’? Serena’s a good girl.”

“Isn’t she the daughter of Stephen Gates? I’ve heard things about her, and I think you should stay away.”

Ben knew Serena had a sort of reputation as a rebel, that she’d gone through numerous relationships within just the last year. But from everything he’d learned about her, she just needed someone to listen, to pay attention to her, to care about the things she cared about.

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