Page 38 of Trip Through Your Wires

“Screw you,” he laughs. “Stop changing the subject and answer me.”

“Why!” I fire back.

“Because my girlfriend loves her best friend and wants her to be happy. And she thinks that being with you will make her happy. Happy wife, happy life.”

“Wife?” I arch my brow. “Brother, did you two get married?”

“No,” he grins. “But we will and the sentiment is the same. I want my girl to be happy and she is when everyone she cares about is happy, too.”

“Cruz…”

“Sorry,” he shrugs. “You’re her brother from another mother and she wants you to be happy. Her words, not mine.”

“You know I adore Ellery and she is my sister from another mister. But I’m fine, honestly, and you can tell her that.”

“Look…” He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “You were right last summer when you said that I had a type when it came to girls. I did. Anyone that wasn’t Ellery because she was it for me. Always was. But you don’t have a type. You’re all over the place.”

“What can I say?” I force a grin. “I’m an equal opportunity lover.”

“Yeah,” he nods. “Or you play the field because it’s easier that way.”

“Jesus,” I shake my head. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“No man, I’m right and you know it. Seeing you with Jenica last weekend it’s obvious. You’ve never looked at another girl the way you do her. You like her. I know you do. And if you didn’t, you would be getting laid a lot more. She is your type. ”

I look at Cruz, shaking my head. “Brother, I—”

“That was some fucking show you put on,” O’Brien cuts me off as he walks by.

“Learn something?” Cruz tosses back.

He stops and turns, flashing us his smug as fuck grin. Whenever I see O’Brien lately, I want to knock his teeth in. It’s not like me. I’m the chill one. But with practice being moved indoors this week due to bad weather, we’re all a little on edge. Cruz and I are both from the Northeast, so we’re used to indoor practice dominating the first part of the season, but nothing beats being on the field, and a lot of the guys are feeling it.

Luckily, our indoor training complex makes things a bit easier. A lot of D1 schools have facilities like ours, and thanks to generous alumni, Highland’s experienced some pretty sweet upgrades over the summer. The weight room had been expanded, the locker room gutted and remodeled, and there was now a player’s lounge with a big screen TV, all you can eat snacks and drinks, and a theater room where Coach reviews tapes of previous games and practice reels.

“Man,” O’Brien laughs. “I don’t have to learn shit. My game is fine on and off the field.”

I hold the handle of my bag with a white knuckle grip. “I think the lack of Vitamin D has fried your brain because I saw nothing but K’s from you in the season opener.”

“Looks like the one in need of some vitamins is you, Chambers. Noticed you were dropping your shoulder a bit earlier. May want to work on that. Scouts tend to skip sluggers in a slump.”

“I take it you managed to break out of your slump then?” Cruz jumps in, running a hand through his hair. “Poor performance at the plate isn’t good for the team, man.”

“If by slump you mean being balls deep in pussy every night, then sure,” O’Brien laughs. “Speaking of pussy,” he flicks his chin at me, “thanks for the heads up on my date the other night. If I hadn’t caught her in time, she would have gone home with that fraternity dick. It’s a shame I had to leave that gorgeous brunette, though.”

“What brunette?” Cruz asks curiously.

“Your girl’s friend.”

Cruz looks over at me and arches his brow. “Jenica?”

“Right,” O’Brien smirks. “Forgot her name. But man, didn’t forget those legs.”

I let out a short, dry laugh, as the fingers on the hand dangling at my side, twitch. “Didn’t you come here to focus on baseball?”

“Yeah.” He spits into the garbage can next to him and shrugs. “And?”

“And…maybe give Highland’s female student body a break.”

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