Page 5 of Strike Zone

“Good luck,” I say my parting words, throw my crossbody bag over my shoulder, and walk away with the heat of his stare at my back.

2

WYATT

“You got any plans tonight?” Koa asks me and Hart as we walk through the parking lot after our practice.

They have been brutal lately with our first game around the corner. I spend more time soaking in an ice bath or wrapping my shoulder than I do anything else these days. We aren’t playing around anymore. Not that coach let us dick around to begin with in the off season.

“I have a few errands to run,” I vaguely answer his question. I don’t need them in my business. Not about this.

“Lauren and I are going to watch a movie,” Hart says smiling.

Watching a movie my ass.

“Which one?” I ask to fuck with him. It’s nice to see my friend so happy. He never smiled like this until he got with his girlfriend Lauren.

“Which what?”

“Which movie?” I say slowly.

“I don’t fucking know. Does it matter?”

“It does if you actually plan on watching it. You don’t want to get stuck watching something without any action,” Koa says.

“There will definitely be action.” Hart’s eyes darken to the point they’re almost black.

I roll my lips to keep from smiling. They ain’t watching no movie.

“You have fun. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Koa says.

Hart gives a final salute goodbye before walking off to his car. I need to get going too. She’s only going to be at the campus bookstore for another twenty minutes.

“I’ll see you later, man.” I put a fist out to bump with Koa.

Koa eyes me with suspicion, before nodding and getting in his car. I know I’ve been acting weird the last few weeks. I’m surprised they haven’t scheduled an intervention over my behavior. Normally the fuckers are more nosy than this. My only saving grace is the two of them being wrapped up with their girls. Not that Koa would admit to anyone being his girl.

It hasn’t been easy balancing classes, practice, workouts, games, and following Wren around campus like a private investigator.

Wren Ellington. She isn’t like other girls. She’s worse.

I realize I’m not her favorite person. The feeling is mutual. All I needed her to do was invite me over to their dorm and let me do my thing. I would have had Charlie eating out of the palm of my hand in no time.

If I didn’t need Wren’s help, I wouldn’t have asked. She is my last resort. I’ve been trying to get Charlie’s attention since the night she sang herself into my brain.

I’ve seen her a few times around campus last semester, but she’s managed to dodge me at every turn. I thought maybe going home for winter break would erase her voice from my memory but it only made it worse. It was a daily reminder that I’m not happy with the course my life is taking.

After several failed attempts of catching Charlie leaving her dorm, I thought I would have better luck getting close to Charlie through Wren. Had I realized Wren was so hard-nosed, I would have thought of an alternative option.

I still could.

I probably should.

Then I remember the look on Wren’s face when I pushed all of her pencils out of order. She was mad enough to spit nails and it made me smile. And not the fake one I put on for everyone.

I know someone else’s misery shouldn’t bring me joy. But it did. Seeing her ball her hands into fists and huff out breaths of frustration thrilled me. That’s a feeling stress, worry, and fear have stolen from me the past few years. So excuse me for not wanting to let it go yet.

I am however ready to get Charlie’s voice out of my head. I need it gone. Not only is it a constant reminder of my misery, it’s also affecting my headspace when I’m pitching. I can’t lose focus because getting drafted is important to me. It’s crucial. My family is depending on it.

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