Page 71 of His Team

Cameron

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Kay growls at me as we leave the bar and head for our car.

Kota left with Cal and Nicole. Thomas and Hamilton haven’t ended their night just yet, so they’re heading to another bar. That fight wasn’t enough to take much out of any of us.

If you ask me, it was over before it started. I wish I could say I was shocked when Caleb slugged that dude, but I wasn’t. That shit had been building up.

“What are you talking about?” I snap back at Kay.

Once again, she’s been starting fights over anything. It’s not the same as when we would just fight over bullshit because we clash naturally. This shit has been her nitpicking.

It’s been like this since my birthday. She showed up the morning of and had this attitude with me like I was the one who disappeared on her. To be honest, I’m over it.

“What was that? Are you kidding me?”

“Are you kidding me?” I shout back incredulously. “My brother was in the middle of a fight. What the fuck do you think I was supposed to do?”

“Not join in. You both could have ruined your careers. What if he broke his pitching hand, or you got yourself hurt?” she yells back at me.

“Why do you think I jumped in? Fuck my career. I wasn’t about to allow my brother to get jumped or lose his shot at pitching in the major leagues.”

We climb into the car and Kay slams the door shut so hard I’m surprised the window doesn’t break. I glare at her as she folds her arms over her chest.

She turns to me and narrows her eyes. “What do you mean fuck your career?”

“Fuck baseball. I’m not going to get drafted to the same team as Cal. He doesn’t need me anymore. I’m done.”

“Wait, when did you decide this?”

“I’ve been leaning toward this for months now. If you talked to me instead of poking and nagging at me, you would know this.”

“So you plan to work for your daddy?”

“I don’t know what I plan to do.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m going to take some time to think about what I want for once. I’m going to figure my own shit out. I’m not a boy who wants to please his mama to keep her off his brother’s back.

“I’m a man who wants to experience life. I want to know what it’s like to live a life I’ve chosen, not one chosen for me. I’m tired of being manipulated.

“I’m sick of this toxic shit we have going on. You stop by, we fuck, and then you’re off to do whatever it is you do. Shit, Kay. You’re not happy with me. Why are we together?”

“Are you breaking up with me?” she sobs.

“We’ve been together since I was fourteen. I’ve never been with another girl. You were my first. I’ve been in college for going on four years and I’ve never lived out the full experience.

“I think it would be better to break up now. I don’t want to get married and become someone I’m not because I didn’t do the shit I should have when I was eighteen, nineteen, or twentysomething. Don’t you want to know if someone else is better for you?”

She blanches. I would swear the look on her face was one of guilt. However, she has nothing to be guilty of. Neither of us do.

Our mamas forced us into this. We should be able to take a step back and see if we’re what we want. I do feel a little bad as she begins to cry harder.

However, I’m not going back on this. I need to do this for myself. Seeing Cal find happiness, hearing Nicole tell him she loves him, knowing the joy they have, I want to find that for myself.

I’ll never get to do that as long as I’m with Kay. There could be some girl out there for me, but I’m missing out on that because I’m trying to force this.

Enough.

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