Page 115 of The Third Baseman

She shook her head. “Not this year. I’ve been struggling with time because if I’m not surfing, I’m studying. I’ve been to a few, but it’s a bit boring.”

“Yeah, I understand the studying part.” Jupiter naked flashed into my head, and I squeezed my thighs shut.

“When are your exams? I’m so done with it all. School blows sometimes.”

I shrugged looking a little sheepish. “I don’t have any. I’ve done all the work I need to for M.I.T. when I applied early, but I’m trying to get ahead of first year so I don’t fall behind.”

She nudged me. “Shit, Marn, that’s some big brain you have. No wonder we never see you in class. Ours are like elementary school compared to yours. At least chill out a bit, come down to the beach and surf with me,” she grinned. “You can even bring Jupe if you want. I’d love to see that lump on a surfboard.”

My laugh was drowned out by an announcement over the loudspeakers cutting through the music playing, asking us all to sing the National Anthem. We all stood, more out of habit than anything else, until it was time – made known by the vocal expertise of the crowd hollering and whooping.

Then the boys arrived. My belly flipped as Jupiter appeared and took position on third base. His eyes traveled through the crowd, past his parents, and the second I thought there was no way he’d spot me, his gaze hit me brighter than a spotlight, followed by a grin I felt deep in my core.

I was brought back to my present with a hefty nudge from Emerson. “Don’t make me need to hurl, please.”

I snorted hard. “Sorry, Em. I’ll try my best.”

She grinned back before she shot up and began waving enthusiastically, adding to the chaos of the stadium. “Twins!”

I hadn’t met Emerson’s friends before; identical twins called LJ and Ainsley. As they got closer to us, it dawned on me I’d seen them around school but never together, so I hadn’t realized they were two different people.

Mallory and Emerson gave them both a hug before Emerson pulled me up. “Hey guys, this is Marnie, my brother’s girlfriend.”

I waved shyly. “Hey, nice to meet you.”

“Marn, this is LJ,” Emerson gestured to the twin in black, then to the one in a Jupiter sweater, just like most people here were wearing, “and this is Ainsley.”

LJ hugged me hello, while Ainsley just stared at me. I was beginning to think I had something on my face but then she smiled, weakly, and sat next to Emerson. The entire interaction was incredibly weird, but maybe she was one of those people who warmed up a little slower than others.

I could definitely relate to that.

“Glad you found us. We were going to have to give up these seats soon.”

LJ removed her jacket at sat down. “Sorry, it took us ages to get in. It’s a busy game tonight.”

I almost fell into her as I was shoved forward by a guy moving onto the bench in the row behind me, who in turn had been shoved by the group behind him. I bent to pick up his wallet which had fallen on the floor, along with a couple of credit cards and his – HOLY SHIT! LA DODGERS I.D. CARD!

This was HUGE.

“Thank you,” Dodgers guy said. “It’s busy tonight.”

I nodded, forcing myself to blink. “Oh, it’s always like this. It’s a great team.”

I spun back around as the stadium erupted in cheers; the first runner was thrown out at first base. I wanted to go back to The Dodgers guy, watch him while he watched, but instead I crossed everything I could in the hope Jupiter had a good game.

If he played well, there was no way they wouldn’t want him. Everyone would want him.

By the end of the third, Santa Monica High was up three to one. The baseball gods were shining on Jupiter because he’d been having an awesome game, the best I’d seen him play.

He’d caught four balls straight off the bat, and his aim had hit the bullseye every time, wherever he’d been throwing it.

S.M.H. was next at bat, and Jupiter was fifth in the batting order. The diet coke I’d been drinking had gone straight through me.

“I’m going to the restroom before Jupiter is up.”

I ran up the steps to find the nearest, praying there wasn’t a line. Thankfully I found one.

“Oh, look who it is.” A hard shoulder barged into me, pushing me forward, and I had to brace myself against the wall before I hit the hand dryer. “Little Miss Perfect.”

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