Page 60 of The Third Baseman

Heads all turned back to Emerson. “Who?”

“You know, Ainsley McAvoy, one of the McAvoy twins. You made out with her.”

I scoffed. I had no recollection of this claim, though that didn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t true. However, as Emerson was always trying to convince me I’d made out with her friends, I was dubious because I mostly avoided them like the plague. “When?”

“OMG, Jupiter, you’re so gross! How can you not remember making out with someone?”

“Alright, Emmy, enough now,” my dad tutted. “Jupiter, ignore her.”

But once Emerson was under my skin, she was almost impossible to ignore. I tried to wrack my brain through the yearbook of my sister’s friends, most of whom looked the same. I was still coming up blank.

“Can we get back to the subject of Marnie?” my mom interrupted. “When are we going to meet her?”

I groaned; this is why I didn’t have girlfriends. Parents, ugh. “I dunno, Mom. Can you just let me figure it out first? Don’t make this a big deal, please!”

“Okay, Jupe, but don’t leave it too long or I’ll be marching over to invite her parents for dinner.” My mom picked up her wine glass. “In fact, we’ve been saying for ages we’d have them over, this could be the perfect moment.”

I was a second away from banging my head on the table. Emerson was going to pay for this.

“Dad…” I pleaded down to where he was eating his pizza in silence, because I needed someone to be my ally in this situation, but he just shook his head with a smirk, leaving me to be eaten by the wolves. “Mom, just chill out, will you? It’s nothing.”

She got up and wrapped her arms around me, her chin resting on my head, “No, Jupiter, I won’t chill out. I’m happy about this. Your grades are good, and you need something to show you there’s life outside of baseball. It’s what you need. You’ve got a few months left until we all hope you’re drafted; just enjoy the time while you can. The hard work will really start then, and I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

I stayed quiet while I let my mom’s words sink in, ignoring the ‘hope’ part about being drafted. I thought I’d always had a life outside of baseball; I had great friends, I was popular with a decent social life, but everyone knew baseball was my love, and I couldn’t be persuaded otherwise.

But maybe my mom was right, and I definitely didn’t want to have regrets.

“Okay, thanks. May I be excused? I have homework.”

“Yes, but plates go in the dishwasher. The dishwasher, Jupiter, not by the sink next to it, or in the sink, or on the counter. In the dishwasher.”

I rolled my eyes but did as I was asked. Firing off another glare at Emerson, I walked out of the kitchen, muttering “you can make your own way to school tomorrow.”

“I already have plans with Mallory,” she called after me, and I could hear her laughing with my parents as I ran up the stairs two at a time.

I wasn’t lying when I said I had homework. It wasn’t a lot, but I’d been procrastinating for the last week, and it was due tomorrow. I also wanted to see Marnie. Beyond a few texts we’d barely spoken today; she hadn’t ridden in with me as I’d needed to get into school early for a workout with Jenson and she’d wanted to sleep longer, so it had been almost twenty-four hours since I’d last laid eyes on her. I was desperate for a hit.

Plus, after all the girlfriend conversation, I had a question for her which couldn’t wait.

Jupiter:Are you home? I’m coming over quick, ‘kay?

Star:Yes, see you soon.

I closed my bedroom door. I could still hear my parents and Emerson laughing in the kitchen – no doubt about me – but which should at least last for enough time for me to get out and back. Easing open the bottom half of the big sash window in my bedroom, I climbed out.

Luckily my room was at the back of the house and above the living room with its huge arched doorway. I’d learned a few years ago that I could balance on the arch, and walk my feet down while clinging to the edges. I jumped off just before I reached the ground, then jogged around past the pool and out through the gap in the hedge at the side, which led through to the cluster of palm trees outside Marnie’s bedroom.

She was waiting for me on the balcony, her smile warming me better than the dying heat of the day’s sun. She was wearing a pair of running shorts,shortrunning shorts… elongating her toned legs; and a tank top which shaped her tits and accentuated her taut nipples in a way that made my cock pay attention… though it didn’t take much to get hard around her. Sometimes I’d catch the scent of her shampoo when she climbed into the passenger seat, and my dick would twitch.

As ever, her hair was piled on top of her head, her glasses pushed into it, and I knew I’d interrupted her studying. But from the way her eyes sparkled as I pulled myself up over the railings, she didn’t care.

It had been a month and I was still marveling at how I’d never really noticed her around school, because now I’d seen her, it was beyond me how I’d ever missed her.

She was so beautiful. More than beautiful. She was a star-filled night beautiful.

Yes, I wanted her to be my fucking girlfriend. My first girlfriend. And in return, I wanted to be all her firsts.

“Hey there,” she started.

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