Page 72 of Study Buddies

“Do you always do that? Steal bases and hit home runs and do flips and stuff?”

A smile played at his lips. “When I can. Being out on the field brings out the best in me. It’s always been my favorite part of school.”

That made sense, given how much trouble he had with papers and assignments. “Did you ever think of going pro?” I’d asked Jayden about that, but I wanted to hear Kyle’s response.

He shrugged. “I thought about it, but the thing is, I’m good—but I’m notthatgood.”

“Does that bother you?”

“No, not really. Baseball is fun. Hitting a home run is one of the best feelings in the world. But there are other things in life, too.”

“Did you—wait, are you okay with me asking you this stuff?”

“You can ask me anything.”

He said that last word in a suggestive way, but I could tell he really meant it. His confidence level was off the charts.

“Okay. Did you ever want to play for a bigger university? One that’s competitive in college sports or whatever?”

He tilted his head, one hand lazily turning the wheel. “I thought about it. I had a few offers. But I chose to play for Langley, and it wasn't until this year that I realized why.”

“Why?”

“Here, I’m a big fish in a small pond. At a bigger school, maybe one of the Big Ten, I’d be a small fish in a big pond. I prefer the former.”

Wow. That was surprisingly introspective of him. Maybe some people would have said he should go for the latter, but I admired him for doing what he wanted to do, and I told him so.

He nodded. “We only get one life to live—might as well live it the way we want to.” His fingers tapped on the steering wheel. “Was that the first game you’ve been to here?”

“Yes.”

“So you came to see me, then?”

Energy sizzled inside me as I braced myself, preparing to go head-to-head with him again. “Of course not. I came because I wanted to sit next to Jayden.”

He laughed. “Right. And that’s who the crowd was cheering for, too. Jay.”

“Exactly.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

“So what did you think of Jay’s performance yesterday?” Kyle leveled a knowing look at me.

“Honestly, it was pretty damn impressive.” I kept my eyes on the road, not braving looking at him. “Though I think maybe he was showing off a little.”

“Yeah, well, he’s like that sometimes.” Kyle chuckled, but then the truck slowed. “Hey, let’s head back to town, and I’ll take you to the batting cages. Have you ever been?”

“No, but?—”

“You’ll like it. I’ll show you how to hit. It’s a great stress reliever.”

He’d resumed his normal speed, but I was pretty sure he was on the lookout for a place to turn around.

“That sounds like fun, but I was hoping we could have a tutoring session tonight. We could go back to that coffee shop after dinner.”

His face fell. “I just finished a paper.”

“And another one’s already been assigned,” I said gently. “Plus, we need to start studying for the midterm exam. I’ve heard it’s a beast.”

Kyle was silent, his eyes forward, his thumb drumming on the edge of the wheel. “So baseball season is over. No more practices. No more games. Instead, I get to study more. Write more papers. And oh yeah, in my free time, haul crap out of the basement.”

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