Page 13 of The Perfect Game

I folded my arms over my chest. Biting my bottom lip, I pushed the tears back. Now was not the time to cry. I could see regret etched on his face out of the corner of my eye, and it almost made me give in. Almost.

“I’m sorry, doll. With practices coming up soon, my mind has been everywhere but here. Can you forgive your old man?”

Taking in a deep breath, I tried to decide if that was something I was capable of. It was almost a sad cycle now. I’d tell my parents I have an event, usually a volleyball game, they promise to come, don’t show up, plead for forgiveness, and usually give me some present to show how sorry they were. That’s how I’d gotten my car the day I turned sixteen.

Blowing out a breath, I nodded. Part of me wanted to throw a fit, but I wasn’t five. Sadly, that was about the only way I got attention these days.

“Let’s just get home,” I said, turning to stare out the window as the hot Texas wind blew through my hair. I knew some people envied my life, having celebrity parents, but they didn’t understand what it was like being an afterthought.

Seven

Ben

“Where’ve you been?” Jake asked when I picked up his phone call. I was a couple of blocks from the park after dropping off something for my mom at the house of one of her friends. My thoughts were back with the girl with clear blue eyes. My heart was still pumping fast after talking to her. It had been a couple of weeks since school let out, and with my travel baseball team, I hadn’t had much time to think about anything but trying to impress the scouts at each of the tournaments we went to.

“I was at the park,” I said, hoping he’d let it drop.

Jake groaned, and I knew what he’d say. “Your arm is going to fall off if you don’t stop practicing every single day. Your slider is just fine, but it won’t be if you don’t let your arm rest. We need you this weekend, Ben.” He sounded like a fatherly figure, just not my father.

“How do you know I wasn’t on the swings or going down the slides?”

Loud laughter echoed through the phone, and I chuckled, just thinking about trying to fit my long limbs down the twisty slide. I’d grown out of the park when I was around ten, although that didn’t stop me from trying back then.

“That was a good one, Clark. Anyone else there with you? I haven’t heard from Dax in a bit.”

“No, I saw Serena Gates there.” I flipped my turn signal, coming to a stop in the left-hand turning lane right before the light close to home. I was glad we weren’t face to face.

“I didn’t know you were friends with Serena. When did that happen?” Jake asked. A sound like water turning on in the background filtered through the phone.

What I wouldn’t give to have friends who weren’t so alert about things. “We sat next to each other at the play before school got out. I wouldn’t say we’re friends. I barely know her.”

“But you could be friends, or more than friends.” From the sound of Jake’s voice, he was teasing. “Maybe you should double with Penny and me. She’d love to have one of her friends hanging out with mine. You’re the most normal, so that’s a plus.”

“What’s not normal about this?” Dax’s voice sounded over the phone, and I pulled mine away, wondering if I’d been cut off.

“Dax, we were just talking about you,” Jake said, his voice sounding far away for most of the sentence. “Catcher of the Year just showed up at my house,” he said into the phone this time.

Jake and I both chuckled. “Nothing is normal about you, Dax,” I said as I pulled onto my street.

When the laughter subsided, Jake said, “Are you free next week? I’ll have Penny set things up.”

I hesitated. I wanted to go out with Serena, but having my friend set it up would make me look like a chicken. It would definitely be easier than working through my stutter in front of her, but knowing the guys she’d dated in the past, I knew I had to be more confident. “Yeah, but text me the details and I’ll ask her myself.”

“Really? You’ll really ask her out?”

I took in a long breath, knowing they wouldn’t let me go back if I committed to it. “I’ll give it a try.”

“Nice. Will do.”

“Okay, family dinner awaits.” I pulled into our driveway and turned off the engine.

“Hey, Ben. We’re planning aguys’night over at Nate’s house Monday night. Just meet us there around eight,” Dax said. “And that means no girlfriends.” I could only assume he was staring Jake down right then.

“I got that from your emphasis onguys’night, Dax. Penny’s busy with her dad and brother Monday anyway. It will be good to just hang out with all of us.”

“Sounds good, guys. I’ll see you then.” I slid my phone into the pocket of my gym shorts and walked inside.

My thoughts turned to Serena again. She’d been kind of ornery when I’d first sat down by her, but by the end of the conversation, she’d relaxed somewhat. I’d be mad too if I hadn’t been able to keep playing my favorite sport, but at least it wasn’t a major tournament or anything.

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