Page 37 of The Perfect Game

“You’re going to be fine, Ben. You work harder on your sport than anyone I know, and I’m sure you’ll strike out everyone this weekend.” Her light laugh filtered through the line, and I smiled, despite the ache in my stomach. “You’ll impress the college coaches and get a scholarship.”

“If I’m lucky. There are a couple of guys who have been throwing way better than I have. Their stats are so low that I don’t know if I can even compete.”

Serena sighed a bit. “Ben, you can’t worry about what the other guys are doing. Just play your game. Throw one pitch at a time until you make it to the end of the game. Then repeat until the end of the tournament.”

“Thank you,” I said, blowing out a breath.

“For what?”

“For being patient with me.”

“That’s what girlfriends are for, right?” Her words caused me to freeze, afraid to take a breath if that would change her mind about what she’d just said.

I rubbed the back of my neck, grateful she couldn’t see the half-excited, half-scared look on my face. “Girlfriend, huh?”

There was a long pause, and I pulled the phone away, checking to see if she was still on the line.

“Um, I mean, if you want me to be your girlfriend, I’m up for it.” Her words sounded so unsure, and it made me wonder if that’s how I sounded when I was nervous.

“I like the sound of that.” I lay back on my bed, trying to sound casual while my insides were having a party. Knowing she liked me enough to say that helped boost my confidence a few notches.

She laughed. “I have to go. A bunch of the girls from the team want to start some pre-season conditioning before it gets too hot in the morning. Do you have to work tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’ve got the early shift. Too bad you’re all done with rehab and can’t come visit me.” It was the most forward thing I’d ever said, but I needed the reassurance that her being my girlfriend wasn’t just a fluke.

“That’s what happens when you work for a great clinic. Patients get all better and don’t have to come by anymore.” She paused and giggled. “I’ll see if I can stop by. If not, do you want to do something tomorrow night?”

I was already scheduled for an eight-hour shift at the clinic and knew I’d need at least two hours after that for pitching and conditioning. “Yeah, I’ll call you when I’m done with everything, and we’ll watch a movie or something.”

“Sounds good. I can grab some snacks on my way to your house.”

I smiled, liking the fact that she felt so comfortable at my house. My dad still gave me a warning look every time he saw her over, but Daniel and my mom loved her, and that was all that mattered really.

“Good luck running,” I said, snickering.

“Thanks, I need all the help I can get.”

We said good night, and I stared at my ceiling, amazed at how the summer had gone. I’d ended the school year with a crush on a girl, and now she was my girlfriend. I never would have called that almost two months ago.

Twenty-Three

Serena

It was a rare day to find my friends available to hang out during the day, but for once, none of them had to work.

Penny and I were sitting next to the pool in Kate’s backyard, drying off from a swim. I’d needed the chance to hang out with the girls because I was running out of places to go during the day. My big house was too quiet, and there were only so many hours of TV I could watch before boredom set in.

Working out with my teammates that morning had been fun, and I was already feeling the soreness in my muscles. Since I’d been discharged from therapy, I’d been wearing a brace to make sure I didn’t do anything to mess it up again, but it felt good to move and train.

“How’s the job search going?” Penny asked. She was lying on her stomach on one of the pool chairs, her eyes closed. Since Kate and Brynn were still in the pool, I assumed she was talking to me.

“Job search? I haven’t really been looking for a job.” I adjusted my sunglasses, tipping up the sides a bit so they didn’t bite down on the tops of my ears.

Penny pushed up with her hands and flipped around on the chair, leaning back with her face tipped to the sky. “The diner is hiring. Jake finished paying off the window they broke and got a job at one of the dealerships in town. Lou would love to have someone take over his job.”

“Wasn’t he a busboy?” I wrinkled my nose, thinking of cleaning up after people.

“Yeah, but that’s not the worst thing in the world. I started there.” Penny turned to look at me, her auburn hair a brighter copper in the sun.

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