Page 10 of The Perfect Game

I rested my head against the back headrest and relaxed into the seat. My thoughts turned back to Serena. The next time I saw her, I would ask her out.

A shot of fear ran through me at the thought. Was I mentally prepared for a rejection? There had been several moments during our conversation where we’d clicked, which meant I needed to figure out why she’d stormed off in the first place. I just hoped I’d be able to keep the stuttering under control.

Six

Serena

I pulled my shirt down around my middle as it had inched up during the last volley. It was officially summer, and I’d never been more excited to have the last few weeks over. I’d managed to get all my assignments done, even the extra credit papers, squeaking by with a few C’s and a couple of B-’s. My parents had barely glanced at my report card, as my father was busy reviewing tapes of his past football games and my mother was drawing patterns for her next line of clothing.

It was still early Saturday morning, but the hot Texas sun beat down on a few of my teammates and me as we moved around in the sand. With all our tournaments over for the season, I’d gotten a few of them together, needing something to do outside of my empty house.

Movement to the side caused me to turn, and I thought I saw Ben the Pitcher walking over by the baseball field. I’d seen him a couple of times in the halls since the play but had avoided talking to him. When I’d casually asked Penny about him, she’d done nothing but gush about what a great guy he was, that he was the perfect gentleman, just a bit shy.

It was possible I’d overanalyzed things at the play, but with all the betrayal I still felt after dating James, it was easier just to cut my losses and not worry about guys for the foreseeable future.

“Me! Me!” I heard Sasha call out from the side. I ran to get under the volleyball, readying my hands to set it to her. As if on automatic, my hands touched the ball for a split second as I set it behind me to her. I turned, watching as her long limbs and arms leaped from the ground and pounded the ball over the net and onto the other side of the court. The ball landed in the back corner, untouched.

“Yes!” I fist-pumped and took two steps to give Sasha a high-five. There was nothing better than assisting a great spike. The ball rolled back under the net, and we rotated, getting ready for Jamie to serve. I wiped at the sweat beading on my forehead with the hem of my t-shirt.

I glanced back over to the baseball field, recognizing Ben’s face as he turned around on the mound. He wore a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, accentuating the muscles in his arms. He readied himself, ball in hand, and stepped forward, throwing the ball to what looked like a flexible net he’d set up. I turned back to our game, seeing the ball just as it sailed over the net.

The ball was knocked around a couple of times and then came back over. I set the ball again, but Mary didn’t get into position in time, having to bump it over before it hit the ground. We were up by two points, and I was soaking it up. Most of the girls on my team would be starting their summer jobs soon, and I wouldn’t get another chance at a volleyball game for at least two months, when practices and tryouts started for high school again.

The ball dropped on our side, closing the gap by one point. I thought about the high school season, which sent my brain whirring on all the things I’d gone through to stay eligible to play. My eyes drifted back to where Ben threw pitch after pitch, the look on his face telling me he wasn’t happy about something.

The opposing team served it over, and I refocused, getting into position to set it again. My hitter opted for a soft hit, placing it right in the hole behind the blockers at the net. Perfect.

The ball came my way, and I moved underneath it again, only to find myself falling to the floor, a shot of pain starting in my ankle and shooting up my calf. The side of my head slammed against the sand, and for once I was grateful we weren’t on a real court. After several seconds, I repositioned my upper body to see what I’d tripped on and saw Courtney lying on the ground next to me.

“What happened?” I asked, seeing stars in my eyes.

“Courtney slid, and you tripped over her,” one of the girls said. Jamie came over and pulled Courtney to a standing position. She shook her head a bit as if something had been knocked loose.

Without thinking, I stood, but a shot of pain ran up my leg starting at the ankle, and I found myself falling to the ground again. Luckily, Sasha and Tammy caught me, and I sat between the two towers, practically dangling above the sand.

“Don’t move, Gates,” Mary said, bending over to look at the ankle. She pushed on a couple of spots, but the throbbing pain made it difficult to know what she was looking for.

“I’ll be fine. Let me sit for a minute, and then I’ll come back in.” I’d had numerous sprained ankles since I’d started playing sports as a kid, and this felt about the same.

She looked up at me. “Let’s get you over to the bench.” My teammates helped me off the court and onto an old wooden bench in between the sand volleyball court and the baseball field.

“Are you sure you’re all right? That didn’t look good,” Jamie asked, hovering over me.

I shook my head, waving them off. “Just keep playing. I’ll come back over in a minute.” I turned so I was sitting sideways, resting my leg on the bench. Leaning over, I massaged around the ankle, hoping the pain would ease up so I could get back to playing.

The sound of balls hitting the bottom of a bucket caused me to turn toward the baseball field. Ben threw in the last few balls before toting the bucket back to the mound where he continued to throw pitch after pitch to the net. His reaction after most of them seemed more frustrated, but there was one where he fist-pumped and smiled. He was cuter than I remembered, and I found myself staring at him, wondering how long he would continue to practice. I knew I was slightly obsessed with my sport, but he was taking this to a whole other level.

Thirty minutes later, the girls left the court and walked over to me.

“I think we’re done, Serena. Do you need help getting to your car?” Mary asked, squatting down so I could see her without tilting my head back so far. “Or even just give you a ride home?”

I shook my head. “My car is in the shop, so I ran here. I’ll be fine. My ankle feels a lot better already.” I’d been so absorbed in what Ben was doing on the baseball field that I’d forgotten about the dull throbbing in my ankle. I stood, catching myself on the back of the bench.

“Let’s carry her to the car. We’ve still got time before I have to be home for my parents’ party tonight.” Courtney bent down with her hands out, ready to help scoop me up.

Waving my hands at them, I said, “I’m really okay. You all have things you have to do anyway. My dad said he’d be done at the gym by now, so I’ll just call him.”

“Serena, it’s not a big deal. We can drive a couple miles to your house.” The line in Mary’s forehead was nothing compared to the frown of her lips.

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