Page 26 of Pitcher

Reluctantly, I let her hand go to grab my phone and find my fucking brother who she just had to invite.

“There he is,” she shouts, saving me the trouble of calling him.

Cupping my hands on each side of my mouth, I shout over the heads of the people in my way.

“Thad! Let’s go, fucker, or I’m leaving you.”

Thad’s head lifts from the guy he’s talking to. He sees my face and then glances back at Anniston.

What the actual fuck?

“Are you coming or what?”

It wouldn’t be too awful if I just left him, right?

“I’ll get a ride from Brody,” he yells in return.

Finally something goes right.

I nod in return and grab Anniston’s hand, reaching the car faster than she can see clumsy-ass Bo watching her with something like desire from the corner.

I get her buckled in and trot around the front of the car before getting in and sighing with something like relief.

She gives me a minute before she says, “You okay to drive?”

I cut her a look. Does she honestly think I would risk her life and mine by driving drunk?

“I’m fine. I only had one beer.”

She shrugs. “Just checking.”

We drive in silence after that. Neither of us bother turning the radio on or filling the silence with talking. It isn’t until I pull into the parking lot of the stadium that she speaks.

“You want to work on a pitch?”

Everything in me wants to pop off with something asshole, but I hold back because that’s not why I brought her to the baseball field.

“Come on,” I tell her softly.

She follows, completely trusting. I take her hand again, and when we get to the locked gate of the field, I tip my chin. We’re going to have to climb over. The few security lights are still on, so it won’t be a big deal. The outer fence is only four foot. Anniston and I have climbed taller fences in the dark before.

I climb over first and offer my hand to help her over, which she doesn’t accept.

“What are we doing, Theo?”

Yes, whatarewe doing, Theo?

“Race me.”

Her hearty laugh makes me smile.

“You’re serious?” she says, already slipping off her sandals.

That’s my girl… She never turns down a competition.

“Is it your ADHD? You need to run it out?”

It would be so easy to just agree and not make her think this is anything but just wanting to spend time with her on the ball field under the stars.

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