Page 179 of Catch Me
Pulling the paper from my pocket, I didn’t even glance at it before I let it fall into the water. The stream pulled it along, and I saw traces of the dark lines as it became saturated.
I should’ve never talked to Roman. I shouldn’t have offered him that commission or taken all of those chances on him. Giving him a place to stay had been a mistake, as had letting him grow on me. I wasn’t the right person to guide him back then. I still wasn’t. I was impulsive and too trusting, always convincing myself most things could be beautiful as long as you gave them what they needed to bloom. He’d pushed himself too far, and like the dumbass I was, I’d let him.
I guess we were both to blame for the past. Now, though, he was pushingme.
Just as the paper was about to follow the stream around a bend, I got up and rushed toward it. Dropping to my knees, I grabbed it out of the water, but it started to crumble in my fingers. I saw a glimpse of my eyes before they, too, dissolved into nothing.
“Why won’t you quit?” I said, hanging my head.
Pulling out my phone, I navigated to his name. My finger hovered over the call button, then I started typing instead.
But I never sent anything. There was nothing else for us to say to each other.
*****
The reverberation of the ball hitting the bat invigorated me, even from my place in the pit. I watched it soar over the barrier as Vince jogged to first base. There were cheers in the crowd, a new level of excitement that had been absent throughout the game. We were behind, and we had been since early on, but with the bases loaded, this put us just ahead.
They started chanting his name as he rounded third. Finally, I felt the joy I’d been expecting this entire time. It felt real now, and if we could just continue like this, we’d take this win.
Anthony had been pitching, so when we reached the bottom of the ninth, I pulled Spencer aside.
“Put me in.”
Overhearing, Anthony stomped over to us. “Nuh-uh. This is my game.”
“It’ll be your loss if you’re pitching.”
“You arrogant son of a bitch.”
“Enough,” Spencer said. “Anthony, you start. If you fuck it up, I’m pulling you.”
Anthony shot me a glare before he headed onto the field. It was a mistake, but I wasn’t going to argue about it. He just couldn’t let them make two runs. I hated the guy, but he’d held his spot as star pitcher up until I came in, so I’d put a little faith in him. Not much, though.
Leaning my elbows on my knees, I watched him throw his first pitch. Strike. I took a breath while I waited for him to set up the next.
“Yes,” I muttered after the third swing.
The second batter got lucky, so I couldn’t blame it on Anthony’s throw. After three, the Sox had a man on third and on first. Those two could end this whole thing.
“God damnit,” Mikey said from beside me.
The pitch leaned left, and the ball soared to center field. I shook my head, unable to say anything when one of them made it home. With one on third and one on second, the risk was incredibly high.
“Come on, Spencer,” I said quietly, staring at him where he stood to the side of first base. He called a time out, and I jumped to my feet.
When he switched us out, I could see the fury on Anthony’s face. I wasn’t going to rub it in just yet. There was still a chance I’d fuck this up or they’d get lucky. We needed two more outs, and with Amir on third, I had to be cautious. He was fast and known to be a runner.
Meeting Jude’s eyes on third, I nodded at him. He smacked his glove, shifting on his feet.
He could hold him. I just knew it.
When the crack of the bat sounded, I clenched my fist. The ball flew to the side, and a foul was called. Shaking my head, I caught the ball and dug my toe into the dirt.
As I was about to throw for the second time, I heard my dad’s words. This whole thing was a journey, and it wasn’tallabout winning.
The corner of my lips quirked upward, then I threw a curveball. The bat swung through empty air, and I couldn’t resist jumping a little with excitement. The crowd began to chant, which helped to hype me up.
Adjusting my feet, I looked at the stands. The lights were bright, but I knew where my friends were, so I winked in that direction. The cameras must’ve caught it because there were more cheers.
