Page 95 of Honeysuckle
Jensen nodded twice to Josh before pushing his cage over his face and sinking low. It had taken a second but it seemed like the two had finally started to find a groove. Josh double checked his surroundings making sure that Cael was ready over his shoulder and that Louis was paying attention to the gap.
From this distance, it was hard to tell what he was thinking, but I watched the methodical, slow rise and fall of his chest as he counted his breaths and rolled the ball over in his palm.
“Game on,” the ump called, and it was like a switch had been flipped.
Josh’s jaw ticked, his back foot grinding into the mound like he was anchoring himself in place. He inhaled deeply as his arm pulled back over his head and his body arched in a graceful curve that turned into a wave of power as he threw the ball with everything he had, and it slapped into Jensen’s mitt behind Yuri.
Watching Josh pitch was art, like those moments in movies when the sound fades away from the shot and all you hear is the soft orchestra of music building in the background. His fingers curled around the ball, his thighs tightened as he moved his feet with practiced precision, and his eyes never left Yuri’s.
Another strike.
Maybe we can do this…maybe we can win.
Yuri rolled his neck out and re-adjusted in the box as the batting coach screamed something at him from the side. I scanned the field as Josh readied and saw what the batting coach saw, a pocket in left. I swore as the ball was released and sank low on the base as the ball cracked loudly against the bat and soared over the infield head to that unprotected patch of grass. Van was quick on his feet, the anticipation building as he flung himself to the ground to try to catch the ball, but it bounced passed his sliding body to Todd as Yuri rounded first and moved toward Louis at second.
“Lou!” Cael shouted, but it was too late; the second baseman wasn’t going to be fast enough. The ball hit his mitt mere seconds after Yuri found home beside him on the base with a cocky smile on his face.
“Nice team, Tucker.” A twisted, malicious jab floated from the dugout, and I tried to ignore it, but he tried again. “You guys might actually make it to the playoffs if you can pull your dicks out of each others asses and get it together.”
The Lorette crowd cheered loudly as the next batter, Steve Keery, placed a ball in left field and pushed Yuri home. Ian was still leaning against the banister, I could feel his gaze on my cheek as I tried to focus on something else.
All I want to do is put my fist through your face.
“How’s Logan?” Ian’s voice echoed around my head, and I pulled my hat down over my eyebrows. “Is he fitting in on your happy little gay team?” Every word Ian spat was crafted to get a rise out of me.
“Did you give him the Tucker special welcome when he arrived?” Ian hissed.
If you don’t stop, you’ll never play baseball again, and I’ll be in jail.
I flexed my hand inside my mitt and ignored him as another batter stepped up, hitting the ball to Cael. He yelled my name but I barely heard it over the sound of my own frustration. The ball soared into my mitt clumsily and the batter settled on first safely, that run was enough to load the bases.
Josh readied for the next pitch, and just like the one before, the batter easily hit the ball, which soared over the heads of the outfield and over the back end of the Hornets stadium into the stands.Shit.A home run grand slam.Perfect.
Everything went downhill from there, we couldn’t keep ourselves together long enough to score a run in the first three innings. It wasn’t until the fourth that Van finally connected with a ball and put it out to bring me and Todd home for three runs.
We were down seven to three and everyone had seemed to lose their fight. Arlo was getting short with Josh as Nicholas tried to run Reyes through a warm up to take his place on the pitcher's mound.
“You’re not taking me out!” Josh snapped, and Arlo growled in response.
“You’ve handed over seven runs, Logan, this isn’t about me questioning your abilities, it's about Lorette getting in your head!” Arlo threw his clipboard on the bench beside him and crossed his arms over his chest. “You aren’t ready for this, not for them!”
“You don’t get to fucking decide what I’m ready for,” Josh bit out.
“I do!” Arlo stepped forward to get in his face. “It’s my job. I’m your coach. Which means if I say you aren’t ready, you don’t go on the field. You need a break!”
“It’s bullshit!” Josh got louder and pinned his shoulders back as he moved closer.
“It’s law,” Arlo said, clearly very finished with the conversation.
“Give me one more inning!” Josh wasn’t going to beg, but it was close enough as his voice got lower, practically pleading with Arlo.
“It’s an inning we need, Logan, we have to put Reyes in,” Arlo said, his voice calmer than before. “I’m sorry.”
TUCKER
LeavingJoshonthebench was torture.
He looked like he might tear himself apart, his hands digging roughly into his leather mitt. He kept his dark eyes trained on the field, but there wasn’t a thought behind them besides anger, at himself and at Arlo.
