Page 76 of Players and Pages
Henry was going to expect a fastball now, the man forgets that he was our teammate for long enough we knew exactly how his brain worked. This went both ways.
Eyes on Jackson, I gave the signal for a changeup. Henry's smirk widened as he watched the ball hurl towards us until it slowed and he swung. He fell face first into the dirt and flopped like a fish. It was the funniest thing that I'd seen in a while.
"Strike two," called the ump, laughter in his voice as the crowd roared with cheers and amusement.
Henry jumped up so fast he nearly toppled, fury in his eyes as he looked at me like I’d done it to him.
“That was just karma, kiddo,” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm. He dusted himself off before he got back into the box. His grip was so tight his knuckles were white.
Oh, we’d definitely shaken him.
Good.
“I’m fucking ready this time, Nixon,” he hissed.
Should I call for a curveball when I knew that he couldn't hit it? Or would he be expecting it?
Better call the heat, instead. Stray as far from predictability as we could get. I gave Jackson the sign for a fastball and he nodded quickly before he did a well practiced backflip and throw combination.
A lopsided smile was on his face as Henry missed yet again.
"Strike three, you're out," the ump told him.
"What? Are you blind?" Henry yelled, getting up in his face. The psycho was unraveling. It was both a good and bad thing. Now that he’d shown his true colors I didn’t want him to get out of hand.
Normally, I'd get between the two of them, and calm him down, but that wasn't my duty anymore. If he kept it up, he'd get his ass kicked out of the game.
Fuck, that just meant he’d go for Dani while we were here. That had me jumping up and putting myself between them. Of course, Henry started yelling at me as well.
It took half the team to pull him away from me but I kept my temper in check. I even flashed a reassuring smile at the crowd and waved, hoping they knew it hadn’t shaken me.
They were here for fun, not fights.
As I settled into my position, the ump gave me a nod. “Thanks for that.”
"Of course, just remember that when I'm up to bat," I joked and he laughed as he crouched back down.
The other team’s batter did manage a hit this time, but the game was back on track and Henry wasn’t in front of me. That was enough to give the game my focus again.
“No,” I whispered in horror as the screen lit up to announce the newest member of the Ridgeview Rockets. Henry’s cocky face was smiling out at the crowd like he fucking won something.
“How could they hire him?!” Taryn gasped.
“Oh, hell no,” Bea protested. “Everyone record tonight. If he so much as says the wrong thing I’m fucking blasting him. Exposing his true nature.”
She looked so determined that I knew she’d follow through.
“Don’t leave me tonight,” I pleaded. Both omegas pushed in closer, their touch soothing me just enough to not freak out.
“We’ve got your back,” Taryn promised.
“So do we,” Holt added. “No one is going to bother you tonight.”
“Thanks,” I said, blinking away tears.
Ash returned from the snack stand at the end, eyes flashing with anger. “For now, focus on the game and have some snacks. You’re safe with us.”
He handed over a huge tray of snacks loaded to the top with hot dogs, nachos, and popcorn. We all sat back down and I picked at my popcorn while I watched the game.
