Page 42 of When We Were Us
“And then you overthrowthird?” He screws up his face and yanks off his glove. “Youneveroverthrow third. That’s why we put you in right, bro.Fuck.”
Hutch and Jasper catch up to us while we’re passing the pitcher’s mound. “Why didn't you hit the cutoff?” Hudson slaps his glove against my chest.
I turn and shove his shoulder, making him stumble into Hutch, who grunts and shoves him back into me.
I’m about to repeat the process when Jasper steps across us, effectively cutting off our steps. “All right, ladies. Let’s dispense with the theatrics, shall we?” He cuts a glance toward the other team's dugout, adjusting his baseball cap. “At least until the other team isn't still on the goddamn field.” He shakes his head.
“Jas, he over?—”
“Yeah, dick, I know. I washere, remember?” He turns his back and starts walking away. “Now shut up, and let’s congratulate these guys on their win. Then you can go back to crying about it.”
“Fuckin’ crybaby,” Hutch says and shoves him again.
Hudson yanks on the crotch of his pants. “Eat me, Fabio.”
“For fuck’s sake, will you two stop?” Jas barks over his shoulder.
They both snicker while Hudson elbows me with a shrug and a look that says,What's his problem? Hudson’s irritated we lost, but his shit-talking is mostly just that.
Jasper catches my eye as the four of us hit the third baseline, and then he slides his glanceto the bleachers behind home plate. He could be looking for Josie, his wife, who is Hayley’s best friend, but I know he’s not.
Jasper’s been my best friend since seventh grade, and tonight, he doesn’t have to guess why I overthrew third. Neither would my jackass brother if he took the time to notice anything other than reaming my ass for costing us the game.
But he’s right. In all the games I’ve played with the Titans over the years, which I admit isn’t a ton lately, I’ve never overthrown third.
Correction: I’ve never overthrown third unless there’s a certain five-foot-nine, blonde-haired, brown-eyed walking distraction a hundred yards away, wearing my name and high school jersey number on her back.
There are choruses of “We’ll get ’em next time" and “Good game” as gloves are discarded in the dugout before we all file out to congratulate the other team.
Afterward, I sit down hard on the bench and grab my bag at my feet. I’m pulling out a towel when Jasper sits down next to me.
“You know she was coming?”
I scrub the towel down over my face and back around my neck, drying the hair on the back of my head. “No.”
He glances behind him through the chain-link fence of the dugout, and then looks back at me. “You want me to stick around?”
Jasper is the only one who knows the true extent of just how fucked I was when Wren left. He’d had to drive my drunk ass home at least half a dozen times the first few months.
We haven’t talked about her in years, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve been friends long enough that he can tell just by looking at me that seeing her here, with my family, and wearing that very public show of support plastered across her back is the reason I’m still sitting in this dugout long after everyone else is gone.
I uncap my water bottle and take a long drink. “No. Thanks, man.”
I can hear the light chatter of the group of girls not far behind me and to the right. Hales is the loudest and it makes me smile, relaxing me some. My baby sister has always had that effect on me. I shove my towel back into my bag and scrub a hand down my face.
“You’re gonna have to leave this bench eventually. You know that, right?” He chuckles and leans back against the chain-link fence, eyeing me. “Come on, fucker,” he says, elbowing me. He stands up, grabbing his bag. “She ain’t gonna bite.”
I climb to my feet and flip his hat backward off his head, before grabbing my bag and striding ahead of him. I flick a glance back over my shoulder. “Slow asshole.”
We’re both laughing when we step out of the dugout and head in the direction of the parking lot, past the bleachers.
“Big brother!” Hayley calls out. She breaks off from Wren and the rest of my sisters, who are all standing and talking to Hudson.
“Baby sister,” I toss back. I don’t know if it’s my best friend next to me, or Hayley’s smile as she and Josie approach, but I already feel lighter.
“Tough loss, am I right?” she says.
Josie hugs Jas and he plants a kiss on top of her head.
