For the Win (Playing for Keeps Book 1) (2 page)

Cooper

It was impossible to miss her.

We all noticed her as she stumbled across the field, clutching that damn pad of paper to her chest as if she was terrified of being separated from it. She had to have been roasting in that long-sleeved shirt and jeans. The truth was that we always noticed the girls who came out to watch us practice, but for completely different reasons. Usually we noticed them for their lack of clothing, for their sexy bodies, for the seductive smiles they threw us. The collective raised eyebrows around the team betrayed that the other guys were wondering what the hell this girl was doing out here.

But I knew. I was certain she was the girl interviewing me for that damn article in the school paper. Coach had to force me to do it. To me it seemed like a waste of time. Who read the school paper anyway? I knew I’d never read it. But when Coach insisted that I do something, I did it. Besides, when I mentioned it to my grandparents they were excited. I was pretty sure it would be tacked to the fridge the day I gave it to them, displayed proudly.

While I threw, I could feel her eyes on me. A couple of times I glanced over to see her staring at me intently. I was used to girls watching me, but this felt different. It wasn’t in a flirty way. No, she was studying me as if I was a math problem and she had a test tomorrow. I knew I’d seen her around school, but I couldn’t remember her name. I think it was a place - like a state or city or something.
Paris? No. Dakota? No, that wasn’t it.
Damn it, I couldn’t remember.

After practice ended, I headed over to the girl. She sat in the bleachers appearing lost in her own thoughts. When I said hey, she practically jumped out of her skin. Her already large brown eyes widened even more, her pink lips pursing. She was prettier than I imagined. I’d never really looked at her before. She was one of those girls that was easy to bypass, always hidden behind her books and baggy clothes.

When she introduced herself as London, I mentally kicked myself. Of course.
London.
How could I forget a name like that? She clearly wasn’t a Paris or a Dakota, but London seemed to fit her. It was obvious that she was nervous when I sat next to her, and I thought it was pretty cute. Sure, girls were always nervous around me, but it usually manifested itself into fits of giggles and twiddling of hair. Nerves made London more determined.

And actually the interview wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. So far she’d stuck to the topic of baseball, and that’s how I liked it.

“Hey, Cooper.” My head swung upward at the sound of Calista’s voice. My skin crawled when I saw her standing with a group of her friends wearing my hat. Shaking my head, I regretted hooking up with her. And what had possessed me to let her borrow my hat? Well, that answer was simple. She looked damn sexy in it when she was wearing next to nothing else, and in that moment I would’ve said yes to anything. But now she kept acting like she was my girlfriend. Don’t get me wrong, she was easy and super hot, but I wasn’t interested in having a girlfriend. Falling in love wasn’t an option for me. Neither were relationships. I’d already given Calista all I was capable of giving anyone. So why couldn’t that be enough?

I groaned inwardly when she sashayed in my direction. As I glanced at London, I couldn’t help but notice how irritated she appeared. My ego cropped up and I assumed it was because she was jealous. But as I watched her eyes narrow at Calista, I suspected it had more to do with her than with me. I was sure London wasn’t welcome with Calista and her group. In fact, I was ashamed to admit this, but I had no idea who London hung out with.

“Like my hat?” Calista purred, touching my arm.

“Well, it
is
mine,” I teased. “So I think you know I like it.”

She giggled. “I know, silly. But do you like it on me?”

“You know I do.” I smiled, not wishing to be a jerk. I was going to have to have a tough talk with her, but not here. Not in front of a reporter for the school paper and a group of Calista’s friends.

Calista’s eyes flicked over to London, and she curled her nose. “What’s
she
doing here? Is she like your tutor or something?”

London lowered her gaze, fidgeting with her pad of paper. Calista knew I didn’t need a tutor. I got straight A’s. She was just trying to get under London’s skin. And for some reason that irritated me. What had London ever done to her?

“She’s interviewing me for the paper,” I said, reaching up and adjusting the bill of my cap.

“Oh.” A relieved smile spread across her face. Had she been worried when she saw me with London? Surely she didn’t think anything was going on between the two of us. London seemed like a nice girl, but she was not my type at all. “Well, I better leave you to it.” She leaned over and pecked me on the cheek. “Call me later.”

“Okay.” I nodded as she scurried back over to her friends.

“Girlfriend?” London asked once the girls had taken off.

“No.” I shook my head. “Just a friend.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You always kiss your friends?”

“I didn’t kiss her, she kissed me. Not that it’s any of your business.”

This seemed to sober her. She sat up straight. “Right. Sorry. Let’s just finish up this interview.” Gone was the friendly girl from earlier. This one was all business.

I wondered about her shift in behavior. Had seeing me with Calista really bothered her that much? And if so, why?

“You mentioned that you practice every spare moment you get. What are some ways you practice from home?” She pinned me with a stare.

“I run sometimes in the evenings. And I have a pitching net in my backyard that I throw into.”

After scribbling something quickly on her paper, she bit her lip. A few strands of dark blond hair slipped over her shoulder as she scanned her notepad wearing a pensive look. None of the girls I dated ever acted this serious. A few more seconds of silence and then her head bobbed up. “You said that your mom jokes about how you were born playing baseball. Would you say that your parents always encouraged your love of the game?”

I nodded, the familiar sick feeling sinking into the pit of my stomach.

She smiled. “That’s awesome. I bet they’re really proud of you.”

“Yeah,” I forced the word out, feeling like I might hurl. By the look on her face, I could tell she was going to continue asking more questions about my family. So I hurried to change the subject. “Do you know much about baseball, London?”

Her head snapped up in surprise. “Truthfully, no.” Pink spots emerged on her cheeks.

“Come out to the game this Saturday. It’s right here at ten a.m.”

“What?”

Her flustered behavior made me chuckle. “So you can learn about the game,” I explained. “I think it would help with your article.”

“Oh. Right. The article. Of course.” With a shaky hand, she tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear revealing a tiny stud that glistened in the sunlight. It looked like the kind of earring a little girl would wear. Not the large hoops or dangly ones like Calista wore. I only recalled that because I kept getting my fingers caught in her damn earrings the other night as we made out.

Had London thought I was inviting her for a different reason? This girl was so hard to read. One minute she acted like she couldn’t get away from me fast enough, and the next minute she seemed to want my attention. “And if you have more questions after the game, I’ll be happy to answer them.”

“Okay. That sounds good.” She picked up her notepad and pressed it to her chest. “I guess I’ve got all I need for now then.” Standing up, her lips curled slightly at the edges. “See you Saturday.”

“See you then.” I tipped my hat.

She whirled around, her shirt floating around her body.

“London?” I called after her.

Craning her neck, she peered at me.  A gentle breeze blew kicking up her hair, and it swirled around her face. “Yeah?”

“You might want to wear something different on Saturday.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean?”

“It’s just that it’s supposed to be in the hundreds, and the games can go for hours. You’ll never make it dressed like that.”

She shook her head. “Thanks for the heads up, but I think I’m old enough to dress myself.” As she stalked off I wondered why my statement offended her so much. That chick was confusing. Now I knew why I stuck to girls like Calista. I liked knowing exactly what I was getting.

London

I pedaled faster as I neared my street. Steering the bike handle, I turned the corner. Wind whipped in my face as I passed an apartment complex. Kids played outside, and their chatter and laughter carried lightly on the breeze. A car passed, its tires rumbling on the asphalt. I maneuvered up onto the sidewalk and my backpack jostled against my spine. The straps cut into the skin on my shoulders as the wheels spun beneath me, rolling over the bumps on the concrete.

Even though I was seventeen and had my license, my main mode of transportation was still my bike. We only had one vehicle, and Dad needed it for work. Dad didn’t want me to get a job during the school year because he was afraid it would distract me from my school work. So I planned to work this summer to save for a car.

Shifting slightly, I continued to pedal until I reached the duplex I lived in with my dad. Pulling to the left, I glided into our driveway. As I hopped off my bike, I caught sight of Skyler peeking out of her front window. Skyler’s family shared the duplex adjoined to ours. We’d lived next door to each other since Dad and I moved to Folsom when I was five. Propping my bike up on the kickstand, I found myself hoping that she would stay inside. As I started to fantasize about curling up on the couch with my latest novel, Skyler’s front door popped open and she stepped out. It’s not that I didn’t like spending time with Skyler. She was pretty much my only friend, and I enjoyed her company. But I was a loner by nature. I preferred to spend time with my books, living in fictional worlds

Skyler’s thick black hair was coiled into a bun on top of her head, and she wore gym shorts and a t-shirt. With her long tanned legs, she walked toward me in her bare feet. Sweat clinging to every inch of my skin, I envied her outfit.

Picking my hair up off my damp neck, I smiled at Skyler. “Hey.”

“Hey. How did it go with Cooper?” Skyler raised a brow.

“Fine.” I moved around her toward the garage. After unlocking the door, I shoved it open. It rattled on the hinges loudly. Once it was all the way up, I grabbed my bike and wheeled it inside. The scent of musty boxes and dust filled my nostrils.

“That’s it? Just fine?” She followed me just like I knew she would.

“Yep.” After setting my bike near the wall, I closed and locked the garage door. Darkness enveloped us, so I hurried to the door leading inside the house. After opening it, I flicked on the wall switch and a triangle of light appeared. Trailing me, Skyler’s feet slapped on the pavement. Cool air circled me when I stepped into the kitchen. The scent of chicken and spices wafted from the crockpot sitting on the counter. Shrugging my backpack off, I dropped it on the ground and shoved it against the wall with the toe of my shoe.

“C’mon, London. It had to be more than just fine.” Skyler crossed her arms over her chest.

Sighing, I made my way over to the crockpot that I had filled with chicken, vegetables and salsa this morning before school. Lifting the lid, steam smacked me in the face. As I tested out the chicken with a fork, Skyler came to stand next to me.

“Stop holding out on me. I want to hear all about it.” She leaned her back against the counter and stared at me expectantly.

Placing the lid back on the crockpot, I looked up at her. “There’s nothing really to tell. I interviewed him about baseball. He answered my questions. End of story.”

“What was he like?” Her eyes sparkled under the kitchen lights.

I frowned, thinking of how he’d acted with Calista. God, I couldn’t stand her and her ‘mean girls’ group. “Just about like you’d expect.” However, even as the words left my mouth they felt like lies. It wasn’t exactly like I’d expected. In fact, until Calista arrived he seemed genuine, kind even.

Skyler furrowed her brows as I walked into the family room. “What happened?”

I plunked down on the couch and bent over to take off my shoes. “Calista and her friends showed up while I was interviewing Cooper. Did you know that he and Calista are dating?”

Skyler sat next to me. Once my shoes were off, I peeled off my socks and wriggled my toes. “God, your feet stink.” Skyler reeled back, plugging her nose. “You really need to start wearing sandals on hot days like this.”

Without responding, I rolled my eyes. I was used to comments like this from her.

“I didn’t think Calista and Cooper were dating,” Skyler said, leaning her head back on the couch. “But I had heard that they hooked up.”

“That’s sort of what he said too.” I sat up straight, pushing my hair out of my face.

“He shared his relationship status with you?”

I groaned inwardly, remembering how I pointedly asked him if Calista was his girlfriend.
Way to keep it professional, London.
“It just sort of came up in conversation.” I waved away her question. “Anyway, it was no big deal. It was just an interview for the paper. I gotta say, you never seem to get this excited about my articles, Sky.”

“That’s because you don’t usually interview Cooper Montgomery.” She nudged me in the thigh. “You’re so lucky. Every girl at our school wants to get close to him.”

“I’m not close to him. I just asked him a few questions. That’s it.” I stretched out my legs and arms, feeling tired. If only Skyler would stop asking so many questions about Cooper. I loved Skyler. She was more like my sister than my friend, and she’d been there for me through a lot of shit. But Skyler was boy crazy, and I wasn’t. Also, she’d always been fascinated by the popular crowd. Secretly I believed she wished she could be one of them.

She nodded. “So that’s it, then? You’re all finished?”

I bit my lip. “I will be after his game this weekend.”

Her neck craned in my direction, her eyes like daggers spearing into me. “You didn’t say anything to me about having to attend his baseball game.”

“I didn’t know until today.” The garage door sprung to life, signaling that Dad was home. I prayed that Skyler would let this drop when Dad came inside.

She shook her head. “I don’t know how you put up with John. Every time he tells you to jump, you jump, no questions asked. And he acts like he runs the freaking New York Times or something. Not a measly school paper.” She stopped herself, an apologetic look on her face. “No offense.”

“None taken.” I assured her. “Besides, it wasn’t John who told me about the game. It was Cooper.”

“Cooper invited you to his baseball game?” Her eyes bugged out so far I worried they would leap from her face.

“Baseball game?” Dad stepped into the room, his large frame casting a shadow over us. I definitely got my slight frame from my mom. Car grease stained Dad’s meaty hands, grey shirt and black pants. His forehead was slick, his dark hair moist at the ends that curled slightly around his face. If I thought I was burning up at school, it was nothing compared to how hot it got at the auto shop where Dad worked. “I know I must have heard wrong. My pumpkin doesn’t go to baseball games.”

I cringed at Dad’s nickname for me. He’d called me that ever since I was a little girl when I had an affinity for the color orange. There was an entire year when I refused to wear an outfit unless it had the color orange on it. My attempts at trying to get him to stop calling me that were futile. And because I loved him so much, I let it slide.

“It’s for an article,” I explained.

“Cooper Montgomery, the star pitcher of our team, invited her.” Skyler grinned.

“Is that so?” Dad’s smile was a little wary. My ‘no dating’ stance was something Dad staunchly supported.

“Just because I know nothing about baseball. I think he wants to make sure I don’t screw up the article,” I explained, and Dad’s face relaxed.

“Or maybe he wants to see you again,” Skyler teased.

I ignored her. “Dinner is ready, Dad. I just have to warm up some tortillas when you want to eat.”

“Great. I’ll go get changed and be back in a jiffy.” Only my dad used the word ‘jiffy’. It was one of many outdated words he still sprinkled in everyday conversation.

“I should head home.” Skyler stood.

“You can stay for dinner if you want,” I offered.

“I wish, but I promised Mom I’d help her with dinner tonight,” she responded, heading to the front door.

I nodded with understanding. Skyler’s mom was always making her do some chore or another. She had two brothers, but her mom didn’t expect them to do anything. The double standard pissed Skyler off, and I totally empathized. It would bother me too. Luckily, I didn’t have any siblings. However, I’d give anything to have my mom back. I’d do nothing but chores for the rest of my life if it meant she could still be here.

My gaze involuntarily swept over to the framed picture of her on the wall. Her blond hair was swept back from her face, her smile large and inviting. As I stared at it, the picture morphed right before my eyes like a funhouse mirror at the fair. Her face grew pale, her lips turned blue, her eyes widened in terror. I closed my eyes to stop the rest of the image from emerging, but it was too late. The recollection had started, and once that happened I could never stop it. Pretty soon all I saw was red.

Red everywhere.

Blood.

It’s how I remembered her now. Tainted in blood.