Full Count (The Catcher Series Book 1) (7 page)

            “At least let me drive you home,” he offers.

            “It
’
s fine. I want to walk,” I
argue, shoving my glove back into his chest.

            “B, I
’
m sorry. I didn
’
t mean to upset you,” he apologizes, trying to keep up with my
quick steps heading back towards the parking lot.

            Taking a deep breath, I reply, “I
’
m
not upset. But your girlfriend might be when she realizes that you left your
party.”

            He jumps in front of me and holds me by my shoulders
as he looks directly into my eyes. They
’
re hard and angry
and would scare anyone who didn
’
t know him. But I do, so I
’
m the one who
’
s mad. He startles me by
jumping in my pathway, so I have to stop walking. “Okay, seriously, I
’
m not leaving you when you
’
re fucking like
this.”

            “There
’
s nothing you can say or
do-” I begin before he stops me. It
’
s an interruption that
his lips create to make mine stop puking up words. It
’
s a
1-0 pitch; you never know if it
’
s going to be a strike or
another ball. I sort of thought maybe he was going to kiss me, but I also
considered he just really sucks in the romance department and wants to confuse
me. The kiss is hard, but his lips are soft as are his hands placed on the back
of my head and on my right side. I
’
m melting into him,
like he
’
s Aladdin and I
’
m Jasmine
sweating in my undercover disguise from being a princess. We finally found each
other and he
’
s not intrigued by my royalty because he
doesn
’
t know about it. He doesn
’
t
stop kissing me when he needs a breath; it
’
s like now that
he
’
s started this, he doesn
’
t want it
to end. I know I don
’
t want it to ever end. I
’
m making out with the guy I
’
ve been in
love with my entire life. He pulls me closer, almost as close as that night on
the lake last summer when lake patrol caught us. I feel like I
’
m
floating on a cloud, like this can
’
t be real. I want to
have him pinch me, but he tastes too much like heaven to let go. Just when I
think it can
’
t get any better, he slips his tongue into my
mouth to gently brush mine. I hate that he
’
s clearly
experienced, but I can feel his protectiveness anytime he
’
s
with me, even when we
’
re losing ourselves in each other
for the first time. After a few minutes he begrudgingly pulls our lips apart
but rests his forehead inches from mine, and I assume he
’
s
trying to read me.

             “
That
should
’
ve been
your fucking first kiss,” Skyler whispers passionately.

6 Skyler Swanson

This kiss is a long time coming, but apparently Buzz thinks differently.
She looks completely blissed out, like she wants more, but her words are dead
opposite.

             “What about your girlfriend?” she blurts out,
keeping her mouth slightly open like she
’
s mentally
replaying our kiss.
Damn that
’
s sexy.

            “Seriously? You
’
re the closest
thing I have to a girlfriend. I don
’
t know where you heard
that shit from, but I
’
m not dating anyone,” I clarify as
we head back to my Jeep and I take us back to my party. I can
’
t
look at her without wanting to kiss her again, so I avoid looking at any part
of her while driving. As we walk up the driveway I can
’
t
take my eyes off of her; maybe when everyone leaves the party we can go in my
room and make out some more. That would be the best fucking birthday present
ever. For tonight being her first kiss, she’s pretty damn good at it. The only
reason I ended our kiss was because I could barely breathe and her knees were
about to buckle from under her.

            Everyone at my party is horribly gossipy as we walk
back into the house like we never left. Buzz was quiet the entire car ride, but
she has a glowing radiance about her that tells me she
’
s
soaking in what just happened on the baseball diamond. Over the years I
’
ve seen her do some crazy things that pump her adrenaline,
which is one of her motivations for being so daring and adventurous. Seeing
that her reaction to my kiss parallels those heart pumping moments she longs
for makes it completely worth it.

            However, her brother and our close friends don
’
t agree. At all. When we walk into my house, they
’
re
the only ones standing in the kitchen waiting for us. Alex, Tiffany, and Benny
are fuming, causing Buzz
’
s high to come down. I hate that
they do that to her.
Just fucking let her be happy.

             “I need to talk to you,” Alex demands, pointing at
me.

            “Yeah, me too,” Benny chimes in. He
’
s
calmer than Alex, which makes me feel better about escaping to a secluded room
with them and no ally.

            “Bianca, can I talk to you in the living room for a
second?” Tiffany requests in a mumble, less forceful than the boys.

            Before we go our separate ways and I can prepare for
the beating I
’
m about to receive, I glance at Buzz to
exchange a silent moment of encouragement. At least that
’
s
what I hope it means because I know I
’
m going to need it.
I wish they would do these interrogations together so I can hear what Tiffany
is saying to Buzz, and we can team up against them all. They know we
’
re stronger together; that
’
s why they do
it like this.

            Alex and Benny pull me into the laundry room off the
kitchen and slam the door. I assume it
’
s so no one can
hear what they
’
re going to say, but apparently they don
’
t care. They
’
re as loud as Tom Hanks
yelling, “There
’
s no crying in baseball!” in A League of
Their Own.

            “Where the fuck did you take her?” Alex yells. He
never swears, so I know he
’
s seriously angry. He also
knows how close Buzz and I are, so he has to think something horrible for him
to be this upset.

            “The baseball field,” I tell them both, but they
clearly don
’
t believe me by the way they change into
sarcasm.

            “A home run on a baseball field! That
’
s
perfect,” Alex sighs disgustedly as he throws his hands up in the air.

            “Did you run all the bases or just go for the long
ball?” Benny snaps. It
’
s like the three of us aren
’
t best friends or teammates and haven
’
t
grown up together. He
’
s acting like Buzz is his actual
sister; he
’
s more involved in her life than his own sister
’
s.

            “Guys, what the fuck do you think I did?” I want to
know before I just let them pummel me into the ground. They
’
re
insinuating that Buzz and I had sex on the baseball field, which is absolutely
crazy.

            “Tell me you did not
fuck
my little sister,” Alex
commands, and I swear I see steam coming out of his ears. I
’
m
not sure how this rumor got started, but I
’
m about to put
it to an end.

            “For the smartest kid in our class, you
’
re
pretty fucking stupid. Alex, I didn
’
t fuck your little
sister. I didn
’
t fuck anyone,” I explain. “I took her out
there to pitch to me. I
’
ve been helping her for almost a
year.”

            “Why wouldn
’
t she have asked
Alex or Allen?” Benny questions me like I
’
m on trial in a
court room.
Because Buzz didn
’
t want her
brother or dad to scold her.

            “I
’
m a catcher. It just makes
sense,” I claim.

            “She looked pretty damn happy when you two walked in
here just now,” Alex points out, still hung up on thinking me and his sister
fucked on a baseball diamond. I guess I wouldn
’
t put it
past us if I were them either; it sounds pretty fucking awesome and like
something the two of us would totally do…
if
we were going to hook up.
Buzz is and will always be more than that, though.

            “She
’
s probably excited because
she
’
s been pitching so well that she has a chance to make
varsity as a freshman next year,” I confess.

            “No way,” they chorus and then look at each other in
confusion. They become more like brothers every fucking day. It’s starting to
get creepy.

            “Yes, but I don
’
t want to jinx
it for her, so this stays between the three of us,” I request.

            “So you
’
re not fucking my
sister?” Alex clarifies, finally relaxing.

            “No,” I confirm, my heart racing inside my chest so
fast that I
’
m sure they could hear it if there wasn
’
t a party going on around us.
But I did kiss her…

            “Good because if you were I would kill you,” he
threaten.

            “She
’
s fourteen,” I announce as
if we don
’
t already all know.

            “She
’
ll be in high school in
September, and I don
’
t want you getting any ideas,”
Alex continues.
“You grew up with her for God
’
s
sake; she
’
s practically your sister.”
Not the image I
want in my mind right now.

            When the party dies down and it
’
s
only me and the guys and they all go to sleep, I text Buzz, hoping she
’
s still awake. She and Tiffany must
’
ve
left before my interrogation was over because when I came out they were gone.
This is the first chance I got to pull out my phone and text her; Alex and
Benny were both watching me like I was a new episode of The League.

Me:
You awake?

Buzz Ferrari:
Yeah, why?

Me:
You were gone when I came out from my trial with
your brothers.

Buzz Ferrari:
Tiff and I left.
Sorry.

Me:
Is everything okay?

Buzz Ferrari:
Yeah.

Me:
Are you lying?

Buzz Ferrari:
Yeah…

Me:
What
’
s wrong?

            She never answers me. I don
’
t
know what the fuck Tiffany or Alex said to her after my birthday party, but I
know I don
’
t like the result of it. Next week we have a
bunch of day games, and while Buzz usually sits on the bleachers behind me
while I
’
m catching (and doesn
’
t think
I know she chooses that spot on purpose), she doesn
’
t sit
there at all. She paces back and forth behind the bleachers throughout all the
games. As soon as the games end she gets on her bike and rides home, totally
avoiding me, Alex, and Benny. By the looks of things she barely talks to
Tiffany, too. When we
’
re packing the cars to head up north
for the weekend to celebrate my birthday, Tiffany texts me.

Tiffany Locket:
She
’
s
not coming.

Me:
WTF, why not?

Tiffany Locket:
She said she
’
s
staying at Chloe
’
s house instead.

Me:
Why?

Tiffany Locket:
I don’
t
know.

Me:
Yes, you do. Fucking tell me.

Tiffany Locket:
It
’
s
probably about your party last weekend.

Me:
What did you say to her?

Tiffany Locket:
Just to be careful because you
’
ve been friends for so long.

Me:
I
’
m not going to
fucking hurt her.

Tiffany Locket:
I didn
’
t
say you would. I just said be careful.

            “
Sky, we
’
re
leaving!” my mom calls upstairs to me. I hear her grabbing the last of the food
bags on the kitchen counter and lightly closing the garage door behind her.

            When I come outside, everyone is already in the
Explorer just waiting for me. I walk up to the driver side window to my dad and
ask, “Is it okay if I drive up myself?”

            My parents exchange a look after noticing the dark
skies down the road, and my mom says that it
’
s my dad
’
s call. “You think you
’
re ready for a long
trip already?” he questions me seriously. If I say yes, he
’
ll
let me do it.

            “Yeah,” I answers firmly, allowing no hesitation.

            Sighing a big burly breath, my dad announces, “There
’
s another GPS in the study. Let us know when you
’
re
leaving and lock up. We
’
ll see you up there.”

            “Thank you,” I tell them both.

            As soon as they pull away and head down the street, I
call Buzz on my way back inside the house. After three rings, she answers.

            “Hey, what
’
s up?
”
she replies chipperly.
She
’
s totally
faking it.

            “Are you at home?” I hope.

            “Yeah, but not for long,” she tells me.

            “Don
’
t leave until I get there,”
I order her. And I hang up before she can refute.

            Literally two minutes later, I lock the doors and
have the GPS and my bag in the Jeep heading towards the Ferrari household. I
pray that everyone has already left and Buzz will be alone. Alex will kill me
if he knows I
’
m upset that she isn
’
t
coming to the cabin. Maybe because it
’
s an extension of my
birthday, I luck out on my prayer being answered. Walking up to her front door,
my only goal is to get her in the Jeep with me so we can go to the cabin with
everyone else like every other time.

            “Hey, c
’
mon in,” she greets me
with a bounce in her step.

            “What
’
s this I hear about you
not coming to the cabin?” I get straight to the point.

            “I didn
’
t think it was such a
good idea,” she drops her cheery act and mumbles as she turns away from me.

            “Who fucking gave that to you?” I wonder, staring at
her body language from behind.
Relax. She wants to come. She feels like it
’
s not her choice.

            “Gave what to me?” she asks, turning back to look at
me.

            “That horrible idea,” I snicker.

            “Rex, Benny, you, Tiffany - stop me any time because
the list goes on,” she throws back at me. Her attitude shows that she respects
everyone she listed, including me, but that none of us are giving her what she
wants to hear. It
’
s just so unlike her to do something
because that
’
s what she thinks everyone around her wants.

            “Buzz, I know I speak for everyone when I say we want
you there,” I argue lightly. “You
’
re a big part of our
group. Fuck, you
’
re the fun part of it.”

            “
I don’
t want to cause any
problems with anyone. If I go, that
’
s all I
’
ll do,
” she tries convincing me.