Caught (11 page)

Top of the 8
th

Chace

Having just fallen backwards onto my bed, my phone starts ringing that annoying FaceTime ring.  I never understood why it was so much shriller than the regular ringtone. I mean, I’m going to answer it anyway.  Looking down at my phone, I see Finley’s contact photo staring up at me, and just for a brief second I consider not answering it.  But knowing Finley like I do, I know it will only send her into overdrive.  She knows that I’m planning on spending my evening just chilling out around the house. 

With a sigh, I tap my finger on the green button.  I can hear Finley chattering excitedly before I can see her, and my heart sinks as I realize that she’s not alone.  I don’t know if I can handle seeing Quinn
and
Finley.  Together.  My self-doubt really doesn’t matter, because it’s too late, and my panic rises as the live video stream comes to life on my phone.

“Hey, gals,” I say as casually as I can possibly manage.

“Chace!” Finley screeches.  It’s as though she hasn’t seen me in three weeks.  Which I guess she hasn’t, but we FaceTime at least four times a week. 

“Hey, gorgeous,” I say as my eyes meet Quinn’s.  It’s casual enough that Finley won’t pick up on my slip. She’s self-centered enough to believe that my greeting was directed at her, but the look on Quinn’s face tells me that she knows the truth.

Finley shifts on the bed so that she’s lying on her stomach, leaving Quinn alone in the background.  “So, Chace, tell me how much you miss me?”

I nervously run my hand through my hair at the choice of question. This is more of a private discussion, and knowing that Quinn is in the background, watching my every move, is unnerving.  “Uhm…”  I notice Quinn stand up from the bed in the background, leaving the camera’s scope.  My stomach bottoms out.  My mind races at ways I can get her back.  It’s the first time I’ve seen her since I left and thinking that I might not get the chance again causes me more anxiety.  “Finley,” I scold. “Let’s remember that you have company.”

As if she has actually forgotten, she looks over her shoulder and then to her left.  “Sit back down, sour puss.”  Quinn re-enters into my line of sight, albeit glaring at me, and I let out the air I have been holding in.

Finley sits up and scoots closer to Quinn, obviously heeding my advice of including her.  I’m sure that Finley probably had to sell her soul to the devil in order to get Quinn to even agree to the group FaceTime in the first place.  “So, how’s the summer going there?” I ask in hopes to defer the attention away from the previous Finley debacle.

“It’s rather lame,” Quinn answers before giving Finley a chance to speak.

I shake my head.  It’s such a typical Quinn response.  She could be having the time of her life and it still wouldn’t be deemed ‘fun enough’ for her.

“Don’t be so emo, Quinn,” Finley lectures. “We’ve had plenty of fun.  Although it’s not nearly as much fun without the ‘t’ to our ‘rio’.”

“It has been strange being here without you guys.  I miss you both.”

“Oh, Chacer, cut it out.  You’re giving me a heart on.”  Quinn doesn’t miss a beat in standing up after her response.  “Well, as much as I’d love to stay and chat, I gotta get home.  My douche canoe of a brother needs someone to drive him to the mall.”

Finley glares at Quinn as she walks out of the room.  I hear the door open and close, and I breathe deeply through my nose.  “She’s so moody,” Finley says quietly, still staring at the door to her left that I can’t see.  She turns, directing her attention back to me.  “Well, more so than usual.”  Finley shrugs her shoulders, obviously not understanding what was going on in Quinn’s head, and starts yammering on and on about college.

I pretend to listen, but I can’t help myself from thinking about the real reason Quinn seems more distant than usual.  I know why, but Finley doesn’t.  Part of me, the part that loves Fin, hopes she never does.

*****

The sweat slides down off the bridge of my nose.  I use my forearm to lift the rim of my hat and wipe the buildup of sweat from my forehead.  With my hand, I put the hat back into place.  Just one more out.  One more out and we’ll make it to the playoffs.  One more out to keep my season in the Cape going.  One more out to extend my summer so I don’t have to go home and face Finley and Quinn.

I shake the thought of the girls from my head. 
Focus, Chace.  Now’s not the time to start thinking about all the bullshit
.  Stepping onto the mound, I look in on Lester giving me my signal.  I nod once before launching myself into motion.  My release feels perfect, and I watch the ball spinning over itself as it speeds by the batter.  He swings underneath the ball just as it connects with the catcher’s mitt and pops.  The crowd cheers, and Lester throws the baseball back to me.  I kick up a little dirt before repositioning myself back on the mound.  We go through the same routine again, only this time the batter connects with a piece of my pitch, sending it off into foul territory.  He’s timing me, and before I even get the sign from Lester I know what he’s going to call.  It’s time to change up the pace.  Lester gives me the sign I was expecting, and I immediately nod before starting my motion.  It feels perfect, and my vision tunnels in on the ball that is moving through the air without any motion at all.  It floats along, like it’s stuck in place, before smacking into Lester’s glove.

“Strike three!” the umpire hollers before ringing him up.

Lester hops to his feet and rushes to the mound where the other players have already surrounded me.  We’re celebrating as he joins us.  “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done, Donahue?”

“Yeah, I just struck that guy out.”

He laughs at my ignorance.  “That was the best team in the CCBL for four years running.  They’re stacked with All-American’s and future MLB players.  You just dominated them like they were a Little League team.”

I shrug.  I had no idea.

Once the celebration is over, we start walking towards the dugout.  Lester throws his arm around my neck and smiles down at me.  “I told you that you were in the clear.”

He drops his arm and walks down the steps into the dugout, and I follow suit.  Picking up my duffel bag, I start stuffing my things into it.  I’m anxious to take a shower and make some calls.  I want to share the excitement of this moment with people that care about me.  My list is long, and I need to get started on those calls, but there’s one call that I can’t make.  I can’t call Quinn. I’ve decided it’s best to distance myself and let whatever this is fizzle out.  I can’t lose her as a friend, and given a little time I think we can get back to where we were.

Or at least I hope we can.

“Chace…”

I stop what I’m doing and turn around to see my manager standing in front of the dugouts with a man I don’t recognize.  “Yeah, coach?”

“Come here for a second, son.”

I let go of my bag and climb back up the steps, my cleats clank against the concrete until they dig into the dirt on the field.  “What’s up, coach?”

“Chace, this is Shawn Sommers. He’s the head recruiter for Boston College.”

I swallow the nervous lump that has formed in my throat and shake hands with the man in front of me.  “Nice to meet you, Chace,” he says with a smile.  “Hell of a game you threw tonight.  Coach tells me that you’re headed for UCONN in a few weeks.”

“Yes, sir.” I nod.  My mind races, where is this going?

“Well, I know it’s late in the season, but I’d like to make you an offer to come play at Boston College.”

My mouth hangs open for a second before I realize I haven’t yet spoken.  “Seriously?”

“Seriously.  I’ve got a full ride here with your name on it if you want it.”

“YES!”  My face reddens at my overzealous response.  “I mean, yes. I tried getting into BC and planned on walking onto the team, but my grades weren’t good enough.”

“Well, with an arm like that, your grades are secondary.”  He hands me a thick manila envelope.  “This is the paperwork.  We will need to do a revocation of your previously accepted offer at UCONN and sign a new letter of intent for BC.  Also, if you’re accepting our offer, this will change your plans for the next few weeks slightly.”

I open the envelope and start looking over the papers that Shawn handed over to me.  “How so?” I ask, never breaking my attention from reading the words in front of me.

“It means you won’t be able to go home after the CCBL season concludes.  Our Fall schedule starts immediately following the CCBL season, so unfortunately, no time for a trip home.”

I stop reading and look up at him.  The timing of this is uncanny, and I know that it’s meant to be.  This is my chance to distance myself from Quinn and focus on Finley.  It’s the right thing to do and this opportunity is proof of that.  “That’s perfect actually.” 
              My thoughts continue running as Shawn talks logistics with Coach.  And me?  Well, I continue to convince myself that this is the best thing to do.  There’s nothing back home for me anymore anyways.  In a few weeks, Finley will be at Harvard, just across town.  Boston’s my future now.  Going home won’t do anything but bring me more pain.  If I go back, I’ll get caught up with Quinn.  I know that.  She will be my undoing, and I can’t let that happen.

Bottom of the 8
th

Quinn

The day has finally arrived—the day I’ve been looking forward to since I made the decision mid senior year. But for some reason I don’t feel as excited as I thought I would. There is no weight being lifted as I fill my car to the brim. I don’t fully feel at peace about this decision now that it’s here staring me in the face. But the right choices aren’t always the easy ones. It actually seems that the more difficult the decision is, the better off it will benefit you in the long run. I guess time can only tell. Either way, it will be good for me to branch away from everything I’ve ever known. I need to shift out of my comfort zone and break away from certain people.

This new chapter in my life will be refreshing.

I hope.

“You don’t have to go.” My mom meets me at the bottom of the porch stairs, giving me her sad eyes.

“Yes, she does!” Judd hollers from inside. I give him the finger even though he can’t see me. My mother’s face doesn’t even falter, giving me the normal look of disapproval she usually does. My stomach dips as the realization sinks in. I’m leaving the nest, and my parentals are probably worried sick that I’m going to land on the ground below.

But I’ll make them proud. They will realize that this is the best choice for me. I just need to realize it first in order to fully prove it. I’m sure once I get settled into my dorm it will.

I smile and pull my mom in for a hug. I need to give her peace of mind. If she thinks I’m worried or second guessing my decision she’ll never stop bugging me or be completely okay with me flying the coop.

“I’ll be fine, mom. I’ll make new friends. I’ll focus on my studies. I’ll party like a rock star. I might even find a little side job to keep me busy.” I throw the partying in there as a joke, but I think she’s crazy worried that it’s an extracurricular activity I’ll be signing up for. She gives me a worried look, so I take it down a notch. Rubbing her shoulders, I look her in the eyes and say, “Fine, I won’t party like a rock star. I’ll just party like a groupie. Will that work?” I keep my face straight, fighting off the huge grin that wants to take over.

“Oh, Quinn. Just be careful.” She flings her arms around me, giving me another tight hug.

“I will, mom. Promise.” I don’t make promises I can’t keep. This is right about that time I feel another set of arms close in around me. And I don’t make a smartass comment like I typically would. Instead I fully embrace this team hug. The last one I will be receiving for a while. I’m pretty sure I have the most awesome parents a girl could have. Not many would put up with the shenanigans I pull. Or even be so respectful about my choices to the extent that they would lie for me to keep the ones I want hidden, hidden.

“I love you, Quinn. I fully support you, and I know you will succeed in whatever you put your mind to. Your determination is inspiring, and I know the friends you make will be lucky to have someone like you in your life. Your mother and I understand your reasoning. But just know, if you get there and it’s not what you were expecting, your room will always be here.”

“No, it won’t!” my twerp of a brother yells.

I just laugh, because if I don’t I might start to cry. And I don’t cry.

“Love you too!” I yell back. I’d go in and give him a hug, but he’s at that stage where it’s not cool for him to act like he likes me. I’m sure he’s going to enjoy me being gone and getting to be the only child here, but eventually he’ll miss the bullshit I’m able to throw back his way. He did learn from the best after all.

****

I’m completely overwhelmed as I pull into the campus. The tall, gorgeous buildings and bustling bodies is very intimidating. I definitely don’t have to worry about standing out here or people giving a rat’s ass about who I am. The idea of blending in calms my racing heart. Everyone here is going to be so busy with their own shit to even care about little ol’ me.

I follow the little map I was given to find my dorm. Its crazy packed with students unpacking their belongings. Most of them have family here helping them. My parents offered to come, and I know they really wanted to, but I wanted to do this on my own. I pull into a spot that’s the closest I can find to my dorm. I’ll have a bit of a walk, but nothing I have is too heavy. I reach over, grabbing the small box in my front seat and place it on my lap so I can grab my purse. I pull the paper with all my room info on it out, reading over it.

With my purse, paper, and small box in tow, I shut my car door and let out a deep breath before heading out on this new journey. The building is crazy packed with people lining up at the elevator and others not willing to wait, running up and down the stairs. I have to flatten myself against the wall to keep from getting plowed over. I reach the second floor and follow the numbers on the wall in front of me by going to the left. Six doors down, and I’m standing in front of the place I’ll be sleeping for the next four years. Excitement and fear both run through me evenly. That has to be a good sign.

I set my stuff down on the only empty bed. One side of the room is already decked out in band posters and hella good drawings covering the walls. I’m in awe as I stare at them, thinking that me and this new roomie might just get along. That thought makes me smile.

The door swings open and I freeze in place. The girl who walks in is like nothing I've ever seen—in person, anyways. Deep red hair, shaved on one side. Long and straight on the other 2/3rds of her sphere. Gold nose ring curving her nostril. Not one of those dainty gemmed ones that Fin and I used to talk about getting. Or more like me begging her to go get one with me only to be shot down each time.
Goodbye, goody two shoes best friend of mine. 

I continue checking out the girl standing in the doorway, who allows me to do so. I'm sure she's use to the attention, but probably in a more disapproving way then my intentions are. Her top is tight and sparkly with cleavage on the verge of busting out. And her jeans are equally tight, but ripped all over, tucked into some mid shin black combat boots. 

This girl is the epitome of everything Finley despises...

AND I LOVE IT!

"See something ya like?" she finally speaks, a gorgeous smirk coating her face. 

I want to shake my head with my mouth agape all dumbfounded like. But I want her to be my friend, so that's not an option.

"Actually, I do." I prop my hand on my hip, giving a friendly smile. 

Shit, her cocking her brow suggests maybe I gave her too friendly of a smile.

"Look, you're hot and all…" She checks me out much quicker than I had with her. "But I'm not into the girl on girl type of action." She holds her hands up. "But I don't judge people who do."

I bite my lip to keep from laughing. I know I'm blushing. How embarrassing that my roomie thinks I'm into her.

"I'm not into girls." I try to keep a straight, believable face. I mean, it is the truth. Then it hits me. 

Shower. Naked. Finley. Chace. Her lips on mine. His lips on mine. And instinctively I trail my finger across my bottom lip, remembering how good it felt to have his pressed against mine.

"Mmmhmm. Like I said, no judging." She snickers.

Well, fuck. That just blew my credibility.