AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The minuteI stepped foot in the bluegrass, I knew without a doubt this is where I’m meant to be. Don’t ask me why. Maybe it’s the fresh air—no salt from the ocean or fog from the pollution. Or it could be the bounce of the bluegrass beneath my cleats.
More than likely, it has something to do with the abundance of beautiful women. A place like this can make me forget her. I’m a loser for letting a girl from the past rule my life.
A few weeks ago, I transferred to the University of Kentucky in time for summer workouts with the baseball team. I moved in with three football players because a friend of mine, Mac, plays both football and baseball. I decided to transfer here on the last day the transfer portal was open, so this living arrangement was the most convenient.
Life should be easy, so I try not to overthink my decisions. I talked to my dad and brother, and they supported the idea of me switching colleges. The Southeastern Conference is the best in baseball and being on a large campus is just what I need. Get lost in the crowd and not run into my ex around every corner.
Since all my roommates play football it leaves me with a bit of alone time to focus on baseball. Mac, Logan, and Pearse’s schedules are packed. Poor Mac rarely has any free time. He’s scheduled all day. Most of the baseball team is here doing voluntary workouts and Mac, like me, wants to bond with his baseball teammates, even though football is his priority.
Today, one of my teammates and I are working out with a private coach off campus. Joe Danke’s a catcher and expected to be a big hitter this year. He’s been texting with one of the girls on the women’s gymnastics team. There’s a party tomorrow night, and he’s hoping she’ll come.
The coach has us flipping tires, starting from a squat position, and ending the same way. It’s important for baseball players to have strong quads. We go through a variety of unconventional exercises before we break to hydrate. I’m covered in sweat, my T-shirt clinging to every muscle.
“How did you find this guy?” Joe asks as he takes off his hat and shakes his hair out. Sweat flies off the ends of his hair, and stinky drops land on me. I take my towel, slinging it at his biceps.
“That’s disgusting. We’re not dogs.” I take a big gulp of water then I do the same. My hair is much longer but because its wavy it appears shorter. “I hope Ginger likes smelly men.”
“Dude, girls can’t resist me when I take a shower,” he claims. “So, have you met anyone you want to ask out?”
The rest of the water flows down my throat as my heart squeezes.Jesus, Julia, get out of my brain.“Nah. Concentrating on ball.” I look around the metal building with all the different training areas. I point to the hitting lanes. “I think we’re over there now.”
He lifts a brow, and says, “I saw you with some girls at the last couple of parties…heard you took one home.”
I pull my batting gloves from my pack, stretching them onto my hands. Then, I take out my bat and use it to help stretch my shoulders as I twist, loosening my core before saying, “Things aren’t always what they seem, but yeah, I took Erika back to her house.”
Joe gives me a quizzical glance but thankfully the coach interrupts. “Gather the balls, then we’ll alternate twenty pitches.”
“Yes, sir,” I respond.
“Chatham don’t call me sir. Coach or Latham. I’m five years older than you.”
One thing boarding school drills into your head is manners. They don’t care if you drink, smoke, curse like a sailor, or perform sexual activities in the dorms, but you damn well better address your elders as sir or ma’am—and it’s a hard habit to break. “Yes, coach.”
Joe leans in, turning his back to Coach Latham and mumbles, “I repeat, where did you find him?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“Boys, you’re wasting my time,” Coach growls. “When your brother set this up, I thought you were serious about baseball, Chatham.”
We hit for an hour and my swing feels good, but Coach Latham is a grouchy son of a gun. His voice booms with directions for me, before yelling, “Danke, how many times do I need to say I want a smaller step? It’s physics. Have you taken physics?”
“Yes, coach. I’m majoring in engineering.”
Coach Latham shakes his head, mumbling, “It was rhetorical. Pick.”
This means pick up the balls. Training is over. When we finish, Coach calls me over, letting me know his schedule for the next week.
We load our gear and grab some food on the way back to campus. I miss my teammates in Illinois, but so far, coming here has been an easy adjustment. Logan and Joe invited me into their world and introduced me to nearly every girl on campus. Granted, its summer, so there’s not thousands. But still, I haven’t met anyone to take my mind off Julia.
The only hiccup has been a teammate, Chaz, the captain of the team. I’ve played baseball and been around professional baseball my entire life, and I’ve never seen a captain be such an ass. They’re usually the most disciplined and one of the best players on a team. They lead by example. But this douchebag is an egotistical asshole.
We play the same position and he’s throwing attitude around the field during workouts. It’s been several weeks, and the summer coaches are fed up.
Yesterday, he was pulled aside when we were on a water break.
Joe heard the head coach say to Chaz, “Chatham’s faster, stronger, and God gifted him a naturally athletic body. Shape up off the field, and it’ll relieve the pressure on the field.”
Chaz snapped, “A fucking transfer is not taking my position. You’re just taking his side because his dad owns the Kodiaks, and you want to please baseball royalty.”
