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Putting aside the wandering thoughts of what ifs and could-be’s about tomorrow, I climb into bed. Lying in the dark, my mind spins. Running through my class assignments, daily workouts, and the upcoming baseball season. Somewhere in there, I need to find a way to make up for the way I have treated Kassidy. It seems that she only sees the bad side of me, and that needs to change.
Gathering in the locker room, the noise level is almost at the point of being too loud. Grabbing a seat in front of my usual locker, a smile is on my face. This…this is what I want to do—the camaraderie of being part of a team, an extended family. Getting to play the game I love, hearing the crowds roar. That is what gets my heart going, my blood pumping through my veins.
A sharp whistle pierces the room, immediately silencing all conversations. Coach Pollard moves to the front of the locker room, whistle dangling from his neck, arms crossed over his chest.
Thomas “Lefty” Pollard played three games in the Major Leagues until a line drive ball caught him in the throat. Unable to speak for months, he spent a long time in rehab. Never returning to play the game he loved, Coach Pollard became highly sought after as a coach.
“Alright, listen up!” Coach bellows. All heads snap to attention and focus on him, the chatter of the room halting immediately. “Tonight, we have a few things to review.” He starts passing papers out, each of us taking one and passing the stack to the person next to us. Coach starts speaking again as the papers make it around to everyone.
“The partying needs to stop.” Groans fill the room at his declaration. “You are here to go to school and play ball. We are getting ready to start practice. Yesterday, there were only three members of this team who bothered showing up for morning workouts. Two of the three were doing it with hangovers.”
He pauses his lecture to single out a handful of players that should have been there, one of which is Zanko.
“Fuck,” Zanko mutters just loud enough that those around us can hear him. Elbowing him in the ribs, he shuts up, rubbing the spot I elbowed him.
“Included in the papers you just received is the morning workout schedule. This is mandatory. If you want to show up at other times as a secondary workout, that is fine and entirely up to you,” Coach gives me a look, letting me know that workouts are not optional for me. “Also included,” he continues, “is a pre-season schedule and regular season schedule. A room list has been added as well for the away games that we have to spend traveling. Some games will be a one-day travel, as they are close enough not to warrant a hotel.”
He pauses, letting us look through the various pages of information he has given us. Zanko and I are bunking together as usual. Reviewing the list, there is a note that catches me off guard.
“What the fuck?” My voice travels too far and too loudly, catching Coach’s attention.
“Do you have a problem, Adams?” Coach barks out, causing all eyes to swing in my direction.
Stunned, my head pops up to stare, open-mouthed at the coach. Pointing at the sheet, my words refuse to form.
“Ah, is…she…uhm…”
Thankfully, Coach has mercy on me, knowing what I am trying to ask.
“We can talk about that before you leave,” he says dismissively.
Zanko leans in, looking over my shoulder at what I am looking at. Whispering so only I can hear him. “What has you spooked? What do you see?” His eyes roam over the sheet in front of me, still not seeing what has me spooked.
Saying nothing, I merely point to the travel roster. There in bold print is K. Heartwell. Kassidy is going to be traveling with the team this season.
It looks like there will be no escaping my new tutor, the one whose been on my mind a lot. Now I just have to break the news to her. There is no way Kassidy would have been told about this. A groan escapes my lips at the thought of trying to talk to her without her guard dogs around.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
My day was great. Knowing that the evening would be my own and that I would be spending it with my best friend, nothing could ruin my mood. People gave me side glances throughout the day due to the goofy look on my face, but I ignored them all.
Don’t get me wrong, it was my choice to enroll in the tutoring program. Not only is the experience going to look great when I go to apply for a teaching job, but having a little bit of extra money in my pocket is a bonus.
Having Brock as my student to tutor comes with all sorts of added pressure. Setting aside the fact he is one of the hottest and most popular guys on campus, his future is on my shoulders. I mean, yeah, he has to do the work himself, but still, it is up to me to make sure he is doing the work and knows the material; it’s stressful.
Before I knew it, the day was over. Instead of walking to the library, I headed to our apartment.
Letting myself in, Gareth, Rodney, and Callum are all seated at the dining room table, working on assignments.
“Where is Kennedy?”
Rodney chuckles as he answers, “Ashton dragged her to the store with him.”
Oh dear.
Kennedy’s first nemesis is cooking. Her second is having the guys tag along to the grocery store. They all act like little kids, randomly tossing items into the cart. Most of the time, we catch the additions while in the checkout line. More than once, the guys have teamed up and distracted Kennedy, adding everything back in. It isn’t until we get home and start unpacking everything to put it away that we find it. That is when the arguing starts. We have an entire cabinet full of random foods we will never use.
Deciding to get things started, I put a large pot of water on the stove to boil and preheat the oven. Getting the kitchen ready, pulling out various pots, pans, and utensils, I grab a glass of wine as I await their return, propping my hip against the counter and sipping from my glass.
