Behind the Plate (The Boys of Baseball #2) - J. Sterling Page 0,21

in my car. I was lucky the stuff hadn’t sent me to the hospital for poisoning or something.

“Not my fault you can’t handle the ’bucha.”

“Jesus. You did not just give it a nickname.” I stared at him, my head shaking. “I’m sure whatever chick you hook up with next will love it. You two can share all the ’bucha together.”

“Speaking of chicks to hook up with.” He wagged his eyebrows before sitting there, staring at me, not finishing the rest of his sentence or thought.

“Um …” I cocked my head back and gave him a look. “What are you talking about?”

He started laughing. “Dude, your tutor girl! She’s hot! Even with the all-black getup. Still hot.”

The hair on the back of my neck instantly bristled, and I hoped like hell it didn’t show. I’d been so preoccupied with Danika being a girl and all that I’d forgotten that the rest of my teammates were in the same room at the same time with their own tutors. I tried to play it cool and pretend like I wasn’t affected by the mere mention of her, but having Mac bring her up rubbed me in all the wrong ways. “Is she? I didn’t notice.”

He laughed out loud. “You can’t possibly be that blind, Chance. I don’t care if you’re not into chicks or dating or whatever, but you have eyes!”

“You’re right. I do have eyes,” I agreed in my most neutral tone.

He took a drink of his shit tea and shook his head. “At least admit she’s good-looking.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to hear you say it. Tell me you think your tutor is hot.”

He pushed and pushed, and on any other day, I wouldn’t have been rattled, but apparently, today was not like every other day because I. Was. Fucking. Rattled.

“You think everyone’s hot,” I argued, trying to steer us away from this topic.

He gave a noncommittal shrug. “We both know that’s not true. But even if I did, Tutor Girl is on another level. Admit that you noticed.”

Why is he pushing?

I was trying not to think about her, not to do anything when it came to her, and Mac was making it damn near impossible.

When I refused to answer, he continued his verbal vomit, “Oh shit. Did she flirt with you? Is she a cleat chaser? Is that why you don’t like her?”

He knew damn well that Danika wasn’t a cleat chaser. The girls who liked baseball players made it overly obvious. They showed up to every game and party, wearing practically nothing as they threw themselves at any player who would entertain their advances. Cleat chasers wanted to screw a player and weren’t at all particular about who they did it with as long as the guy was on the team. The hope was that one of them would stick and turn into boyfriend material. But that rarely, if ever, happened.

Listen, ladies, once you start sleeping around with multiple players on the same team, all hopes of becoming a girlfriend are off. Whatever guy takes that risk will get ridiculed to no end. Not to mention the fact that he’ll have to look his teammates in the eye every day, knowing that they fucked his girl. Not happening.

“Dude, she has a boyfriend,” I finally said, hoping he’d take the hint and shut the hell up already.

“So what?”

“Mac,” I growled.

“Maybe I’ll ask for her number then. I mean, if you’re not interested,” he said, and I wanted to explode.

My body buzzed with something foreign. Jealousy maybe? I couldn’t be sure because I’d never been jealous before. Not over a girl anyway. Baseball was another story.

“She might not be happy in her relationship. I feel like it’s my civic duty to at least find out,” Mac said with a smirk, and I got the impression that he knew he was pushing my buttons.

There was zero chance I’d be letting him anywhere near Danika without me around. He would not be adding her to the list of chicks he’d hooked up with at this school. I must have made some sort of pissed off face because Mac put his free hand in the air.

“Fine, okay. I won’t go near her. But don’t get upset if she comes near me. I can’t control how the ladies react to all this.” He waved a hand around his body.

I pushed up from the ground and looked down at him. “Stay away from my tutor. I don’t need you fucking this up or making it harder than it