The Ninth Inning (The Boys of Baseball #1) - J. Sterling Page 0,37
open, and a twenty-something-year-old female walked out. She shot me an appreciative glance, and I gave her my most charming smile as I reached for the door, holding it open for her before I let myself inside.
I walked the hallway like I belonged there, like I could remember how to get to her place blindfolded or in my sleep. And to be fair, I could. I made a right, followed by a sharp left, before I stood, staring at her front door, my hand held in the air, ready to knock. What the hell am I going to say to her?
Maybe coming here with absolutely zero plans in mind isn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.
Rapping my knuckles against the wood, I leaned back on my heels and waited, my heart lodged in my throat. The peephole in the door grew dark before it lightened again, and I knew that it was too late to turn back now—not that I wanted to.
The door creaked open.
“How did you get in here?” Lauren asked from a mere two-inch space. She refused to open the door any wider, letting me know that I was not only not wanted, but also not welcome.
“Good Samaritan?” I said, trying to be cute, but Lauren didn’t even crack a smile.
She wasn’t happy to see me, which could only mean one thing—Christina wouldn’t be happy to see me either.
“How’d you even get on the premises?” she asked, her tone even sharper than before, and I stuffed my hands in my front pockets.
“I have the code.” I admitted with a shrug, knowing that I probably should have lied, but I didn’t want to.
“I’ll have to make sure they change it,” she said, and it made me laugh because I’d expected that reaction from her. “Why are you here, Hat Boy?”
Hat Boy? I thought to myself before realizing that she was talking about my helmet pointing into the stands from earlier.
“I’m here for Christina. Is she home?” I pulled my hands out of my pockets and fidgeted.
She let out a clicking sound before saying, “Sorry, you just missed her.”
“Where is she? I really need to talk to her.” I leaned against the doorframe, hoping that she would sense my sincerity.
“She’s on a date,” Lauren said before adding with a finger point, “and you should let her enjoy it.”
I swallowed hard as I choked down my fear. “Who is she with, Lauren?” I asked, knowing damn well what the answer would be. My fingers gripped the doorframe so tight that I thought it might splinter.
“Who do you think?” Lauren was taunting me, and she enjoyed it.
“Logan?” I asked, my tone wary, desperate to be wrong.
“He isn’t just a great baseball player, ladies and gentlemen; he’s smart too.” She pretended to address a crowd in the empty hallway.
“Do you know where they went?” I all but ground out through clenched teeth, my fists clenched. I needed to get to Christina before things with her and Logan went too far.
“No. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Look at you, acting all caveman right now, like she owes you anything. You’d go there and cause a scene. She doesn’t deserve that, Cole. She deserves better. And you’ve never been the one to give it to her.”
Her words were like weapons, blunted, sharp, and aimed to kill. I took a step back like she had struck me before pulling it together—barely.
“Lauren. Please. Listen,” I started, but she interrupted, finally pulling the door wide enough so that she could step through it.
“No. You listen,” she said, jabbing a bony finger into my chest. “You’ve done nothing but hurt and confuse her. You don’t get to do it anymore. She has a chance to be happy, and if you give a shit about her at all, you’ll let her be.”
“But Logan isn’t a good guy,” I said, my head shaking, wishing that Lauren could see the real Logan and not whatever fictitious one he was pretending to be.
“Says the guy who is worse than all of them,” she said, glaring.
I wanted to tell her that she was wrong about me. That I’d changed and seen the error of my ways and that I needed Christina at a level that scared the hell out of me, but there was no use. Lauren would never believe it, and those words weren’t meant for her anyway.
“I’m not sure why you did that thing during the game today, Cole. And I have no idea why you’re here right