entire off-season, so I should have known it would be the first one he threw. Stepping back in, I crouched into position, the weight of the bat feeling nice against my shoulder. Dayton pulled his arm back, and I lifted the bat from my shoulder right as the ball made its way toward me, my eyes locked on. I swung, and the bat made contact with the ball, flying into left field with a bounce. I made it to first easily, my team cheering wildly.
I’d won that round.
But there would be a lot more.
Senior Season
Mac
T
he season was in full swing, and Fullton State was having an okay year. We weren’t as good as we had been last year, but that was to be expected when you lost a third of your team. Those who had been drafted or graduated left a lot of positions to be filled.
Guys you expected to step up and kick ass sometimes disappointed you and couldn’t pull through. Or if they were killing it in the field, their hitting wasn’t as strong. It was tough, finding players who were great at both—playing defense and offense.
Sunny came to all my home games. There was nothing like glancing up in the stands and seeing her silver hair swishing around as she smiled and cheered for me. That girl made me feel so loved. And fucking invincible. Like I could do anything as long as she was by my side. I missed her like crazy whenever we left for our away games, but she was the perfect fucking girlfriend—supportive and understanding.
Her parents even came to some of my games, which was awesome. Her mom never brought any of the dogs though, which was the exact opposite of awesome. They made me feel like family. I appreciated that and never took it for granted.
Personally, I’d been having a killer season. My numbers had never been better.
Coach Jackson even pulled me aside after the game to let me know that someone was asking about me.
“A scout?” I clarified.
Coach rolled his eyes so hard that I thought they might stay in the back of his head. “Who the fuck else would ask about you, Davies? My mom?”
“I’m just excited, Coach,” I explained, hoping he wouldn’t think less of me.
“Take your excitement somewhere else. I just wanted you to know.” He sent me away with a flick of his wrist.
When I walked out of the locker room and made my way up the stairs, Sunny was waiting for me with a smile, like always.
“Coach said a scout was asking about me,” I said, unable to keep that information to myself for a second longer.
“Well, it’s about time,” she said, pressing her lips against mine before we started walking toward the parking lot.
I couldn’t have agreed more.
I honestly didn’t know what else to do to get their attention. I couldn’t have been playing any better. My first base was solid, and my hitting was consistent. I had the least amount of strikeouts on the team. And the most walks. My fucking eye was impeccable at the plate. But I had zero home runs, and I knew that was working against me. The fact was, I wasn’t a power hitter. I never had been, and most likely, I never would be. I just wasn’t that type of hitter.
“I talked to your mom today,” Sunny said.
I stopped walking for a second to give her a surprised look. “You did?” I asked. “What’d she say?”
Sunny and my mom had started talking recently after they exchanged numbers. My mom was in the process of filing for divorce and leaving DD. I was happy for her, but I couldn’t shake the worry that lived in the back of my mind because of it. I’d never forget the way he’d snapped on me at Christmas. If he did it once, he was capable of doing it again. Even if it wasn’t his normal MO. I just wanted my mom away from him already, but I should be thankful she’d found the strength to leave in the first place. I knew it was hard for her.
I still hadn’t talked to him. And he never reached out to me to apologize. Not that it would matter. I was done with him for good. But there was a part of me that wanted him to be sorry.
“She wants to come out for a series,” Sunny said.
I pressed my lips together and reared my head back in shock. “Wow. A whole series?”
“Yeah. Do you