It was nothing I hadn’t seen or heard before. I glanced at Amanda, noting the discomfort on her face as she fidgeted in her seat.
“You okay?” I asked, nudging her arm.
Her hazel eyes glanced around the stadium before returning to mine. “There’s a lot of fan-girls here. ” I nodded. “I’m not really used to this,” she admitted as she crossed her legs.
“Which part?” I asked, finding it hard to imagine that this scene was completely new to her.
“The girls, mostly. The crazy screaming like that for Tyler. The jerseys with his number. I hate it. ”
“Really? It wasn’t like that for him in college?”
She shook her head. “Not even close. Was it like that for Jack?”
“Oh yeah. ” I chuckled.
“Wow. You’re much braver th
an I am. ” She swallowed.
“What do you mean?”
“I was just talking to Tyler about this last night. I think it takes a certain kind of person to date a professional athlete. I don’t think just any girl could do it. ” She paused, glancing toward the field. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for it. ”
“Don’t say that,” I reassured her as I put my arm around her shoulder. “You can do it. You love Tyler, right?”
“Of course, but it’s not about that. ”
“Yes it is. It’s about exactly that. ” I smiled at Amanda and she gave me an obviously forced smile in return. “He doesn’t want these other girls. He wants you. You have to remember that. ”
She nodded, pressing her shoulder into mine. “You’re right. Thanks. ”
The game wasn’t nearly as entertaining when Jack wasn’t pitching, but it did give me time to photograph other players and things. I took a lot of pictures of Jack’s roommates, knowing full well how much the guys tend to enjoy photos of themselves playing. I even snuck in a couple of Amanda on my way back from the bathroom. Her fingers were intertwined and twisted in a weird way as she pressed them against her lips, staring intently toward the field. I framed her fingers and her mouth in one shot, the focus of her eyes in another, and then her whole body language in a third. She looked so uncomfortable and unhappy.
When the game ended, Amanda and I walked down a ramp that led us underground toward the locker room. The walls were cement and kept the air chilled in the breezeway where we stood, waiting for our boyfriends to emerge. I glanced at the others waiting—some younger girls like myself and other folks a bit older that I assumed were parents—and resisted the urge to walk over and introduce myself. I wasn’t sure why, but instead of being friendly, I stood with my arms crossed over my body. The steel gray door flung open with a bang as Jack walked out grinning.
I smiled at the sight of him, his chocolate-brown eyes holding my gaze. He kissed my cheek and grabbed my hand. “Tyler’s almost done. We’ll see you at home, ’K?” he informed Amanda, leading me away from her.
We walked hand in hand down a long cement corridor before Jack pushed against the metal release bar of the outer door. Once outside, we found ourselves surrounded by squealing girls. They stared at Jack, then at me, then back to Jack. A few asked for his autograph, while others asked for something else entirely. This is exactly what Lesslie from work had warned me about.
“Hey, Jack, call me,” a blonde-haired floozy said, shoving a piece of paper into Jack’s free hand.
I snarled, offended at this girl’s incredible behavior. “Really?” I said to her bitterly.
“What?”
“I’m standing right here,” I bit back, my jaw clenching.
“Well, I’m sure you won’t always be standing right there. ” She smirked and Jack gripped my hand, knowing I was about to lose it.
“You disrespectful little—” I started to shout, trying to wrench my hand free as Jack’s grip tightened and interrupted me.
“Cassie, don’t. ” Jack shook his head and swallowed hard before turning toward the blonde. “You dropped this,” he said, crumbling her number up into a little ball before flicking it past her.
I choked back a laugh as he pulled me toward his car. There were scraps of paper scattered on the front seat and envelopes under his windshield wipers. “What is all this?” I asked, reaching for the papers.
“Phone numbers, mostly. Some pictures too. ”
“Seriously?” My eyes widened as I leaned into the seat.