Out in the Field (Out in College 4)

“I’m not—okay, fine.” I glanced around once more before leaning across the table. “Remember when we went to that club in LA last October? You met up with Rory and—”

“I remember it well,” he intercepted with a sappy smile.

“Well, do you remember the twink we met in line? The cute guy in pink.”

Christian cocked his head. “Sort of. He’s the one you talked about when you finally crawled home in the middle of the night.”

“Phoenix.”

“Huh? Is he from Phoenix?”

“Yeah. And it’s also his name.” I stole a fry from him, snatching my hand away before he smacked me. “And Phoenix, who used to live in LA, now lives in Orange and attends…wait for it…Chilton College. He transferred.”

“Really?” Christian smiled. “That’s cool. You should ask him out.”

“He has a boyfriend.”

“Oh.”

“So I asked him if he wanted to get coffee.”

“But?”

I sighed. “It’s been a week and I haven’t called him yet.”

“Why not? Coffee is harmless.”

“Yeah, except I’m a terrible actor. I don’t want to be his friend. I’d want to back him against the counter at the Starbucks on campus and stick my tongue down his throat in front of the whole damn school. The last thing I need is to get ostracized from my team just as my season starts, Chrissy,” I snarked.

“Ostracize,” he repeated, drawing out every syllable. “You’re having a drama queen moment, aren’t you? You always flex your vocab muscles when you’re stressed.”

“Ha. I’m not having a moment. I don’t know why I told you about it. It’s not even really interesting, but it was funny seeing him here. Out of context, you know?” I tilted my chin in greeting and fist-bumped one of my teammates passing our table before scanning the area once more for the cute blond. I refocused on Christian when I saw his lips moving.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if he turned out to be your new shortstop?” he snickered. “It would be pretty ironic for you to have a crush on the guy who took over your ex’s position.”

“Yeah…hilarious,” I huffed sarcastically. “Phoenix doesn’t play baseball. Micah is our new shortstop, and I definitely don’t have a crush on him. He’s an asshole. The subtle kind who says five things to you…four are fine and the fifth makes you want to accidentally slather his glove with whipped cream and ask him why he jacks off so much.”

Christian snorted. “That’s disgusting. Have you ever done that?”

“No, but it’s a great prank. Remind me to do it before the season’s up. Anyway, get this…the other day we were standing next to each other playing catch with a coupla other guys before practice and having a perfectly normal “get to know you” conversation. Micah tells me he’s from NorCal, he’s tired of the rain, his roommate drives him crazy…that kinda stuff. I was barely paying attention to him, honestly. Then just as Coach changes up the drill and everyone comes toward us, he makes a comment about his ex. He tells me he liked being single for a while but he’s looking forward to meeting some new chicks. And yeah…he said chicks. Like I said, I’m zoning out until he says, ‘I’d ask you to introduce me to someone, but it seems like most of your friends are gay.’ ”

Christian set his fork down. “What’d you say?”

“I said, ‘I don’t know about that, but my best friend is.’ Then I got in his face and asked him if he had something to say about it.” I let out a disgusted huff. “Fucker.”

“Don’t get into a fight over me, Max. It’s not worth it.”

“Of course it’s worth it. I’m not gonna lie…I was a little nervous when the season started.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? Sky quit, you came out, and Moreno got expelled for a hate crime. That’s a lot of drama. I thought I’d have to deal with a few stupid pricks making queer jokes in the locker room. But it’s been the opposite. Everyone thinks it’s awesome that my best friend is a gay crusader. It’s like you’re Chilton’s version of Ellen. I get serious street cred points for knowing you, so thanks.” I waited for Christian to stop laughing before I continued. “Nobody cares if I have a gay friend or a gay relative. They just don’t want me to be gay.”

“I bet they wouldn’t care,” Christian said softly.

“Hmph. I don’t know. I’ve been playing ball with most of these guys for years. We talk about the same shit we always do and I like it that way. Leave it to the new guy to stir things up.”

“Maybe he’s feeling you out because he’s gay and he’s looking for an ally.” He quirked his brow mischievously and added, “Or maybe he thinks you’re cute.”

“Yeah, that must be it,” I commented with an eye roll.

“Is he cute?”

I gave Christian the “What the fuck?” look he deserved. “Even if Micah looked like Chris Pine, I wouldn’t touch him. I made a serious vow to myself to never, ever, ever have a clandestine relationship with a teammate again.”