Dirty Curve

My third base coach, who happens to be Cooper today, the brown-nosing fucker, steps closer. “You think they’re sour now, wait ‘til we show at their clubhouse tonight and get first pick over their ball babes.”

I chuckle. “Poor bastards are about to develop mad hate for Tuesdays.”

Our shortstop comes up to bat, hitting a line drive past second and I come in, but he gets caught at first, so we’re headed back on the field.

Two strikeouts and one infield fly later, we’re headed for the locker room, another win under our blue belts.

Coach Reid steps inside grinning with bright red lipstick on his cheek. “There’s a Kardashian lookalike waiting in the tunnel for number eleven.” He shakes my shoulder as he steps by. “Told her you’d be leading the first group out the door, son.”

I chuckle, tugging my jersey over my head. “Good looking out, Coach.”

“She have her sisters with her, Coach?” Echo shouts, whipping my hip with his towel.

The boys start planning the night, down to their pick of nonexistent Kardashian sisters waiting on the winning team. We plan to head over to the campus bar to start off the night. We can’t drink and we only get a couple hours before it’s lights out, early game tomorrow and all, but sometimes that’s all you need. One solid hour.

Like Coach said, the girls are waiting at the end of the tunnel and waste no time coming up to introduce themselves. I look out at the now empty field with a smirk, but as I do, the parking lot lights kick on in the distance, and an instant frown takes over.

It’s getting dark out. I’m a good five hundred miles from Oceanside, and there’s a girl that might be walking alone in the dark tonight.

Fuck.

I break from the giggly group, grab my phone from my pocket, and scroll to Meyer’s number, but my fingers pause there.

I narrow my eyes, looking out at the people piling into their cars and heading off.

She has no clue I followed her home those few nights, so what the hell am I supposed to say? Yesterday, I didn’t trip on it because I heard her tell Franny her friend was coming over, so I knew she wouldn’t be working. Once I heard that, I forgot to remember I’d be gone today, too.

Sure, Oceanside is a safe enough town, but there’s crime everywhere, and a girl alone, in the dark near a bar, is a situation that shouldn’t exist. Especially if that girl is her. Period.

“Cruz, let’s roll out!”

I turn when Echo calls me, one of his arms draped around a blonde, the other a brunette.

Brunette.

Fuck.

I look to my phone and hit the call button.

Fully expecting her to ignore it, as she usually does, I walk toward the group, but then the line stops ringing, and a soft little ‘hello’ fills my ear.

I stop in my tracks, satisfaction curling my lips.

“What’s this fool grinning at?” Neo teases, tossing his hat in the air and catching it on his head in an attempt to impress.

I flip him off and spin away.

“Tobias?”

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Her tone is teasing.

“Uh, I’m in Arizona.”

What the fuck? No shit, I’m in Arizona. She knows this.

“We won.” I nod. “Not that there was a chance we wouldn’t but ...”

“Of course not.” She laughs quietly. “But congratulations anyway. Jonny had the game on at the center today. Nice pitching.”

“Jonny, huh?” I frown. That pink polo wearing bastard.

She hesitates a moment, and there’s some shuffling around in the background. “Did you, I mean, is there something you need? I’m with someone, so I only have—”

“Like a student?”

“What?”

I lift my hat a little, glancing over my shoulder at my crew.

X throws his arms up, but I spin back around.

“You’re tutoring someone right now?”

“For the next couple hours, yeah.”

“Who?”

Bro, chill. What the fuck is wrong with you?

I lick my lips. “You know what, it’s all good. I had a question but I can, uh, figure it out.”

“Are you sure?” she asks. “My student’s in line for a book rental. I have maybe five minutes before he gets back ...”

He.

Of course, it’s a he. They’re probably all he’s and she’s a she and fuck, dude. Shut up, you whiny ass bitch.

“If I call you later, you free?”

“I don’t usually pay attention to my phone when I’m at home, but since you’re telling me now, I can at least keep it near and try.”

There, she said home. That’s all I was after.

Right?

“Tobias motherfucking Cruz, get your ass over here. These girls are thirsty, if you know what I mean!” Gavin shouts from behind me.

I shake my head, flipping him off.

“I’ll let you go,” she says, a hint of hesitation in her tone.

“Is your dude back?”

“He’s not.”

“Then why hang up?”

“Cruz!” another asshole screams, louder than the rest.

“Bye, Tobias.”

I frown at the sky. “Later, Tutor Girl.”