Beyond the Play (Out of Reach 3)
CHAPTER 1
Parker
Fall is my favorite season. Don’t tell my family because choosing any season other than baseball season in the Monroe household is a travesty. I do love baseball season. How could I not? My dad played professional ball my entire childhood. It’s in my blood and that of my sisters as well. My older sister, Paisley, played college softball like me. Our little sister, Peyton, is a freshman in college this year, and she plays as well. It’s almost as if it’s a Monroe family tradition.
Anyway, back to fall. I love to watch the leaves and the weather change. I live for the months that I get to break out my leggings, oversized sweaters, and knee-high boots. And don’t get me started on the pumpkin-flavored coffee sold at the campus coffee shop. They would make a killing if they sold that stuff year-round. Then again, that would take away one more thing to look forward to during my favorite time of year.
Honestly, I think a big part of why I love this time of year is that my dad was home every fall. It was a couple of months every year that we got to be a family. All five of us were home to eat dinner together and for the holidays. It was the time of year I looked forward to the most.
“Hey, are you ready to head out?” my best friend, Autumn, asks from my bedroom door.
“Yep.” Grabbing my phone, I shove it into my small crossbody purse and follow her to the living room of our two-bedroom apartment.
We’ve been living in the same place, just off campus, since our sophomore year. Paisley still takes credit for that miracle. She claims she wore Dad down, so he was too tired to fight with me by the time I got to college. I think she might be half right. It was surprisingly easy to convince my dad to let us move off-campus as sophomores.
“I’m so ready to let loose,” Autumn says as we climb into the back of our Uber. “Midterms just about killed me.”
“You say that every single time, and I’ve hardly seen you crack open a book.” Autumn is smart as hell. She hears it once and retains the information. I, however, am not. Having my best friend be a genius is helpful when it comes time to cram. She’s the best study partner.
“It’s the stress of it all. Everyone on campus is on edge and has their nose buried in a book. There’s so much tension.” She rolls her neck as if she can feel all the tension she’s talking about right this moment.
“Not all of us can be super-geniuses,” I tease.
“Hey, you benefit too,” she fires back.
I smile because she’s totally right. “Who else is coming tonight?”
“The usual. Kate and Bridgett are meeting us there, and you know if Bridgett is there, Garrett and his shadow Troy will be there too.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what happened between the two of you?” I ask. She knows I’m referring to Troy.
She exhales, resting her head back against the seat. “Nothing happened. We kissed. He wanted more, I said no, and that was it.”
“Did he pressure you?”
“No. He never pushed it past kissing the rest of the night. He was gone the next morning when I woke up, and he acts as if it never happened.”
“You should talk to him.”
“He’s not interested.”
“How do you know?” I challenge.
“Can we not do this? Tonight is about going out and relaxing our minds from midterms. The last thing I want to do is try to wrap my head around Troy and what he does or doesn’t want.” Her eyes are pleading, so I relent. I don’t want to upset her, but I see the way he looks at her, and I know for a fact because she’s told me on multiple occasions she has a thing for him.
“Fine, but we are tabling this discussion for a later time. As in any time but tonight.” I give her a pointed look, raising my eyebrows for dramatics to make sure I get my point across. We will be discussing this. She can’t hide from how she feels forever.