When Our Worlds Collide (Our Worlds #1)(104)

“I’m okay. Worry about the game and we’ll talk later. I promise.”

“Dan’s having a party tonight, so we’ll talk when we get there. I’ll probably be a while with the Coaches from Georgia. I forgot to ask if you could ride with Violet. I’ve just been distracted.” Kennedy gives me a pouty look. She hates the idea of walking into parties without me. I can’t blame her after everything she’s been through. “You’ll be fine just this one time. Violet will be with you. Make sure you stick close to her.” I drop her to the ground kissing her fully on the lips.

I head towards the dugout and feel a hard smack on my ass. I turn to see Kennedy smirking at me. “Good luck baby,” she mouths.

“Who needs luck when I have you?” I smile back at her.

Mark is already behind home plate waiting for me to find my rightful spot on the pitcher’s mound. He tosses the ball to me and we go through our usual warm up. I let it all fall away in a moment’s notice. Now was my time to impress, to guarantee my way out of here. Now was my time to shine.





Chapter FortyNine



-Kennedy-



“You guys are disgustingly cute by the way. It’s fucking nauseating,” Violet laughs digging in her purse. She comes out with a chap-stick grinning from ear to ear like she just found the lost treasure.

“He likes to lay it on thick,” I joke taking the chap-stick from her hand and applying a thin coat to my lips.

Graham walks out to the pitcher’s mound and all conversations between my best friend and I go silent. It’s difficult to pay attention to anything else when he’s playing. She understands. Or at least she pretends to for my sake.

Like every other time I’ve ever watched him pitch he’s on his game tonight. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that he’s only in high school. He plays with every nerve and cell in his body. He’s meant to play and by the nodding approval from the scouts along the fence they know it too. There has to be at least six of them watching in awe.

Throughout the game I sneak a glance at the Georgia coach to see his reaction to a pitch or a certain play. He’s easy to spot. He has on the familiar red hat with the large G on the front. He looks impressed, but how can you not be when someone has as much talent as Graham.

University of Georgia is Graham’s dream. He’s always imagined going there to play since he was a kid. I don’t think he ever thought that it would be a possibility by the way he’s been talking the past few weeks. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that he’s this popular, confident guy when he talks. He has such doubt in himself. That has a lot to do with his father. You couldn’t really blame him for feeling unworthy when your own father treats you like a doormat every chance he gets.

Violet elbowed me in the side. I turn to face her and give her an annoyed look. “What?” I demand.

Violet points at someone behind me. “Who’s that?” she asks.

I turned to look in the direction of where her finger is pointing to see Graham’s mother walking up the bleachers with an older man. He’s probably in his early fifties with dark hair that’s starting to grey.

“I think that’s Graham’s dad,” I explain in a whisper. I’m shocked to see him. I can’t look away from them now that I know they are here. Graham’s mother turns in my direction giving me a small wave and smile. She turns back to his father whispering something in his ear, probably explaining who I am. Great.

Graham pitches the best game of his life tonight. They won twelve to zero. You wouldn’t believe it by the way his father spoke from the bleachers. I have a feeling that he’s drunk by the way he shouts with no regard for his son who’s pitching the most important game of his life. Graham walks off the field immediately looking over at me. He winks. I can’t hold back from scanning my eyes back and forth between his father and him. Graham catches on to what I’m doing and shrugs his shoulders like it isn’t a big deal.

I hang around for a few minutes for Graham to head my way before he’s escorted to talk to the Georgia scouts. He comes up behind me as I’m talking with Violet wrapping his arms around my waist lowering his lips to my neck. I turn into his strong body wrapping my arms around his trim waist.

“Good game babe,” I say.

“Thanks,” he forces a smile. I know a genuine Graham Black smile from a fake one. The real ones make my knees wobble and my heart to race. This smile had forced written all over it.

I look up at him to get a better look in his eyes. That’s his tell all for how he’s feeling. His eyes are passive as if he isn’t sure how he should feel about his belligerent father terrorizing him from the bleachers for a better half of the game.

“You okay?” I ask kissing him quickly.

“I will be. Just need to impress the scouts and then it will all be out of my hands.”

“You know that’s not what I am talking about.”

“I know it’s not, baby.” Graham kisses me one more time before heading off to meet with the scouts. The look of embarrassment and sorrow on his face nearly breaks my heart.

Violet and I make it out to the now empty parking lot. We’re standing by her car waiting for Dan to come out of the locker room discussing Violet’s recent shoe dilemma. Graham’s probably in Coach’s office with the scouts mapping out his future as we speak. I can’t be prouder of him. He deserves everything that’s thrust upon him.