When Our Worlds Collide (Our Worlds #1)(83)
“I’m jealous.” Violet smiles. I know she’s happy for me. She’s probably more relieved that I’m not planning on spending the rest of my weekends reading and working on homework.
We pull into the parking lot at the baseball field finding that it’s standing room only already. Violet finds a spot on the fence just a few steps down from the home dugout. Graham’s already standing on the pitcher’s mound warming up his arm looking like every teenage girls fantasy. I watch him intently admiring the way his uniform hugs his body perfectly as he stretches and bends.
He removes his hat to wipe the back of his arm across his forehead to wipe the beads of sweat from his brow. There’s nowhere else my eyes can wander. They’re locked on him as they always are. They have a mind of their own where Graham is concerned. It seems too soon or too unlikely that two seventeen year olds are capable of loving each other like I know we do, but I know what I feel when I look at him.
If on cue, Graham shifts his gaze away from his catcher and they fall directly on me. I smile at him and he drops his hat back in place smiling secretly under the shadow of the bill. I have never been more interested in a baseball game than I am right now. Like usual, Graham plays with his whole heart. No one expects anything less from him. The crowd screams his name chanting his praises. I notice a line of men along the other fence holding radar guns nodding their heads in approval. He was born to play baseball and their presence is the proof of that talent.
One day he’s going to make it. I have no doubts about that. It’s in the way he plays. Graham has a romantic relationship with the game. Baseball is his religion and his way of feeling alive. That’s why my decision the night of the accident was an easy one. He deserves to show the world that his talents will never go to waste like so many before him.
Number seven from the other team hits a line drive straight towards the pitcher’s mound. Graham sticks his glove out snagging the ball. If you blinked you would have missed the play. The crowd screams louder causing an echo in the corner of our little world.
“Nice catch, boyfriend,” I shout before realizing what I just said. Out loud---for everyone to hear. I can feel the heat emerging from beneath my tank top making its slow crawl up to my face. Violet’s eyes widen at me as her mouth fell open in a perfect ‘O’ shape trying to hold back a laugh. That’s when I realize what I have done. Graham’s my boyfriend and I just announced it very publically.
“Please kill me, now,” I joke. It’s my only defense mechanism. Violet shakes her head beside me. I think she’s enjoying this too much.
I give myself a pep talk urging myself to look up at Graham. When I finally do he’s looking directly at me. I assumed there would be a look of horror written across his face. In place of that is a shit eating grin. He winks at me quickly throwing out the last pitch of the game without taking his eyes off of me. As if he already knows what the outcome will be. Graham’s sure of himself and perhaps a bit cocky. He earns that right when he’s on the field. His final pitch is proof of that when the umpire shouts strike followed by that’s the game. Violet and I jump up and down in celebration with the cheers from the bleachers behind us.
Graham jogs up towards where Violet and I are standing. Violet jokingly wipes the corners of my mouth as I watch him.
“Hi girlfriend,” Graham yanks his hat off putting it on my head. It’s too big covering my eyes. I push it up to be able to see him. I cringe at the dampness from his hard work. I don’t remove it. Instead I watch him in all of his excitement from the win. “Guard that for me, will you?”
“Of course,” I promise winking at him.
“Now give your boyfriend a kiss,” Graham leans over the fence to get to me. I give him a quick kiss, but he pulls me in closer barricading me with his hand on the back of my neck deepening the exchange. Violet whispers something about us being disgusting. We continue to ignore her.
Graham jerks back quickly. Coach is standing behind him pulling on his jersey. “What was that for Coach?” Graham questions with a guilty grin.
“Quit kissing your girlfriend,” Coach pretends to be swooning over the situation, mockingly batting his eyelashes. “Get your ass in the dugout. You may have won the game and the girl but now you have to win over some scouts.” Coach raises his eyebrow expecting Graham to follow. Coach flashes a smile at me before heading back towards the dugout.
“I promise this won’t take long. Can I just meet you at the restaurant?” Graham says apologetically. I nodded in response.
“Go impress the scouts then come have our first date, Mr. Black,” I smile standing on my tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek.
Violet clears her throat before speaking, “Isn’t the whole first date thing moot in point considering he already got the milk and now there’s no point in buying the cow.”
I am going to kill her.
Graham raises an eyebrow at me knowing very well that she knows that we have slept together. “What? She’s my best friend. She knew before I even told her. Now go before Coach actually bans me from your games. I’ll see you soon,” I declare pushing him off of the fence in the direction of the waiting scouts and a Coach who’s tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.
Violet and I wait for Dan to finish showering. We are sitting on the hood of her car that’s right outside of the locker room doors. We must have been too busy talking about prom and some of the other parties I’m sure Graham and Violet will drag me to.