Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

FINN

My throat hurts from how loud I’ve been cheering all night, and even though I’m frozen like a popsicle by the time the game ends, I can’t find it in me to regret coming out tonight. Younger me would drop dead if he knew that we came to a baseball game voluntarily and actually enjoyed it —but here we are. Never in a million years did I expect to have the time of my life tonight.

Growing up with a brother who played baseball, I know the basics of the game, so it was easy to follow along. Plus, it was actually kinda fun teaching Chantell a few things throughout the night.

“GSU fucking creamed that other team,” Chantell boasts as people make their way out of the stadium.

We both decided to let the place clear out before getting out of our seats. We aren’t in a rush to get home, and I hate being pushed around.

I beam at her as I nod. There’s been a huge smile on my face all night long, and I don’t think it’s going to be stopping anytime soon.

“I’ve never seen a game that fantastic before,” I reply. “GSU is a stacked team this year. If they keep playing like this, they’ll easily take home the championship this year.”

Chantell tilts her head to the side like a puppy trying to figure something out. “How do you know so much about baseball? For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve only ever talked about how much you hate sports and detest jocks.”

I sigh. “My brother is a baseball player. He was playing catch with my dad in the backyard as soon as he could stand and started playing on a youth team when he was five. I was dragged to every single game until I was old enough to stay home alone. I hated every minute of it.” I pause and stare at my shoes as ugly memories come forward. “My dad wanted me to follow in my brother’s footsteps and play too, but I’ve never been athletically inclined. I was always a failure in his eyes, and he took every chance he could to hammer that into me. To say I grew up in a toxic household would be an understatement.”

Chantell quickly pulls me in for a hug, which is a little awkward since we are still sitting in the stadium seats. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” she whispers as she holds me. “But I appreciate you opening up to me about it.”

“When I started GSU, I wanted to completely forget about my past, which is why I don’t really talk about it. The people who birthed me and my brother are not my family. Family doesn’t do or say the things they did. My grandpa is the only family I have, but that’s okay with me.”

“Friends can be family, too,” Chantell says with a sweet smile when she lets me go.

“Then you’re definitely family,” I assure her.

She fist bumps the air and hisses out a “yes,” which has me chuckling.

“Oh hey!” a female voice shouts and I turn to see Aurora walking up the stairs in our direction with an older couple and Tara following behind her.

Oh shit! The other couple must be her parents, which means they are Monster’s parents, too. It is way too fucking soon to be meeting the parents.

Do they know about me yet?

Monster said he was going to tell them, but has he had a chance to do that? Maybe he changed his mind. What the fuck am I supposed to say to these people?

Chantell elbows me and gives me a funny look since I haven’t responded to Aurora yet, and I’m clearly being rude.

“Hey,” I call back, standing up and moving toward the stairs so we can visit in a less awkward spot. “Funny seeing you here.”

“Well, considering my brother plays, it’s kind of a given that I’ll be here,” she says with a giggle. “But you, on the other hand, surprise me. I didn’t peg you as a baseball fan.”

The older woman gives Aurora’s shoulder a gentle slap. “And what did I teach you about judging a book by its cover?” she scolds. Yup, that’s one hundred percent her mother.

Aurora presses her teeth together with her lips pulled back in an oops kind of way before apologizing. “She’s right. I’m sorry for putting you in a box. Anyone can be a baseball fan. Also, you look fabulous tonight, as usual.”

I wave her off and wiggle my hips a little, making my skirt move with the motion. I decided to wear a long, flowy maxi skirt with leggings underneath and a GSU baseball hoodie that I picked up after school today. I thought it was only right to buy a sweater and show my school pride.

I didn’t buy it so that Monster would see me in his team’s colors and feel special. At least that’s what I’m trying to tell myself and those that ask, like Chantell. Of course she didn’t believe me, which was rude if you ask me. The sweater doesn’t have a specific name or number on it, so it’s not like I’m announcing to the world that I’m with Monster. I’m just being a good student, showing my support for the team. At least that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” I tell Aurora since she technically wasn’t wrong about her presumption that I wouldn’t be into sports. “I’m not a sports guy, but I was invited to come watch, and I figured, what the hell.”

“Did you enjoy it?” Aurora asks, and I nod with a stupid cheesy grin.

“I had a blast.”

She claps her hands and cheers. “That’s awesome. Maybe you can be my new baseball friend. Tara only comes because I don’t want to be alone.”

“Hey, what are we, chopped liver?” her dad asks with a smirk.

Aurora rolls her eyes, and I fight back a snicker at her response. “You guys are great, but it’s not the same as having a friend,” she tells him, and he ruffles her hair, which has her scoffing and pushing him away.

“Oh please… please take my place,” Tara pleads. I would much rather be playing Dungeons and Dragons than sitting here.”

“You play D&D?” Chantell asks, her face lighting up with excitement.

Tara nibbles on her lower lip and nods. “I know I don’t look like I’d be into that game, but my cousin got me hooked when I was like eleven. There’s a really cool group who play every Friday, but I’ve never been able to join since most baseball games are on those nights, and I didn’t want to be a shitty friend.”

“You could never be a shitty friend,” Aurora assures her. “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to do something else? I know you don’t like baseball, but I didn’t know you had other plans.”

“I guess I didn’t want you to know I was a secret nerd,” she murmurs, and Aurora rolls her eyes.

“I don’t fucking care about that,” Aurora tells her friend. “If something makes you happy, you should do it. Maybe you’ll even meet a cute girl.” She winks at Tara, who blushes and rolls her eyes.

“Could I come with you?” Chantell asks quietly. “I’ve only played once, so I’m a total newb, but I’ve always wanted to play more. I’m just kind of shy and have always been too scared to join on my own.”

Tara beams at Chantell, and if I’m not mistaken, she checks her out quickly, too. “Yeah. That would be awesome. We can be the two new girls together. I saw on their Instagram page that they are starting a new game next week and are accepting new players, so now would be the time to join. I can send them a message asking to be invited if you’d like.”

Chantell bobbles her head in acceptance. “Yes, please.”

“Awesome. Want to give me your number so I can let you know if we’re in?” Tara asks my best friend.

Chantell gives Tara her information and I can’t help but wonder if maybe this could be the girl for my friend. She seems nice, and they obviously have something in common. She also seems like the kind of girl who might be able to pull Chantell out of her shell a little. We’ll see what happens.

“So what do you say to being my game buddy?” Aurora asks. “Was one game enough for you to catch the baseball bug?”

Dammit. How do I answer her question without telling her that I’m kind of dating her brother? Obviously, he hasn’t told her yet, or at least if he has, she’s doing a very good job at playing dumb. Monster is totally going to want me to come to more of his games, and it would be nice to have someone to come with since my friend has now been invited to something that is more up her alley. But if I say yes, that also means hanging out with Monster’s parents every game, and I have no idea how that’s going to go.

Saying no feels rude, so I mentally pull up my big boy panties and decide to accept her offer.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve caught the baseball bug just yet, but I’d love to come to another game, and since my friend just got stolen by your friend, I guess I need a baseball buddy, too. So, if you really want me to, I'd be more than happy to tag along with you,” I tell her, causing her to bounce up and down on her toes and squeal with glee.

“You’re the best,” she cheers, pulling me in for a hug. “I promise you’ll catch the bug soon. I mean, you’re already sporting the team swag, so you’re off to a great start.”

“Just wanted to show my school pride,” I murmur, and Chantell rolls her eyes.

She pretends to cough while saying, “Yeah, school pride,” under her breath.

I shoot a glare her way, but she only smiles widely at me in return. My friend can be a total brat sometimes.

Aurora gives us both a funny look, but there is no way I’m giving her any details right now.

“I think Chantell is getting a cold, so we should probably get going,” I say in a sweet yet clipped voice, glaring at my friend one more time.

“Give me your number so I can give you the details of where we are sitting next game,” Aurora says, and I oblige quickly, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

“Let me know how much I owe you for the ticket,” I tell her as I grab Chantell’s hand, ready to make my escape.

“Don’t worry about it. We buy four tickets for each game so you can have Tara’s,” Aurora’s dad tells me with a wide, genuine smile.

Neither he nor his wife have looked at me oddly since they arrived, which isn’t something I’m used to from older people, but it’s a nice change.

I don’t want to be rude by refusing the offer, so I just thank him before pulling Chantell out of the stadium and waving at my new friend and her family as we leave.

“Why are you acting so weird?” Chantell asks as I rush her toward my car.

“That was Monster’s family,” I tell her, making her eyes go as wide as saucers.

“Oh shit. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have made that comment if I knew,” she assures me.

“It’s fine,” I reply because she had no way of knowing. Although Monster does look a lot like his father, but with his mother’s eyes.

“Did you actually want to sit with them for the games?” she questions. “I can cancel the D&D night and keep coming with you,” she offers, warming my heart with her kindness.

“No, you spend time with that gorgeous girl, and I’ll make do with the cards I’ve been dealt,” I tell her, loving the way her cheeks pinken at the mention of Tara.

“She really is gorgeous, isn’t she?” she asks dreamily.

“And secretly a nerd,” I add. “Exactly the kind of girl you’re looking for.” I waggle my brows to drive home my point.

Chantell gives me a playful shove, but it doesn’t erase the smile from her face.

“I’m probably not her type,” Chantell mumbles, and I roll my eyes.

“Bitch, are you blind?” I ask with a lifted brow, stomping my feet so I can put my hand on my hip for emphasis. “You’re fucking stunning, and she was totally checking you out back there.”

Her eyebrows fly up before she brings her thumb up to chew on the side of her nail. “Did she really?” she whispers, and I nod, reaching for her hand and giving it a quick squeeze. “You’re a fucking catch, and if both of us were straight, I’d insist you be mine,” I tell her, causing the corners of her lips to turn upward. “But unfortunately, that’s not what the universe had in mind. So, instead, you’re my best friend and sister by choice. I’m not saying you have to pursue things with Tara, but if you like her, you should take a chance. I highly doubt she’ll turn you down if you ask her out.”

“I wish I wasn’t so shy,” she responds on a sigh.

“You’re perfect just the way you are. And who knows, maybe Tara will take the lead and ask you out,” I add, seeing a glimmer of hope shining behind my bestie’s eyes.

I make a mental note to talk to Aurora about giving Tara a little bit of a shove in Chantell’s direction. Knowing my best friend, she’ll never make the first move, but Tara seems bold, and if she knows that Chantell is interested, I bet she’ll ask her out. My intuition doesn’t steer me wrong that often.

“Want to order pizza and watch a stupid movie?” I ask, still holding her hand as I start to walk again, pulling her along with me.

“That sounds amazing,” she replies with a toothy grin.

We swing our hands as we walk, and I chuckle because we look like a couple of schoolgirls.

It feels really nice to be free to be myself. When I’m not on campus, I still get nervous about being my true self because the world is filled with shitty people but at GSU, there’s this added level of comfort thanks to their zero tolerance for hate or bigotry.

Each and every day I’m more and more grateful that I chose to come to GSU. Not only am I free to be whoever I want to be here, but I’ve also met some amazing people who I know will be by my side for the rest of my life. Oh, and the sexy yet sweet giant who I’m now dating is just the cherry on top.