COLBY

If I could wish for one thing right now, it would be that I wish I weren't a part of a team. Being a team fucking sucks. Especially this team. You know why? Because we do everything as a team. If one person doesn't show up for practice, we all pay for it.

I'm about to hurl my breakfast up as I pant at the outfield post, trying to catch my breath. We have run the posts back and forth five times now.

We hadn't even started practice.

Crawford had shown up ten minutes late. He wasn't the latest one to arrive either. My shitty teammates are still showing up as we speak. I can see one of Jagger's roommates walking through the trees, heading toward the field.

I would probably be showing up right now if Jayden hadn't woken me up. God, I was pissed. I could still be lying naked in my bed with Olivia. I guess she did also have practice. It worked out in the end.

"Alright, boys. Bring it in," Coach yells for us to gather around so he can preach to us for disobeying him once again. I squat on the ground, still trying to gather my breath for what's to come.

Coach laughs as he stares at us. "I don't know why y'all always fucking do this. You know better. You know I'm right. You're all fucking stupid." He's not wrong. "I get that you like to relax on the weekends, and I'm all about it. All I asked for was one day. You could have gotten fucked up Friday night. Not last night." He flicks his hand at us and turns away, "Tell whoever didn't show up they have graveyard shift tonight."

I slump to the ground, laying my back on the wet grass. It could have gone a lot worse.

The graveyard shift, as coach calls it, is the fucking worst. He makes his victim stay on the field from sundown to sunrise, not caring about the weather or if someone has homework or a test to study for. Since they fucked up, they have to prove their worthiness of being on the team. I've been lucky enough only to endure the graveyard shift twice since I've been here. And both times were because of partying and missing practice.

I stretch my legs for a moment before getting up and walking to the bullpen to get ready to throw. We don't start the season till spring, but we have scrimmages starting soon. It will be hell. It's when the long, tortuous hours of baseball begin. At least I only pitch once a series.

"A little birdy told me you and your enemy were caught at the ball with your tongues down each other's throats," a voice behind me taunts.

I roll my eyes before turning towards him, glove in hand, "Good morning, Jagger. It's nice to see you too."

He smirked, taking in my appearance. "How many times?"

I snort, "More than you could ever endure."

"Lexi was texting me last night. Sophie is so fucking pissed."

I shrug, "So? I don't get why she's so mad. We weren't together. I made it clear that we were just friends."

"I think she was more mad that you ditched her, not about you and Olivia."

Yeah. I would be mad, too. "She wasn't even talking to me. She just used me as arm candy and then went to see her friends. We honestly have nothing to talk about except how excited she is for softball season. It's annoying."

"Lexi made it sound like she was in love with you."

I freeze. Are you serious? Can I not talk to one woman on this campus without them falling for me? That sounds cocky, but Christ! These women.

That's why I like Olivia. She tried her damn hardest not to like me. But what's there not to like?

"I feel bad that I ditched her, but I was going to puke after I saw Miller kiss Olivia. And then she followed me out there, and I'm sure you know the rest."

"Yes, where you two skipped into the night like a damn romance movie. But shit, I didn't know the tea about Miller. The spies were not watching closely enough, obviously."

"Whatever, Jagger. Don't you need to go to the cages or something?"

He flicks the hat off my head, tossing it into the grass. He turns away and yells to whoever is near the field, "Jonesy's whipped!"

I hear a few of the guys laugh as I scowl to pick up my hat. "I bet you lick in between her toes, too," Crawford laughs beside me.

I push him, letting him stumble across the dirt mound. "Fucker. I know Sadie probably shoves a dildo up your ass every night."

"Alright, that's enough talk about Jonesy's girlfriend, though I would like to meet whoever has got you so worked up. Get on the mound and throw," our pitching coach, Ewald, steps inside the bullpen, interrupting us.

I roll my eyes and shove my foot into the dirt to get a sturdy grip before throwing a fastball to the catcher.

"Ewald, have you heard about the play Jonesy is starring in this semester?" Jayden's fat mouth says.

I grit my teeth, trying to ignore my irritating teammates, whom I call my best friends.

Ewald throws back a laugh as the catcher, Willy, throws the ball back. I catch it with ease, still trying to ignore them. "No shit? What play?"

I take a deep breath before sending Willy a slider. I almost lose my balance from my throw.

"Romeo and Juliet," Jayden says in a British accent.

"Romeo, Romeo, let down your hair," Crawford begs.

"That's Rapunzel, fucker," I growl, looking towards the two of them on the bench as they torment me. Bryce sits on the other end of the bench, horribly hungover. He does not look good.

I'm used to the shit talk. It helps my focus during a game. Some fans come from the other team who shit-talk you from the stands. It doesn't help that baseball games are typically quiet. So the shit talk is a part of practice, but I am having a hard time not being able to ignore it today.

"And is the girl who is playing Juliet the woman he's in love with?" Ewald asks innocently as I throw my pitch into the dirt and stumble on the mound. That fucker.

Love. I've never thought about that word regarding someone outside my family. I mean, I love my best friends, but that is a friendly love. Actual love reminds me of a commitment to someone else. I've never done that before.

I don't know anything about it.

"Yes," Crawford and Jayden answer simultaneously. I am fuming. They could talk about anything—any other girl.

"Jones, focus. Don't listen to us," Ewald corrects me before turning back to my backstabbing friends.

I take a deep breath and shake loose on the mound. I glance towards my roommates, "I am going to take a shit in both of your beds when I get back home."

Jayden snorts, "Fine. I hardly sleep there anyway. Addie's bed is way more comfortable."

"Same. I'll stay at Sadie's," Crawford adds.

I send another fastball to Willy, watching the ball fly to him as a blur. "Fuck Jones," Willy curses, "Try not to break my hand, will you?" I hadn't realized I threw it that hard.

"So all of you somehow found some poor girl to be your girlfriend?" Ewald asks

I throw another breaking ball with less force.

"Jonesy hasn't asked her officially, but they're together. And my girlfriend is his girl's best friend. Basically had a two-man going on."

"I can speak for myself, you know," I bite to Crawford.

"Yeah, how about we finish the rest of your throws silently? I'm sick of talking about you," Ewald says, snacking my ass with his clipboard.

And so we do. I finally calmed down when no one mentioned Olivia for the rest of the practice. It's only me who has her name on the tip of my tongue.

-

"Colby, if you try to kiss me one more time, I'm going to send you home," Olivia snaps at me.

We are currently working on running lines for the play. I'm getting bored with this. I need it over with. I don't want to spend less time with Olivia; I'm just tired of being Romeo and speaking like an idiot.

"Baby, I'm just trying to practice our on-stage kiss."

"If you are going to turn the stage into the porno, I'm going to find another partner."

"I just want it to be perfect," I tell her, placing my hand on her upper thigh.

"I think we have perfected it already," she says, grabbing one of my fingers and pulling my hand off her thigh.

I groan and fall backward on her bed, letting my head hit the pillows, "I'm so bored with this. I'm sick of reading lines."

"I feel like no matter how many times we go over the lines, I still know nothing. I don't understand how people do this for a living." She falls back on the bed next to me, turning towards me.

"I guess we should use these next two weeks smartly, then." My hand caresses her cheek, desperately wanting to kiss her again.

She stares at me, "When are you going to take me on a date?" She blurts out.

The ends of my lips curve, "I was thinking I would take you to a restaurant and then maybe bowling or something." The truth is, I've never been on a date. I've never taken a girl out to dinner. I don't know what I'm doing.

She smiles and scoots closer, "Who knew you were such a romantic?"

My hands reach out for her waist, pulling her closer, "The right girl will do that to you."

I don't dare try and kiss her after she yelled at me not even five minutes ago. She taunts me as her eyes flick down to my lips. My tongue darts out to wet my lips as we begin our staring contest to see who will break first. It won't be me.

I run my hands down the sides of her body, feeling every inch of her curves. Olivia closes her eyes in pleasure. She was so small. My hands practically wrapped around her body. I hook my hand over the back of her thigh and pull her leg over mine so we are intertwined.

She opens her eyes, seeing the little distance between us now, "You're evil."

I smirked. "You just yelled at me not to try to kiss you again. Im only listening to your orders. You didn't say I couldn't touch you."

"Since when have you listened to anything someone tells you?"

True. "Since you threatened to send me home. I just can't keep my hands off you."

She snorts, "Kiss me."

"No. This could be a trap."

She grabs my shoulder and yanks me forward so our lips touch, "Shut up," she says before pressing her lips to mine.