Pitched by Ella Goode
Chapter Eleven
Colt
“You have something to tell me?”I glower at Dean. After a bad practice, Tommy asked if my head was screwed up because he saw Dean chatting up my girl. The rush of excitement at hearing GG referred to as my girl crashed into the instant rage at the thought of Dean, my own teammate, trying to make a move when I explicitly said she was off limits.
“No. Not really.” He gives me a cheeky smile and turns.
“Tommy says differently.”
Dean swings around to his left. “You’re such a low-faced snitch,” he cries, snapping his towel at Tommy’s back.
Tommy dashes out of the way. “I want to win and get my stripper prize. If Colt’s distracted we aren’t winning.”
A murmur of agreement ripples through the locker room. Sensing the team’s mood is shifting against him, Dean whines, “I was just messing around.”
“Do it again and I’ll rip your dick off and feed it into the meat grinder in the cafeteria. You can eat it with a side of potatoes.” I throw my shower supplies into my locker and get dressed.
“Dude, my dick? My dad’s not going to like that.”
“Your dad worships the ground I walk on because he thinks he’s going to be able to brag about having a major league player as his kid’s best friend.”
“Ah, bestie.” Dean throws his arm around my shoulder. “Let’s share. There’s no reason that one man should hog a girl all to himself. If she’s tasty, let’s all have a little bite.”
I swing around and pin my childhood friend to the locker, my forearm under his chin. His eyes bulge as his oxygen supply gets cut off. “Don’t ever say anything like that again. Better yet, don’t think about her. She does not exist for you from this moment forward. Got me?”
The locker room is dead silent as I walk out, but I got my message across. I check my phone and see my mom’s at work, thank fuck, but my brother has his location off. That irritates me, but I don’t want to fight with him over it.
Me:on my way home u have dinner yet
He textsme back right away, which I’m grateful for.
Him:No. eating at the mall w friends btw ur seeing someone?
I rub my forehead.We don’t have the money for him to be eating out, which he knows. I tap my thumbs against the screen before deciding to ignore it.
Me:no
Him: girls at the table next to me are saying u r
Me: they would be wrong
Him: says you made some girl cry
Me: I’ve never made any girl cry. Batters yes girls no
Him: Trixie? No Tricia
Me: Tricia? Why would she be crying over me
Him: U gave another girl a ride home u never do that so ur dating the other girl
Thyre here
Me: who?
Him: Tricia and ur gf
Me: I don’t have
I stop typing. Tricia and my girlfriend? The girl I gave a ride home to? GG? I erase my text and send a last one.
Me:I’m omw don’t let them leave
Him: ??
I sprintto my car and gun the engine, nearly hitting Hayes on my way out. He shouts some obscenity at me, but I ignore it and motor forward. The mall’s not that far away, so not ten minutes later, I’m at the edge of the food court scanning for my brother. I spot him and a table of four girls not too far away from him. They’re sort of eyeing each other surreptitiously, but GG is nowhere to be found.
I turn back toward the stores, but her white-blond hair is nowhere to be seen. Frustrated, I shove my hands into my jeans pockets and make my way to my brother.
“Wow, you were serious.” He moves over to make room for me. “You know Otis and Dave.” The two teens nod their heads nervously in my direction.
“C-can I have your autograph?” Dave stutters.
Otis does one better and whips off his shoe. “Sign this.”
Tuck drops his head to the table. Embarrassed but not wanting this to turn into some huge, loud production, I grab Tuck’s ball point and scrawl my name across the side wall of two tennis shoes. When I return the pen, I notice that there’s no food in front of Tuck. I send him a questioning look, and he returns a silent, we’re poor response in return. Feeling guilty, I pull out my wallet and slide him a twenty. “Get some dinner.”
“Really?” He hesitates even though he really wants to take the money.
“Yeah, really. Nice hanging with you guys. I’ve got homework.” I slap my brother on the back. I really do need to trust him more.
As I’m getting out of the chair, Tricia’s voice rings out. “Is that you, Colt?”
Slowly I spin around. Coming out of the hallway leading to the bathrooms is Tricia and GG.
“It’s me.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in the mall before.”
“Never had any reason to come.” My eyes fall on GG, who is more interested in the tile than my face. “You two eat?”
“Yeah, just did.”
“Great. Time for dessert.” I hand a big-eyed Tuck another twenty. “Go get some ice cream.”
“Yessir.” He gives me a mock salute. I shove him in the shoulder.
“My brother, Tuck,” I say and then nod toward the two other boys. “His friends Otis and Dave.”
Tricia tilts her head. “I haven’t seen you three around.”
Tuck clears his throat. “We’re freshmen.”
“That would explain it. I’m Tricia and this is GG. GG’s new here. She lives with her grandparents over on Madison.”
“I know.” I can’t keep my eyes off GG.
Tricia sighs. “I guess you do.”
“What kind of ice cream do you want?”
“I really don’t think—” GG starts to say.
“Buy the cupcakes. There are six to a box, which means we can all have one and you can take the extra home to your mom,” Tricia instructs.
“Why our mom?”
“You got to be nice to Momma, because if she ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy,” Tricia declares.
That was true, but GG doesn’t like the saying. Her nose wrinkles in distaste. I make a mental note that GG is not a mom lover. I’m right there with you, babe.
“Sit,” I tell them.
Tricia drops into the seat next to Tuck’s empty chair while GG stands in front of me, still looking all kinds of uncertain. I take her by the elbow and pull her gently toward an empty chair at the end of the four-top. She feels fragile and delicate and breakable. I pull out the chair, and she slowly descends, almost as if she thinks I’m going to pull it out from under her. Fierce protectiveness surges inside of me. I don’t ever want her to be afraid. Suddenly, that seems like my whole life’s goal.
