Research: Romance

take me out

Reader! Where the hell have you been, Loca? We're playing some baseball!

Because none of y'all would let me live it down, here is a little music for you to read the chapter to. I call 'em like I see 'em. ;)

-e.g.

p.s. Please believe me when I say, it is a total coincidence that I made Leah umpire. I am, apparently, so Twilight coded that it's bedded deep in my subconscious writing brain XD. I'd ask for forgiveness... but I feel no shame. 

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Okay... don't panic. I whisper to myself, taking my spot as umpire with a racing heart. No need to freak out. Just a friendly game of baseball.

While everyone else on AJ's team takes to the field, Robin crouches down beside me in the catcher position. Pulling the glove out of his back pocket he slides it on and gets ready. Our eyes meet, and he makes this face. The kind of face you make when you're equally evaluating and entertained by the person before you.

"What?" I mumble defensively.

Robin's eyes land on Jesse's hat. Then he holds my gaze directly and fights off a small smile, "I didn't say anything."

"It's not what you think." I squeak out before thinking, my cheeks still ablaze. "I mean. You just don't know, because-- Well there's nothing to know---He's an ass. So, just ignore him. Okay?"

Robin breaks eye contact, still wearing that indecipherable smile, "Fine."

I feel the heat in my face kick up a few more degrees and close my eyes to pray for strength. The urge to rip off Jesse's hat and kick it to the moon is strong, but what's done is done. If I take it off now Jesse will only come back over here and put it on me again. Which would cause a scene and another opportunity for him to do something even more embarrassing.

AJ catches my eye and beams at me conspiratorially, giving me a thumbs up as he takes the pitcher's mound. I brazenly flipped him off, which gratified my anxiety to a small degree. Mom, Rosie, and Jordan take the bases shouting at each other over what zones they'll cover. Then we start to warm up, the infield passing the ball around as AJ and Robin throw back and forth.

Behind Robin and me is Nora's team, consisting of Caragh, Cade, dad, Joey, and Jesse. They start to arrange who will bat first. Unsurprisingly, since it is Nora's team, she asks Jesse. He happily steps on deck, winking at me before practicing his swing.

There is no way I can take 9 innings of this. I turn my eyes back to the field and shake my head.

Sucking in a deep breath, and fully aware that I am stress sweating under all my layers, I try to cool myself down by fanning the collar of my hoodie back and forth. My mind spins. I could say I have a headache, or fake twist my ankle... or manipulate the weather with my mind and rain this place out.

The ball comes rocketing toward Robin, and he catches it in his glove with a solid thwack!  The noise pulls me from my head and back to the present. He tosses the ball back to AJ before crouching back down.

"I threw a drink in his face at a wedding once." I blurted, desperate for some form of communication to happen between us. "I hate him. Not in the love to hate him way either. I genuinely don't like him. So, really, there's nothing to say about it!"

Adjusting his feet, Robin catches the ball again before sending it back with a laugh, "Leah, you're the one who keeps bringing it up. I haven't said anything."

Yeah, that's the problem. Till now you haven't said anything!  It's been less than 24 hours since you nearly kissed me and all I've heard from you since then is pass me the stupid butter!