In Love: Against All Odds

When the Game Gets Wild & So Do We

Can't Hold Us – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis 🏆🚀
"So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us!"

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The next day at the university was electric—and I mean, chaotic good kind of electric. The baseball game was all anyone could talk about. 

People were decked out in team colors, some with face paint smeared on their cheeks, others waving homemade signs that ranged from pure hype to absolute nonsense (someone had written 'Swing, Batter, Swing' in Comic Sans, and I wasn't sure if it was meant to be supportive or sarcastic).

 The entire stadium smelled like buttery popcorn and grilled hot dogs, and every now and then, a gust of warm windswept through, making the banners tied along the fences ripple. The metal bleachers were already heating up under the afternoon sun, but no one cared—there was too much excitement in the air. If you weren't talking about the game, you were basically irrelevant for the day.

By the time we rolled in, the place was already packed. The energy was unreal.

I rolled in with my chaotic yet lovable crew—Patrick, Adri, Brailey, Alista, Vinita, and the rest of the gang. Justin and Brailey were being peak couple goals, standing close and whispering to each other like they weren't surrounded by screaming college students. Dalia and George? Still adorable. Probably thinking of what their future kids' baseball team would look like.

And then there was Nash.

Patrick's bestest friend and the most unserious person alive. This man had already appointed himself the unofficial team coach and was loudly giving play-by-play commentary like ESPN had hired him.

And Olivia? Yeah, she was there too. Because of course, she was.

Brailey, who had painted actual stripes on her face, turned to the group, waving a little flag like her life depended on it.

"Are you guys ready for the most legendary game of the year?"

Justin gave her a look, smirking.

"Legendary? Babe, it's literally a college baseball game, not the World Series."

Brailey gasped dramatically and smacked his arm.

"Excuse me? First of all, shut up. Second of all, this is a big deal. You better not kill my vibe today, Justin."

I cracked up, leaning into Patrick as we found our seats. He casually draped an arm behind me, his fingers brushing my shoulder in a way that made my entire soul short-circuit.

"So, are you ready for this?" he asked, his voice low enough to make me forget how to function.

"I hope this game lives up to the ridiculous hype you've been giving it," I shot back, grinning.

"Oh, it will," he promised, flashing that stupidly attractive smirk of his.

Cue the first pitch—crack of the bat, the entire stadium roaring, and instant chaos.

Adri? Already at a level 1000. She had a homemade sign that was way too big for a college game, waving it so aggressively that I feared for my safety.

"Adri, please!" I yelled, laughing as she nearly smacked me in the face with it.

"I'm manifesting greatness!" she shot back.