Third Strike Rule

A Story of Siblings

It was relatively humid summer night for West Los Angeles and Nolan Bellinger wasn't sure if it was because it had been 103 degrees everyday for the past two weeks with absolutely no ocean breeze or because he was packed into a rank frat house with about 250 other UCLA students looking to black out before the fall semester started. He unbuttons another button on his vintage Dodgers jersey; he had stolen it from the massive stack his dad keeps in the house he grew up in, in Arizona. Nolan looks around the party and smiles to himself thinking about heading into his sophomore year at UCLA. If freshman year taught him anything it was how to run this campus and this party proves that.

Nolan thinks about his first End of Summer jersey part a year ago. A scrawny first year on the baseball team who knew no one, had never been to LA and had a girlfriend that he thought he'd be with forever. A year later he's here hosting the biggest party of the semester, a captain of the baseball team, starting short stop, runner up for NCAA baseball player of the year, projected number two draft pick from the MLB and of course the most sought after athlete on campus. Nolan was pretty sure all he had to do at this point was look at a girl, look down, bite his life and then look back up and that girl was going home with him.

He has decided this year is his year. Assuming it would be his last year before he joined his older brother, Cy in the pros he knew he had to go out with a bang. Being Cody Bellinger's son came with a lot of expectations, but luckily a lot of the attention had been on his older brother since Cy went to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round three years ago. 22 year old Cy Bellinger quickly became Rookie of the Year and a contender for NL MVP in his three years as pro. A lot of that was due to the amazing management skills of Dodgers manager: Christian Yelich.

The thing a lot of people don't know about Cy and Nolan Bellinger is that they reversed roles. Cy was never supposed to go to the pros as early as he did he was not physically or mentally ready, but after a few failed classes and failure to pass any and every entrance exam Cy was turned away from every university. His father being the baseball guru he is decided his oldest son should head to the pros ASAP and pulled a few strings for Cy to go to the reigning MLB Champions. Nolan on the other hand had both a high IQ and an even higher baseball IQ and was more than ready to head to the pros, but a small injury that turned into Tommy John surgery his senior year of high school sent him straight to the UCLA campus.

Cy stands next to his brother his jersey completely unbuttoned and a case of Natty Lights in one hand, an open beer in the other as he nods his head to the beat of the blaring music. Sweat beads on his brow as he looks around the college party. At 22 years old he should probably be in a club in downtown Los Angeles, but something drew him to these college parties. Maybe it was the attention from all the college broads who got too drunk and saw his pro status as a way to clout chase to the top or maybe it was because he really just liked to hang out with his little brother. Probably the former, but that's besides the point.

Nolan scans the party looking for his next girl to hook up with and unadd on Snapchat in less than 24 hours. The party is full of pretty thin blondes and beautiful brunettes of every shade, but one of the things Nolan had found out since moving to LA was that all the girls essentially looked and acted the same: superficial and at least 53% plastic... Maybe that's why he never dated anyone because no one ever stood out.

The tall 6'4" baseball player has to blink several times as he zeros in on a leggy, tan black haired goddess to make sure the dark house wasn't playing tricks on his vision. He watches as the 6 foot girl squeezes her way in the door and flicks her long sleek hair over her shoulder. There was something just pleasing about looking a this girl's symmetrical face. Dark brows, clears skin, small nose, big eyes and lips and very little makeup... She was absolutely stunning and not in the plastic surgery way more in the this girl is blessed. Her body matches her face. Long legs, thin but somehow looked strong and athletic.