Third Strike Rule

I'm a Cool Dad

"Are you coming to the tailgate?" CJ asks and flops on Viviana's dorm room bed.

Viv looks up from her desk and the load of assignments she had been given for the weekend, "how did you get in here?"

CJ shrugs as he scrolls through his phone, "Naomi let me in."

"You better not be trying to get at her," Viv threatens. "She's my new beach volleyball partner and I think its going to work really well."

CJ looks up to roll his eyes, "anyway... are you going to the Bellinger tailgate or not?"

"No, I have a lot of assignments to catch up on and I'm really trying to get on PAC 12 All Academic this year," Viv admits.

"Are you serious I get a BYE week and mom isn't here to be fun killer..." CJ reminds his sister. "Hell no get up and shower or whatever you do before you go out."

"CJ, I really don't want to," Viv whines and spins a few circles in her desk chair.

CJ glares at his sister, "you just don't want to see Nolan."

"False-"

"True, and Bake is also coming so you better just toughen up," CJ tells her.

Viv stands, "I don't know why I chose biology as my major there is a lot of hard ass things to learn."

CJ rolls over so that he's hanging off her bed as if to stretch her back, "me either. Like you tried to fail before you even started... coulda been a business major like me."

Viv starts to search through her closet for something to wear, "I mean yeah I could have gained absolutely nothing from my college experience, but I decided to get a degree since I probably won't play pro for very long."

CJ sits up suddenly and marches across Viv's room to pick up a blue shirt from her floor, "ight last time I checked Nolan isn't on the Dodgers and Cody was number 35 so why is Cy's shirt on your floor?"

"He gave it to me after the World Series Game," Viv says with a shrug and then tenses up as she realizes that CJ was about to put the pieces together.

CJ frowns at the shirt then at Viv, "V, please tell me you didn't hookup with Cy..."

"No, I didn't and even if I did what does it matter?" Viv snaps at her brother.

CJ glares, "because its Cy and he's an asshole and I rather deal with Nolan if you're gonna be with any Bellinger."

"You have no room talk CJ, you fucked Lena and you know I hate her," Viv counters.

CJ lets out an annoyed sigh, "for the last time I did not hookup with Lena and why are you defending Cy anyway?"

Viv glares at her brother, "I'm not defending him and I have nothing to explain, but since you're so interested in my life I'll tell you. Cy saw me trying to get out of the Ravine after their series and I was fucked up so he took me home. I couldn't drive and it was easier just to go to his apartment. I slept in the bed he did not. End of story case closed. Now, can we go to this stupid tailgate?"

CJ nods, but doesn't believe Viv's story. He had been with her most of the last couple innings and she hadn't seem too fucked up. It wouldn't be the first time Viv had hidden the fact that she was plastered from their dad or the press, but something just wasn't adding up for him. Cy was never nice to Viv like that...

Viv and CJ get in CJ's Jeep and head to the Rose Bowl Stadium. CJ plays a song by Doja Cat, which causes Viv send a look her brother's way as he weaves in and out of the WeHo traffic.