Better Than The Movies

Chapter Seventeen

I haven't seen Jace in a few weeks. Baseball season started a week after my trip to the harbor and he's been extra busy. I still go to his house to tutor Jasmine and have unbelievably awkward run-ins with Jasper, it's just that Jace isn't here. He's either at practice or on a date with Marley (they've been on three so far.) I'm not complaining, I've been hanging out with Erika and Dylan on Saturday's even though being with them is like third-wheeling all over again. I've been begging Destiny to come with me, but all she does is hang out with Jasper. She claims that she can't miss her 'dick appointments' and I make a point of hanging up the phone whenever she calls it that.

It was a miracle that I convinced her to hang out with me today. Apparently, Jasper was busy today so she was stuck with me. I tried not to be offended at that, but I'm pretty sure it showed all over my face. The downside was that last week I promised Jace that I would go to one of his baseball games. He specifically wanted me to go to this one because it was against the rival school (whose name I forget about five seconds after he told me.)

Destiny was pissed at first because she didn't want to attend some boring game where she was going to be stuck in the heat with her ass sticking to a nasty metal bench. I agreed with her and wanted nothing more than to go to the mall, but I wasn't going to break my promise. She reluctantly went with me to the game, claiming she did it to hang out with her best friend, but I think she just didn't want to be alone.

"I can't believe you dragged me to this stupid game," Destiny whined for the millionth time

"Can you stop complaining?" These metal seats are beyond uncomfortable especially if you've been sitting here for two hours and the sun beaming in my face doesn't help either. "The games almost over, so we can go out and eat real food,"

I heard somebody say earlier that the bottom of the last inning just started. It's bases loaded and if the next person can hit a homer and get all our people in then he wins the game. I think, honestly, I stopped listening after they said last.

"Look, isn't that him!" I look over to see the person whose batting and surely enough it was number 13. Jace has to hit a homer whatever that means.

We watch closely as he gets a few bad pitches, but then just like lightning, he cracks the ball. It soars into the air and he is running like an Olympian around the bases. Nobody caught the ball and it laid alone in the grass until the person closest to him picked it up and threw it home where Jace was running too. The ball and Jace get there at the same time and the crowds who were once screaming my ear off are now dead silent.

"SAFE AND ELKRIDGE WINS!" The umpire yells and our side erupts in cheers once again. Destiny and I sighed, relieved that this was over.

"Looks like your boy, hit a home run!" Destiny yells over the cheering. I don't even know what that means, but it's good.

I stand up and cheer with the crowd. Jace catches my eye and he winks at me. I send him a smile which earns the glare of a random girl next to me. He chugs down some water and his teammates give him a slap on the back.

"That Kingston boy could go pro!" An older, overweight white man says to his wife.

"When did Jace get so hot?" The same girl who glared at me earlier whispered to her friend who started giggling. They look exactly how I imagined preppy white girls would look like. Scrunchies on their wrists and blonde hair framing both of their faces with a tan like it were the middle of July.

"Jasper's hotter." Her friend replies and the other one nods before they talk about some party that Jasper threw.

They talked about him like he was god on Earth, but the only thing Jasper's ever been was an asshole. And they spent so much time comparing the two like everything was a competition. Who's smarter? Who's more athletic? Who's better looking? Why don't they ask, who made sure their friend got home safe. Who listened to you when you rant about stupid Disney movies? Who lets you rest on their shoulder after you had a long day? Because it sure as hell wasn't Jasper.