The Perfect Game

Jack left for Single-A ball a few days following the draft. Dean drove up north with him in his deathmobile, and then spent a few days there with him. It had been twenty-seven days since I last saw him, not that I was counting or anything.

He told me before he left that the minor leagues consisted of Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A, and then The Bigs, which was another word for the Big Leagues, the Majors, The Show. Although signed by the Diamondbacks, Jack would have to work his way up through a succession of teams that funneled players to the Diamondbacks, starting with Single-A.

The Diamondbacks’ Single-A team was in a small town in Northern California and even though Jack didn’t have to leave the state, he still had to leave where we lived in Southern California. The truth was that when it came to matters of the heart, distance was distance, no matter the number of miles. I was confused at first why he wasn’t going to Arizona, but after Jack explained to me how it all worked, it made sense that he would be going to Northern California instead.

It was hard having him gone. I’d become so used to Jack’s physical presence that his absence was unavoidably felt and missed on a daily basis. I was thankful for e-mail, Facebook, and our cell phones, but nothing replaced his actually being here. It was weird too, being the one left behind. Jack moved, his life now filled with new experiences, friends, teammates, and adventures. But I was still here, doing the same things I did before he left, seeing the same people, living pretty much the same life.

Yeah. It was definitely weird being the one left to live in the memories of what used to be. Fortunately for me, I kept myself busy with my new summer internship. I’d finally convinced my parents to let me bring my car to school for the summer, since I needed to drive to and from work five days a week. They agreed, but only with the understanding that once the fall semester started, my car had to return to its dust-collecting spot in the driveway.

Seriously? Who were these people claiming to be my parents? They felt like such strangers with whom I had absolutely nothing in common, least of all common sense.

My personal ringtone for Jack blared as I sat outside with my co-worker, Lesslie, watching the surfers during our lunch break. I fumbled through my purse looking for my phone, a smile plastered across my face. “Babe!” I shouted as soon as I answered.

“Kitten,” his voice purred in response. “I miss you so much. How’s the internship?”

“It’s so freaking cool. I love it. I’m learning so much.” Seagulls cawed in the background as I pressed the phone closer to my ear so I could hear Jack better.

“You’ll have to tell me all about it when you get up here.” Jack’s voice was upbeat, his excitement confusing me.

“When I get…what?”

“I wanna fly you up for the weekend.”

“Really?” I shot Lesslie a glance.

“Yes, really. I’m pitching on Saturday night and I want you to meet the guys. And I fucking miss you like crazy.”

“I miss you too.”

“Check with your boss to see if you can take Friday off. E-mail me and let me know what he says, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll ask as soon as I get back from lunch,” I responded, suddenly not hungry anymore.

“Maybe you oughta remind him that your boyfriend has a bit of a temper, so he probably shouldn’t tell you no,” he teased with a laugh.

“Oh yeah, I’ll definitely make sure to threaten him. That stuff usually works on normal, sane people.” I rolled my eyes, safe in the knowledge that he couldn’t see me.

He laughed and I pictured his face in my mind. “Seriously though, if he says no, I’ll fly you out after work on Friday night or first thing Saturday morning, okay?”

“Okay! Oh my gosh, I’m so excited! Thanks, babe.”

“Me too. Talk later, love you.” I could hear Jack’s smile in his voice as he said good-bye. I smiled back and dropped my hand holding the phone, before tilting my head toward Lesslie.

“Was that your superstar boyfriend?” she asked with a grin, her straight brown hair blowing in the breeze.

“Uh-huh,” I responded, my mind a million miles away as I thought about what to pack for the weekend.

“So what are you asking about after lunch?” She elbowed my arm.

“If I can take Friday off or not. He wants to fly me up there for the weekend.”

“Oh, Tom’s not going to care. Offer to work a half day, and he’ll tell you to take the whole thing off.”

“Really?”

“Really. Don’t even stress about it,” she said and I exhaled with relief. “That’s sweet of your boyfriend to fly you up. Most guys probably wouldn’t want their girlfriends around, let alone pay to bring them there.”

I stiffened. “Why would you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just that I know that scene. And there are a lot of girls waiting in the wings to get in on that action,” she said with a crooked smile.

“The groupies.” I nodded my understanding.

“Yeah.” She nodded back, frowning her disapproval.

“I know. I’ve already dealt with my fair share of them at school. They’re pretty brutal.” I winced at the memory.

“And those girls are nothing compared to the ones who chase after the professional ball players. Consider the girls in college amateurs and strap your big girl pants on, ’cause you ain’t seen nothing yet.” She gave my shoulder a friendly squeeze.

“How do you know all this?” I asked, my thoughts drifting.

“I used to photograph a minor league team in town. I saw a lot of things I wish I could un-see.” She laughed with a shudder. “I’m just saying be careful. I’m sure your boyfriend’s a stand-up guy and all, it’s just those girls definitely aren’t.”

“And you definitely haven’t met my boyfriend or you wouldn’t describe him as a stand-up guy,” I joked with a snicker, doing my best to change the subject.

“Well, you have the right attitude. I’m sure you two will be fine.”

“I’m not really worried about it,” I lied.

“We should head back in.” She stood before reaching out her hand to help me up.

*****

I headed down the escalator in the airport and saw Jack standing there holding a sign that read: Anyone seen my Kitten?

I laughed so loud when I read it, I scared the poor guy in front of me. “I’m sorry,” I whispered to the irritated stranger before quickly covering my mouth with my hand. I stepped off the moving stairs and ran into Jack’s waiting arms.

I knew that I missed him, but being in his arms reminded me just how much. He tilted my chin and leaned down to kiss me. “I’ve missed you,” he said with another kiss, his lips brushing against my ear.

“Me too.” I wrapped my arms around his body and squeezed, the sound of suitcases rolling past us.

“Do you like my sign?”

My body let out a loud, quick ha that could wake up an entire building. “It’s adorable. And hilarious,” I answered, trying not to laugh but failing miserably.

He reached down, grabbing my carry-on bag with one arm and swinging it behind his shoulder. “Do you have a suitcase?”

“Just this.” I smiled, pointing at the bag he carried.

“Really? You’re my dream girl.” He tossed his free arm around my shoulders and led me out of the airport.

I shivered when the cool morning air hit my body as we exited. “Holy shit, it’s cold up here.”

“Yeah. The weather’s a little different than back home.” He lifted an eyebrow as he led me across the street toward the first row of cars.

I scanned the area looking for the familiar white death trap when he clicked the unlock button on an unfamiliar black Acura. I stopped walking and tilted my head back. “Whose car?”

“My roommate, Tyler’s. He let me borrow it since I’d knew you’d freeze in mine.”

“Thanks,” I said, moving into the chilly leather seat.

Jack slid his muscular frame into the car and turned to look at me. His face twisted into a sexy smile, his dimples appearing. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

I felt my cheeks warm with his words. “Me too. Thank you so much for flying me.”

“Gotta see my girl!” he said with enthusiasm before the engine purred to life.

“So tell me about your new roommates and your place and stuff,” I asked, even though he’d told me a lot of those things before.

“Well, you know we have a house that we rented. We each have our own room. The guys are Tyler, Nick, and Spencer. Tyler’s girlfriend Amanda’s in town too. You’ll like her, she’s cool. And you girls can go to the games together and stuff, so that worked out.”

“What worked out?” I asked, wanting clarification.

He glanced at me before looking back at the road. “Well, I was sort of going crazy before I knew that Amanda would be here. I didn’t want you going to the field by yourself. I’m not sure if you know this or not, but I really fucking hate leaving you alone. Especially after what happened.” His tone tightened with irritation.

“Jack.” I sympathized as I flashed back to the night of the beating.

“I know I have issues. But I can’t let something happen to you again.” He exhaled through his nose. “So I was happy when Tyler told me that Amanda would be in town. Now you don’t have to be alone.”

I smiled and rested my hand on his thigh. “Sounds good.”

Jack pulled the car into the driveway of a gorgeous two-story house. “Jack, this house looks brand new!”

“I told you it’s only a few years old. The guy who owns it has like twelve properties or something. Wait ’til you see the backyard.” His eyebrows lifted as he smirked.

“I’ve seen the backyard.” I hinted at the many cell phone pictures he’d sent me.

“Well, wait ’til you see it in person.”

I walked on the cobblestone pathway to the oversized front door and headed inside, where music blared in an empty room. “Jesus. Sorry, Kitten, I’ll turn it down.” Jack ran to the stereo and flipped the switch off.

“Hey!” A rowdy voice yelled from a distance and I peered around the wall into the perfectly manicured backyard. Green trees, bushes, and plants surrounded the back side of the pool, making it appear lush and tropical. Earth-colored stones and matching boulders accented the area, bringing out the blue of the water.

One of Jack’s roommates sat floating on a neon pink raft as another tumbled down the built-in slide. “Wow, you were right. It’s much better in person.”

“And you can’t even see the hot tub from there,” he whispered before running up the stairs. “Come on, Kitten.”

I followed Jack up before colliding with a girl I assumed was Tyler’s girlfriend Amanda, knocking her twisted hair loose. I watched as the light brown strands fell from the once messy bun, into just…a mess. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?” I asked as I helped her up.

“Yeah. You must be Cassie? I’m Amanda,” she said, grabbing and twisting her hair back into place.

“Nice to meet you.” I smiled, my tone cordial.

“You too. Okay, I really have to go before I pee my pants.” She laughed, ran into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut.

*****

The thought of going to my first professional baseball game alone didn’t really appeal to me, so I was thankful Amanda was in town. We arrived at the field, parked, and headed toward the Will Call ticket booth. I gripped my camera tightly as we walked to our seats next to the visitors’ dugout.

The stadium was much larger than the one at Fullton State, but the crowd was similar. There were a lot of families with kids and a ton of girls. When our team was announced, the crowd went wild. And when they broadcasted Tyler’s name, groups of girls screamed and some stood up, showing their jerseys with his number on the back.

It was nothing I hadn’t seen or heard before. I glanced at Amanda, noting the discomfort on her face as she fidgeted in her seat.

“You okay?” I asked, nudging her arm.

Her hazel eyes glanced around the stadium before returning to mine. “There’s a lot of fan-girls here.” I nodded. “I’m not really used to this,” she admitted as she crossed her legs.

“Which part?” I asked, finding it hard to imagine that this scene was completely new to her.

“The girls, mostly. The crazy screaming like that for Tyler. The jerseys with his number. I hate it.”

“Really? It wasn’t like that for him in college?”

She shook her head. “Not even close. Was it like that for Jack?”

“Oh yeah.” I chuckled.

“Wow. You’re much braver than I am.” She swallowed.

“What do you mean?”

“I was just talking to Tyler about this last night. I think it takes a certain kind of person to date a professional athlete. I don’t think just any girl could do it.” She paused, glancing toward the field. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for it.”

“Don’t say that,” I reassured her as I put my arm around her shoulder. “You can do it. You love Tyler, right?”

“Of course, but it’s not about that.”

“Yes it is. It’s about exactly that.” I smiled at Amanda and she gave me an obviously forced smile in return. “He doesn’t want these other girls. He wants you. You have to remember that.”

She nodded, pressing her shoulder into mine. “You’re right. Thanks.”

The game wasn’t nearly as entertaining when Jack wasn’t pitching, but it did give me time to photograph other players and things. I took a lot of pictures of Jack’s roommates, knowing full well how much the guys tend to enjoy photos of themselves playing. I even snuck in a couple of Amanda on my way back from the bathroom. Her fingers were intertwined and twisted in a weird way as she pressed them against her lips, staring intently toward the field. I framed her fingers and her mouth in one shot, the focus of her eyes in another, and then her whole body language in a third. She looked so uncomfortable and unhappy.

When the game ended, Amanda and I walked down a ramp that led us underground toward the locker room. The walls were cement and kept the air chilled in the breezeway where we stood, waiting for our boyfriends to emerge. I glanced at the others waiting—some younger girls like myself and other folks a bit older that I assumed were parents—and resisted the urge to walk over and introduce myself. I wasn’t sure why, but instead of being friendly, I stood with my arms crossed over my body. The steel gray door flung open with a bang as Jack walked out grinning.

I smiled at the sight of him, his chocolate-brown eyes holding my gaze. He kissed my cheek and grabbed my hand. “Tyler’s almost done. We’ll see you at home, ’K?” he informed Amanda, leading me away from her.

We walked hand in hand down a long cement corridor before Jack pushed against the metal release bar of the outer door. Once outside, we found ourselves surrounded by squealing girls. They stared at Jack, then at me, then back to Jack. A few asked for his autograph, while others asked for something else entirely. This is exactly what Lesslie from work had warned me about.

“Hey, Jack, call me,” a blonde-haired floozy said, shoving a piece of paper into Jack’s free hand.

I snarled, offended at this girl’s incredible behavior. “Really?” I said to her bitterly.

“What?”

“I’m standing right here,” I bit back, my jaw clenching.

“Well, I’m sure you won’t always be standing right there.” She smirked and Jack gripped my hand, knowing I was about to lose it.

“You disrespectful little—” I started to shout, trying to wrench my hand free as Jack’s grip tightened and interrupted me.

“Cassie, don’t.” Jack shook his head and swallowed hard before turning toward the blonde. “You dropped this,” he said, crumbling her number up into a little ball before flicking it past her.

I choked back a laugh as he pulled me toward his car. There were scraps of paper scattered on the front seat and envelopes under his windshield wipers. “What is all this?” I asked, reaching for the papers.

“Phone numbers, mostly. Some pictures too.”

“Seriously?” My eyes widened as I leaned into the seat.

He scooped up the loose papers, grabbed the envelopes from under the wipers, and placed them all in a stack on his lap. He turned the key and the engine roared its familiar sound. We drove a few feet before he hopped out and tossed the stack of papers into a blue garbage bin.

“Does this happen every night?” The surprise in my voice still lingered.

“Pretty much.” He leaned his head toward my face before reaching across the seat and pulling my mouth to his.

We drove the short distance from the stadium to his house and Jack hopped out before opening my door for me. “I don’t want to socialize tonight, okay? I just want to go straight upstairs.”

“Jack, jeez.” I smacked his arm.

“No, I don’t mean because of that. I just want to spend time alone with you. I hate not seeing you every day.”

“Me too,” I admitted, partially relieved.

The noise of the housemates filtered through the front door and they erupted in cheers as we walked through. “Hey, guys. Sorry, we’re going to hit the sack,” Jack informed them with a wink.

“No, don’t go to bed yet! Come on, Jack,” Nick shouted before he chugged a beer.

“We’ll see you ladies tomorrow.” Jack laughed and slung an arm over my shoulders.

“Goodnight, you guys,” I said with a shrug before heading up the carpeted stairs.

We shared the same space in the bathroom as we got ready for bed. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and quickly changed into a tank top and boxer shorts as Jack stripped down before hopping into the shower.

“I’m gonna go get in bed, okay?” I called out into the steam-filled air.

“I’ll just be a minute,” he responded, his wet face peering from around the white shower curtain. “Come here.”

I narrowed my eyes at him before leaning toward him. “What do you want?”

“A kiss.” He puckered his lips together, beads of water falling from them as I leaned in, pressing my mouth to his.

“Ugh, you’re all wet.” I pulled away, wiping the water from my lips.

“See you in a minute.” He disappeared behind the curtain.

I shut the door to Jack’s room and hopped into bed, noticing the framed picture of the two of us from the day he got drafted sitting on his nightstand. I reached for it, running my fingers across the glass as he walked in.

“I love this picture.” I smiled up at him before placing the picture frame back on his nightstand.

“Me too. It’s one of my favorites,” he admitted, his voice sincere.

“I had an interesting talk with Amanda tonight,” I noted as he slid his well-defined body into bed next to me.

“Yeah? What about?” He threw his arm around me and pulled my head against his chest.

“She just said she thinks it takes a certain kind of girl to date you guys. And she wasn’t sure if she could handle it.”

“Really? Well that would suck for Tyler, but she’s not wrong.”

The muscles in his abs tightened as he twisted down to look at me. I pushed my body up and sat, angled toward him. “How so?”

“It takes a certain kind of girl to date any athlete,” he started to say. “Most girls can’t handle the stress of it. It’s hard to deal with other girls throwing themselves at your man constantly. But you’re already used to that.” He winked and I smacked his shoulder, rolling my eyes.

“Kitten.” He pointed at me, his voice rumbling before he continued. “And a lot of girls can’t handle the amount of travel we have to do. We’re gone a lot and even when we’re home, we’re not really home. Baseball is our job so it’s our number one priority. It has to be or we’ll get cut from the team for someone younger, faster, or better than we are. The amount of dedication it takes is more than most girls can handle.”

“I’ve never even thought about it like that before,” I admitted, my eyes drifting past his face, landing on the earthy tone of his wall.

“Because you can handle it,” he stated with confidence.

I tilted my head. “You’re that sure, huh?”

Jack frowned. “Aren’t you?”

“I don’t know. Tonight was sort of crazy with all the phone numbers and the girls waiting outside for you and stuff…” My voice trailed off as he reached for my chin, tilting my face up.

“I know it’s not easy, but please remember that I’ve been dealing with this craziness for a long time now. It’s not new to me like it is with some of the other guys. They have fucking stars in their eyes when they walk out those stadium doors at night.”

“And what about you?”

He huffed out a breath, as if surprised at my question. “Honestly? All I’m thinking about when I walk out those doors at night is how long it’s gonna take me to get home so I can call my girl.”

“Uh-uh.” I shook my head and tried to hide a smile.

“It’s true.” He bent forward to kiss the side of my head before leaning back into his pillow.

“You’re not even tempted? At all? Some of those girls are really pretty.” I hated like hell to admit that, knowing that Jack could hear the disbelief in my voice.

“Why would I be tempted by any of those girls when I have you?” He grinned before his expression fell flat. “What I should be worried about is someone stealing you away while I’m out of the picture.”

“Oh please, like anyone will even come near me. They know better, Jack. You trained every male on campus well.”

He let out a loud hoot before smacking his palm against the bed. “That’s fucking awesome.”

“I’m glad you’re so pleased with yourself.”

“Do you know how shitty it would be if I had to worry about that kind of stuff? I want to go out of my mind right now just thinking about it.”

I placed my hand on his thigh. “Then don’t. There’s no point.”

“We’re good, right? Me and you?” His voice faltered slightly and I noticed the clouds forming in his eyes.

“I love you.” I longed to reassure whatever unpleasant thoughts were creeping into his mind.

“And you’re happy?” His eyes tensed.

“Extremely.” I smiled at him.

He exhaled. “You’re my game changer, you know that?”

“Game changer?” I shook my head, unsure of his meaning.

“The one girl who changes everything. The one you’d give it all up for.” He brushed his thumb down my cheek.

“I don’t want you to give anything up.”

“I know that. But here’s the thing about baseball, Kitten. There’s an expiration date for every single one of us who plays and we all know it. Eventually my baseball career will come to an end, and I can live with that. But I can’t live without you.”

I blinked back the tears forming in my eyes as I leaned into his chest, his warm arms wrapping around me. “The only time I feel safe is when I’m with you,” I admitted.

“Because you know I’ll kill anyone who hurts you. Because I’m a superhero,” he said seriously, his fingers twisting locks of my hair.

“You’re something, alright.” I laughed into his bare chest, my eyes closing.

“I’m your something…” His voice trailed off into a whisper as I drifted off.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of Jack’s alarm beeping relentlessly. I shook Jack’s shoulder and he grumbled before flipping over.

“Jack, get up. Turn it off,” I whined.

He rubbed his eyes before slamming his palm down on top of the clock radio. “I don’t want to get up. I need sleep.”

“You get to pitch today,” I reminded him, my voice groggy.

“I get to sleep today.” He laughed before grabbing me in his arms and squeezing.

“You’re going to kill me,” I choked out sarcastically. “I’m dying. I can’t breathe. Hello? Earth to Jack?”

“Clearly you’re not dying if you’re still flapping your gums.” I wanted to smack him, his grin was so wicked.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

*****

The rest of our weekend together consisted of two more baseball games, floating around the pool, and the constant reminder of how much we enjoyed being together. Jack’s pitching was amazing during his outing on Saturday, which prompted rumors to spread that he’d get moved up to Double-A soon. Which was fast, even by baseball standards.

When he dropped me off at the airport on Sunday evening, I cried. It was like saying good-bye to him for the first time all over again. Seeing him made it harder to be away, which was sort of fucked up, if you asked me.

“I hate saying good-bye to you. It sucks.” I buried my face against his shoulder.

“I know. Me too.” He kissed the top of my head as his fingers caressed my back.

I pushed myself away from the protection of his arms. “I’ll call you as soon as I land, okay?”

“You better,” he teased before cupping my face in his hands. “I love you.” His mouth pressed against mine as his tongue swept across my lips.

“I love you too,” I said, pulling away from him.

I shut the car door before walking through the sliding glass doors of the airport entrance. I headed toward the security checkpoint, thankful that it wasn’t crowded. Once my bag and my body were cleared, I found my gate and plopped into an empty chair, the weekend’s activities catching up to me. I yawned as my cell phone rang with Jack’s song.

“What’s up, babe?”

“Cassie,” he shouted, the wind whipping through the air, forcing the reception to crackle. “Can you hear me?”

“Sort of. Are you okay?” I grabbed my bag and looked for a more private setting.

“I just got off the phone with Coach. They’re pulling me up to Double-A. I leave for Alabama in two days!”

“Oh my God, babe, that’s amazing! Congratulations. I’ve always wanted to see Alabama,” I added, so happy for my guy.

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“In that case, I can’t wait to fly you out.” He laughed. “I’ve gotta call Dean and Gran. I just wanted to tell you first.”

“I’m so glad you did. Congratulations again, babe. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Kitten. Love you. Call me when you land.” He hung up and I couldn’t stop my face from grinning.