Full Count (The Catcher Series Book 1) by Bri Izzo

doing?” I question
him. “This is your party; you can ’t just leave. ”
                “You ’ re right; it is my party.
So I can do whatever the fuck I want. Now get in,” he insists as we approach
his Jeep in the street. He pays no consideration to the people on the driveway
trying to get his attention; he just starts the Jeep and takes off.
                Even with the windows open I can still smell the
scent of “new car.” While most people like that smell, I don ’ t
particularly care for it. I ’ d rather smell the memories I ’ ve made and the adventures I ’ ve been on in
my car. If I have anything to say about Skyler ’ s new car
smell, it won ’ t last for very long.
                “At least tell me where we ’ re
going,” I beg as he turns out of our neighborhood. He just got his license
yesterday, so I guess I ’ m his first official passenger
outside of his parents. At least I ’ m his first with
something.
                “Where ’ s the fun in that?” he
smirks.
                A few minutes later we pull up to the high school
baseball field, and he takes two gloves out of his backseat. Slightly confused,
I follow his lead onto the field. Handing over a glove and a softball to me,
Skyler enlightens me, “I want to catch you.”
                Catch me? I try really
hard not to smile at his comment because I ’ m sure he doesn ’ t mean it to be flirty, but I fail. It ’ s
not a full blown “I just won tickets to a Garth Brooks concert” smile, but he
definitely sees the crack before I turn away and walk out to the pitching
mound.
                “It ’ s your sweet sixteen
birthday party, and you want to catch me?” I question.
                “I ’ m not a fucking girl who
actually cares about my ‘sweet sixteen. ’ The party is more
of a kick off to summer,” he brushes the focus off him. I throw some warm up
pitches to him as we continue bantering about his birthday and me pitching.
Then he asks, “Are you ready?”
                Nodding, I take my place on the mound and focus on
his glove. After the first night where he blindfolded me and I didn ’ t hit him in the balls, Skyler always takes his normal catcher ’ s stance behind the plate. He never wears a cup even though I ’ m throwing a softball sixty-five miles an hour at him. I guess,
to an extent, he trusts me.
                “Why did you want to catch me tonight?” I rephrase my
question when he walks the ball back to me after I throw a dozen pitches to
him.
                “JT is a bad guy, and I don ’ t
want you with him, or with anyone else for that matter,” he tells me. What? Holy
shit my heart is pounding. Sighing, he closes his eyes for a few seconds before
quietly murmuring, “I need to ask you something, and I don ’ t
want you to be embarrassed… but was that your first kiss?” My heart feels like
it ’ s been dipped in ice cold water, and I can ’ t help but let out a mortified chuckle. I drop my head into my
open glove as I try to hide my tomato face. “Buzz, you don ’ t
have to be like that with me; I told you not to be embarrassed.”
                “I didn ’ t mean for that to be my
first kiss though!” I shriek until I hear my voice echoing in the distance. Can
this night get any worse? “I ’m gonna go, but I’ ll see
you next weekend at the lake,” I say in a quieter and calmer voice.
                “At least let me drive you home,” he offers.
                “It ’ s fine. I want to walk,” I
argue, shoving my glove back into his chest.
                “B, I ’ m sorry. I didn ’ t mean to upset you,” he apologizes, trying to keep up with my
quick steps heading back towards the parking lot.
                Taking a deep breath, I reply, “I ’ m
not upset. But your girlfriend might be when she realizes that