The Boyfriend League by Rachel Hawthorne Page B

connected moment.
    â€œYou had some news to impart?” I asked Tiffany. “Because it sure sounded like it when you came crashing through the door.”
    â€œI don’t crash, but yeah, I have news. They’ve asked me to sing the national anthem at the July Fourth Rattler’s game. Can you believe it?”
    â€œMakes sense. You being Miss Teen Ragland and all.”
    â€œI’ve decided I’m going to do my own version.”
    I stared at her. “Your own version of what?”
    â€œThe national anthem. I’m going to sing it in a way that makes it bigger and grander than it is.”
    â€œI hate when people do that,” I said. “It makes it more about the person than the song. ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ should be sung the way Francis Scott Key wrote it.”
    â€œYou’re just saying that because you’re jealous they asked me instead of you to sing it.”
    â€œI can’t carry a tune to save my life. Why would I want them to ask me?”
    She looked at Jason. “Don’t you think she sounds jealous?”
    â€œDon’t put him in the middle of this,” I said.
    â€œWhatever. I have an appointment with my voice teacher, so she can help me develop my own style. Tell Mom I won’t be home for dinner.”
    She flounced—actually flounced—out of the room.
    I shook my head. I was not jealous, and I really didn’t like it when people thought they could improve the national anthem.
    I looked over at Jason. I was totally embarrassed that he’d witnessed my sister and me arguing. “Sorry about that,” I said. “I’m sort of a purist when it comes to certain things.”
    â€œI hear you. I was at a game once where theguy sang the last note for two minutes. I kid you not. I was really uncomfortable standing there wishing he’d just finish. Because it is our country’s song. And then I felt disrespectful, wanting it to end.” He shrugged, like he still felt uncomfortable that he’d ever had those thoughts.
    The washing machine shut off. Wow, we’d been talking through an entire wash cycle. How amazing was that?
    I didn’t need to see his individual pieces of laundry going into the dryer, so I picked up the laundry basket. “Guess I’d better get these folded.”
    â€œThanks for the help with the spin cycle,” he said.
    â€œYou’re welcome.”
    I headed out of the room thinking, Could we sound any more domesticated and boring?

Chapter 9
    â€œI so cannot believe we missed the opening pitch of the season,” Bird said as she tore open another package of wieners and dropped them into the steaming water. “I’ve never missed the opening pitch—not since the field was first built, not since the collegiate league came to town.”
    I poured more popcorn kernels into the popcorn machine. “This is only our fourth year having a collegiate team. So you’ve seen what? Three opening pitches?”
    â€œThe exact number isn’t the point. The tradition’s the point.”
    â€œI don’t know why you’re complaining. Brandon will probably play the whole game.” First basemen usually did. He and Bird hadtalked a couple of times following practices. She really liked him. “Jason is the starting pitcher. He may be off the mound by the time we get out there.”
    Although I wasn’t supposed to like Jason in the boyfriend kind of way, I was interested in seeing him pitch. And I couldn’t stop thinking about that moment in the laundry room when his lips had been so close to mine. What would it be like to kiss him?
    â€œMaybe we should have volunteered for the last shift,” Bird said, bringing me back from the heat of the almost-kiss to the heat inside the concession stand.
    â€œYou wanted to see the fireworks after the game.” Last shift did clean-up.
    â€œI love fireworks.”
    The fireworks were