I smile back at him and capture his lips with mine, his tongue briefly brushes against mine while his thumb slides under my shorts, brushing in between my thighs before he sets me down and squeezes my butt hard.
“Well, right now I want a burger and cheese fries from the diner. I’m starving.”
Chapter Twenty-three
-March 23rd-
“Hey, Brice!”
I’m pulled from the athletic hallway at the sound of my name.
“I hope you don’t mind I still call you Brice? Come on in here, son.”
“Hey, Coach. What’s up? Have you heard anything?” I’m trying not to get worried but I haven’t heard anything yet. Other players are getting their offers and Presley won't pick a school until she knows where I’m going.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about it. Sit down.”
Taking a deep breath, I sit in the chair opposite Coach. This is gonna be bad. How is it possible I didn’t get accepted anywhere? I stupidly only applied to two schools; I was counting on baseball scholarships, and now I have nothing to fall back on.
Coach shuffles around a few papers on his desk and folds his hands looking intensely at me. “So, as you know, South Carolina has been here a couple of times looking at players and they like what they see in you. They are willing to give you a full-ride scholarship to play with them for the next two years and then, will extend the scholarship for an additional two years based on academics.”
I can breathe easier. “Hell, yes! Presley will be psyched. Thanks, Coach.” I move to get up, and he motions for me to stay seated.
“I’m not done. Ole Miss has seen your game tapes for the last three years, and they are also willing to give you a full scholarship for the next four years, contingent on academics.”
I can't believe what I’m hearing. Two schools, two offers. I know Presley has had her heart set on South Carolina, and I’m willing to give up Ole Miss for her.
“Before you go anywhere, there’s more.”
“More? Coach those were my two schools. I didn’t apply anywhere else. What else could there be?”
He takes a deep breath and settles in. The seriousness of what he’s about to tell me fills the air. “Son, this doesn’t happen every day, so I want you to think long and hard about this decision.”
He stops and I nod.
“The Texas Rangers are also interested in you. You would go to their minor league team in Arizona and play for them for a year, maybe longer, with the hopes of getting called up to the major league. You would have a salary and could be traded at any time to another team. Salaries aren’t much though, so you would need to find another job or go to school in your off time.”
“How much is it?” I ask hesitantly.
“$12,000 a year, give or take.”
Shit. There’s no way I could provide for myself and Presley, but the possibility of playing professional ball has always been a dream of mine. I knew the odds of ever getting this opportunity where slim, so I never even thought about it, but now it’s staring me in the face.
“Thank you, Coach. I’m definitely gonna need to talk everything over with my mom and see what Presley thinks as well.”
“I understand. I’ll be over in a couple of days to discuss everything again with both you and your mother. I will need to know your decision by the tenth to get the correct paperwork submitted and received for Commitment Day.
I nod as I stand from my chair, “Yes, sir. Thank you.”
Coach moves from behind his desk and pats my shoulder. “I’m proud of you, son.”
I walk out of Coach’s office, making my way to the choir wing to pick Presley up before going home. My mind is racing: professional ball. Wow. It isn’t until I realize I’ve passed the ranch driveway, when Presley pulls me back to the present.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
“I, um—I met with Coach today to go over my offers.”
“And?”
“And I’m still in shock. Full four-year ride to Ole Miss. A two-year ride to South Carolina with a possible two-year extension, and then…”
“Robert, that’s fantastic! But, why did you say and then; did you apply somewhere else?”
I shake my head no, “Pres, the Rangers want me to go to their minor team in Arizona and work my way up.”
She sits back in her seat, staring out the window. I can't tell if she’s mad or excited, and quite frankly, I’m not sure of my own emotions at the moment either. “You’ve never even mentioned doing something like this.”
“I didn’t think it was possible. The odds were so low, and honestly, who’s gonna pay attention to some senior from the middle of nowhere. Pres, I could potentially be playing major league ball in a couple of years.”
“What about school Robert? What happens if this doesn’t work out? What will you fall back on? I’m not trying to be a killjoy, and I’m incredibly happy and proud of you, I am, but the minors?”
I can see she’s a little shocked and scared, hell, so am I. We never planned for this and she absolutely has valid points. “I can take online classes and go to school in the off-season. It’s the minors, babe. And not that it makes a difference, but I would be getting paid; it’s not much, but it’s a start.”
I know she wants to tell me to pick one of the schools. She wants to take the safe route, I know she has a future in mind, one I very much want to make come true for her, this is a huge gamble, but it could very well be the best thing to ever happen to us.
“So, what do you want to do?” She’s putting this on me. She’s putting our future on me.
“Honestly I have no idea, but I have to let Coach know by the tenth.”
-March 25th-
Robert still hasn’t asked me to prom yet, and I honestly don’t expect him to. I think there’s probably some unwritten code when two people are already together, you automatically are each other’s dates. Between games, deciding what he’s going to do with his future, and the standard stresses of the last few months before graduation, I’d just be grateful to spend some time with him. We seem to be like ships passing in the night.
Liv has started giving me rides home after school; I’m officially over the bus scene and the obnoxiousness of freshman boys. They start the year decent enough, and then slowly begin to spiral downward until they reach the epitome of cockiness that surfaces shortly after Christmas break.
Liv turns down the radio, pulling me out of my daze. “So, has he asked you to prom yet?
I can’t help but laugh. “Liv, I highly doubt he will. We’re a couple, isn’t it just assumed we’ll go with each other?”
“Oh, hell, no! Trey and I are dating, but I made sure he knew he had to ask me to prom, or he would be going alone.”
I laugh again at the thought of their conversation. Trey’s a good guy, but Liv definitely wears the pants in their relationship.
“Well, have you decided where you’re going to school yet?” She looks between me and the road.
“Not yet. I’m kinda waiting to see what Robert decides. I wish he would hurry up though, acceptance deadlines are quickly approaching, and I need to turn in my notice if I’m going to accept my scholarships. Who knows, at this point, I may end up going to community college in Arizona somewhere.”