“He’s been cheating on you all summer, Beth. With every chick who’s willing.”
Cayden reached across the car and punched me in the arm. “Dude,” he started to say, but I fought back.
“What? It’s the truth.”
“But it’s not our story to tell, man. Beth, you can’t ask us anything else. You’re putting us in a really bad position.”
“I won’t. Thank you, Chance …” Beth paused before adding, “For telling me.”
We arrived at the airport, and Beth got out of the car with her small duffel bag.
She leaned in the passenger window. “Thanks for the ride. Tell Tanner I hope he breaks his arm.”
Cayden and I both laughed uncomfortably. We never wished broken bones on people. It was bad luck.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” I realized that it was already late, and we were leaving her alone to fend for herself in a strange airport.
She wiped at her face and sucked in a deep, loud breath. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for getting me here,” she said before turning and disappearing inside the terminal.
“Dude,” Cayden said again as he pulled away. “You know that Tanner’s going to find out you told her, and it’s going to come back on you. And not in a good way,” he warned.
I shrugged, not really feeling all that concerned. I figured that I could deal with a pissed off Tanner. “But I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You told his girl the truth. It wasn’t your place. We don’t get involved in our teammates’ shit, man. Come on. You gotta know that.”
I stopped recanting the memory and looked at Danika’s face. She didn’t look pleased.
“Are you mad?”
“All I’ve learned is that you told some perfect stranger the truth about her cheating boyfriend, but you wouldn’t tell me.”
“I’m not finished.”
“Then, finish.”
Who knew that doing the right thing could have such bullshit consequences? To say I’d learned my lesson was a massive understatement. Half of the team refused to talk to me after that night, let alone make eye contact with me. If they had the option to choose their catcher, they chose to work with anyone other than me. They no longer trusted me off the field, and that spilled onto it as well.
I’d never been in trouble on a team before. Then again, I’d never thrown one of my teammates under the bus before.
Coach pulled me aside before warm-ups one afternoon. “What the hell did you do to my team, Carter?”
“Coach?” I looked at him questioningly and tried to play dumb.
“My team? They’re all pissed at you. Act like you have the fucking plague. What the hell did you do?” His accent grew stronger with each question he asked.
I sucked in a breath before admitting, “Ratted out Tanner to his girl, sir.”
Coach let out a sound that was more like a holler than a laugh. “You’re fucking joking.”
“Wish I were, Coach,” I said, but I struggled. I honestly thought I’d done the right thing, but if everyone’s attitudes were any indication, all I’d done was royally screw up.
Coach gripped me by the shoulder and turned me away from the rest of the team, walking me down the chalk outline at third base. “Why the hell would you go and do something as stupid as that?”
“ ’Cause we were driving her to the airport and she asked.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of lying, son? Taking one for the team? Protecting your boy at all costs, no matter what? Where’s your damn loyalty?”
“I don’t owe Tanner shit. Least of all my loyalty,” I argued before I had a chance to think about the words forming in my head and stopping them from coming out of my mouth. I’d never talked to a coach like that before. “Sorry, Coach. I didn’t mean—”
“No, you listen here. Tanner’s your teammate. You don’t have to like him, but you do have to have his back. That’s the only way this works. Apologize. Tell him you fucked up and that you’re sorry. Tell him it won’t happen again. Fix my damn team, Carter, or I’ll send your ass home. I don’t care how good you are.”
“For real, Coach?” I asked, unsure if he was pulling my chain or not.
Would he really send me home because I’d meddled in someone’s personal life?
“Do I look like I’m joking?” He pointed at his face, which held a scowl and no hint of humor.
“You do not.”
“Because I am not. We don’t meddle, son. We don’t get involved. We don’t get in the middle. And we sure as hell don’t throw our teammate to the wolves just because a girl asked you a question. She isn’t your problem. His relationship with her isn’t your problem. Stay out of people’s shit, Carter. Learn that lesson now. Ingrain it in your pea brain.” He stabbed my head with his finger. “Take it home with you to California and don’t ever fucking forget it,” he said as a ball of spit formed in the corner of his mouth. He looked like a rabid dog about to attack, and I was the only one in range.
“Yes, Coach.”
“Now, go fix my damn team,” he said before stalking off, pulling his baseball cap off, and running his fingers through what little was left of his hair.
I turned around to see the guys huddled in the outfield, the majority of them watching me with glee in their eyes. They were happy I had gotten my ass handed to me. Tucking my tail between my legs, I jogged over and shoved myself between two teammates who did not make room for me. I couldn’t believe I had to apologize to this cheating, egotistical prick.
“Hey, man. I fucked up,” I said, looking right at Tanner. “I’m really sorry I said that stuff to your girl. It wasn’t my business, and I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“What the hell, Carter? I mean, who does that?” one of my teammates asked from inside the huddle.
I shrugged before answering, “I don’t know. I messed up. It won’t happen again. You guys can trust me.”
Murmurs broke out, and I wasn’t sure who was saying what exactly.
“Apology accepted,” Tanner spoke up as he stuck his hand out, and I gripped it hard, giving him a firm shake. “You did me a favor actually,” he added with a grin.
“Did I now?” I asked, wondering how on earth I’d done that.
“I was looking for a way to get rid of Beth before I got drafted. Now, I don’t have to, so thanks for that.” He turned to give someone a high five. “It was still a dick move though. Don’t pull that shit again. The next guy might not be so forgiving,” he said before clapping me on the back.
I wanted him nowhere near me, but I had to play like I did.
“I won’t. Lesson learned,” I said, and I meant that part. I would not be getting involved in anyone’s love life again, no matter what I knew about it.
Danika sat on my bed, staring at me, and I had no idea what she was thinking, so I said, “The end.” I wanted her to know that the story was over.
I sat there, waiting, hoping she’d see my point of view, but the longer she stayed quiet, the more nervous I grew.
“I can see how you’d be confused,” she finally spoke, and I felt my entire body relax. I wanted to melt into the comforter on my bed with relief.