Felix (The Ninth Inning #1) (5 page)

I’m standing outside my complex when I see him rounding the corner. Shit. Shit. I don’t want to see him. I try to turn to leave, but he yells my name. I take a deep breath and quickly wonder if I should be like LA and scream at him and possibly punch him. Or, be like Annie and be a mature woman.

Gah! This is why I shouldn’t have gone to that damn game. He jogs right up to me.

“Hi, Felix.” I smile and decide to be Annie.

“Hey. How’s your weekend been?”

I smile brightly at him and decide to take the high road. “It’s been the greatest weekend ever. Do you know what I did last night? I sat on my couch for three hours in a new outfit with brand new shoes, waiting for some Angels’ pitcher to pick me up for a date.” Okay, maybe it’s not the highest road.

Felix’s face falls as he realizes I’m talking about him. “Abigail, I’m so sorry. My mind was on baseball all day and I,” he winces, “forgot. I’m really sorry.”

He forgot?

How the hell do you forget that you had a date?

I wave my hand at him as if it’s nothing to me when I’m trying not to punch him in the face. “It’s no big deal. I’m sure your mind was on baseball. Forget about it. I have.” I give him a tight smile.

“It is a big deal. Let me make it up to you.” He’s being sincere, at least he appears to be.

“No, Felix. Let’s drop it. I know you’re busy. I’m sure you don’t have a lot of time to date anyway. Plus, I have school and work. It’s bad timing for both of us.” I pray Annie comes soon.

“I’m not that busy. It’s just,” Felix pauses. “I often forget to stop letting my job be my life. That’s the simple answer. Can I please make it up to you?”

Finally, Annie pulls up to the complex and I hold up a finger, letting her know I’m on my way. “Listen, my sister is here to take me to lunch. I understand how important your career is to you. I know you have a great work ethic and it’s something that’s appealing about you. Keep that focus and I’ll see you around. Oh, and don’t worry about being my driver either. I was totally joking about that.” I give him my best fake laugh

“Are you sure? Are you coming to the game at least?”

“Yes, I’m completely sure. There’s a game tonight?” I know there is a game tonight, but I’m sure as hell not going.

“Yes, there is.”

“Right. Sure, I’ll be there,” I lie to him. “I’ve got to go right now. Bye.” I rush past him and jump into my sister’s car.

“Um, Felix is a lot hotter in person.” Annie fans herself and pulls a quick U-turn out of the parking lot. “What did he want?”

“He says he forgot because he had baseball on his mind,” I huff. “Then he wanted to make it up to me.”

“Great, you’re going to give him another chance.”

“Ha,” I scoff. “No way. He forgot me. It wasn’t like he was a few minutes late. He forgot he even asked me out. That’s his subconscious telling him to stay the hell away from the bad luck girl.”

“Abby-bear.” Annie shakes her head. “You’re his good luck charm. I’m sure it was an honest mistake.” She turns onto the interstate.

“Fine, then you date him,” I mumble.

“Abby, stop it.” Her voice is firm and I know I’ve gone too far.

I’m about to apologize but my phone ringing cuts me off. It’s LA and I’m going to have to deal with her next.

“Hey, LA.”

“What time do I need to pick you up?”

“Um...I’m going to ride with Felix actually.” I see Annie looking at me, but I turn toward the window.

“Shut up! That’s great. I’ll have your hot dog and beer waiting for you. Be sure to be there before warm-ups.” She ends the call and I remain facing the window.

“You’re playing with fire. You told Felix you were going to the game, didn’t you?”

“I may have,” I mumble.

“Now, you told LA he was taking you.” I know that tone. I call it her ‘mother’ tone.

“I may have,” I say even lower.

“Oh, you’re going to feel the wrath later tonight, especially if they lose.” Annie pulls onto the off ramp.

“They’re not going to lose. It’s dumb that they think I have some special baseball-mojo to make the Angels win. I’m not a rabbit’s foot, for Pete’s sake!” I’m almost yelling.

“Calm down, Abigail.” Her voice is gentle and she pulls into the restaurant’s parking lot. When she finds a parking spot and parks, she turns to me. I’m still not looking at her. “You’re not a liar. I’m begging you not to start now.”

I look at her. “I know. I’ll take care of it, but I’ll do it later. Right now, I want to hang out with my sister.”

“Then come on.”

Annie and I have a great meal. We laugh and talk about school, work, and even the fact that Annie has a crush on another teacher from a different school she met at a conference. They have been chatting through Facebook, but haven’t gone out yet. I hope she will find someone. Annie has such a big heart; she would be a wonderful girlfriend and even a wife.

After lunch, we head to the mall where she ends up buying me a couple outfits, even though I beg her not to. A few hours and a soft pretzel later, we pack our bags into the car and she takes me home.

Walking into my apartment, I hear my phone ringing. It’s LA’s ringtone and I know that I have to face the music.

“How could you lie to me?” The hurt and anger bursts through the phone.

“LA, it’s a little complicated. I’ll explain later.”

“Tell it to Felix. He looked so shocked you weren’t here. He was pale! If they lose tonight, it’s all your fault.” She ends the call and I hang my head.

Shit. This is the worst weekend I’ve had in a long time. I drop my bags in my bedroom and come back to flip on the game. Maybe this will prove to Felix that I’m not needed.

Inning after inning, my heart sinks deeper into the pit of my stomach. When the ninth inning comes, I almost tear up. The Angels haven’t even scored. They’ve barely gotten on base. When they show the bullpen, I see Felix, and there is anger and hurt all over his face.

Shit. This isn’t going to go well. My phone vibrates.

LA: Thanks a lot Abby-bear.

I fall back on the couch and sigh deeply. It’s one thing for Felix to be mad at me, but not my sister.

I knew that knock was going to come tonight, so I’m a little prepared. When I open the door, Felix is standing there and I’m not sure if he’s going to yell at me or stand there silently.

“Come in, please. I have a beer waiting for you in the fridge.” I step to the side and open the door wider.

He walks in. “You should’ve just told me you weren’t coming.”

“True.” I shut the door and lead him to my kitchen. I hand him a beer and we sit at the table. “I did lie, and I did it for selfish reasons because I was upset you forgot me last night. I mean, you told me you forgot because of baseball and that hurt.”

“I know. Would it make you feel any better if I told you I’ve forgotten dinners with my family before, too?”

I take a small swig of my drink. “If you’re making it up to make me feel better, then no, it won’t. However, if you’re serious, it does a little bit.” I twirl a strand of my hair around my fingers. “You have to see it from my side. I was ready, dressed, and sat here for hours without a single text or phone call. Do you even know how crappy I felt?”

“As crappy as I feel about forgetting. I’ve had this issue for a long time. It’s why a family member calls me almost every other day and why I can’t keep a girlfriend.”

“You could have told me.” Why don’t men just say what is really going on? “I would have preferred you to be like, ‘hey, do you mind shooting me a text the night before, I’m an airhead’, then leaving me sitting here on my couch thinking you’re a liar, stringing me along with that stupid ‘good luck charm’ crap.”

“First of all, it’s not stupid good luck charm crap. Did you see the game tonight? That is a serious lack of good luck. I was completely serious about that. Next time, you’ll know to remind me. But do the day of, not day before. Or, do both. I really am sorry, Abigail.”

“I did see the game. I give you my word from this moment on, I will be at every home game. I still don’t believe I’m the charm, but I kind of get it. I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m not the type of person to lie.” I don’t want him to think I’m playing him in some type of game. That’s not me at all.

“You were mad. I can let it slide this time.”

“Okay. So, how will you make it up to me, then?”

“By asking you out again and not forgetting about it this time. And does this mean I get to be your personal driver?”

“Okay, you will be my personal driver and like I said, I promise not to miss any home games. Good?”

He nods. “Can I ask a question?” I nod. “Why don’t you drive?”

I knew that question would come up soon. I don’t hide the fact of why I don’t drive. I won’t start now. I need to take responsibility for everything that I do. Past and present.

“Well, since I said I wouldn’t lie anymore, I’ll tell you the truth. I don’t drive because when I was seventeen, I was in a car accident. I was the driver and both of my parents were in the car with me and...they died as a result of it. Since then, I haven’t driven. Annie and LA understand that I have a real fear of driving, so I interrupt their lives for them to take me places. I take the bus a lot, but they still see me as the baby and they don’t like me on there late at night.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine.” His face is sad and I can tell he’s being sincere.

“It’s hard still, especially since I don’t drive. I can’t bring myself to get into the car and drive.”

“That’s understandable. It’s good that you have your sisters there to support you, too.”

“They saved me. I mean, literally saved me. I blamed myself for ending my parents’ lives and went into a...dark place. Annie and LA keep my head up.” I pause for a second to compose all the emotions I’d poured out. “Sorry, I don’t mean to bring you down. This is such heavy talk for someone I barely know.”

“You’re fine. I don’t mind.”

“Well,” I stand up and go over to my end table and pick up my information that I wrote on a piece of paper. “Let’s change the subject. This is my cell and my class schedule. If you’re serious about being my driver, then these are my times. I know that you can’t do it all the time because of traveling, but if you can’t or if you don’t want to, let me know.”

“Okay, I can do that.” Felix has a sexy smirk. “I might even buy one of those hats you always see drivers wear. Make it official.”

I laugh loudly. “Sounds perfect. I’m sure that you’re tired, and I am sorry you guys lost tonight.”

“It happens. I’ll see you around then?”

“In the morning at eight.”

AT EIGHT O’CLOCK sharp, Abigail is walking toward me and my car. I dramatically open the door and say, “Your carriage awaits, my lady.” I even bow as she walks past to slide into the passenger seat with a laugh. Once I’ve walked around and gotten in myself, I say, “You know, I really think you should reconsider running with me.” Mostly because I wonder what kind of outfit she’d choose to wear. Would it be shorts and a tank top? Or is she the kind of girl to say forget the shirt and wear just a sports bra with those yoga pants?

“Ugh, you’re as bad as LA. She keeps telling me I should run with you. I’m beginning to wonder if my ass is getting fat and this is a polite way to say ‘get your lazy ass up.’”

I laugh. “Your ass looks fine. Why does she think you should run with me?”

“Have you not looked in the mirror? I do believe you’re a super-famous pitcher from the Angels. Oh, and you’re single, which makes LA very happy, by the way. And no, I didn’t tell her about our mishap the other night. Trust me when I say you don’t want to see the wrath of LA.”

“Thanks. I’m sure it’s not a pretty sight. You do realize that the only people who know me are baseball fans and ball hoes, right? I’m famous within a group of people, if I have to be famous to start with. Anyway, I think you should listen to your sister. She sounds like a very smart woman if she wants you around me more.” I smile.

“LA would have you and I married in a week if she knew this was happening. Well, I mean, nothing
is
happening, but she doesn’t know you’re taking me to school. However, I might try this running you keep mentioning. Sounds like a bitchin’ good time.” She rolls her eyes, obviously not meaning it.

I smirk as I realize since she doesn’t run often, it means she definitely has to do something I sure wouldn’t mind watching her do as well. “We’ll have to stretch beforehand, too. Are you a morning person?”

“As long as I can have a Starbucks, then yes, I am.”

“What do you usually order?”

“I’m a white mocha espresso kind of girl. Are you a Starbucks lover, too?”

“It’s a guilty pleasure type of thing for me. I only have it every so often.”

“Oh my God, are you one of those calorie-counting athletes who drinks mushed up veggies in the morning mixed in with soy milk?” She makes disgusting face and I chuckle.

“Is there any other type of athlete? Do you really think this body comes from eating junk and then working it all off in the gym? I mean, I used to be that way, but a teammate got me started on all this healthy food and I felt way better, so it stuck.”