The Line Drive

twenty-four

Mackenzie

Hannah basically drags me inside the baseball house and then disappears into a crowd. I glance around, looking for Dane, but don't see him. Not knowing where to go, I make my way into the kitchen where Noah is grabbing beers from the pantry and sticking them into the fridge. He gets a big smile on his face when he sees me, and immediately ropes me into a conversation about Professor Harris and all the shit he pulls. 

My conversation with Noah is shockingly enjoyable, and he introduces me to several baseball players as they walk past. The only ones I remember are Grant and Kingsley, because both of them stop to actually shake my hand. Grant gives me elevator eyes, which makes me mildly uncomfortable, and Noah shoves him away. 

Noah and I have been talking for what seems like quite a long time when I see Edwin across the room. He's just walked into my line of site, and he immediately makes eye contact with me. I look down alarmed, because Edwin is the last fucking person I want to see right now.

Hannah, suddenly reappearing and being the best roommate ever, makes a beeline for him, but I know that she'll have only so much luck before he inevitably makes his way over here.

Noah clearly picks up on my facial expression, because he glances over his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"My ex." I hiss.

"That guy?" Noah eyes Edwin. "Mack, you can do better."

"That's what Dane said." I agree frantically.

"I'll help you if you agree that you can do better."

"Yes! I can do better!" I say quickly. "Obviously I know that. I broke up with him!"

"In you go." Noah opens the pantry for me.

"The pantry?" I say frantically.

"Hope you're not claustrophobic." He ushers me inside and shuts the door. I'm not claustrophobic, but I'm not exactly fond of being in a small pantry either. It's kind of stuffy. I hear Noah lean against the door.

"Where is Mackenzie?" Edwin's demanding voice cuts through the door.

"I don't know anyone by that name." Noah says smoothly.

"I saw you talking to her!" Edwin says.

"Nope."

"Well where does this door lead? Did she go somewhere?"

"This is our pantry." Noah says patiently. "I don't think someone is hiding in there."

"Let me look."

"Nope." Noah laughs. "I'm not giving into your crazy desires to look in our pantry. It's not very exciting. Mostly chips and protein powder and and beer." He's not wrong, that is the majority of what I'm looking at.

"What's going on here?" I hear Dane say. I blush. Of course he had to join in on this.

"I'm looking for my girlfriend." Edwin says. I have half a mind to open the door and yell that I am not his girlfriend.

"Ex." I hear Noah and Hannah say simultaneously.

"She doesn't want to see you, Edwin." Hannah says calmly.

"She's ignoring my texts!" Edwin sounds indignant.

"Yes, because she doesn't want to talk to you either." Hannah agrees.

"I know she's in there."

"She's not." Noah says calmly.

"We wouldn't hide Mackenzie in a pantry." Hannah laughs. I'm pretty sure that this qualifies as gaslighting, but I can't bring myself to care.