Grand-Slam

∞Chapter 8∞

Song: Try- Colbie Caillat 

"Remind yourself it's okay not to be perfect." -Anonymous

Jamie slid in beside Kenny, and Nate slid in beside me, nodding at Kenny. I groaned, and Nate faced me while Kenny and Jamie talked. "Anderson, you gotta up your game!"

"We'll talk about this later." I paused, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest. "Right now, you can go back over to your table."

Nate cheekily smiled at me, and I glared at him before facing Kenny and Jamie. They were talking about softball, and I didn't mind, but I wished Nate would go elsewhere. I couldn't even go on a date without him being there somehow, someway.

"... And Brooke hit a beautiful home run. You should've seen it, cuz. The crowd went wild." Jamie enthused, grinning at me, and Kenny looked at me, his smile growing.

"You've got quite the batting average, don't ya?" He asked, winking at me, and I laughed, nodding. Kenny's eyes moved from me to Nate, and I swore I saw a glint of dislike in his eyes. "How has living in 'bama been?"

"Pretty good. It's nice to be away from the business of Los Angeles for a while. Musicians like me need that break now and then."

Kenny nodded, before glancing at me. "It's just a bonus that you are living with one of the prettiest girls in the state."

Nate chuckled, leaning forward and crossing his arms over each other. "You should see girls in California."

Nate and Kenny busted out laughing, while Jamie chuckled under her breath, and for some reason, I hadn't felt like laughing at all. I was happy Kenny considered me one of the prettiest girls in our state, but then Nate totally crossed that out by comparing me with California girls. I had never felt insecure in my whole life, and no one had ever compared me to other girls. I knew I wasn't the drop dead gorgeous, or even beautiful, but I at least thought I was somewhat pretty. Battling for perfection was hard, and I could never find the strength to achieve it.

Why does his opinion matter so much to you?

I wish I knew. He was just some stupid international heartthrob who thought he was an absolute God. I didn't want Nate's opinion to matter at all to me, but for some reason, his remark hit me hard.

As conversation progressed, I realized I didn't mind that Nate and Jamie sat with us to talk. If all they wanted to do was talk for a little while, it was fine, but the minute Nate decided to say, "Hey, since we all are here on a date, why don't we make it a double date?", I wanted to pull my hair out and slap him.

So, Nate and Jamie stayed, our food came, we ate, and I barely talked to Kenny for the rest of the night. While we were waiting for the bill, Kenny and Jamie talked about their family reunion the weekend after our last game, and Nate and I were awfully silent. It wasn't hard to tell there was tension between us, and I swore that was why Kenny and Jamie talked to each other. Sighing, I rested my hand against the seat of the booth, and two seconds later, his hand brushed against mine, causing tingles to shoot through my arm. I glanced down, seeing our pinkies touching ever so faintly, and then my eyes slowly lifted, meeting Nate's. For a second, it was just him and I, and Kenny and Jamie's voices faded. Our eyes were locked, and I swore I saw some fleeting emotion flash in his eyes, something I had never seen before. The moment ended when I pulled my hand away, forcing myself to look away from him.

The waitress finally brought our check while still eyeing Kenny like he was created by the Gods, and then Kenny and I walked out while Nate and Jamie waited for their check. We stood outside the cafe, looking at each other. Kenny smiled, and I smiled back. His smile was literal perfection.