In Between the Lines

Chapter 14: Words ARE Hard

Hannah was waiting for me in the parking lot of the batting cages.

I'd texted her telling her that I was on my way, but I asked her to keep my coming a secret for now. If she'd told Dez that I'd planned to come, I was afraid he would have only told me to turn around and go home—and I couldn't do that. Not when there was still so much I had to say to him.

Hannah greeted me with a hug as soon as I got out of the car. "I could kill you for tricking me and Lewis, but I love you too much for it. So, thank you."

I laughed, hugging her back. "I'm sorry. It was the only way Dez and I could get you guys to talk. But honestly it was all his idea. He's the one you should thank."

"Hmm." She linked her arm with mine as she led us to the doors, stopping just before we got inside. And then she turned to me, her brows lifting. "Speaking of Dez, what in the world did you do to him, Lyra?"

I tried not to let my anxiety over what happened between us earlier show as I said coolly, "What are you talking about?"

"He's been hitting the crap out of those baseballs since he got here and hasn't spoken to anyone. Not even Lewis." She nodded towards the wide building where there was an array of indoor sports laid out inside. "And Lewis isn't speaking to him either. I don't know what happened between them, but then I get this text from you telling me not to tell Dez that you're coming? What exactly is going on?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Lewis and him aren't speaking?"

"No, they aren't. But what does that have to do with you? What happened between you guys?"

"I don't know why he's not speaking to Lewis, but I . . . we got into a bit of a misunderstanding today after school."

Hannah crossed her arms. "I thought you guys made up after he took you to that diner and told you everything behind the bet?"

"We did make up. This is just—Han, it's just really, really complicated." I sighed. "Can we go inside? I need to talk to him."

She threw me a sharp look but nodded. "Fine, but you're telling me everything before the day ends. And Lyra?" She paused, the brightness in her green eyes dimming. "I know I came here for Lewis today, but that doesn't mean I don't want to kill every single one of his teammates after what they did to you."

I squeezed her hand, knowing exactly what she meant. If it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to be there for Dez, I wouldn't have been caught dead anywhere near those guys again.

As we walked in, I ignored every single one of their gazes—some shocked, some smug, some ashamed, and some altogether confused by my presence. By now most people had heard about the bet, so even if they weren't a part of it, I knew the entire team knew who I was—as well as the girls who were crowded around the cages. They were watching the boys, until I passed and those flirty eyes transformed into quick, questioning glances. I knew right away which one of the cages Dez was in simply judging by the amount of girls who stood closest to it, but I wasn't going to ridicule them for wanting to be near him. Not when I was there for the same reason.

I left Hannah with Lewis as I approached Dez's cage, my pulse quickening as I finally spotted him in a pair of gray joggers, a red baseball tee, and a red helmet. There was another boy from the team in the cage with him, feeding baseballs into a machine that sent the ball flying fast and hard to where Dez stood. I hardly had time to blink before his bat connected with the ball, causing me to flinch as a deafening crack split the air around him. The girls around me sighed in awe—though I was guessing it had more to do with the way Dez's solid muscles bulged through his shirt as he twisted at the waist and swung his bat all the way through, rather than the fact that his hit had sent the ball flying in a smooth and bullet-hard shot towards the netted cage above him.