In Between ➣ Cash Baker ✔️

06. Luna

"How's the car?" I snapped my head away from the baseball field to face Ashley who was leaning against the brick wall beside me.

"Decent," I shrugged, flicking my cigarette to the ground. "He's down there." I gestured down to the baseball field where I made out a familiar mop of blond hair that was soon covered by a red baseball hat.

"Who's down there?" Ashley asked, a hint of a smile on her face.

"You know who," I spoke back and Ashley nodded.

"Yeah, I know who." She tugged on the sleeves of her flannel and I felt her eyes on me, while my eyes were on the baseball field. Tryouts were today and if anyone else were trying out, I wouldn't have cared. But as I was ready to leave school, I heard his name called by his friends and he jogged onto the baseball field wearing a uniform.

The white words on the back of the jersey stood out clearly. Baker. The number 35 underneath in white block numbers.

"You like him," Ashkey teased for the millionth time this week. I rolled my eyes, letting my head hit against the brick wall behind me.

"I do not," I protested. Ashley moved closer to me, eyes squinting in a way that she does to figure out if someone's lying.

"Lies," she spoke simply. "You know how I know you're lying? I just sat here talking for about two minutes and you didn't hear a damn thing you know why? You were busy looking at him." Ashley explained and my eyes widened for a second.

"I was not looking at Cash," I scoffed and Ashley laughed loudly, shaking her head.

"I didn't say you were looking at Cash specifically." Ashley crossed her arms and my shoulders slump in slight disappointment with myself.

"Alright, you got me." I held my hands up as if I was being caught. "Maybe when he smiles my chest hurts a little, and maybe when his eyes meet mine it makes me want to speed 100 down the freeway and shout out the words to a Queen song. But it doesn't matter, he doesn't like me back." I shrugged and inhaled deeply.

"You never know," Ashley mumbled and I'm one hundred percent sure I wasn't supposed to hear it. Before I was about to protest, Ashley cut in, "then let's go."

"Go where?" I asked as Ashley took my keys out of my hand, twirling them around her finger.

"100 down the freeway. Let's see how it feels," Ashley took a hold of my wirst and I let her pull me to my car. I took one last look at the baseball field before getting in the car and sliding the keys into the ignition.

So we drove down the freeway, blasting a Queen song as promised. The windows were open and the sun was setting and I've never felt more free. We went under a tunnel for a split second and everything went silent before we were out and back under the sunlight. I looked over at Ashley who was shouting the lyrics and giggling in the process.

"How does this feel?" She asked and I sighed, slowing down a bit and letting my arm hang out the window. "This feel the way he makes you feel?"

"This is nice," I spoke about the car ride. "But he makes me feel nicer," I added genuinely.

Cash made me feel alive. I never wanted to leave when I was with him. He made me never want to smoke another cigarette in my life, never drink another drop of alcohol just so I would never forget his face. His face that lit up when he saw me, and his eyes that seemed to shine so bright no matter what mood he was in.

"So you going to make a move on him?" Ashley asked. I pulled into a random empty parking lot and turned around, heading back to school at the normal speed limit.