Free Single (Stockton Beavers #1) by Collette West Page B

along. "I fall into a deep, dark well. Someone covers it up and I'm trapped inside. That's about it."
    I'm convinced she thinks I'm crazy, until she says, "I used to have nightmares too. I know what it's like."
    I hone in on that. "Oh, yeah? About what?"
    "Well, I didn't find myself buried alive inside a scary, abandoned well. The place I dreamed of didn't feel dangerous or frightening. It felt more like an escape," she replies thoughtfully. "I was actually more afraid to wake up."
    Perplexed, I sputter, "You're telling me you didn't want it to be over?"
    The honesty in her voice tugs at my heart as it reaches me through the darkness. "No. I'd have to say the moment when I knew I was leaving that nice, safe place was always the worst part."
    I ponder what she said for a moment. "So your nightmare was basically the complete opposite of mine?"
    She stands, her body skimming the light. "A nightmare is a nightmare. They're certainly not any fun."
    She's going back to her room. She doesn't want to talk about it anymore because I let things get too personal. She was okay when we were talking about me, but once I started questioning her, it's like she can't get out of here fast enough. I need to make a mental note never to bring this up again. I understand. Reliving your worst nightmare isn't something I particularly want to talk about either. But there's something I need to know, something that maybe she can help me with.
    "Hey, wait," I whisper and she pauses in the doorway, keeping her back to me. "How did you…?" I cough to clear my throat, my voice strained from all the yelling I was doing in my sleep. "How did you get them to stop?"
    She looks back at me, her face in silhouette as the glow from the night-light spills over her shoulder. "I found a safe place for myself outside the nightmare." She shrugs. "But it's a temporary fix. It's not to say they won't come back."
    I stare at her. "Are you afraid they will?"
    She nods. "All the time, but I don't let it stop me from moving forward with my life. I've just learned how to be smart about it." She taps a finger to the side of her head. "Mind over matter."
    I breathe sharply through my nose. "Can it really be that simple?"
    "It can be, if you let it." I allow her words to sink in as she reaches for the doorknob. "Good night, Luke."
    "Good night, Roberta," I whisper as she closes the door, taking the light along with her.
    This time, I'm not alone in a dark well, not anymore. She came in here and succeeded in igniting something a whole lot brighter inside my heart, a radiance that, for now, nothing can extinguish. Not my nightmares of Nichols, not even my fear of losing Mom. What Roberta passed on to me is a flame that, once lit, never really goes out.
    A flicker of hope that no matter how hard things are now, they will get better. I just have to believe they will.

Chapter Ten
    Luke
    I lift the barbell over my head and hold it there. It's only a fifty-pound set, and even though I can easily bench-press a lot more, I know better than to push it without having someone to spot me. I grunt, yet another drawback of being stuck with a basement home gym. I'll just compensate by doing more reps because, boy, oh boy, do I have a lot of pent-up frustration in me right now. A good workout is exactly what I need.
    I didn't get one hit in the doubleheader yesterday against the Jackalopes—although, I didn't end up on my ass again either. Unfortunately, the Beavers' manager and his coaching staff don't consider that progress. With Landry back in Texas, they held a team meeting today and called me out in front of everyone, showing video of all my at-bats and pointing out in excruciating detail everything I did wrong.
    "You can't keep bailing on the fastball up and in."
    "I guarantee the advance scouts already have you pegged."
    "You mark my words, Singleton. If you don't man up and whack the hell outta something soon, every pitcher's gonna think they can get you out."
    My arms start to burn,