Free Pass Interference by Natalie Brock Page B

Florida, and the temperatures still got up into the seventies. The breeze hitting his face through the partially open window on the passenger side refreshed and renewed him. He promised himself he wasn’t going to worry about the condition of his knee while he was on break. There would be plenty of time to worry when he got back, because it wouldn’t be long before he’d be on the field. He still held out hope that he could join the team for the last game of the postseason.
    He was lost in his own thoughts when he felt something on his leg. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a blue EFU polo shirt. He hadn’t worn long pants since the surgery. He looked down and saw Sara’s fingers tentatively touching his thigh. “How’s your knee?” she asked. “Do you need to take a stretch break?”
    He looked up at her face, and he could see that the girl he didn’t think gave a damn about him actually did seem to care. The confounding part was that he cared about her, too. That’s why he came up with this semi-elaborate plan to get her to drive him to his parents, ostensibly because he didn’t want her to be all alone at school for the holidays. But when he searched his soul for his true motives, he realized there was much more to it. It was he who didn’t want to be away from her for that long. To his surprise, he was starting to have feelings for her.
    She wasn’t like the girls he usually went out with, not at all. But the more he got to know Sara, the more drawn to her he felt. He watched as the breeze coming through the window played with the strands of hair around her face, and he realized he was jealous of the wind. He wanted to be the one who brushed her hair back with his fingertips.
    He licked his lips and considered telling her what he was thinking, but he must have waited too long, because she spoke first. “We just passed a sign for a rest area, so—”
    “No, I’m good. I think I can make it another hour if you can. But thanks for asking.” He was about to cover her hand with his when she took her hand off his leg and reclaimed the steering wheel with both hands. His timing was seriously off. Come on Mason , what’s wrong with you, man? Time to get back in the game .
    “So, tell me more about the orange grove,” she said, redirecting the conversation.
    “Well, let’s see,” he mused, as he turned his head to look out the passenger side window. His mind’s eye visualized the grove instead of the highway they were traveling on. “Behind the orange grove is where the Sparrows play.” When Sara’s brow furrowed, Philip explained. “Minor League team. You know. Baseball.” He threw his head back and laughed at a memory. He hadn’t thought about this in years.
    “What are you laughing at?” she asked with amusement.
    “When I was a kid, I used to climb the fence to get into the field and watch the Sparrows for hours and hours, day after day. I got to know some of the players and they were really nice to me. They taught me how to throw sliders and fastballs. I was sure I was gonna be a pitcher one day.”
    “I remember you mentioning that in your essay,” she said. The look on her face showed she was truly interested in what he had to say. The Sara he was with today was so different from the bitchy girl who had entered his dorm room nearly two months ago. This girl was a far cry from the one who sized him up the minute she met him and hated him at hello. What changed? Was it him? Or was it her?
    “Then how did you wind up playing football?”
    He wondered if she was really interested in knowing more, or if she was just killing time or being polite. “You really wanna know?” When she nodded, he continued. “I tried out for my high school baseball team, and I didn’t get picked,” he explained a little wistfully. “I was late to the game.”
    “What does that mean? You missed practice?”
    “No. I mean, everyone else came up through the ranks in Little League and Pony