Free Full Count (The Catcher Series Book 1) by Bri Izzo Page A

daring, crazy, gorgeous girl that only has
haters because people want to be like you.”
                I suddenly just feel the urge to lean on him. When he
reaches his arm over my shoulder to pull me closer, I don ’ t
fight it. I don ’ t think of it as a romantic moment either;
it ’ s just something shared between two people who are
really close. Skyler is just someone, one of few in the world, that makes me
feel worthy, like he ’ s always on my team.
                “ Thanks, Sky, ” I mumble.
                While snuggled into Skyler ’ s
side, I eat my half of our entree while trying to tune out his fingertips
brushing against my arm. His baseball pants and backwards hat already hypnotize
me enough; I don ’ t need to slip deeper into his trans.
Plus it ’ s weird that he ’ s doing it,
whether or not it ’ s intentional. It ’ s
a good weird, but still mind-boggling.
                Once we finish eating, the rain has let up enough
that we can now see across the street from the diner. It doesn ’ t
look like it ’ s going to completely stop anytime soon, so
we decide to continue on our way to the cabin.
                 “Will you still drive carefully?” I hope as we close
the doors to his Jeep.
                 “I ’ ve never let anything happen
to you before, and I have bite marks to prove it,” he answers me with a
prideful grin as he points out the scar on his leg. As he backs out of the
parking spot and heads for the highway I snuggle into the seat while drowning
myself in his sweatshirt again.

 
    8 Skyler Swanson
     
    When we finally make it to the cabin by mid afternoon, it ’ s still storming like someone has royally pissed off Mother
Nature. The adults are all in the main level living room when we arrive, and my
mom greets me with an anxious hug as if I could ’ ve died on
my drive up here. I suppose I could ’ ve, but I didn ’ t really think about that. She ’ s my mom;
she ’ s supposed to worry and over exaggerate especially now
that I ’ m driving.
                Apparently while I ’ m graciously
accepting my mom ’ s welcoming, Buzz is already heading
downstairs to the basement where all of our siblings and friends are watching
The Sandlot for the hundredth time. It ’ s our classic it ’ s-raining-at-the-cabin movie. Pillows and blankets are
scattered all over the floor in a big comfy mess. I want nothing more than to
enjoy it, but the tension in the room is at an all-time high the moment I take
the last step down the stairs. Alex, Benny, and Tiffany are all glaring at me
as if to say, “I ’ m watching you.”
                To try to allow for some air in the room, I take a
seat on the couch against the back wall perpendicular to the TV. Buzz sits a
few feet in front of me, teasing me in not only what looks to be the fluffiest
bunch of pillows and blankets but also in my fucking sweatshirt. I love that
she doesn ’ t care that it drowns her or that her best
friend totally noticed it ’ s mine and is still piercing her
eyes into me. Tiffany should just be happy I got Buzz to come.
                As I happen to be watching Buzz find a comfortable
way to sit in all that fluff, an abnormally bright lightning bolt strikes
across the lake, and about four seconds later an earth-shattering thunder
shakes the house. Sam squeals like a baby pig, drawing everyone ’ s
attention to him while Buzz also jumps a foot and grasps my sweatshirt over her
chest. Ahh, why is that so attractive?
                “You are the jumpiest daredevil if there ever was
one,” I whisper when her eyes meet mine as she examines her immediate
surroundings.
                “If only I had someone to cuddle me so I could calm
down,” she teases me, making me narrow my eyes at her. When I feel more eyes
focusing on us, I back into the couch and relax my face. Alex, Benny, and
Tiffany have all been