Page 48

The way Abigail said Ellie’s name made Sadie angry. How dare she talk about Ellie. Sadie stood to her feet, coming eye to eye with Abigail.

“Leave her name out of your mouth.”

“It’s a free country, baby girl.” Her words sent chills down Sadie’s spine. “I can do whatever I want, like sending pictures. You know what I’m talking about, right?”

Without thinking, Sadie pushed past Abigail and stormed out of the dugout. She yanked open the gate in the fence and kept walking. Sadie had no idea where she was going; she hadn’t driven to the game. But she knew there was no way she was going back in that dugout.

“Sadie!” Charlie called after her. When Sadie didn’t stop, Charlie called her name again, this time from a closer distance. “Sadie,” she screamed one more time as Sadie stopped in her tracks and spun around.

“What?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, throwing her hands up in the air as she put them on her hips. “We are in the middle of a game.”

“And you seem to be doing justfinewith Abigail pitching.”

“That doesn’t mean you get to storm off the field.”

“I didn’t. I stormed out of the dugout.”

Charlie sighed, clearly disappointed. “Sadie. Come on. Stop acting like this.”

“Like what? That I’m upset that I probably just got pulled out of my last game as a high school senior? Upset that I have to listen to Abigail talking shit about me and Ellie?”

“You and Ellie?”

“I have every right to be upset right now. Because win or lose, we both know I’m done pitching for the year. Abigail is justtoo goodto be replaced.”

“The only thing that determines whether you return to the mound or not is if you keep walking out on this team or walk your ass back to the dugout and rejoin your team.”

Sadie knew Charlie was right. Walking out on her team, regardless of whether they all liked each other or not, wasn’t the answer. She had enough common sense left in her brain to know that. Sighing, Sadie walked past Charlie.

“Fine.”

“Your sportsmanship is stunning. Really.”

For the rest of the game, Sadie sat on the bench as she watched her team lose. She was in a daze as she walked out onto the field to congratulate the other team. How had her high school softball career ended like that? Sadie didn’t know. She wanted to cry as she gathered and stuffed her things into her bat bag.

The bus ride back to the school was quiet. Sadie normally would have had her mother drive her back after games, but the last person Sadie wanted to be stuck in her car with was her mother. At least Charlie was seated as far away from Sadie as she could be on the bus. Sadie didn’t want to face her either.

After arriving back at the school, Charlie gave them all a pep talk. None of which Sadie heard. She was too zoned out staring at the empty softball field at the top of the nearby hill. Sadie had driven to the school before the game, as did her teammates. She put her bag into the trunk of her car as she sat in the driver’s seat, and watched everyone leave.

Finally pulling out of the parking lot, Sadie made her way home with Chappell Roan blaring on the radio. Both Charlie and her mom had beaten her home, and Sadie didn’t want to face either of them. So instead of heading inside the house, Sadie grabbed her bag out of the truck and walked down to the makeshift softball field.

It had become Sadie’s favorite place in the Cove to spend her time. She flipped the switch for the lights that were in the barn as the field became illuminated. Opening up her bag, she took out a few balls and her glove. She walked over to the pitcher’s mound, kicking off some dirt that had collected on the white base. Sadie would have savored her last game more if she knew it was her last win during a high school game. At the time, Sadie had all the confidence in the world that their team was going to make it to the finals.

But now that wasn’t going to happen.

Getting into position, she took a deep breath as she brought her glove to her chest, got into position, and threw the ball over home plate.

“That’s how you should have been throwing at the game.”

Delaney’s voice caused her to jump as she turned to face her. Her mother had her arms crossed over her chest and a disappointed look on her face. Sadie didn’t want to hear what she had to say, but there was no avoiding it. It would happen whether she wanted it to or not.

“What’s wrong, kid?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Delaney kept her voice stern as she walked toward her. She stopped just short of the mound, putting a hand on her hip. “That’s not you. The girl I saw at the game wasn’t you. I can’t believe you acted that way.”