Page 13 of Fake Dates and Home Plates (Way Off Base #1)

Chapter Thirteen

Henley

Early-season races are always a little weird.

The course is familiar; I’ve run it for four years. It’s local, and the route is one I know. It’s a mix of terrain from the road, some grass, sidewalk, and then repeating a section until the almost four-mile run is complete.

But some of the girls have never run this before, and their nerves are showing as they pace around our tent.

Coach Stone approaches me, and I remove my headphones. “Take it easy today, Henley. No need to break your personal record or push yourself too hard. There are only four other schools here, and you’re easily the fastest on the board.”

She’s right. There’s nothing riding on this meet; it’s a friendly. It doesn’t count as a qualifying race for team or individual status.

“Yes, Coach,” I say, and she gestures to the rest of the team.

“Try and get them to chill out, will you?”

I nod and put my headphones and phone away.

My hair has been slicked back into a ponytail then braided, with the intention of keeping it out of my face. My stomach’s already doing that fun thing where it knots up even though I ate the exact same thing I always eat before a meet.

“Hey, circle up,” I say, just loud enough for the team to hear me.

Lily bounces next to me, doing high knees. “What’s up, Cap? Ready to show the underclassmen how it’s done?” she asks with a grin.

“Only if I don’t throw up first,” I mutter.

The team surrounds me in a huddle of orange and purple, and I manage a tight smile.

“Listen, this is a friendly. Take it seriously, but there’s no reason to overdo it.

Watch out for the terrain transitions and stay focused.

Look over the route one more time, know when you need to stride it out and when you need to kick your ass into gear. ”

It’s not inspirational, but it’s the best advice I have.

The girls around me are taking me seriously, though, and no one looks like they’re going to cry anymore. In fact, half of them are now looking at the spectator section.

One of the freshmen, Lauren, shouts out, “No way!”

When I look over, I see exactly what everyone is staring at. My face burns with heat, and I know my skin has to be bright red in a full-body blush.

Theo Barlowe.

Wearing a t-shirt with my face on it.

Not like a little face either. No, this is a full portrait of my face, taking up the entire front of his chest. He must have gotten the photo from my social media profile.

He’s also holding a neon sign that reads in huge block letters: HENLEY HARKIN FAN CLUB.

My entire body just…malfunctions.

“What the hell is he wearing?” Maddie asks, nearly choking.

I shake my head. “I can’t explain that.”

Theo spots me and grins, as if this is totally normal. It’s not. It’s fucking insane.

I jog over, fully aware I’m supposed to be warming up. “Theo, what are you doing ?”

He just grins, giving me an up close and personal view of his craziness. “I’m here to cheer on my girl.”

His girl .

Not his girlfriend. Not his fake girlfriend.

I kind of like it.

But then I remember what he’s wearing and the sign he’s holding, and I want to melt into the dirt. My teammates are absolutely losing it as they watch on. Someone snaps a picture I’m sure will be posted within minutes.

“You don’t think this is a little…much?” I ask him, gesturing up and down at his entire body.

He leans in slightly, low enough that the others can’t hear. “No matter what, I’ve got your back, Getaway Girl. The whole world should know it.”

I stare at him. He looks so stupid in that shirt, so smug and ridiculous and proud.

I’ve never wanted to kiss someone more in my life.

“Also,” he adds, “I printed three of these shirts—one for me and one for each of your parents. I guessed their sizes, so if you could just point them out to me...”

“Absolutely not,” I refuse. Besides, my parents always find a spot in the middle of the route where spectators are allowed. As long as Theo stays here, there’s a chance he won’t even run into them.

I shove him lightly in the chest. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Accurate,” he says then taps the side of his neon sign. “Now, go beat all these other runners, because I’m pretty sure it’s going to be hot as fuck watching you whip all their asses.”

Leaning over the rope sectioning him off from me, I reach my arms out for a hug, one he drops his sign to return. “You got this.”

“Thank you, Theo.” I leave his embrace so I can get back to warming up.

The whistle blows, and I take my spot with Lily beside me, our team huddled together with the other runners from different schools.

My pulse is racing as the signal goes off to start and the race begins.

As I take off, I hear Theo shouting from a distance. “GIVE ‘EM HELL, HENLEY!”

I tune out everything and focus on setting a strong pace. Runners fall behind me with a few ahead, giving too much energy much too soon.

The first mile goes by quickly.

It’s easy to visualize the course and exactly where I imagine everyone to be on it. The only thing throwing me off is the sight of someone in purple and orange a few hundred meters ahead of me.

Maddie, running faster than I’ve ever seen her in practice. Too fast. It’s not her pace. Not even close.

She’s going to burn out.

My gut twists, but I don’t call out to her. This isn’t a team huddle or a tempo run. This is a race, and sometimes, the best way to learn is by crashing headfirst into your own limit.

Still, I hate watching it.

By mile two, I see her shoulders start to tighten. Her stride shortens. Her elbows creep up. All signs of someone trying to hang on for dear life.

I pass another girl on the hill and close the gap between us. My breathing is steady, legs feeling strong. I’m right where I want to be.

There’s a spectator section just ahead, and I can’t help but lose focus as I look for my parents. They’re easy to spot; I really underestimated Theo’s commitment to our bit. I don’t know how he found out where to go, but he’s standing right beside them.

All in those shirts with my face on them.

My mom’s shirt is swallowing her, way too big for her smaller frame, but I just know that thing is going to haunt me until it falls apart, because she looks delighted to be wearing it. I’m going to have to steal it and burn it the next time I’m home.

I hear them all shout different words of encouragement as I pass, and I avoid the instinct to flip them all off for wearing those terrible shirts.

Lily can’t be too far behind me, but I don’t look back to find her. Spotting Maddie again, I pull even with her just before the bend, marking another half mile down. She hears my footsteps and glances over, her face tight with effort. There’s panic in her eyes.

“You’re okay,” I say quickly, low enough that only she can hear. “Just tuck in behind me.”

She nods, but I know it’s too late to save her time. Now, she just needs to try and make it over the line.

I surge forward, increasing my speed.

The crowd’s volume grows as we approach the final stretch, and I feel a boost of energy as my body shifts into that last gear, that sweet spot of pain and power where it’s just me, the rhythm of my breath, and the finish line ahead.

The cheers blur together as I kick in.

One runner in front. One more girl I need to catch.

I give everything I have left.

And when I cross the line, I know I’m first.

I stride out, making sure I clear the path for all the other runners before stopping. My hands land on my knees as I try to catch my breath with my chest on fire.

It’s not my best time, and I’m sure I could have fixed my form, but I don’t really care.

As I stand, I hear it.

A voice that’s loud and familiar.

“THAT’S MY GIRL! HENLEY HARKIN, YOU’RE MY HERO!”

Lifting my head, I find Theo. Despite still recovering my breath, I huff out a laugh as he sprints toward me.

He doesn’t just stop in front of me.

Nope. Theo still has his sign, though it’s folded up in one hand, as he lifts me with the other. He picks me up like I weigh nothing as my legs settle on his hips.

He finally drops the handmade sign to steady me with his other arm. I’m sure we look insane right now, but I don’t care. He doesn’t seem to mind I’m dripping in sweat and smell terrible.

And right now, I don’t care about anything except doing what I’ve wanted since he ended our last kiss.

Like he can read my mind, he turns his hat around so I see his entire face.

“I think I’ve earned a kiss, Baseball Boy,” I tell him with hope in my voice.

He smiles. “Fuck yeah, you did, Getaway Girl.”

My hands cup his cheeks as our lips meet, and I hold back a moan.

“Hey, so I hate to interrupt this movie-worthy moment, but Coach wants us back at the tent before medals.” Lily’s voice ruins the moment like she’s splashed cold water on my head.

I let my forehead fall against Theo’s chest with a groan. “Damn it.”

Theo laughs before setting me down and pressing an unexpected, quick kiss to the top of my head. “Go. I’ll wait for you.”

Forehead kisses. Okay, that might be a turn on I wouldn’t have guessed for myself.

“If you want to meet us back at Shoreline, some of the team and whoever they invite are going out for lunch together.” I invite him even though I’m hesitant he’ll say no.

Or maybe worse—he’ll say yes just for appearances.

“Sure. I can meet you back at the school so you can ride with me, or are you riding with your parents?” he asks.

Since we take a bus to our meets as a team, we’ll all have to head back to the athletic building to grab our things and shower first. Normally, I’d ride with Lily, but she’s giving me a nod of encouragement to accept his offer.

“I’ll ride with you if you don’t mind waiting for me to rinse off,” I tell him.

He grabs his sign from where he dropped it on the ground. Then, he winks at me. “See you soon, Getaway Girl.”

I don’t bother to disguise my appreciation of his backside as he walks away. His basketball shorts sit perfectly on his hips, and his shirt clings to his back.

Sighing, I turn to walk with Lily back to the team tent but realize our audience has two very excited members watching.

My parents.

Who look absolutely delighted with what they’ve just witnessed.