Page 14

thirteen

Knox

I spent a lot of time getting to know Harlow during our series against the Thunderbirds in Atlanta. After that first night, she’s been in much better spirits, choosing to ignore anything she sees about herself online.

I still feel like a dick, though, even putting her in this situation in the first place. She’s an adult and can make her own decisions, I get that, but I feel like I should have done more to prepare her for the onslaught of attention, positive and negative, she’d be met with. But she’s taking it in stride now, focusing solely on her blog and what she can do with the traffic that should be coming her way.

We all landed in Houston Thursday night after our game to prep for a three-game series against the Comets. Last night’s game was a blowout, unfortunately. Su-jin Choi, one of the other starting pitchers in our rotation, wasn’t in his best form. He only lasted three innings before Skip pulled him. Every pitcher has been there before, and it fucking sucks. We couldn’t squeak out a win since we never could overcome the Comets’ lead on us. I’ve got tonight’s start, and we’re all hoping for a better outcome.

Josh finds me in the clubhouse as we’re all suiting up to take the field for our early afternoon game. “Hey, man. How’s this week been for you?”

“Crazy,” I say with a light laugh. “Media isn’t leaving me the fuck alone.”

“Did you honestly expect them to? You kissed a girl—Cole’s sister, no less—on national TV. You’re all anyone wants to talk about.”

I sigh. “I know. That doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.”

“Well, tonight’s your first start since you went public. You ready?”

“I’m always ready for a game,” I say with a sly smile. “Remember, nothing breaks Fort Knox.”

“Nothing except Cole’s sister.”

“Fuck off, Garro.” I slide past him as he laughs enthusiastically. I exit the clubhouse and head toward the field since it’s almost time for the away team warmups. Josh follows behind me, and we walk to the rest of our team in the dugout.

But I spot Harlow on the third baseline, so I jog over to her instead. She’s wearing my jersey again and that glittery Stars hat I saw her in after our first game. It suits her really fucking well.

“Hey there, Freckles,” I say as I stand before her. “You by yourself today?”

“Hey, Slick,” she says with a bright smile. “Yup, it’s just me today. Lucia, Rory, and Sage are all hanging back with the team.”

“So, it’s only you that I have to impress then?” I ask, raising my eyebrow at her.

“You trying to impress me?” Harlow stands up in front of me now.

“According to everyone, you’re my girlfriend. Seems like I should seek to impress you, don’t you think?”

“I guess so,” she replies with a shrug. “But your last game was a no-hitter, Fort. Gonna take a hell of a lot to impress me after that.”

I smile and laugh. “You’re never going to go easy on me, are you?”

“Never,” Harlow says, her smile reaching her eyes. “Gotta keep you on your toes.”

“What do you think about going out after the game today? It should be over around four, so we can grab something to eat or whatever with our friends. Kind of like a buffer when we’re still getting used to each other.”

“Sounds like fun, Knox.” She glances over at the dugout. “Skip keeps glancing at you, and he looks kinda pissed. Might wanna get back to your team.”

“You might be right,” I say with a smirk. “Catch you after the game, Pierce.”

“Good luck on the mound, Spencer.”

“Well, tonight fucking sucked,” Cole says, stabbing his spoon into his froyo. We lost tonight on a blown save by our closer, Chris Rockman. The atmosphere in the clubhouse was pretty tense after two straight losses. I’m grateful that I didn’t get the loss for today, but it still sucks when the team doesn’t do well.

When we all returned to the hotel, Harlow suggested we get some frozen yogurt. Lane and Rory decided to stay with Sage, but Cole and Lucia joined us. I found a place called FroYo-A-GoGo that Harlow seemed really excited about. I think her bowl cost ten dollars alone, with all the strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis she piled into it.

“There’s always tomorrow,” she says with a smile. She’s always so optimistic. I don’t know how she does it.

“Yeah,” I reply, rubbing my neck. “Anderson’s got the start tomorrow, so I think we’ve got a good chance.”

“Damian’s good, so that’s a real possibility,” Harlow replies. “I’ll just be rooting from the sidelines for you to avoid the sweep.”

Lucia interjects, “How did we end up here with froyo instead of ice cream? Who goes for froyo?”

“That would be your best friend,” I laugh. “But I’m not complaining. Froyo is so much better than ice cream.”

“Excuse me?” Lucia says, pretending to look offended. “Lo, I’m sorry, but this won’t do. You need to break up with him immediately.”

“Well, Harlow,” I say, turning my attention to her across the table from me. “We had a good run, short as it may have been.”

“You’re both completely fucking ridiculous,” she says, trying so hard not to laugh. “Lucia, I will not be breaking up with him over froyo because your best friend also prefers froyo to ice cream.”

“It’s like I don’t even know who you are, Harlow Pierce,” Lucia says, hand to her chest. She’s serious for a moment before both she and Harlow burst out laughing.

“Get used to it, Fort,” Cole chimes. “This is how they always are. Add Rory and Ella, and they’re an insane quartet.”

“Hey,” Harlow says, shoving Cole’s shoulder. “My friends are more fun than yours. Your friend group has Knox, and he never talks to anyone.”

“What the fuck?” I say. “I thought we all agreed I’m socializing more now.”

“Like you said earlier, I’ll never take it easy on you.” She laughs and winks.

“What did I get myself into?” I grumble, scrubbing my hands over my face.

“The best relationship of your life.” Harlow bats her eyelashes at me this time before dissolving into laughter.

She’s going to be good at giving me hell; I can feel it. But that should make things more interesting. It’ll be more fun to do this with someone who isn’t afraid to take jabs in the name of a good time.

I welcome that.