Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 57

The Record

For the Record

Victoria’s POV

As the innings began to roll by, Adele and I kept our eyes fixed on the dirt diamond. She was incredibly easy to talk to, completely lacking the snobbery I usually

associated with her crowd.

“I’m actually close friends with Leo and Nate,” she explained casually, cheering as Nata successfully caught a hard line drive to second base. “Known them since freshman year.”

I tilted my head, looking at her out of the corner of my eye. “Do you… do you really not feel awkward hanging out with me? While that group…” I gestured subtly with my chin back toward Amelia and her scowling friends. “…is watching?”

Adele just shrugged, her expression completely unbothered.

“Trust me, Victoria, those are not the kind of people you ever need to worry about. They’re entirely not worth the energy.”

We focused back on the diamond, our voices joining the roar of the crowd as the Crowswell boys dominated the field. Elijah was in absolute peak form at third base.

He made every play look incredibly easy, gliding across the dirt to scoop up grounders and throwing runners out without even blinking.

He completely controlled the infield, constantly shouting out directions to the rest of the guys before the pitcher even threw the ball.

By the bottom of the eighth inning, the bases were loaded. Elijah stepped up to the batter’s box, the entire stadium going completely feral as his name was announced over the speakers.

The opposing pitcher threw a fast, inside ball, and with one massive, powerful swing, the crack of Elijah’s bat echoed across the entire campus.

The ball soared high and deep, clearing the outfield wall for a spectacular grand slam.

The stands erupted into pure madness. Students were jumping up and down, beer cups were flying, and the noise was completely deafening.

As Elijah rounded third base and crossed home plate, high–fiving his teammates, his head suddenly turned toward the middle bleachers.

He searched the crowd deliberately, his dark eyes scanning the rows until they landed squarely on me.

When our eyes locked, I saw a sudden, profound look of relief pass across his features. It was a look of pure, unadulterated happiness, as if a part of him hadn’t actually expected me to show up, let alone stay in a section surrounded by his fans.

The Record

i couldn’t help the bright, wide smile that broke across my face, waving down at him

“Is it just me, or is Elijah looking right at you?” Adele whispered into my ear, her voice full of teasing amusement.

My blush returned full force, and I quickly broke eye contact with Elijah, looking down at my lap while Adele laughed giddily beside me.

A few minutes later, the umpire called the final out, and the stadium commentators‘ voice boomed through the giant loudspeakers, completely hyping up the home team,

“And that’s a wrap, folks! Crowswell takes the victory, securing their spot at the top of the conference! Congratulations to our heathen boys for an absolute masterclass on the diamond!”

The commentator’s voice crackled with excitement as the fans began trickling down toward the field.

“Get your voices ready, Crowswell, because in exactly one month, our boys are heading to the final state championship tournament–the big stage where the major league scouts will be locking in their draft picks! Get ready to scream loud, because we’re going all the way!”

Adele immediately grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the stands before the crowd could block the stairs.

“Come on, let’s get down to the dugouts before the security gates close.”

We navigated the chaotic rush of fans until we reached the front fencing right outside the team area.

Nate and Leo were the first ones to spot us, their jerseys covered in dirt and sweat as they walked over to the rail.

“Adele! Tori!” Nate yelled, a massive, triumphant grin on his face. He leaned over the barrier, pulling Adele into a brief, sweaty hug. “Whoa, I thought you said you wouldn’t show up today, Adele!”

She playfully hit Nate’s chest with her eyes rolled–up. “Why wouldn’t I show up? As if I’d miss watching you almost drop that line drive in the fifth.”

“Hey! The sun was in my eyes!” he protested, laughing as Leo walked up behind him to give me a quick, friendly wave.

“Great game, guys,” I said, offering them a genuine smile as Miles trotted past, waving a gloved hand in our direction.

“Thanks, Victoria,” Leo said, wiping his brow with a towel. “Glad you made it. I see you‘ ve met Adele.”

“Yeah, I claim her now,” Adele said, smoothly dropping her arm over my shoulder and pulling me into her side. She looked at Leo and Nate with a faux–scowl.

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For the Record

“Why didn’t you idiots tell me we had someone actually decent in our circle now? She’s stunning. If I had known, I would’ve personally escorted her here from her apartment. ! had to rescue her because those basic sorority girls up there were trying to play bully.

Leo glanced up at the stands, an annoyed look passing over his face before he looked back at me.

“Amelia?”

“Who else?” Adele scoffed.

Before either of us could get a word from out, we were interrupted by a sudden high- pitched, echoing voice from down the sideline.

“Natey! Oh my god, you did so good!”

A blonde girl in a tiny, customized cropped jersey came sprinting down the paved path, entirely ignoring the security barriers. Adele instantly let out a long, theatrical groan. “Ugh, great. One of his seasonal rentals,” Adele muttered under her breath, crossing her arms.

“Hey, don’t talk about her like that,” Nate defended, though a massive, entirely unrepentant grin split across his face. He stepped away from the fence to meet the girl halfway.

“This one is special, okay? Do you even know how good she ri-”

“The fuck, Nate? Nobody wants to hear about your sexual escapades at ten past four,” Adele snapped, audibly cutting him off.

Before Nate could even respond, the girl jumped directly into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Nate caught her effortlessly, swinging her around before burying his face in a deep, entirely too passionate kiss right in front of the dugout gate.

“Ughhh,” Adele and Leo said in perfect unison, simultaneously turning their heads away from the public display of affection.

“Every single weekend,” Leo muttered, rubbing his temples in mock exhaustion.

smiled at their antics, but the background noise quickly began to fade as my eyes started searching the crowded dugout for one specific person.

I turned my head slightly, scanning the bench area until I finally found Elijah. He had just finished speaking with Coach Miller near the gear storage, nodding as the coach clapped him on the shoulder.

He was walking toward the exit gate, his shoulders square, while the freshmen players instinctively stepped aside to let him through.

When he reached the perimeter fence and his eyes locked onto mine, I didn’t think

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about the fake agreement, the crowd still lingering in the bleachers, or the lingering whispers from earlier.

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