One of Jack’s roommates sat floating on a neon pink raft as another tumbled down the built-in slide. “Wow, you were right. It’s much better in person.”
“And you can’t even see the hot tub from there,” he whispered before running up the stairs. “Come on, Kitten.”
I followed Jack up before colliding with a girl I assumed was Tyler’s girlfriend Amanda, knocking her twisted hair loose. I watched as the light brown strands fell from the once messy bun, into just…a mess. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?” I asked as I helped her up.
“Yeah. You must be Cassie? I’m Amanda,” she said, grabbing and twisting her hair back into place.
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled, my tone cordial.
“You too. Okay, I really have to go before I pee my pants.” She laughed, ran into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut.
The thought of going to my first professional baseball game alone didn’t really appeal to me, so I was thankful Amanda was in town. We arrived at the field, parked, and headed toward the Will Call ticket booth. I gripped my camera tightly as we walked to our seats next to the visitors’ dugout.
The stadium was much larger than the one at Fullton State, but the crowd was similar. There were a lot of families with kids and a ton of girls. When our team was announced, the crowd went wild. And when they broadcasted Tyler’s name, groups of girls screamed and some stood up, showing their jerseys with his number on the back.
It was nothing I hadn’t seen or heard before. I glanced at Amanda, noting the discomfort on her face as she fidgeted in her seat.
“You okay?” I asked, nudging her arm.
Her hazel eyes glanced around the stadium before returning to mine. “There’s a lot of fan-girls here.” I nodded. “I’m not really used to this,” she admitted as she crossed her legs.
“Which part?” I asked, finding it hard to imagine that this scene was completely new to her.
“The girls, mostly. The crazy screaming like that for Tyler. The jerseys with his number. I hate it.”
“Really? It wasn’t like that for him in college?”
She shook her head. “Not even close. Was it like that for Jack?”
“Oh yeah.” I chuckled.
“Wow. You’re much braver than I am.” She swallowed.
“What do you mean?”
“I was just talking to Tyler about this last night. I think it takes a certain kind of person to date a professional athlete. I don’t think just any girl could do it.” She paused, glancing toward the field. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for it.”
“Don’t say that,” I reassured her as I put my arm around her shoulder. “You can do it. You love Tyler, right?”
“Of course, but it’s not about that.”
“Yes it is. It’s about exactly that.” I smiled at Amanda and she gave me an obviously forced smile in return. “He doesn’t want these other girls. He wants you. You have to remember that.”
She nodded, pressing her shoulder into mine. “You’re right. Thanks.”
The game wasn’t nearly as entertaining when Jack wasn’t pitching, but it did give me time to photograph other players and things. I took a lot of pictures of Jack’s roommates, knowing full well how much the guys tend to enjoy photos of themselves playing. I even snuck in a couple of Amanda on my way back from the bathroom. Her fingers were intertwined and twisted in a weird way as she pressed them against her lips, staring intently toward the field. I framed her fingers and her mouth in one shot, the focus of her eyes in another, and then her whole body language in a third. She looked so uncomfortable and unhappy.
When the game ended, Amanda and I walked down a ramp that led us underground toward the locker room. The walls were cement and kept the air chilled in the breezeway where we stood, waiting for our boyfriends to emerge. I glanced at the others waiting—some younger girls like myself and other folks a bit older that I assumed were parents—and resisted the urge to walk over and introduce myself. I wasn’t sure why, but instead of being friendly, I stood with my arms crossed over my body. The steel gray door flung open with a bang as Jack walked out grinning.
I smiled at the sight of him, his chocolate-brown eyes holding my gaze. He kissed my cheek and grabbed my hand. “Tyler’s almost done. We’ll see you at home, ’K?” he informed Amanda, leading me away from her.
We walked hand in hand down a long cement corridor before Jack pushed against the metal release bar of the outer door. Once outside, we found ourselves surrounded by squealing girls. They stared at Jack, then at me, then back to Jack. A few asked for his autograph, while others asked for something else entirely. This is exactly what Lesslie from work had warned me about.