Be My Game Changer: A Sports Romance
Andrea Rousse
1
AVERY
“About time.”
“Miss me that much?” Bodie steps into my apartment with that beaming face I’ve been waiting for all morning. Wasting no time, he makes himself at home, heading into the kitchen to pour a glass of water.
“Nope, but I’m ready to get this shopping trip over with.” I grab my purse, slinging it over my shoulder. I attempt to sound frustrated, but my lips automatically curl into a smile as my best friend turns his heart-melting grin back to me.
“You’re a girl, aren’t you supposed to love shopping? Besides, I need someone to help me not look like a fool.”
“That boat sailed many years ago.” I smirk as I throw the jab. I don’t know who he thinks he’s fooling, we both know he couldn’t care less about making an ass of himself. In fact, it’s his calling card. Bodie usually goes out of his way to act foolish, forever desiring to be the center of attention. While I on the other hand, prefer to hang out in the background, unnoticed. It’s one of the many reasons our lifelong friendship has thrived.
“Touché. But I have to look decent for my brother’s engagement party, and my only other option is shopping with Mom. You know how she tries to set me up with any single female in sight.” He gives me a fearful look as I raise my eyebrows, not actually considering making him shop with her, but it’s fun to watch the panic as it plays out in his mind. “Please, Avery. Don’t bail on me. Think of all the single retail workers you’ll be saving.”
“Oh, stop being such a baby. Your mom just wants you to settle down already. Plus, I have the entire day free. I even stayed up late last night to get papers graded so I could devote my day to helping you, because for some reason, I actually want to spend the day with my best friend who hasn’t been around much lately.”
“Yeah. The office has been keeping me busy, and I really want to spend time with my BFF too.” He pauses, and I feel it coming.
I prop my hand on my hip and look to him. “But?”
“No but, just … a slight alteration on today’s itinerary,” he says hesitantly as he shrugs.
“What ‘alteration’？ I thought today was your only free day for party attire shopping?”
“It is. But”—I nod at the word I knew was coming—“my dad gave me tickets for the ball game today.”
I’m not even mad because I know how much he and his entire family love baseball. “Okay. Well, I guess shopping will have to wait. Have fun at the game with your dad.”
“Oh no, my dad can’t go. He got the tickets for us because he knew we planned to hang out today. It’s an afternoon game, so I figure we can hit the shops afterwards.”
“Bodie, really? As if shopping wasn’t bad enough, now you want me to sit through a baseball game beforehand?”
“We don’t have to stay for the entire game. I really just want to see the first few innings.”
“Is that your selling point? Because I’m not buying that you want me to schlep to the stadium just to see part of the game.”
“No really. Carter Barlowe is pitching, and I gotta see how it goes—along with all of Canaan Falls.”
“O-kay …” My eyes roll as the solution seems simple. “DVR it.”
“It’s not the same. I need the atmosphere if I’m going to be the envy of the podcast world.”
More like the envy of the uber-amateur, bro’d out Talking Sports, Taking Stats sports-nerds podcast world he and his brothers care about so much. “Fine. I’ll meet you after you watch your atmospheric pitcher.”
“No, it’s the first time he’s pitching for the Coyotes,” he informs me emphatically, like this should be common knowledge. “Avery, don’t you watch the news or anything? Even non-sports people know all about him. His dad is Cash Barlowe. Won the Coyotes the pennant three years in a row.”
“Yes, Cash rings a bell.” Only because Bodie and all the boys constantly compare every Coyote player to him.
“Well, his son is on track to be as great of a player, if not better, but an injury sidelined him. This is his first regular-season game back since his Tommy John surgery last year, and it’s going to set the tone for the rest of his season.”
“Okay.”
“It’s a big deal, Avery. I really want to be there, and I really want to hang out. So, just come with me, and we’ll watch him pitch then we’ll leave from there to go shopping. We’ll beat the traffic if we leave early, anyways.”