Home Runs and Heart Beats

Chapter Sixteen

"Well, that's a little dramatic–" Alex attempted to reason. 

"Nope, I will literally fail and get kicked out of the school." She turned away from Connor, stiffly walking over to Katie. "Well, congratulations on your win. Y'all played great out there. See you after the break!"

As they walked away from the baseball field, Ella stole a quick glance over her shoulder. Lysander and Connor were still watching, their expressions unreadable from a distance. Alex seemed to be enjoying the whole spectacle, his laughter audible even from afar.

Katie leaned in with a mischievous grin. "Well, that was quite the show."

"Oh my god," Ella said. "Did you see everything?"

"I think the whole crowd saw you lock lips with Holmes." 

"Shit," Ella groaned. "Why did I do that?"

Katie sent her a look. "Do I have to answer every self-explanatory question for you?"

"Maybe."

Katie sighed. "Maybe...Maybe you like him." Ella stayed silent. "Maybe you like him just as much as he likes you."

Ella regarded Katie's words thoughtfully. Just four hours ago, Ella found out that Connor liked her. Like, really liked her. Probably wanted to date her. She wouldn't lie, the thought of dating Connor was not unpleasant. In fact, it was rather nice. There was a comfort in the idea, a warmth that spread through her chest. Something she hadn't felt since her first-ever boyfriend in high school. Oh god, was she experiencing her first love again? Is that even possible?

Regardless, dating Connor would be...what would it be? Connor wasn't exactly some random guy on campus. It seemed like he knew almost everybody and almost everybody knew about him. There were rumors floating around about him, rumors that Ella tried hard not to pay attention to. Yet, she couldn't help but think there had to be some truth to these rumors. 

"There's always some truth to a rumor, " her friend Nina, had told her one night during their freshman year in college. Nina had come over after finding out her boyfriend had been secretly texting his ex for months.  "Marina told me that Joey was always talking about Demi and asking about her. Even went to go see her once. When I confronted him he swore up and down, he wasn't. " She sucked her teeth. "I should have believed Marina, even if he didn't;t cheat on me and he was just checking on her, this sucks."

Ella shook her head, dispelling the memories of that conversation with Nina. Rumors were just that—rumors. They didn't define a person. She had gotten to know Connor on a personal level, and she felt she knew him pretty well.

Still, there was a certain weight that came with dating someone like Connor. His popularity, the attention they might get—Ella wasn't sure she was entirely ready for that. The idea of being in the spotlight, even if just a little, made her slightly uneasy. But then again, she enjoyed Connor's company, and there was a genuine connection between them.

"I..."Ella sighed. "Maybe you're right."

"See? Is that so hard to admit out loud?"

"Yes, actually," Ella said. "because what do I do with this information?"

"Uh," Katie said, raising an eyebrow. "You ask him out?"

"On a date?"

Katie raised an eyebrow and replied sarcastically, No, Ella, ask him to join your book club. Of course, on a date!"

"Alright, Jesus." She paused. "How did you know I had a book club?"

"What? Oh, you would have a book club, huh?" Katie said, eying her in mock disdain. "Anyway,  Haven't you been paying attention? The guy practically radiates hearts and rainbows when he looks at you. Just go with the flow. You don't need a grand plan. Just invite him to grab a coffee or something casual. No pressure."

"Right," Ella said, nodding. "Casual. I can do casual."

Katie grinned. "Good. Now, text him when we get back, he's probably majorly confused about why you dipped on him after making out with him in front of five hundred people."

"It was not five hundred people," she retorted, pulling out her phone. She probably needed to draft this message now. 

"It was if you count the many people watching from home," Katie said, casually. 

Ella's eyes widened, and she nearly dropped her phone. "Wait, what? Please tell me you're joking."

Katie stayed silent, sliding a hand over her mouth to cover her smile. 

Ella could tell she was most definetly not joking.