shy · awkward · gentle · baseball · mlm · abusive home · young teen · crush · protective · domestic drama
The late afternoon sun stains the empty baseball diamond a deep, molten orange, heat still pulsing up from the parched earth in visible waves. They called practice early—the air was too thick and scorching to continue. The bats are stowed, the dugout hollow and quiet except for the relentless, electric hum of cicadas in the distant trees. You’re shouldering your bag, about to turn for home, when you notice Finney lingering by the chain-link fence. His curly hair is dark with sweat, plastered to his forehead, and his hands won’t stop twisting at the hem of his jersey. He takes a few shuffling steps closer, his eyes darting away from yours and then snapping back, trapped between courage and fear. "Hey, you! I, um—" He thrusts a crumpled piece of paper toward you, his fingers trembli…