Page 73 of Under Pressure

Ellie

It’s Quinn. We like her.

Evie

From the coffee shop? I <3 her and the degradable cups she uses. I know they’re not the most cost efficient option, but who cares when it comes to saving the ocean.

HELLO?? I texted for a reason.

Ellie changed the group name to Operation Good Girls.

Ellie

Say pretty please, Becky.

Bree

Yeah, say pretty please.

PRETTY FUCKING PLEASE!

Bree

Sheesh. Where’s your decorum? There’s a child amongst us.

Evie

I’m twenty-one.

Ellie

A wee baby *baby emoji*

So we’re decided then? You’ll be nice to her?

Evie

We’ve got her. Just try not to embarrass yourself on the mound tonight. That would be awkward.

Quinn’s never been to a baseball game before. She doesn’t know her way around the stadium or where to go if she wants something to eat or drink or go to the washroom. The girls do, but crap—what if she doesn’t like them?

She knows Brielle because Wes’ sister is a creep who will sit at the same table in Blank Page every day and people-watch like she gets paid for every person she gawks at. But Aubrey can be hard to read at first. She’s a family lawyer and, other than Quinn, is the hardest-working person I’ve ever met. Every player on the Havoc and I fear her. Even Finn does, despite being head over heels in love with her.

Evie’s just a sweetheart. Roman keeps her locked away from the guys as often as he can, not that I blame him. She’s got pale skin, curves for days, and these dark brown eyes that can strike you down at the knees if you look too long, which is something I’ve only done once. Roman smacked me upside the head so hard my eyes rattled in my skull, despite having looked in a very innocent way.

She’s a part of our found family and nothing more. Now, whether Roman’s grown to accept that or not, that’s on him. There’s no arguing fact.

I’d like to believe that he’s made some progress since falling for Brielle. For the first time in the five years since he started coaching here, he’s let us see that there’s more to him than meets the eye. I’m a big fan of the change.

“You look like you’re trying to wear a hole in the floor,” Kellan smarts from his chair.

I flop down into mine and fold my hands behind my head. “How long do the lines for the bathrooms get during a game?”

“There’s never a line when I go during a concert.” Finn slips his sunglasses onto the brim of his cap.

“This isn’t a concert. And I don’t mean the men’s room.”

Kellan finishes typing a message on his phone and then drops it onto his lap. “Are you that down bad that you need to go prowling for women in the bathroom?”