Timothy’s Terrible Prompt Stories - 69. Prompt 722 Not my problem anymore!

Another Rob chapter for the hungry birds  

“Not my problem anymore! I’m a free man.”

A chorus of laughs, catcalls, and a few boos greeted Rob’s declaration to two teammates debating whether to bring their girlfriends or insisting on a stag night out to celebrate.

The baseball team was showering after a 10-5 win over their opponents, and the atmosphere was jubilant. It had been a close game until the fifth inning, but in the top of the sixth Ryan hit a double, the next guy walked, and Rob sent both of them home with a triple to put them in the lead with three runs. The next batter also walked, and then their junior catcher got his first two RBIs with a sharp single to right to get the final result, since Mitchell struck out most of six batters in the bottom of the last two innings.

There had been lots of backslapping and congratulations for Tobias and Rob, and the latter had made sure Ryan got plenty of attention too. Apart from the double, he’d hit a single in the second inning and executed several brilliant defensive plays, including a winning double play in the seventh inning.

The cheering from the small group of people including his cousin was very loud, and Rob dragged Ryan over there to receive his due before the team celebration on the field. His father had joined the group, and Rob managed to ask about having Ryan’s cousin and his boyfriend visiting. As he and Ryan left to be with their teammates, he saw his dad engage the couple in conversation.

As always, the visiting team got first chance at showering so they could get home faster. Once they had vacated the premises, Coach sent them in with a few last words of praise and an admonishment not to be late for practice on Monday. The excited group kept talking about the game and pointing out special moments and clever plays as they undressed and hit the showers.

“And let’s not forget, Jazz here went three solid innings. How is the wrist?” Rob turned off the water so he could soap himself. Jasper was in the middle of the same process next to him, but paused to hold his arm out and wriggle his left hand back and forth.

“I’m not feeling any pain or tightness, but Coach said I should rest my wrist for the next couple of days.”

“Bummer. That means no jerking off. You’ll have to ask Carolyn to help you out.”

Jasper grinned and went back to soaping his chest and stomach. “Actually, I’m ambidextrous, so I’ll be fine.”

“Ooohhh, how come we’ve never seen you pitching right-handed?”

“I’m not that ambidextrous.”

“So you’re only versatile in bed?”

Another roar of laughter and jokes followed. Rob kept a keen ear out for any nastiness while he rinsed his body, but no one crossed the line with crude gay references. It seemed like the baseball team had learned their lesson.

At one point, someone asked the second baseman the inevitable question. “Hey, Ryan, who are the two guys who were with Eric and Nelson? They went nuts when you hit that double.”

“That’s my cousin and his boyfriend. They came down to see us play, ‘cause I told them it would be a great game. Guess we lived up to the promise, eh?”

Jasper grinned at Ryan, who was standing opposite the redhead. “If you play like that every time they watch, you should invite them to visit more often. You were on fire, man.”

“Nah, it wasn’t just me. Ray here”—he pointed to the guy next to him—“didn’t put a foot wrong all game. It’s easy to get batters out at first base, when you know he’s on the spot and ready to catch any balls thrown at him.”

“Hear, hear,” Rob said and saluted the black teen. “If you hadn’t reached and caught that awkward zinger I threw from third, the fifth inning might not have ended so well.”

Raymond, the tallest guy on the team, just shrugged. He was never one to boast of his achievements, which also included good academic scores. When he’d been offered a college scholarship based on his talents in baseball as well as mathematics, no one was surprised.

“We’ve been together for three years. Stands to reason we work well as a team by now. I’m gonna miss playing with you guys.”

“But you’ll join us over the summer break, right?” Rob had talked to most of the team about his plans for meeting up once or twice per week for baseball practice. Ray had been one of the most enthusiastic about the idea.

“Yeah, I was thinking about when I start college.”

“Hopefully you’ll be part of a great team there. We’ll come and see you play, won’t we, guys?”

Several people, including Ryan, Jasper and Mitchell, voiced their agreement, and Ray flashed them one of his rare smiles.

By now, they were finished with their showers and headed into the locker room. Conversation broke up into smaller groups, and Rob focused on Ryan and Jasper.

“My dad said it would be fine to invite Jordan, Caleb and you back to our house. Nelson is coming too. What about you, Jasper?”

“No can do. I promised Carolyn I’d go home with her for a Sunday dinner with her parents. Her mom wants to check my arm and make sure I haven’t strained it. She wasn’t too pleased about Coach letting me play today.”

Mitchell walked past and heard the comment. “If you overdid it, you’ll know tomorrow. That’s when your arm muscles will be sore and your wrist swollen.”

“In that case, maybe I should spend the night at Carolyn’s, so her mom can check my arm in the morning.”

“Very clever, Jazz, very clever.” Rob clapped Nelson’s best friend on the shoulder. “Good luck, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Say hi to Nelson and Eric from me, if you leave before I’m done.”

“Will do. Are you ready, Ryan?”

“I’ve been ready for ages while you were doing your hair.”

Rob shrugged. “Single guys need to pay attention to how they look. Even handsome ones like you and me.”

“Don’t you mean vain guys like you? I’m not handsome.”

“Your cousin is.”

“True, but what has that got to do with the matter?”

“You look a lot like him. If you dropped the scowl, got a trendy haircut, and some nice clothes, you’d get plenty of offers. Ask him to help, or better yet, ask Caleb. He’s probably the one with an eye for fashion, and he looks at Jordan every day.”

“My family would think I’d gone queer if I let Caleb dress me.”

“That’s silly. Now, if you let a guy undress you, I could understand them getting suspicious.” Rob winked, and Ryan burst out laughing. He really was quite handsome, when he wasn’t moody.

“I guess you have a point.”

“I always do. Get used to it.”