It Was Me by Anna Cruise

planning on going to that tryout. So I'm not really prepared for all this. Just a lot to take in right now.”
    He nodded like he approved. “Good. That's probably the right approach. Though I'll tell you I'm surprised. Most guys get a call from a scout, they trip over themselves to return the call.”
    I shrugged. “Probably. But like I said, this has all happened pretty fast .”
    “Sure,” he said. “Absolutely understand. Alright. Here's tough question number two. Are you interested in playing college ball? Because if playing here doesn't hold much interest for you and you're strictly interested in going the pro route, then we probably don't need to go much further.”
    I spun the water bottle between my hands. “I'm absolutely interested in playing college ball.”
    He smiled. “That's what I was hoping you were going to say. So, now here's the million dollar question. Are you interested in playing college ball here at Arizona?”
    “I'm interested in playing ball at any school that might want me,” I answered.
    “Well, I don't want you talking to any other schools, West,” he said, smiling. “I don't want you playing for any school that wants you. I want you playing for Arizona.”
    My stomach jumped. Arizona wanted me to play for them. I could play again. For a big time program. My thoughts rocketed back to the end of my junior year when the offer came in from Stanford. The excitement I'd felt that summer, the belief that my future had officially been secured—I was gonna play ball and get a great education to fall back on. And then it had all gone to shit.
    I came back to reality in a hurry. My scholarship at Stanford had been partial. I'd lost any hope of paying for tuition when my dad had gone down with the gambling/embezzlement fiasco. Two years later, I was no closer to having saved enough money to pay for any kind of tuition at any school. Including Arizona.
    I swallowed hard. “Okay,” I said. “I'm not really sure what to say here, Coach. Because I want to be honest with you. My scholarship at Stanford didn't happen because it was partial and I wasn't able to come up with the remaining tuition. Right now, I'm working part-time at a baseball academy and I'm going to school full-time. I haven't saved enough money to cover any school expenses. Yet. I'm hoping that in a year...”
    Coach Childs held up a hand and I closed my mouth.
    “West, I'm sorry,” he said, still smiling. “I wasn't clear. If you can tell me that you'll ignore those pro scouts and not take visits to any other schools, I'm prepared to offer you a full scholarship.”
    I stared blankly at Coach Childs, my mouth open.
    “That's tuition, books, living expenses, the whole deal,” Childs said, leaning on the desk. “Full ride, no strings.” He smiled. “Other than you come here and mash that ball like you did yesterday.”
    I tried to clear my throat so I could speak but my mouth was dry. I coughed and finally managed to speak. “Full ride?”
    He nodded. “Full ride, West. Arizona wants you and we're offering you a full ride.”

SEVENTEEN
     
     
    Abby wasn't in the casita when I returned.
    But Annika was. She was stretched out on the couch again, a paperback romance in her hands. She wore a white bikini top and denim shorts that seemed to expose more than they covered.
    “Did Casper go with you?” she asked.
    I ignored her and dropped the car keys on the dining room table. I fished my phone out of my pocket to text Abby.
    “You're as white as a sheet,” Annika continued. “Again.”
    I didn't doubt it. I'd driven home from the university in a daze, trying to comprehend what Coach Childs had told me, trying to get a grip on just how quickly everything had changed. I'd come to Arizona for a vacation with my girlfriend's family and somehow it had morphed into the opportunity of a lifetime. The opportunity to get a four-year degree from a good school and play ball for a great college team. After that? Who knew? But I was