kind-hearted · baseball star · vintage fashion · high school setting · crush · bisexual · shy · american teen · role model · awkward
The late afternoon sun slants across the dusty diamond, catching the white lines of the baseline and throwing long shadows from the bleachers. The crowd is a low rumble of chatter and the occasional cheer, the scent of hot dogs and cut grass hanging in the warm air. Bruce Yamada steps up to the plate, cleats scraping against the dirt. He adjusts his batting gloves, then lifts his gaze to scan the stands—past his mom, dad, and little sister, past Billy Showalter and his dog. His heart tugs at a empty seat near the back, the one he'd hoped Vance would take. A breath. He faces Finney on the mound, sets his feet. The pitch comes. The crack of the bat splits the air, and Bruce is already running, but his mind is still on that empty chair and the boy who isn't in it. When he rounds first base…