Mac stared at the plaque outside of the row of coach's offices in the locker room, puzzled. Not that he was against sports; as a young kid there were a few he had tried– some with better results than others. He and Bozer still would play catch every now and again just to get outside for a while when he needed a break from studying or labs. It was usually Bozer's idea, but Mac had always enjoyed it. Bittersweet memories of playing the sport with his father crossed his mind just as he saw the door swing open to reveal Coach Dalton.
"There's the troublemaker. The kid with the silly hamburger name." Mac grunted but nodded, trying to remain polite despite his annoyance with the nickname. It had gotten old a long time ago, but he couldn't really blame the man for it. Coach Dalton had been in charge of the football team… back before Mac had accidentally blown up the field. Now he resorted to baseball, his second choice. Mac understood why there was a grudge held, but it wasn't like he'd caused the fire on purpose.
Coach Dalton gestured toward the chair in front of his desk and closed the door before making way to take his own seat. Mac still had no idea what he was doing in there, but he was prepared for some sort of trouble. "Do you know why you're here, kid?" The older man asked as he clicked the ballpoint pen on his desk anxiously. Mac answered with a simple shake of his head. He figured it was better not to smart off to the guy who could probably get him kicked out for damaging school property. No matter how tempting it was.
"I know it's off-season right now for baseball, but I don't have enough guys interested in playing this year. Most of them just graduated." Mac still didn't know where he was going with this, but nodded along and allowed him to continue. "So we're recruiting early. Gonna have to start preparation for the spring since we're pretty much startin' from scratch with a brand new team. And since you owe me for the field fiasco–" there was a daggered glare aimed his direction. "I need you to be on the team. You and your friend Boozer, or whatever his name is. I've seen ya'll play and you've got an arm on you. And I hear you're bored in classes already. You need something to keep you out of trouble."
Flabbergasted, Mac's gaze grew incredulous as he met the eyes of the coach. He couldn't deny that he was pretty good at the game, but Mac only played for fun. He was a competitive person, but he'd never done the whole team thing. He wasn't sure how good he'd be at it. He couldn't imagine the other players not getting unnerved with all of his trajectory talk.
"I don't have a choice in this, do I?" Mac chirped in response, though he already knew the answer. Of course he didn't. And though it wasn't so much a punishment really, he had college essays to write and other things to focus on. It wasn't like he could get a scholarship from it. Without hesitation, he was given an answer.
"Not unless you wanna be home-schooled from here on out." It was kind of a threat, but there was a sparkle in Dalton's eyes. A knowing glint.
"Practice starts next week after school. Be prepared to run your ass off."
Still stunned, Mac opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. "Now get back to class, MacGyver, before I change my mind."
Without argument Mac did just as he was told, though he was in such a tizzy that he didn't even notice where he was going. Not until a sweet, husky voice drew him out of his reverie. Blue eyes blinked, only to be met with those smokey hazel ones that made him melt. Riley.
Was he hearing things, or did bursts of dreamy music just follow her around?
"You okay there, Blondie?" She greeted with a soft chuckle, waving a perfectly manicured hand in front of his face. "You were kind of going all zombie there for a minute. I was starting to worry I was about to be dinner."
That took Mac's mind to other thoughts– less pure ones in regards to eating her up. But he thought it wise to keep that to himself. Even so, a flush cast across his cheeks.
"Sorry, I just didn't get a lot of rest," he answered, which was the truth. He'd spent most of the night up on an experiment that landed nowhere. Now he was paying for it. "What about you? Shouldn't you be in class?"
Riley's lips quirked into a sultry smirk as she held up a hall pass. "Snatched it off Mr. Taylor's desk. He has a sub today and the woman is blind as a bat. I don't think she even noticed I left," Riley admitted, popping the gum between her lips. That only drew Mac's eyes down to them, and he gulped quietly. "I probably should get back though. I don't wanna push my luck." Riley's smile softened, her long lashes fluttering playfully. "See you in class?"
Mac nodded, knowing good and well his voice would probably come out a little breathless if he tried to say anything else. He had a tendency to be overconfident when it came to science, but this girl left him weak-kneed.
"See you then," he finally managed, the thoughts of his meeting with Coach already dissipating. Riley Davis just had that effect on him, and Mac wasn't sure whether to be scared, or intrigued.