The First Rule

Chapter 18a: Dodgers' Kiss

October 2022

The baseball field bathed in the glow of twilight as a group of players gathered in the dugout. A tall boy leaned against the railing, while others sat on the bench, taking a break from practice. Two blonde boys stood casually against the fence near the dugout—one with a cigarette glowing softly in the dim light, the other with his Coca Cola pod.

"So.. does she like me?"

The blonde haired boy with dark blue eyes took a drag of his cigarette, the smoke swirled around him despite his direct question to the black haired boy who had been tossing a ball back and forth. The pitcher didn't respond, fully absorbed in practicing his throws—not like he hadn't already been a potential MLB superstar. The gray eyed one squinted through the dissipating haze as he tilted his head, attempting to discern his friend's expression from his back.

The pitcher threw and threw. What the blonde didn't know.. is the way he clenches the ball harder. The lines on his forehead deepened, eyes narrowed. His jaw tensed, a mix of emotions he tried to contain stirred beneath. It was clear. The question hadn't been well received.

"Serious question, Toretto," the guy who had been doodling around with a torn piece of paper spoke without diverting his attention from his note, joking, "Winters? Are you sure? See that pitbull front of you?"

Everyone laughed as they all knew who he was referring to—directing their attention towards the pitcher. Despite their amusement, the pitcher continued with his throws, unfazed. The tall boy stepped forward, proposing to take over pitching duties so the pitcher could step up to bat. Amidst the playful banter, the wavy blonde exhaled a ring of smoke before speaking up,

"Still gotta make sure the rule's off though, Dom. You know how strict they are with their rules."

Shrugging a shoulder, Hunt still gazed at the back of the batter—still remained unbothered. Starting to get irritated—especially due to his bro's continuous disregard of him for the past few weeks, Hunt sighed in frustration. Out of honest interest, the big boy sitting beside the doodler chimed in,

"Hold on, let me get this straight—are you really planning to date her, or are you just—you know."

The question reverberated through the whole group, as everyone was also curious, especially knowing his renowned reputation. His bro that's been supporting this situationship even paused, immediately adopting a serious expression as he turned to Hunt. The towering pitcher shrugged casually, almost letting the ball fly, not giving a damn.

Yet, he paused mid motion, retracting his arms as he caught sight of the batter's expression. Gripping his wood bat tightly, the pitcher slammed its end onto the base with force—to slightly glance to the side, awaiting Hunt's answer. Dominic noticed the shift in amusement before catering back to his Q&A session.

"I guess we'll see for now. Just making sure I come off well in front of her.. and if it turns out I'm not into her, well.." keeping his eyes fixed on the back of the batter's head, he smirked, "I’ll go find another girl."

The others teased him, calling him hopeless—only the boy beside him felt uneasy about his answer. Everything seemed to pause—until the pitcher's voice echoed from afar, calling out a name. The gray eyed blonde quickly went on guard—but it was too late.

The figure was already striding over—and in a flash of lighting, he had already clenching Dom's shirt—slammed him against the fence and bashed his wooden bat beside his head with a resounding clang!

"THAT'S EMILY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ASSHOLE!"

The tension spiked as everyone immediately went on alert. Luke hurried to the scene, nearly stumbling in his haste. Scott, Brad, and the others quickly stood up. Wyatt swiftly stashed his pods in his pocket—inadvertently burning himself in the process, exclaiming a "f**k!"

"Now you're talking to me."

Hunt smirked as he glared back at him under the angry tight grip.

"Are you interested in her just to show off how skilled you are, Hunt? That you can hook up with my Em?!"

"Rub it—what the f**k, Ty? What's there to show off?! s**t, you gotta get your feelings straight dude, do you f*****g fancy her?!"

Strangely, Tyler was at a loss for words, looking puzzled as Dominic clarified, "I'm not that trash, dude. I do like her."

Tyler loosened his grip slightly. Luke almost reached out to touch Tyler's shoulder when Wyatt stopped him. Exchanging a telepathic nod, Luke understood and refrained. Liam knew Tyler well enough that he couldn't be touched when he was furious.

"Right now, what I want to clarify is whether that's going to be a problem for you." Hunt asked firmly. Pausing for a moment.. Tyler released his grip on Dominic and stepped away only to mutter,

"What if it is?"

Knitting his eyebrows, Dominic held back his frustration as he grunted, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The f*****g rule, Hunt."

"f**k! Ok—the rules are there for a reason—now what's the f*****g reason?"

Hunt turned to Wyatt and gave him a 'what the f**k is wrong with him?' expression as Wyatt reciprocated with a tired sigh.

"Think. What happens when it doesn't work! f**k let's just say she's in the wrong and hurt you—what will my relationship with her be like then? And God forbid if you're one who hurt her—"

For a moment, he stopped, overwhelmed by the weight of the feeling—with the probability. Dom fell silent, dropping his head to think. Everyone contemplated, realizing that.. Cavill is right. That this. could cause damage to everyone involved. That one.. single change.. could alter everything.

However, bringing his head back to Tyler, Dominic fixed his posture and confidently encouraged, "If we never try, we'll never know."

Tyler scoffed and averted his eyes to Wyatt's side to mumble, "Dominic Hunt. The amount of bullshit he spat—"

"Bro, listen! You know me! You know I don't approach a girl first!"

If Dom had been giving a speech to save his life, you would've known that he was doing it right then. Because it worked. Tyler's face morphs into more of a sour expression—like a sudden realization had flashed before him.

"You know I don't offer them my drink just because I feel like they need it. Even though—she turned out to get drunk because of it—I know, sorry," he cringed. Tyler exhaled as he averted his eyes wearily—when Liam let out a smirk, the others chuckled at his sudden apology.

"You know I don't offer to get someone home just because I feel like it, Ty," he professed, garnering back his serious composure, "listen! I know we're just scared little shits right here, but what's life without trying? I respected your rule all this time—but Ty.. please. She's different."

The others watched in astonishment as Dominic redeemed his sins, their eyes widening in surprise. The River High playboy.. tamed at last. When did he ever make a speech about a girl? Nada. This really might be it. His first real girlfriend. Even the thought of it felt ticklish to them, but the possibilities excited them to the point where they were so speechless—they kept exchanging glances at each other and cheered.

However, amidst the jubilant celebration, Tyler's thoughts raced.

Among his buried consciousness.. among other lingered reasons.. one thought stood out the most, stealing the spotlight of his never ending confusion. One thought.. that brings all to square one. One thought.. that might make every puzzle make sense..

‘Problem is.. you're not the only one who thinks she’s different, Hunt.’

But he remembered the way you spoke about him.. How it seemed like you genuinely liked him.. your sparkling eyes when you talked to him.. looked at him.. and he remembered the way he repeatedly disappoint you these recent days—

"Come on, Ty! Look at him! He's on the verge of tears!"

Suddenly shouts from the rogues woke him up from his reverie. At first, Cavill looked reluctant, however it seemed like something set up his mind.

"You'll treat her right?"

Beaming, Dominic let out a big grin, and appealed, "I will, bro," then everyone cheered, anticipating a happy ending. Trying to lighten up the mood, Dominic joke, "Damn bro, you're too—" but in a split second, Cavill grabs his collar firmly and growled,

"I'm serious, Hunt."

The fiery gaze—peeking between his curled strands of jet black hair—locked onto Hunt's widened blue eyes. Taken aback, Dominic, along with the other swallowed hard.

"If you like her, do her right. Or at least try to, you lazy ass asshole. If you want to end it, end it right. And if you dare to play with her heart—if you hurt her—"

Then he leaned in closer to Dom's ears, threatening, "I will f*****g make sure you won't see the light of day, bro. I will make your life hell. And everytime you think it's over, know that it'll f*****g double, because I'll make sure her daddy knows." After pulling away, revealing a wide eyed Dom, he smiled despite his fiery gaze and added,

"And for God knows when. Don't 'bro' me, bro."