The stadium lights made everything look cinematic.Too bright. Too clean. Too staged.Alessandra stood near the third base line with Sasha, Amir, and Lila, pretending she was here as a polite academic observer and not acutely aware of her own pulse.Music blasted. Students chanted. Phones recorded everything.Branding in real time.“God, look at this turnout,” Sasha said. “If they win the championship this year, it’ll be insane.”Alessandra folded her arms loosely. “Winning is good for institutional reputation.”Amir laughed. “You don’t stop being a professor, do you?”She smiled.But her eyes were already on the field.Liam jogged out first.Pitcher.The crowd erupted.He lifted his glove in acknowledgment like this was exactly where he belonged. Which, she suspected, it was.He threw warm-up pitches with easy power. Confident. Fluid. Designed to be watched.His first pitch of the game hit the glove with a crack.Strike.The crowd roared.He fed off it instantly — shoulders broader, g
Last Updated : 2026-03-02 Read more