"And then Paul was like, 'Why don't you just stay here with me tonight?' He totally wanted me, but I said no... Delphine, are you listening?"
"Hmm?"
"You're not even listening to me!"
"Yes, yes I am," I lie. We're on our way to the game, and I am excited to see the team again. I am nervous, so I'm not really listening to Krystal babble on about her boy troubles.
We arrive at the field and Alison is the first person I see. She calls out, "Hey, Delphine."
I give her a wave and head to the dugout.
"Delphine, hi love, I've got your jersey," Siobhan says, "The other girls already got theirs a few weeks ago. And here's your hat."
She hands me a purple jersey with the team name, The Cyclones, written across it with a swoop underneath. It has number 21 on the back.
I put it on, along with my new cleats and hat. I'm excited.
"Hey, looking good there!" I hear Cosima say as I see her come into the dugout. "Like a real part of the team now." She sits down next to me, nudging me with her elbow playfully.
She looks cute in her jersey, her dreadlocks pulled up into a ponytail, barely fitting under her hat. She's wearing glasses that she wasn't wearing the other day, and she looks so cute in them.
"Ok, so don't judge me, but I have to wear these today," she says as she pulls out another pair of glasses. No, not glasses, they're more like goggles. With a strap on them that I assume goes around her head.
I laugh.
"Hey, my contacts weren't working out this morning...annoying problems with my eye, and I can't see shit without them, so here we are."
"Ok, no judgement here," I say. She puts on the glasses and sticks her tongue out at me.
She looks so nerdy, but it is so adorable. I find myself staring at her strong jaw and her mouth as she talks to me.
"Let's warm up," she remarks.
We get out on the field and toss the ball around a bit until it's time to start.
"Bring it in, ladies," Siobhan shouts, "Here's the lineup. We've got Beth leading off, playing first base, Rachel next, in left field, Sarah third base, Delphine center field, Cosima shortstop, MK second base, Krystal right field, Alison pitching, and last but not least, Helena catching. Let's do this!"
Everyone cheers.
We're the home team, so we take the field first. We're a few pitches in and I relax into the groove of the game. We're playing well, making plays, getting outs. I catch a fly ball in the first inning. It feels good.
We get three outs quickly and run in for our first at bat.
"Nice catch out there, blondie," Cosima says to me as we get into the dugout. I giggle at her use of a pet name for me.
"Thanks," I say. Seeing her in her super dorky glasses is almost too much for me.
We get some hits in the first inning. I hit a single my first time at bat, and make it all the way home as Cosima hits a triple behind me.
I high five everyone as I come into the dugout and Rachel slaps me on the ass.
"Very nice hit," Alison says to me. I thank her and chuckle to myself. She seems quite uptight for this team, but she is a very good pitcher, so I think she's ok.
We get a few more runs in the next few innings, holding the other team at zero, which puts us quite a ways ahead. The other team is not bad, but we are playing well, and it shows in the final score. We win the game 7-1.
"Great win, girls!" Siobhan says proudly, "See you all at Bobbi's!"
"Hey, great game," Cosima says as she greets me with a smile, "You coming to Bobbi's Bar? We always go there after games because they sponsor us."
"Oh, yeah, sounds fun," I say.
"Awesome." She flashes her toothy grin in my direction.
"Nice job today," Krystal says, putting her arm around my shoulders.
"Yeah, you too," I say, remembering her catch in the third inning.
"You ready to head to the bar?"
"Yeah," I answer.
We walk with the team, chatting in our separate conversations.
Krystal says quietly, "So, making any new friends yet?"
"Oh, well, Cosima is nice. She seems really cool."
"Yeah, she's the friendliest one on the team for sure. She likes to make people feel welcome. She was like that with me when I met her."
"Oh," I say, feeling a hint of disappointment from Krystal's statement. I don't know why I thought she was being extra friendly to me. We had just met and I didn't know her at all.
We end up at the bar and order some drinks and food. I'm starving after that game.
A few of the team members' significant others trickle in as the night goes on, and I meet all of them.
Beth's girlfriend, Polly, comes by, as well as Alison's wife, Dani. I learn that Sarah has a partner, Kelly, but she's at home with their kid, Kira. Helena's girlfriend, Jesse, shows up at some point, and they spend the rest of the night in the corner, making out. Siobhan's wife, Marion, makes an appearance as well.
We all sit around the table, making conversation, going over the game, having a few drinks. It's nice to bond with a group of women. I've missed that.
All of a sudden, a guy walks in. He has on a very tight shirt and black leather pants. "Felix!" the team shouts as he walks in.
"Ladies, ladies," he says, blowing them air kisses.
He sees me and says, "Oh hey, new girl?"
Siobhan says, "Yes love, this here is Delphine. Delphine, this is my son, Felix."
"Well, foster son," he corrects her, "And unofficial bat boy. Sorry I couldn't make the game. I'll be there next time."
He joins us as we all continue to chat. I watch as Cosima is engaged in an intense conversation with Beth and MK, her hands flailing wildly as she speaks. I can't take my eyes off of her. There's something about her that draws me in. She's wearing her regular glasses again, and she has let her dreads down from the ponytail. I get up and move a little closer to her, as everyone is mixing and mingling in various places around the bar.
In trying not to make it obvious, I trip over the leg of a chair, and curse, and she stops talking and looks at me, smirking. "You ok there, blondie?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," I say as my face turns a dark shade of red.
"Too much to drink maybe?" Cosima asks as she gets up and walks over to me.
"No, no, I just tripped. Oops," I say, trying to play it off.
"Alright, in that case, can I get you another drink?"
Is she just being friendly? I can't read her at all.
"Uh, sure, thanks," I say, trying so desperately to seek the meaning. Maybe I'm just being silly. I just met her, so I should just see where this goes. And I have no idea if she's interested in me, so I decide I'll just try to have some fun and get to know her. Also, I don't really want to be wrong and make it awkward since we're on the same softball team.
We go to the bar and she orders a couple of drinks and we sit for a while.
I try to get to know her a little bit better. "What do you do when you're not the star of the softball team?"
She blushes and laughs. "Well, first of all, flattery will get you everywhere, and second of all, I'm a scientist."
Ok, so she's cocky, and she's a freaking scientist? Could she get any cuter?
"Oh wow, a scientist? That's impressive," I say, in awe.
"Yeah, I study evolutionary development. I'm working on my PhD and I teach undergrads."
I can't contain my astonishment. "That is wonderful."
"What about you?" she asks me.
"Oh, well actually, this may surprise you, but we have something in common. I am also in the sciences. I teach high school biology."
"Oh, no way!" she says enthusiastically, "That's so awesome!"
I can't help but smile and giggle at her excitement while she beams at me.
"Hey, you two," Felix yells at us all of a sudden, "Come over here, we're taking a team picture."
I sigh as I don't want this moment to end, having her all to myself, but I reluctantly get up and Cosima follows.
I stand in back of everyone else since I am tall. I am always the tallest. We all put our arms around each other's shoulders as Cosima comes to stand in front of me. Her back presses in fairly close to the front of my body as Felix yells for us all to get closer to each other. I can feel her warmth and I grin.
The group breaks up after the photo and people start to leave.
I look around for Cosima in the crowd as I feel someone grab my arm.
"Hey," I turn to see her as she says, "I'm gonna catch a ride home with Beth and MK."
"Oh, ok," I say.
"It was really fun hanging with you! I'll see you next time."
She gives me a hug and I feel my arms naturally squeeze her tight to me.
We break apart and she gives me a wink. It surprises me and I feel a shock rush through me.
I'm excited about this season.