A/N: So I know I've been totally lame for not updating sooner. I have been working on this story and it's incredibly long- I've written six pages already and I doubt I'm halfway done. So I decided, instead of giving you guys this story in one enormous piece a week or so from now, I'm splitting it up. There will definitely be a part two or even a part three. It's still a oneshot, sort of, but made bite-sized. Also, just so you know, this story was begun before BD came out, and I am going to finish it like that, spoiler free! One more thing. I know many people don't know much about baseball. Especially my international readers. (Thanks to the reader traffic thing ff has now, I know that people are reading my stories in, like, Taiwan and Norway and Venezuela. So cool!) Hopefully though, I think the humor and romance will still come across, even if you don't know a strike from a ball. crosses fingers

So here goes!

Curveball

Part One

Collin's POV

The Quiliute High bus was practically ancient; it was clearly from a different era then the more modern schoolbuses from Forks and Makah. The paint was a faded, mottled yellow, and the windows were more then a little grimy. The fake leather upholstery had a faint musty odor, and the sound of the squeaking wheels, creaking metal, and groaning engine created quite a racket on the road to Forks. My phys-ed class was going to play baseball with the Forks High class, and the excitement that only a change of scenery can bring was palpable in the air.

The pack had quickly claimed the far back seats of the bus, easily intimidating the other students who had tried to take the spot, and now we attempted to relax in the seats that were much, much too small for us. The only werewolf not sitting with us was Jared, who was seated next to his imprint, Kim, and was staring into her eyes in a way that could only be described as sickening. Quil was also pre-occupied with his imprint: it was the time of day when Claire got home from pre-school, and so he was talking to her on the phone, getting the daily update on who had thrown playdoh at whom, who had called whom what names, and what snack had been served that day, listening to it all with a goofy grin three feet wide on his face. Like I said, sickening. Jake was brooding, staring out into the dense woods that bordered the winding road. Paul kept hitting his head on the roof of the bus every time we went over a bump, and Embry was simultaneously trying to keep Paul from exploding and keep himself from bursting into laughter. Leah was currently PMSing, to the detriment of all around her, and was in tears in the far corner of the bus, her brother Seth attempting to comfort her. All was as usual.

And me? Well, I was talking to Brady, who had been my best friend since before I could remember. We were the two youngest wolves, and we were currently making plans for the weekend, assuming no bloodsuckers showed up in our turf. It had been a long time since we had hung out with no wolfy stuff getting in the way. It was Friday, and I couldn't wait for the week to end.

Finally, we reached the town of Forks, population miniscule. The reason we had come all the way out here was that neither our nor the Forks phys-ed class was big enough for a baseball game, so we each made up one team and played each other when the need arose. It was fun, I guess- though we wolves having to conceal our strength definitely put a damper on things, at least for us. I wondered what it had been like when those bloodsucker Cullens had played on the Forks team, but since I didn't want to make Jake even more upset, I didn't ask. It must have been quite a contest. Now, though, the Cullens were long gone, with Jake's crush Bella gone with them. Forks was now nothing but an ordinary town filled with ordinary humans- boring, typical, run-of-the-mill humans.

As soon as we pulled into the Forks High parking lot, the pack jumped up as one, anxious to escape the crushing heat and cramped conditions of the rotting old bus. And, as one, our heads slammed into the metal roof above us. As one, we yelped obscenities and came back down, rubbing our heads in pain. Every human turned toward us staring, except for Kim, who began to giggle hysterically.

Of course the injuries faded quickly, and soon the only evidence of our eagerness was the matching dents in the ceiling above our seats. We stood up slowly this time, and finally made it out of the bus. The November sky was pale grey, and rain was expected by nightfall (what a surprise…) The weather was crisp and cool, and the humans had donned fall jackets. Kim was the exception: she had 'forgotten her sweater' and so Jared had put his arm around her to 'keep her warm.' Right.

Forks High had a surprisingly well kept baseball diamond- bleachers, benches for both teams, real bases, and all the correct lines painted in white on the damp sand and astro-turf. Brady and I kept up a lively conversation as we walked slowly to the field. By the time we reached it, the king of the jocks at La Push, who also happened to be our team captain, had won the coin toss, and our team was up to bat. The pack went to sit together and watch the game.

The Forks team was mostly mediocre, but they certainly had some stars on their side. The most formidable seemed to be their pitcher, who, from the confident yet relaxed way she stood on the mound, was clearly comfortable with the game. From where I sat, all I could see of her was her back and her red hair in a high ponytail that swung gracefully behind her. She wore a jersey that read "Greene" in block letters on the back. I felt a very weird connection to her, like a radio station that's just a bit out of range, obscured with white noise. I tried to tune it out, and joined the guys in laughing at Jared's fussing over Kim.

He was currently having some kind of panic attack because he was trying to find something for her to sit on other then the cold wet grass. It was a funny sight. He was about to go intimidate a freshman into handing over his jacket for Kim to sit on when she leaned up on her tiptoes and whispered something into his ear. A blush spread on his face, followed by a grin. Suddenly, he grabbed her in his arms and sat down, pulling her into his lap. She giggled and kissed him on the cheek. At that point, none of us could stand the mushiness, and we turned away quickly.

Quil was still on cloud nine from his conversation with Claire, and was telling anyone who would listen about the minute details of her day. Actually, since no one but him had much interest, he was pretty much talking to himself. As always.

As we goofed off, the pitcher struck out the first guy that got to bat. He was one of our jocks, and he had clearly underestimated her abilities. He didn't get a single hit, not even a foul. She was really good. Up next was Leah. She was less idiotic then the guy, but she still struck out. She ran off the field screaming and cursing. Girls can be crazy sometimes.

And then, I was up.

I was not very worried about doing well. After all, I was a werewolf- strong, fast, and not about to get struck out by a mere human girl. I put on the batting helmet, gripped the wooden bat, planted my feet by home plate, and looked up at the pitcher.

The world shifted and spun unsteadily. I was dizzy- from all the spinning and from looking into her eyes. They were pure green, like emeralds, like seaglass, like the sunlight filtering through the forest at twilight. I had never seen eyes that were both so brilliant and so deep. There was a look of fierce concentration in her gaze, and I wondered what she was so focused on.

Suddenly, I heard a wooshing sound very near my head. With that, the sounds of the outside world exploded back into my head. I heard the thud of a ball hitting a glove, the roar of the spectators, and the harsh yell of the umpire: "Strike one!" Confused, I tore my eyes away from the spellbinding girl I had just imprinted on and looked around.

I noticed that my packmates were staring at me.

"What's wrong with you?" Brady yelled from across the field. I looked at him pointedly and motioned towards her. His eyes widened, and he whispered to the others. In one motion, they all turned to look at me with shock. And then, all at once, they collapsed to the ground laughing. Laughing! I didn't see what was so funny. But I didn't have time to figure it out, because I was still up to bat. The umpire coughed in a disgruntled manner, and so I stepped back onto the plate, trying to steel myself. If I struck out, my pack would never let me live it down. Besides, I didn't want this beautiful girl to see me humiliated.

I looked back up at her, and my breath caught in my throat. Why did she have to be so… stunning? The captivating smirk on her face and the strong yet graceful way she stood sent a shiver down my spine. There was a part of me that wanted to run over there and wrap my arms around her, but I forced myself to admit that probably wasn't a good idea. I tried to desperately to focus, but then I noticed the way the sunlight shown through her hair and thought about how it would feel to run my fingers through it, or to stroke her freckle-dusted face.

"Strike two!"

Ugh. I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth and yelled at myself. "Concentrate! Don't go all love sick on me like Sam and Quil and Jared! You made fun of them! You promised yourself it would never happen to you!" But it was no use: mental images of the red-headed girl kept entering my head and making me dizzy. So I opened my eyes again. I refused to be made a fool of in front of the pack, even by my imprint. So I looked back at her, steadying myself. I caught her gazing at me with a strange expression on her face. When she saw that I had caught her staring, a rosy blush tinted her face, making her even more beautiful. What was going on? Why was she blushing? Could she be reacting to me?

I was even more surprised when she closed her eyes and bit her lip, shaking her head slightly- mirroring the expression I had worn earlier. I smiled. Maybe I wasn't the only one who was having trouble focusing on the game. She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and stood straight up, but I thought she seemed a little shakier this time. I felt a flicker of confidence. Maybe I could do this. I only had one more shot.

The windup… the pitch… the ball flying through the air… the bat swinging towards it… the sound of impact… the ball spinning away, to a part of the field where no outfielders are standing… the sound of my heavy breathing and my footsteps, running to first base…

I did it!

I stood by the base, pretending to catch my breath, like a human would. The pack had stopped laughing, their jeers replaced by looks of disbelief. But I barely paid attention to them, because my imprint, the redheaded girl who had turned my whole life upside-down the moment I laid eyes on her, was looking at me with a grudgingly impressed smile on her stunning face. Her grin filled my body with a warm glow and made me feel happier then I had ever felt in my life. So, somehow, I completely missed the next pitch and the hit and the ball flying through the air and only woke up from my reverie when I heard the pack shouting together, "RUN!"

Oh, yeah, I was supposed to run to second. We were still playing a game. I began to race to the next base, but I couldn't concentrate. Instead of looking towards my goal, I couldn't help glancing at my imprint as I ran, and I saw her staring at me. When she caught my eye, she slyly winked her shining emerald eyes. My breath caught in my throat and a wave of dizziness overcame me. The next thing I remembered was flying through the air and pain ricocheting through my body as I fell on my face. I had tripped and had been too busy staring at my imprint to remember to break my fall.

"Out!"

Luckily, being a werewolf, the bruised feeling faded in a matter of seconds, and I was able to pull myself up. Then I wished I hadn't. It seemed like everyone was laughing at me. The Forks team jeered, my packmates snickered, even the impassive umpire couldn't keep from chuckling quietly at my misadventure. I had to fight the instinctual wave of fiery anger that surged within me, since phasing in front of everyone was obviously not a plausible option. But reason was not really what kept me from exploding in fury and shame. Because, amid the harsh ridicule, I heard the sweetest sound I'd ever hoped to hear. My imprint's clear and musical laugh rang out from the pitcher's mound, and I couldn't really feel unhappy. It didn't matter that she was laughing at me, merely that she was laughing. I walked back to where my pack sat and ignored their derisive comments, floating on my own personal cloud.

"Ugh, another man down," Paul said in disgust, "pretty soon we'll all be nothing but a bunch of lovesick puppies."

"Shut up, Paul," Quil, Jared, and I said together.

Kim was out of the loop, and asked Jared what was going on. He whispered in her ear, "Collin imprinted on the pitcher."

Kim's eyes got wide for a second, and then she smiled and let out an, "Awwww. How cute."

Every pack member, Jared excluded, burst out laughing.

"Awwwwwwwww!" they all said in a high pitched voice.

"Wittle Cowwin's in wove…" said Paul.

"Oops, sorry Collin," Kim apologized.

"No prob…" I muttered. "let's just watch the game, guys."

"And we all know how focused you are on the game, Collin."

I sighed.

"Black! Clearwater! Fisher! Get over here!"

We all groaned and walked over to the coach standing on the mound.

"I want you three to play this inning. Black, you pitch. Clearwater, you play second base, and Fisher, you play first."

We took our positions, and the game started where it had left off. Jacob was not a bad pitcher, but like always these days, he could not come out of his gloomy brooding to really make an effort, and he walked the first player. The next person up to bat was… my imprint. Oh god.

I tried to keep some amount of my self-confidence. Typically, good pitchers suck at batting. It's a totally different skill set. And all I had to do was stand here and catch the ball. How hard could that be, right?

Nevertheless, I had to admit that my girl looked just as confident as always, standing at the plate, bat in hand. She smiled slightly, eyes gleaming, and held the bat over her shoulder like she had been doing it all her life. Jacob wound up and pitched the ball right over the plate. He had underestimated her.

She swung the bat in a graceful arc and it collided squarely with the ball, hitting it far into left field. She began to sprint towards first base, where I stood. Her long red hair bounced and shimmered as she ran, and the look of concentration on her face as she stared at me was mesmerizing. I forgot where I was, I forgot what I was doing… all I could register was that she was running towards me.

Then I felt something hard collide with the side of my head, and I crumpled to the ground.

Mwahahaha! (Evil writer laughing) I love torturing my characters! lol. Poor Collin.

So I hope you liked this. The next update should be up in the next few days to next week, depending on if I decide to break it up into three parts or two. Anyway, reviews are always appreciated… they keep me writing. :-)