Chapter 4
"Let's go Lewis and Baby Lewis, get it together!"
The assistant coach called over to the sisters in the locker room where they were suiting up for their first official collegiate game together. Sure it was just a pre-season exhibition game but it was still one of those moments that Lauren had been looking forward to her entire senior year of high school. She had loved playing with Tamsin when they were younger and now that they had made it to the next level together it was going to be incredible. Or at least fun. Maybe something out of "A League of Their Own" which, by the way, was both of the sister's favorite movie for obvious reasons.
It was the second exhibition game of the pre-season and Bo and Nadia had done a fantastic job of handling the team from Washington with little effort. The bats were also hot in the pre-season opener and Lauren had done better than expected as she filled the DH spot for the starting right fielder who had numerous defensive awards but couldn't swing the stick to save her life.
Lauren probably wouldn't get to see much time behind the plate but given her reputation as a true utility player the coaches wanted to work her around a bit during the pre-season to figure out where she would be most useful throughout her career. Even in practice she'd cycled in with the starters covering the infield and outfield quite well and she had definitely impressed the head coach with not only her skill but her work ethic. She never complained about the drills she did and often put in extra time on the field when her studies allowed. She was the complete package and her softball IQ was off the charts so they knew she would slide right into the starting lineup once she had this first season under her belt if not sooner.
As a bit of a treat for her Coach Inouye-Perez told her she'd get her chance to catch for Tamsin in today's game and she had been really amped up for the game ever since she found out. Even their parents had flown down to take in the game and didn't care that it was an exhibition game and didn't count. They were supportive of their daughters and all but Lauren and Tamsin both had the distinct feeling that they were doing this now so they wouldn't have to fly down again during the regular season.
"Let's go freshman."
Nadia was standing in the doorway giving Lauren an amused smile and motioned for her to hurry up. She was going to walk Lauren through some last minute pre-game stuff as she could tell the young girl may have nerves of steel in practice but this was her first game in a Bruin uniform so she was rightfully a bit jittery. Tamsin nodded to Lauren to go ahead as she followed her out and the three of them all but ran into Ciara who was coming down the steps to the locker room.
"Oh, hello."
She stood up straight and gave them all a warm smile letting her eyes linger on Tamsin for just a second before Nadia stepped forward and gave her a hug. "Hey C, good to see you here."
Ciara nodded. "Just wanted to wish you all luck and finally get to see this one play."
She nodded her head towards Tamsin who just smiled uncomfortably before mumbling something and dragging Lauren with her before she could even say hello. They took a few steps towards the field before Lauren looked over at her older sister. "Okay, what was that?"
Tamsin just shook her head and grunted. "Let's warm up."
Lauren sighed and nodded as she followed Tamsin into the field to stretch with the team. The trainers were there to loosen them all up and after stretching out for about ten minutes the two sisters headed to the bullpen to loosen up Tamsin's arm. She threw a few warm up pitches then they went through her normal selection of pitches before the older Lewis threw a few fastballs at full speed. Sufficiently loose she nodded for Lauren to relax and the younger and shorter sister jogged over to her sibling with a smile on her face.
"Tamsin, just tell me what's going on. You get all tense when you hold things in and you pitch like crap."
Tamsin looked at her with disbelief on her face before finally laughing and kicking the dirt a bit as the sisters watched the rest of the team warm up. "Me and Ciara were friends last year until we had a falling out. Sort of."
Lauren cocked an eyebrow. "Friends?"
Tamsin nodded. "Yeah friends. She was the talented senior I was the incoming freshman and she kind of helped me navigate this team and school in general."
Lauren frowned. "So what happened?"
Tamsin bit the inside of her cheek as she stared out at the field not looking at Lauren. "Bo Dennis. She thought Tamsin and I were getting to close, or in her definition of too close so she started trouble."
Lauren looked confused. "Why did she care?"
The older sister finally looked at her younger sibling. "Because she and Ciara used to be a thing. And apparently in Bo's world those ties never break. She didn't like Ciara hanging around with me."
Lauren sighed. "It doesn't make sense. Is that why Kenzi doesn't like you, or me for that matter?"
Tamsin laughed. "I wouldn't worry too much about Kenzi. She's all bark no bite, and besides she's pretty much Bo's lap dog."
Lauren peered up at Tamsin. "What was the falling out?"
Tamsin sighed. "It was stupid really. I did kind of have feelings for Ciara but it might have just been due to being close friends with her more than anything and her helping me out like she did. Anyway Bo got it in her head that I was 'moving in on her territory' or something stupid like that and Kenzi baited me into an argument about that one day. You know how I like a good fight."
Lauren laughed and nodded her head as she waited for Tamsin to continue. "Anyway, it got back to Ciara and when she asked me about it I just didn't know what to say. So I kind of started avoiding her and eventually just stopped being friends with her. I shouldn't have let it get to me but I did and now I just don't know how to act around her."
Lauren bit her lip. "Maybe just try talking to her? Explain what happened?"
Tamsin shook her head. "I doubt she'd even care. She graduated and left and I think the only one who keeps in touch with her is Bo."
Lauren nodded. "So you and Bo aren't friends then I take it?"
Tamsin shrugged. "We're kind of not really anything. I mean don't get me wrong, she's fine as a teammate and all but I just don't know what to think, especially after I kind of lost my shit with Kenzi that day. I don't really know or care what they think about me so I just ignore it."
Lauren sighed as she looked at the rest of the team warming up. She noticed Kenzi and Bo talking to a couple of guys as they stretched out and Lauren's brow furrowed a bit as she watched. "Who's that?"
Tamsin followed her gaze and rolled her eyes. "I don't know their names but I've seen them around a few times. The shorter dude is Kenzi's man candy apparently and rumor has it the taller one is after Bo but she's not interested. Seems half this city is after Bo."
The last part was said with a bit of disgust and this time Lauren followed Tamsin's gaze to Ciara who had walked over to chat with the foursome. A few minutes later the PA announcement was made for both teams to return to the dugout and Lauren and Tamsin made their way over with the rest of the team as they waited for the starting lineup to be announced.
"Hey, Lauren."
Bo gave Lauren a warm smile and the younger Lewis sister gave her a polite smile in return. She was still trying to process the story Tamsin had told her and she just couldn't picture Bo being that cruel. Her gaze drifted ever so slightly behind Bo and she saw Kenzi stretching out and she narrowed her eyes just slightly knowing that girl may be the real cause of the trouble Tamsin had. She had already experienced how welcoming Kenzi could be and if she thought someone was going to be trouble for her best friend she could picture the petite girl going to no lengths to ensure that didn't happen. The question is, does Bo know what happened?
"Hi Bo."
The brunette pitcher smiled and patted Lauren lightly and a bit awkwardly on the shoulder. "Good luck today."
Again Lauren just nodded politely. "Thank you. And great job yesterday."
Bo gave her a killer smile. "Thanks. Glad you noticed."
She walked away with a bit of a spring in her step and Lauren sighed as she watched her for just a second longer than she probably should have.
"Don't worry about her and focus on the game freshman."
Nadia had come up beside Lauren and saw her watch Bo walk away. She shook her head knowing how influential Bo could be and she hoped Lauren wasn't one of these doting freshman who was going to have her heart stomped on. Over the past few months Nadia and Lauren had managed to actually become friends and the upperclassman often helped Lauren out with whatever she needed if Tamsin wasn't around. The older Lewis had already given Nadia the protective older sister speech and Nadia had assured her she had no bad intentions. She was just a friend and someone Lauren could turn to if she needed help and would look out for her and that's all.
"Hey Nad."
"You ready?"
Lauren took a deep breath. "Does it matter?"
Nadia laughed. "Nope. Just relax, you'll do fine."
The PA announcer did his thing and before Lauren knew what was happening she was running out onto the field and found herself behind the plate already taking some warm up pitches from Tamsin. She looked around and took in the perfectly manicured stadium and the large scoreboard with the big screen and for a second she felt like a fish out of water.
CRACK
The sound of the ball hitting her glove snapped her back to reality though and when she looked back at Tamsin who was giving her a concerned look she just smiled and threw the ball back to her with confidence. This was her sanctuary, her place where all her troubles just fell away and the one place where she felt right at home. This was where she grew up, where she dealt with her problems and where she would always find solace no matter what was going on around her. This was her world and she wasn't just good at what she did, she was great.
"Batter up."
Those words were heavenly in her ears as she jogged to the mound in ritual fashion. For all the years she'd been catching for Tamsin they had their little quirks and the coaches were allowing them some freedoms within reason. She lifted her mask and smiled as she nodded to her sister.
"Gametime."
Tamsin just smiled and slammed the ball into her glove a few times as she nodded and Lauren jogged back to home plate. One of the things that Lauren really liked about the UCLA coaching staff is they allowed the catcher to call the pitches throughout the game and weren't forced to relay in calls from the bench. There were times of course depending on situation where the catcher would defer to the coach for preference, but the expectation was for them to be able to call an entire game.
Another ritual that the Lewis sisters had was that the night before they went through the opposing team's lineup and planned out ahead of time how they were going to attack the batters. Both sisters were incredibly gifted in being able to retain loads of information quickly and both of them could probably rattle off exactly how they were going to attack each batter without even having to look at the players statistics. They already studied the tendencies of the batters, where their hot and cold zones were, who had speed and who normally swung for the fences. They knew their oppositions strengths and weaknesses and even the opposing coaches tendencies to play small ball over letting the girls swing normally. Basically the Lewis sisters reputation of being able to outsmart and outthink any opponent wasn't to be taken lightly and most coaches they faced knew that.
The first batter stepped up to the plate and Lauren stared at Tamsin who didn't even need to wait for a signal. This girl was fast and a slap hitter so they needed to keep the ball outside so she'd have to wait for it. As a left it was to her disadvantage to try and hit outside towards third base then run towards first. Lauren had pointed out that the girl also struggled with high pitches according to her stats so Tamsin knew she would be throwing a lot of rise balls outside.
"Foul ball."
As expected the girl tipped the first pitch foul and did so again with the second. Now forced to actually bat she was subject to guessing which pitch was coming so when Tamsin threw a slow changeup right down the middle she was way out in front of it for strike three. The second batter up couldn't hit anything below her waist but also didn't lay off anything that low either so four pitches later Tamsin had her second K. The third batter popped the first pitch up right over home plate and Lauren easily caught it for out number three and just like that they were jogging into the dugout for their first at-bat.
"Good job kid."
Lauren high fived her sister as they jogged down the steps and even Bo looked impressed at how flawlessly they'd handled the first three batters. She moved over and gave Tamsin a high five before patting Lauren on the shoulder. "Made that look easy."
Lauren shrugged. "It is easy."
Bo stared at her as if trying to figure out if she was just cocky or confident and finally just chuckled. "Well, anyway, good job."
It was Lauren's turn to stare at her as if trying to figure out if she were being genuine or not. She wasn't the type to let other people's perspectives influence her but given the possible involvement in Tamsin being so unhappy she couldn't help but feel a bit biased against the brunette.
"Baby Lewis, you're up."
Given her speed and outstanding batting performance yesterday the coaches had moved her into the fourth spot in the lineup to see if she would blend well there. This years team didn't bear a lot of long ball hitters but their on base and slugging percentages were through the roof so Lauren had a good shot of being just what they need at this position. Before she took a step she felt Bo's hand on her arm. "Her rise ball never stays in the zone and don't crowd the plate, she'll take your head off."
Bo nodded to the opposing pitcher and Lauren gave her a semi confused smile. "Thanks."
Granted, she already knew that as she'd done her homework but it was nice of Bo to offer up the helpful information without being asked. Nadia watched the interaction with some interest and noticed that Kenzi did as well. Lauren stood in the on-deck circle and watched the pitcher offer up some pitches to the batter in front of her. She identified the timing indicator she'd need given her bat speed and took a few deep breaths as she walked up to the batters box when the girl in front of her was walked.
Lauren knew to opposing pitchers her stat she was an enigma. Not really having any particular identifiable "hot" or "cold" zones she was a steady hitter who could drop balls into the holes in the defense or hit for power if need be. She took her stance and licked her lips as usual knowing she was probably going to get something low and away for her first pitch. It was the safe thing to do and something she would have called if she had an unknown batter to face and sure enough ball one was thrown well outside and almost into the dirt.
As an experienced competitor Lauren knew her patience would win this battle. As a fierce competitor she knew to push the envelope so she scooted forward a few inches and crowded the plate wanting to test how impatient the opposing pitcher would be. She took her batting stance and licked her lips as she waited for the next pitch.
BALL
"HEY! WATCH IT JACKSON!"
Unfortunately for the opposing pitcher Bo was in the on-deck circle as Lauren was at bat since she was rotating into the DH spot for this game. The accidently-on-purpose that nearly missed Lauren's head wasn't taken lightly by the team captain who was on the sideline and she charged the mound with the bat still in her hand. Luckily Lauren had heard her yell and stopped her from taking too many steps toward the field for fear she may get ejected.
"Bo! It's fine, stop."
Lauren got in front of the now angry upperclassman who was staring daggers at the opposing pitcher. It was a bit uncharacteristic of Bo to lose her normally calm demeanor like that but those who knew her best understood that the girl wore her heart on her sleeve and because of this she could be a bit impulsive at times. It's just unexpected to see one of those times be during a game when she was normally so calm and in control.
"I told you not to crowd the plate."
Bo was now staring at Lauren who just stared at her defiantly in return. "And I got it. Now get back before you are thrown out."
The home plate umpire had come over and he stared at the two girls with annoyance. "Knock it off ladies. And you, if you do that again you're out."
Bo just nodded slowly to the umpire and took her place back in the on-deck circle. She probably would have normally been thrown out of the game for that but given that this was an exhibition game the umpire let it slide. Lauren returned to the batter's box and after two more pitches she finally got one she liked and hit a hot shot to the alley between center and right field scoring the girl from second and moving the runner at first over to third as she made it to second base with little difficulty.
The rest of the half inning went by with little trouble especially after Bo hit a home run at her at bat and the rest of the game flew by with the Lewis sisters picking the batters off one by one. All in all it was a good game for Tamsin who seemed to have a bit more swagger with her sister behind the plate. She gave up only three hits in her shut out performance and the coaching staff congratulated the girls on a good game when it was finished.
"Bo?"
Lauren slowly approached the still agitated girl as she removed her cleats and uniform in the locker room. After that incident in the first inning Bo hadn't said one word to Lauren and the younger girl felt bad for getting her so angry. The brunette just looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.
"What?"
Lauren bit her lip a bit. "Uh, sorry for what happened today. I knew she was going to come inside I just wanted to test her is all."
Bo huffed as she threw her uniform into her bag. "You keep pulling shit like that and someone will hurt you."
Lauren frowned. "I don't need you to look out for me."
Bo glared at her. "No you have big sister for that I know. Look I was just trying to be helpful."
Lauren sighed. "By getting kicked out of the game?"
Bo laughed sarcastically as she threw on her sweats and didn't even bother showering before grabbing her bag. "No, for standing up for you. Maybe I don't want to see you get hurt."
Lauren was going to open her mouth to respond when Nadia stuck her head in the now empty locker room. "Hey freshman you ready?"
Bo looked from Nadia to Lauren and just shook her head. "See you tomorrow."
Lauren blinked a few times as she tried to process how genuinely concerned Bo had sounded when she said she didn't want to see her get hurt. It was said with a softer tone and Lauren wasn't quite sure what to make of it but she sure as hell wasn't going to ask her now. Instead she just nodded. "See you tomorrow Bo."
The brunette grunted out some kind of response as she brushed past Nadia who gave her a surprised look. Of all the girls on the team that Bo was close with she definitely fell a close second to Kenzi which made sense given their pitcher/catcher relationship. She didn't think much of it though as she just shrugged and waited for Lauren to grab her bag so they could go study as they'd planned to after today's game.
As they walked out they didn't see Bo standing there watching them leave and if they had they would have seen her shake her head slightly. Bo Dennis had three rules for herself while at UCLA. Rule number one, don't fall for a straight girl. Rule number two, make sure you keep your grades up. And rule number three, never ever fall for a freshman.