It was late in the evening, at least as far as Umi was concerned. It was actually relatively early in the evening, considering that they only spent about an hour at the ice cream place after the game. So, to keep in compliance with Honoka's curfew, which Umi had set for her despite much protesting from the ginger, they were on their way back to Honoka's house.

The streets were pretty empty, which made sense for a residential area on a Tuesday night. The walk home was always one of Honoka's favorite times. She loved the warm glow of the reflection of street lights on the pavement. She loved skipping around the crumbled parts of the sidewalk on the tiny one-way streets of her neighborhood. She loved the sound of crickets hiding and chirping in the tall grass. But most importantly, she loved Umi. The amount of time they actually got to spend alone in each other's company had started to rapidly decrease in their last year of middle school.

Umi didn't like to talk about her father's incident, but Honoka knew it was always weighing heavy on her mind. Umi really loved softball, but sometimes it seemed more like an obsession. The idea that Umi had to take her father's place was ridiculous and naive and both of the girl's were well aware of that, but it didn't stop Umi from trying.

Another thing Honoka knew was that Umi had a tendency to spread herself too thin. She was the type of person who wouldn't ask for help, even if she desperately needed it. Their latest game had really worn her out, but Honoka could tell that that wasn't the reason why Umi had been so weirdly quiet all night. In fact, Honoka was well aware of what the real issue was, and neither of them particularly wanted to talk about it.

Really, despite her facade of ditziness, Honoka was far too observant for her own good. She sometimes wished she were a little more naive, because reality often scared her more than she'd ever admit.

"You did so good out there tonight, Umi-chan," Honoka grinned, hands in the pockets of the jacket she had yet to return to Umi. She skipped ahead, twirling around to face Umi, full of energy that the other girl just couldn't seem to keep up with. Rocking on her heels, she chirped, "Did you hear me cheering? I tried to be extra loud so that you'd definitely hear."

"It would've been impossible not to hear you," Umi said plainly.

"Aw, don't sound so tired Umi-chan! The night is just beginning!" Honoka said, spreading out her arms dramatically as if to give the evening sky a hug. Umi shook her head, looking up to see that they had arrived outside of Honoka's house.

"I am tired, Honoka. I'm exhausted" she said as she approached the ginger, placing her hands gently on the front of the jacket that Honoka had stolen from her. Her gaze was cast downward at the worn fabric beneath her fingers. When she finally continued, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Why are you wearing this, anyway? It's covered in dirt. You'll get your clothes dirty."

Honoka tilted her head to the side in confusion, looking up at Umi with a small pout on her face. "I like it! Because it smells like you and that reminds me of how much I like you, and I like thinking about how much I like you."

"You're saying weird things again," Umi said with an unamused frown. Her eyes softened slightly, and Honoka couldn't describe it as anything but sad and desperate. "It looks good on you, though. I wish you'd join the team."

Honoka frowned in response. There it was, the real issue they'd been tip-toeing around all night. It came up every once in awhile, usually after a particularly tough game, and Honoka knew Umi had been thinking about it again after this game. They'd been over this numerous times before in the year and a half since Umi joined the softball team, and it was obviously wearing on the both of them.

"I can't," Honoka muttered. "I'm not even that good, so it's probably better that I don't join."

"You keep saying that! You're plenty good. You were good when we played together in middle school and I know you're just as good now," Umi insisted, the volume of her voice raising, her fingers now clutching the fabric of the jacket Honoka was wearing.

They were dancing through the same routine as always, and they both knew it would turn into an argument if they kept going. It always did. Honoka, despite something in her mind telling her not to say anything else, continued anyway. "I keep saying it because it's true! I'm really not good enough to compete like you guys are, and you're way better off if I don't join," Honoka looked up at her, her thick eyebrows furrowed in frustration. It frustrated her that Umi couldn't understand how she felt, and it was even worse because if there was one thing the universe had to make Honoka bad at, it was putting the way she felt into words.

"Better off? We're short a player! I'm surprised they even let us play in the tournament at all! How is that better off?" Umi's shoulders were tense, her eyes full of some aggressive emotion than was definitely not anger, but something close. Whatever it was, it caused Honoka to lean back, distancing herself slightly from the geyser that hadn't yet proven if it was active or not. Umi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then continued, quiet and tepid. "Honoka, we made such a great battery. Our catcher right now is good, but she's not you. She doesn't think like you, and she definitely doesn't catch like you."

"I know, but maybe that's better," Honoka said, forcing a smile. "I was never what made us good, that was all you. You take winning seriously, but I never did. That's why I can't join."

"Honoka," Umi began seriously, her grip on the jacket tightening, pulling Honoka back towards her just a little. "You-"

"Look, I know how important winning is to you," Honoka interrupted, her eyes still full of frustration. She was having trouble piecing together the confession of insecurity she was trying to make, as much as she she didn't want to make it. "I don't want to drag you down. So far you've been doing way better without me than you ever did with me. And I'm okay with that. I prefer that actually."

Umi said nothing, instead abruptly letting go of the jacket, her face turned so that Honoka couldn't see the expression on it. "We both know that's not true," she said after a tense moment of silence, her voice shaky. She turned around to leave.

"Umi-chan?" Honoka said, though it came out in a questioning tone, her voice cracking slightly.

Neither of them were sure if they were even talking about softball anymore.

"Go to bed. It's a school night," Umi said, walking off without so much as a real goodbye, her shoulders still tensed and her posture stiff, defensive.

It was another one of those times when Honoka wished so badly that she was a little less sensitive, a little less observant, and a little less able to decode Umi. She wished she could just convince herself that Umi was angry, instead of realizing that she was sad and just pretending to be angry. She wished she knew what to say, or more importantly, how to say it. She wished she could just get over herself.

She didn't realize she was crying at first, but when did, she immediately wished she was also doing less of that. Groaning in annoyance at herself, she wiped her face with the cuff of the jacket she was wearing. The jacket that Umi had forgotten to take with her. Dammit.

Ckik here. Tipsy, but here.

The next two chapters will also have subchapters in case you need more drama in your life.

See you next week babes.