Smiling Equals... Chapter 13

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I started off slow. Walking around the soccer field. There weren't any trees to hide behind, but everyone was on the field, kicking balls and doing whatever it is they do during club time. Baseball was different. Not that I actually knew what went on during the sport, but not everyone was on that diamond thing. Some were outside it, others were in it, and there was a line of people standing some ways behind the guy with the bat who was at the tip of it. I would have to walk pass that line.

Five steps in, I heard someone call my name. My response, walk faster.

"Hey! Tsunayoshi-san! Wait up!"

I heard him, I ignored him, I walked on, but he was running. I was a second away from a panic attack.

By the time he entered my field of vision, I wasn't even halfway across.

I stopped.

He slowed down and then he was standing right in front of me.

I should've ran.

"Yo!" He smiled

But then again, those long legs would have helped him catch me easily.

I nodded.

"You're checking out the clubs?" He looked at the soccer field and then to the baseball field.

I just noticed he's holding a bat.

He was probably watching out for unwanted witnesses for when he smashed my skull in. I don't get it why they always watch out to see if other people are gonna see. It's not like they'll try to stop them, they'll probably join them if anything. But I shouldn't shove my face down the horse's mouth… wrong proverb, right?

He looks back at me, huge grin plastered on his face. Ugh. I know he's gonna enjoy beating the shit out of me, but did he really have to look like he was gonna enjoy it that much?

"You can come play with us. We still got some spots open."

He jerked his thumb toward the baseball team; they were all staring at us. So this is gonna be a group event? I shook my head no. It's useless, but I should at least try to get out of this.

He didn't lose an inch of his smile.

Yeah, I'm not getting out of this.

"Haha, don't worry, if you don't know how to play I'll teach you!"

He grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the others. Panicking now!

"Oh! My name's Yamamoto Takeshi! Nice to meet you!"

I couldn't even mentally react before we made it to his team. My throat immediately closed up, feeling suffocated from all the people surrounding me. My body tensed, waiting for the blow.

"Hey guys, this is Tsunayoshi-san! He's new, just came yesterday. He's checking out the clubs right now." He turned to a man in a jersey, "Coach, can he play a game with us?"

So it's public humiliation! They planned this! That guy is obviously gonna say yes and they'll make me do a bunch of embarrassing stuff!

"Yeah, we'll do shirts against skins. Split into two groups and shirts grab the gloves while the skins bat first. Team leaders are Takeshi and Kouga are team leaders everyone." He took a breath and added as a second thought, "This is just a practice match. I don't want to see anyone getting carried away and breaking a leg, alright?" There was a resounding yes coach from everyone else. "Takeshi, your friend can bat first." He gave out some more orders and the crowd dispersed.

"Come on Tsunayoshi-san." He dragged me up to one of those white pad things. He started to pull his white tee over his head then looking at me expectantly… oh hell no. In front of me was a guy holding a ball.

I was handed a bat.

"Akira," He pointed to the guy with the ball, "is going to throw the ball. If it swooshes past you three times, you're out. All you have to do is swish," He made a swinging motion, "and then it goes crack and whoosh and the ball goes reeeally far away. Then you run to first base, that white plate over there," He pointed to another one of those pad things, "and then you wait for someone else to swish, crack, and whoosh, then you run again until you get to home. You could get tagged out with the ball so you gotta run really fast like zoom! If three people from your team gets out, then you switch with the other team and go to the field. You use the gloves to catch the ball and tag people out. Fun, right?"

…I'm gonna die aren't I?