Benny, Kenny and I were sitting in the diner, both Benny and Kenny were upholding the conversation well enough without me.

Benny slammed his water on the table. "I'm serious." I rolled my eyes.

"I am too." Kenny said.

I rolled my eyes. "You guys aren't going to do anything. Cause if you do you'll be kicked off the team."

"They've been tormenting you for days."

"Two days." I reminded him, the Tournament was on Saturday, it was Thursday. "And I'd hardly call it torture." The boys on the team hadn't been very nice to me, nothing new, but they were being bigger assholes than usual. Tipping over the buckets of balls, stepping on the raked field at the end of the day, pushing over the gatorade I pour, Terry even filled my helmet full of dirt before I base ran so they could run some pickoffs.

Nothing I couldn't handle.

"They're jerks." Benny frowned.

"Exactly, and there is nothing thats going to change that. It's one more day, it'll be fine." And it would be, I wouldn't admit it to them but the boys were driving me insane, but I wasn't about

to blow my top again after spitting on Adam.

Kenny and Benny knew the plan, of course they did, I told them everything, and they thought it was really stupid.

"He should just let you play." Kenny took a bite out of his burger.

"Oh yeah, then they'd really hate me."

"But at least you'd be playing ball again." It wasn't worth it, it really wasn't, these boys were fighting for a spot on a team that was going to possibly get them a chance to play in the majors. I

wasn't about to go and take a spot from them when there was no chance of me even making it past the college team.

Coach O'Niall was clear about where I stood anyways, I was a good helping hand but I wasn't going to play.

"Come on we gotta go." Benny said jumping out of the booth and taking my hand.

"Where?" I asked.

"The field. Were you even listening to us?" I wasn't.

"Leave the boys alone." I sighed.

"We're not going to mess with them, we're going to practice."

"On the field I just finished maintaining?"

Benny laughed throwing some money on the table. "We'll help you clean up, come on."

The field was already in use, a few of the boys were on the field practicing, either they had the same idea as Benny and Kenny to get some extra practice, or they wanted to piss me off by making a mess. Either way they were hitting balls.

"Oh fuck off!" Terry's voice came from the field.

"I assume he's talking to me." I said, Benny was angry but kept his mouth shut.

"We're here to practice. Same as you." Kenny said putting on his mitt.

"What does she need to practice for? Thought you were perfect the way you are." Cole K yelled.

Benny made his way onto the field us following him. "She is, which is why she's playing over you assholes."

"Listen Rodriguez, I get that she's the one that spreads her legs for you, but that don't mean she's any better than us." Benny's fists clenched but he managed to keep his tone calm.

"The coach seems to think she is."

"Yeah, she spreading her legs for him too?" Kenny had to pull Benny back to keep him from jumping on the boy.

"Benny let it go." I said stepping in front of him. "Nothing but a bunch of Phillips'" Benny visible released but I knew inside he was fuming. I looked over my shoulder at them. "I don't need to have sex to get a spot in the tournament, you might wanna try it though."

"You're a real bitch you know that?" Greg snapped.

"Why? Cause I'm a better player than you guys?"

"You're not better than us." Cole said. "You have something between your legs we don't."

"You sure about that?" I laughed. "Cause I was wondering how you made it this far." I turned back to Benny and Kenny then. "Come on lets just go." I didn't see Parker, I didn't even hear him come up behind me but I did feel the cold of water before my head and by back was soaked.

"What the hell is your guys problem?!" Kenny yelled at them. "Sunshine didn't ask to be a helper on the team, she didn't ask to help evaluate, she didn't ask to be part of the tryouts and she didn't ask to be put in the tournament!"

"Kenny-"

"Are you all really this sexist?"

"We like girls fine Kenny." Cole K said crossing his arms in annoyance, he didn't like being called sexist, none of them did.

"As what? As cheerleaders, you guys are either so ignorant that you think she can't play as well as you, or you're so threatened by her that you are messing with her, so which is it?"

Greg narrowed his eyes. "We're not jealous, and we're not sexist?"

"Then what? I don't see you guys messing with me when I'm the one that has a spot on the team already, I don't see you pouring water on my head because I can throw a heater and you can't,

what is your problem?"

They were getting pissed off, they may not have a problem with Kenny but they didn't like being called sexist, and they didn't like him calling them out on their shit.

"You would accept her if she was a cheerleader you would accept her if she was just Benny's girlfriend and you would accept her if she was baking cupcakes to raise money for our tournament, why can't you respect her as a baseball player?"

They were silent, each trying to think of the best approach to answering him, a good majority of these boys had girlfriends, I had seen them with them multiple times and they had even come to the tryouts before, they couldn't say anything about me that wouldn't apply to their own girls.

"We just don't like her." Parker finally said.

"Then quit using her gender as an argument." Benny piped up, his hands had unclenched.

Parker glared at Benny. "It don't matter what her gender is Benny, she ain't better than us."

"Prove it." the words were out of my mouth before I knew what to do.

"What?"

I was sick of it, in about ten minutes these boys had managed to get me from not caring, to raging angry. I tried to keep my cool, and I tried to be civil but I was mad. They were going to tease me after the tournament, talk about how I wasn't as good as I thought I was because I got pulled last minute, it was a recipe for torment.

"I said prove it. Prove you ain't better than me." I needed them to shut up, baseball was the one thing I loved and was good at, and if I wasn't playing then I needed to have a somewhat positive environment, respect was what I needed.

"What you want us to have some kind of pitching competition."

"Hit off me." I said. "I bet I can strike you out." The boys scoffed and laughed at that. I knew that Coach O'Niall told me not to throw to them, but I was beyond doing what I was told. I wanted to get respect and this was the way I was going to do it.

"We ain't hitting off you, you'd sooner hit us than strike us out." Cole snapped, he was worried I could see it in his eyes.

I straightened my shoulders and wiped at a bead of water sliding down my cheek. "I'll make it interesting then. Pick who you want, one of you or all of you I don't care. I strike you out you back the hell off, you never say another word about me and you leave me the hell alone. You hit off me, I'll pull out of the tournament, I'll even tell O'Niall I'm too scared to pitch against the boys in the league."

I knew there was a chance they were going to hit off me, but I had been evaluating them for weeks, I knew what they had trouble hitting and I knew that they would be on edge having to hit

off me, the odds were in my favour, I just hoped they didn't know that.

They didn't even think about it before they were moving to get their bats and helmets.

"Hey Toni." Kenny said pulling me to the side. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah why not?"

Kenny looked distraught not wanting to make me nervous but also wanting to tell me the truth. "You're a great pitcher, don't get me wrong but these kids aren't kids from Phillips team.

They're good, and you haven't practiced in a while."

"You don't think I can do it?"

He quickly back tracked, "No I do, I really do think you can do it. But thats six guys you have to strike out, and they're talented. They have been playing their entire lives like you and me, they know how to hit."

I thought about what he said, and he was right, they wouldn't be here if they weren't good players and the hardest challenge I ever had was Benny. Benny was phenomenal, but that didn't mean that he was the best, the boys could hit too.

"I'm gonna do it, either way they're not going to shut up unless I do something."

"Alright, kick some ass then."

Cole K was easy, the kid couldn't hit a curve ball to save his life and everyone knew it, even him. I tricked him, he thought I was going to throw a curve the very first pitch but I threw a screw ball. It looked like it was going to hit him and he quickly jumped out of the box just before it broke and went to Benny's glove.

Benny had offered to catch to keep from telling the players what pitch was coming.

"Fuck you!" Cole snapped at me before stepping back in the box. Two curves later and he was out.

Parker was up next, Parker was a really good hitter, almost as good as Benny in my mind and I knew he would be my toughest challenge. If I could strike him out the rest of the boys would be easy.

One thing I did notice about parker was that he had an issue with his ego, he hated having to choke up on the bat against faster pitchers. I looked down at the ball, it had been a while since I had thrown a wringer.

I took a deep breath and waited as Benny went through every pitch, every single one I shook off. Benny stood and took off the mask giving me a quizzical look, before jogging over to the mound.

"What do you want to throw?" he asked.

"You know what I want to throw."

"Wringer? You haven't thrown it in a while though, you sure you're gonna be able to do it?" It was a pitch that wasn't very forgiving, teaching it to Kenny had been hell, it was like the knuckle ball you didn't really know where it was gonna go, you just threw it and hoped for the best.

"Yeah." I said.

Benny looked unconvinced but agreed anyways before heading back behind the plate. He actually bothered to give me the signal for it. Three, one, two, two.

I didn't even think about it as I let the ball fly, and heard the satisfying crack of leather as Benny caught the ball. Parker didn't even swing.

"Dude you didn't even swing!" Greg yelled to him.

"Shut up!" He snapped back. "I'm just seeing how she throws."

"101." A voice came from above the plate.

"What?" greg yelled up. Behind the plate was the announcers booth where people sat to announce the starting lineups and set the scoreboard.

A little kids head popped up in view. "101." He yelled out.

"Bullshit!" Parker yelled up to him. Parker looked back at me. "Thats my kid brother, I forgot he was up there working the radar gun. He's full of shit."

"I'm not lying." He sang from the booth. "She threw 101, been averaging out at 94 or so since then."

"Shut up Finn!" Parker snapped. "Throw the damn ball." He snapped at me as Benny tossed the ball back.

101? 101 miles per hour? Thats how fast I threw it? Or was the kid actually full of shit trying to mess with his brother?

In that moment I had to know, Benny gave me every signal again hoping for something other than the Wringer, but I had to do it, I had to, I had to know if I could throw a 100 mile per hour

fast ball.

Reluctantly Benny gave me the signal. Three, one, two, two.

I don't know what happened then, I remember throwing the ball, but It was like it slipped from my hand and ant flying well behind Parker and into the backstop. And then pain, searing,

burning, gruelling pain.

I think I screamed, I'm not sure, but I did jump a few times, my arm like rubber swaying as I did before I collapsed onto the dirt.

"Toni? Toni? Are you okay?" Benny asked falling next to me. It was a stupid question but I couldn't tell him how stupid a question it was because I couldn't speak through the pain.

My right elbow was shooting pain up my shoulder and my neck.

"Toni! Breathe!" Benny pleaded trying to help sit me up, but I couldn't move, I held my arm and cried out in pain.

Benny picked my withering body and ran me to his truck, Kenny and a confused and shocked group of boys following closely behind.

Once I was in the passenger seat of the car was when the tears began to flow.

It wasn't from the pain, it was from the realization. It had happened, the worst thing that could happen to a pitcher, the worst thing that could happen to a baseball player. I turned to Benny and through my tears and gritted teeth I made it all real.

"I just threw my arm out."