She was getting better and better. Her curveballs were one of a kind. Even the guys had trouble hitting them. They even said she could've been a nice replacement for Sam if she hadn't been a girl. He knew they were kidding, but it was their way of telling her that she had talent.
He practiced with her every so often. Usually they'd go to her place to study at first and whenever they lost their concentration, they'd go out on her lawn and throw some ball. For every minute he spent with her, his affection for her grew more and more. Even the boys had to admit she was something special. They were feeling bad for prejudging her. But that was all in the past.
Everyone was now on good terms with each other and that's what matters. Diane was accepted as a new member of their gang. Even other girls had begun to notice her on different circumstances.
And within a few weeks, she had made a couple of close girl friends. She was busier than ever. She had her schoolwork to take care of, she had her newfound friends, she had the gang and of course she had Sam. She preferred him to be separated from the groups. He was a group of his own. The most important group. He had brought her all this within a few months. Friends, joy, passion…
She was no longer Diane, the loner or Diane, the bookworm. She was wanted. She didn't have the time to read in the same amount as before. Mostly she just felt like singing or dancing…
Usually I'd be Sam who had to be the victim of her affection. She would come out of nowhere and hug him tightly or start a silly game. Every time she did, it made his stomach turn. He knew he had a big deal to do with her new life as an outgoing person, but he felt like it should be him thanking her. Just letting him be a part of her life was extraordinary. Sam came to the conclusion though, that they were both thanking each other by just being there for one another.

"Sam?" she had whispered one day they were lying on her lawn after have chasing each other around.

"Yeah, chum?"

"When's your next game?"

"I believe it's Sunday. Why?"

"In that case, I'm coming."

"Coming, like, as a spectator?"

"Yes."

"You'd do that?"

"What do mean by that?"

"Nothing, I just-"

"I want to see you play, Sam. I know I've seen you practice, but as you said, there's a huge difference between practice and when it really counts. Perhaps I could even learn from it," she smirked.

"I guess you could," he smiled.

"I'll be there. Just search with your eyes for me among the crowd."

"I sure will," he smiled.

"Alright, Rick you're starter as pitcher. I wanna see those balls pass by so fast that it'll beat the sound barrier. Or at least blow the batter's mind!"

"Sure, coach!"

"Sam, you keep your arm warm if Rick can't prefill the job."

Rick scoffed. Sam rolled his eyes.

"Come on, guys! Everyone knows what's gonna happen. We're gonna beat those Tiger's asses!"

"Yeah!" the team yelled.

"Let's go!"

They marched in on the field and the home crowd cheered.

Sam took place by the bench. He tried to spot Diane but he couldn't from the place he was sitting. Despite all the cheers, their team had an awful start, which led the Tigers to get in the lead with 2-0. Rick wasn't doing well at all, and in the middle of the game, Sam was brought in. Lenny noticed and smiled at him out on the field, giving him a slight nod to encourage.
He needed to show them all he got. If not, they were going to lose. He reached the mound, received the ball, turned and looked among the crowd. There she was, in the middle of it, with a book in front of her, not paying attention at all. His courage faded a bit when he saw this. It made him want to throw a perfect ball even more so that he hopefully could catch her attention.
He looked into the eyes of the batter, seeing if he could spot which ball he'd least expect. Sam took one of his deep breaths, before he made the throw. It wasn't perfect, but it fooled the batter anyway.
People cheered for more, and Sam delivered it to them. Second, third and strike out!
The cheers were getting louder and louder and Sam bathed in all the attention. Expect one's attention. She kept a straight look at her book. Boy, this was really getting to him. She was the one who wanted to see him play and now she just sat there completely obsessed with one of her books. He looked behind and saw how Lenny had noticed his frustration. He shook his head and formed the words "let it go" with his mouth. But he couldn't. He was determent to get her to see him. So he kept on striking the batters out. And at last he caught her attention. Unfortunately, the game was over by then. They had won. And Sam was a huge part of the win. But he couldn't really be happy about that now. All he could think of was her, and why she had even bothered to come.

He left the changing room just as he entered it. Frustrated and bitter. Of course she would be outside waiting.

"Great game, Sam."

"Yeah, how would you know, huh?"

"What are you referring to?"

"I'm referring to you reading through the whole game. You never looked up even once!"

"That's not true!"

"Oh, really?"

"I tried to spot you, but after a while searching, I thought you weren't given the chance to play. So I picked up my book and started reading."

"Well, I was. And you know what? I've never played better, than what I did today."

"I'm sorry, Sam. I really am."

"You're sorry, huh? No, no, no, no, no! I'm sorry for trying to interrupt your reading by giving the best I had!"

She looked devastated. Like she had just had her heart broken into several pieces. He felt horrible.

"I-I'm sorry, Diane. I didn't- I didn't mean to yell at you like that."

"No, Sam. You have every right to feel mad at me for not paying attention. I apologize if I affected your concentration."

"Actually, you did. You improved it."

"What?"

"I was so determent to catch your attention that it made me throw some great balls out there."

"Oh."

"Maybe I owe you a thank you for being rude."

"How about 'I forgive you for not paying attention'?"

"Alright, I forgive you for not paying attention. It strangely enough made me pitch better."

"It sure sounds like that," she chuckled.

"Now, don't play-"

"What, Sam?" she teased. "Target of the attention seeker?"

He put on a smile as he tried to grab her. She avoided his hand by inches. He tried more intense the second time.

"You got 'target' right."

"Sam, now, Sam!" she laughed as she jumped backwards to avoid him.

"Run, you little devil, or I will get you" he teased.

So she did. And they ended up chasing each other around on a large green area.
They may have been acting like children, but so what?
They were just having fun.