January 30th
"Griffin! How is my best hitter?" Marcus Kane questions as the blonde walks up to him.
"You shouldn't say that Kane, you know what it does to them," she jokes, as nobody else is there yet.
"Ahh, the truth hurts sometimes," he grins, plugging in the pitching machine.
"Yeah, it kinda hurts because I'm not the best hitter anymore," she sighs.
"Bullshit Griff, you were hitting dingers before you even knew what they were," he teases.
"She's right coach, you gotta see Woods bat," Harper says, leaning her bag against the wall.
"Woods? As in-"
"As in my father could have been in the major league if he wanted to be, before he died," Lexa says as she walks up.
"Lexa Woods, at your service," she offers her hand.
"Woods, I hope you can live up to the name," he chuckles, shaking her hand.
"She can Marcus, do you even listen when I talk?" Indra says, giving him a slap to the back of the head, offering a smile to the girl.
"Nice one," Raven laughs from down the hallway, O next to her.
"Alright, time to get started. The other girls can figure it out. Partner up, three for a cage. Woods, I want you alone."
"Yes sir," Lexa nods, walking to a cage and getting into her bag.
"Griffin?"
"Yes, Kane?"
"Where's your team?"
"Running. I told them to do laps around the school until I stopped them. I should go check on them," she grins.
"You're such a coach Griff, it amazes me."
"Thanks, coach, put that in the college letter please," she winks, taking her time to walk downstairs to check on the freshman team.
Kane chuckles, watching the blonde mosey her way down stairs before turning to the new member.
"So Woods, tell me a bit about yourself," he instructs, brown eyes taking in the brunette.
"Not much to say. Just moved here, forced Mom to move a few months early so I could try out for softball. Been playing for my whole life. Dad was good, Mom was good. I'm good."
"You sound a little arrogant Woods," he notes, watching her strap on her gloves.
"I've spent my whole life doing this sir, I was born to play softball. I think a lot of people could be as good as me if they worked as hard as me, but I have yet to meet another like me. It doesn't make me full of myself to recognize my talent and hard work, at least I don't believe so," she says, grabbing her bat and walking into the cage.
"You remind me of Griffin. She had just started a few years before she came here, but she didn't back down when I implied she wasn't fit for the team. She became our star player, now she's our star coach. Maybe with the both of you, we'll become the star team."
"That's a load of bull Kane! I was star player!" Raven yells from her batting cage across the gym.
Kane laughs, "Reyes, I don't know what to do with you."
"Start by giving her more credit, she stepped up and we won that game last year. Nobody else could do that," Monroe says before grunting as she hits a ball.
"And then you guys threw it away!" Clarke yells, jogging up the stairs.
Lexa chuckles when every girl there lets out a groan.
"Alright, let's not get into this. Reyes, you were the star for that game... After Griffin broke like five bones being the star," he rolls his eyes.
"Five bones?" Lexa questions, green eyes wide as she takes in Clarke.
"More or less," she shrugs, turning to the freshmen that have lined up behind her, "I want you all to go and watch some of the girls' practice. No more than three per cage. Take in their movements, we'll be practicing them Wednesday."
The new girls, all three years younger gather around the people batting.
"Alright Woods, enough talk I guess, let's get started," Kane says, turning on the machine.
Lexa grins to herself as it roars to life, lifting her bat and bending her knees. She takes no note of the brown eyes watching her as she swings, connecting perfectly with a ball. The thud of the ball hitting the protective tarp draws attention to her, as it is much louder than the other thuds around. Taking no note of the new eyes, she readies herself for the next one. Unsurprisingly she connects with it too, and nobody is surprised when the loud thuds become a heartbeat, constant and unwavering. After about ten minutes Kane starts laughing, turning off the machine quickly, causing everybody to look at him except for Clarke, whose blue eyes are fixed on Lexa.
Lexa finally looks up, her eyes widening at the attention she's drawn to herself. Her eyes find Kane, his laughing fit gone but a huge smile on his face. Then green eyes meet blue, causing her to freeze.
"You're really fucking good Woods," Clarke grins, adding in a wink for extra effect.
Kane chuckles, nodding his agreement. Lexa grins, her eyes wandering around the room, taking in their faces with happiness, soaking it all in.
"I agree, Woods I think you're going places, but for now I'm glad you're here," Kane says, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and messing up her hair, "I like you, kid."
Lexa giggles, "thank you, sir."
"Name's Kane to you Woods, got it?"
"Yes Kane," she grins, pulling away.
"Alright girls, I think that we've warmed up a bit. We've established who our big hitter is. That's all I need out of varsity. Practice Wednesday with Indra, Friday with both of us. You're free to go varsity," Kane says, releasing the older girls.
"Freshmen, I want you to get into the cage and take about five practice swings. Wait until varsity clears out!" Clarke orders, motioning the younger girls to stand off to the side.
Lexa takes her time, putting her bat into her bag perfectly. Removing her gloves carefully, making sure not to tug too hard.
"Yo Griff, how long ya gonna be?" Raven yells, tugging her gloves off with her fingers.
"Half an hour, maybe an hour," Clarke says, walking over to the brunette.
"Shit," Raven groans.
"I don't have any gas to take her home, Clarke. Bell's giving me some when he gets home tonight, around nine," O explains.
"Looks like I'm stuck here," Raven whines, finding a spot on the wall and slumping against it.
Lexa raises an eyebrow at the scene unfolding. Biting her bottom lip, she walks over to the three talking teens.
"I could take you home Raven. I don't have to be home until six, and it's only around four. I mean, if you don't want to wait for Clarke," Lexa offers.
"Really?" Raven questions, jumping up.
"I mean, yeah. Mom is always telling me I should try to become friends with you, since we're kinda related," Lexa shrugs.
"Oh my god, you're the best kinda-not-really-related cousin I have! Though, I've got to say your sister makes me happy we aren't related," Raven winks.
"Really?" Lexa raises a brow, "I thought you were demi-sexual?"
"Oh, I am. I just really like her for some reason," she laughs.
"Raven loves to act like she's totally into sex because she usually isn't into it at all," O supplies, giving Clarke a hug.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Clarke says, pulling Raven into a hug.
"Love ya," Raven says, picking up her bag and walking with Lexa to the stairs.
"Love you!" Clarke yells as they walk down the stairs.
"Do you guys say that every time you leave each other?" Lexa questions, opening a pocket on her bag to get her keys.
"Yeah. After her dad died that was her biggest regret, so now we say it every time we leave. You never know when shit's going to hit the fan, ya know," Raven explains, biting her bottom lip.
Her brows furrow, "Clarke's dad isn't dead? She just went and visited him Sunday?" she questions, confusion written on her face.
Raven sighs sadly, "Clarke was really, is really close to Jake. She visits his grave every Sunday. On Sundays he used to take Clarke and Aden out, they got to pick anywhere at all. Museums, parks, art galleries, the observatory, hell one time they went to Comic Con. Every once in awhile O and I would tag along, but it was mainly just something they did, ya know? Anyways, Clarke spent so many Sundays afterward just laying around, so O and I googled ways to help her. I guess talking to him, even though he's gone helps her a lot. So the time they used to spend together, she still spends with him," Raven explains as they walk to Lexa's car.
"She didn't mention that he was dead," Lexa mumbles, popping her trunk.
"She doesn't like to talk about the hard things in her past," she shrugs, putting her bag next to Lexa's.
"She seems so strong," she whispers, closing the trunk.
"She's the strongest person I know. Hell, sophomore year when she got hurt… Fuck man, she told us not to tell you about it but Woods, she was so fucking awesome. The play she made and how she made it… I wish it would've been me playing there, since it was my spot. That was such a hard time for her too, Jake had died just a few months earlier. The only reason she was allowed to play is because it helped her anger, then it was just taken away from her forever," she climbs in the car.
"To be completely honest, if I had lost softball after losing my father I would have killed myself," Lexa says, turning on the car.
"Clarke thought about it a lot, but then Aden came into the room and the rest is history."
"How old is Aden?" she questions, pulling out of the parking lot.
"He's five. He was three when Jake died. It messed him up a bit. He stopped talking for a few months until Clarke's accident. I mean, he's basically caught up now, but for awhile they didn't know if it would mess him up."
"I don't like how you word that," Lexa states, chewing the inside of her cheek as she drives through the town, "I mean, it sounds like you're saying there's something wrong with kids who regress after their parent die, which I know isn't what you're saying, but I just… I wish you'd word it better," she explains.
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry if that upset you. I just, I don't really feel all the things people say I should so sometimes I come across really rude," Raven opens up, looking at her lap.
"It's alright Raven, I understand. Anya is the exact same way."
"Left up here, third house," she points.
"Wow," Lexa says, taking in the three motorcycles in the yard.
"Yeah, he really loves fixing them up," Raven chuckles, getting out and walking to the trunk.
"I should probably say hi," Lexa says, popping her trunk and getting out.
"Yeah, for sure. Come on, I think he's around back," she leads Lexa around the house to the backyard.
Gustus stands over a large grill, an apron around his waist.
"Gustus, Lexa brought me home and wanted to say hi," she says, sticking her thumb towards the brunette.
"Lexa huh?" he grins, pulling her into a bear hug, "what happened to little Alex?"
"Oh my god, they only called me that for like a month," she blushes.
"I believe I have a card signed 'Alex' to prove that you did it too," he chuckles.
She sighs, rolling her eyes.
"Thanks for the ride Lexa, I'll see you Wednesday?" Raven questions.
"Yeah! I better get going, though. I'll tell Mom you said hi?"
"Please do," Gustus grins.
"Alright, goodnight," Lexa states, walking back around the house to her car.
"She's nice," Raven states as she comes back from putting her bag in the house.
"Friend nice or family nice?" Gustus questions, flipping a burger.
"I think I could see her as both. Though, her sister seems interesting," she admits.
Gustus chuckles, bumping his shoulder into hers, "I saw you too, you really hit it off," he teases.
Raven shrugs, blush dusting her features, "I mean, yeah. But I'm different so I'm not getting my hopes up, Gus."
"Maybe she's different too. Never know until you try," he says, turning his attention back to the grill.
"Maybe," she agrees, taking a seat and enjoying the smell.
"Maybe," he repeats with a grin, idea's forming in his head.