February 1st
"Alright, is everybody here?" Indra questions, looking around at her softball players gathered around her on the field.
"Yep," Raven answers, popping end.
"No, Emori isn't here yet," Fish says quietly.
"She said yesterday she wouldn't make it. I was supposed to tell you coach, my bad," Roma says, blush coating her cheeks.
"Why?" Indra questions, dark eyes narrowing at her.
"She had a doctor's appointment. She said she'd be about half an hour late," Harper explains.
"Alright, besides Emori is everybody here?" she questions again, looking to the worn clipboard in her hands.
"Yes," the team choruses, itching to start the practice.
"We're going over basics today, throwing. You better have your ice ready because you'll need it, team. Get your gloves and pair up," Indra orders.
Like someone set off a gun, the girls rush to their bags, grabbing their glove and without a word pairing up, one of them grabbing a ball. Monroe and Fox, Harper with Fish, Trina and Roma, Raven and O, leaving Lexa without a partner. They run onto the field without a glance to the new player, already in the ease of warm up. Warm brown eyes watch as a ball hits her glove, readying to throw she notes Lexa without a partner.
"Woods! Come join us," Fish calls out.
O's head snaps to Fish, then to Lexa.
"Oh Lexa, I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize, we would've taken you," they say, motioning to Raven.
"It's alright," Lexa laughs cheerfully, running to stand next to Fish, ready for Harper to throw to her.
Indra watches carefully as Lexa gracefully catches the ball with practiced ease. Watching her body move as she throws, almost like a dance without music, propelling the ball back to Harper with such accuracy she didn't even have to move.
If Indra used her face to express how she felt, her eyebrows would have moved to her hairline, but she doesn't. Nobody sees her brow twitch before her eyes continue scanning her team. Her trained eyes pick up on Harper putting a bit too much force into her throws in an attempt to get them to Woods or Fish.
"Take a knee where you're at!" Indra yells, loving how they all drop without wasting a second to question, "Stay on your knee, but keep throwing!"
Lexa's grin hasn't left since they started throwing, loving the slight sting in her arm. While on their knee, it's easier to tell that Harper is having a hard time getting the balls to her and Fish.
"Hey Harper, can I give you some pointers?" Lexa questions as yet another ball drops about a foot in front of her.
Harper chuckles dryly, motioning for her to make her way over without a word. Lexa quirks a brow, throwing the ball with ease as she moves to run to be next to Harper.
"I've been playin' for years Woods, nobody has taught me yet," Harper informs the new girl.
"Good thing I'm not teaching you then, right?" she chuckles, "I'm just giving you a few pointers, alright?"
She shrugs, holding out the ball for Lexa to take.
"I'm not throwing it, you are," she informs, motioning with her head towards Fish who's waiting for the ball.
Harper raises a brow in question but throws the ball quickly with as much force as she can muster. A sigh escaping as the ball just barely makes it in Fish's reach. Not noticing the way Lexa was just watching her every move.
"Nobody taught you how to throw a ball. You just did it," she questions, motioning for Fish to throw it back.
"How'd ya know?" Harper questions, catching the ball with ease.
"It's what a lot of girls do. Here, it's a simple fix, watch me, okay?"
Harper nods, eyes on Lexa.
"This is what you're doing," she states, taking her arm back, pretending she has a ball, and releasing it at the top of her throw.
"Okay," Harper says, "I let go too soon?"
"Yeah, but you already know that. So I'm going to tell you what to do to stop that. Alright, so you don't have to change anything you're doing, well, not really. You just have to count to three, alright? Here, I'll show you."
Lexa takes the offered ball, "so it hits the glove, you start counting. One," she grabs the ball from the glove, "two," she raises her arms, putting it in motion, "three," she lets go, just a few moments after the top of her range, giving the ball more power forward instead of up, watching as it soars easily to Fish.
"You try this time, okay?" Lexa questions, motioning for Fish to throw it back.
"Okay," Harper says, catching it with ease, "one," she counts, grabbing it out of her glove, "two," she starts up her throw, "three," she ends, letting go just a moment after she felt she needed to.
They both watch as the ball soars over Fish's head, causing both of them to smile. Neither note the dark eyes of their coach watching them nor does anybody notice the small smile on her lips.
"Coach! I'm here!" Emori yells, running onto the field from a dark car, her bag over her shoulder.
"You're good Emori, pick a partner and start warming up. We're just about to move on," Indra says, motioning to the group of three.
"Yes ma'am," she nods, running to the dugout and pulling her glove out as quickly as she can.
"Are you guys okay if I go with Emori instead?" Fish yells to the girls.
"GAY!" Monroe yells from next to Fish, laughing at the blush that blooms over the younger girl's features.
"I'm not gay," Fish defends, walking out a few steps to be ready for her girlfriend.
"Maybe not, but your relationship is gay as fuck," Raven yells from the other side of the field.
"Reyes!" Indra yells, making her presence well known as the girls seemed to forget about her.
"Shit," she mumbles to herself, pulling herself off her knee, "laps?"
"Ten, and sprint them. I want you to be panting Reyes," Indra orders, watching as she lobs the ball to O before running to the bases and starting her running.
"Emori, you warm?" she questions the late comer.
"Yes coach," she nods, throwing a ball to her girlfriend.
"Alright, we're going to start a few plays. Have about a half hour to kill. Get in position. O, take outfield, Fox take left, the rest of you get to your spots," Indra orders, watching the girls run to their spots, all keeping out of Raven's way as she continues sprinting the bases.
"Everybody watch Reyes. Don't curse where I can hear you or you'll be running with her, got it?" Indra says, her glare going out, making sure to meet everybody's eyes.
"Ten," Raven yells, falling into a heap on home plate and gulping in air.
"Reyes, we aren't stopping practice for you, get up and get into position!" she snaps, enjoying how Raven jumps up to grab her glove and settling behind the plate.
"Woods," Indra says, her voice monotone.
"Yes coach?" she questions, green eyes meeting brown.
"You're going to pitch to me," she informs, picking up a bat and walking to her spot next to the plate.
"Go one!" she yells, motioning for Lexa to throw her one.
Biting her bottom lip, Lexa takes a deep breath. Closing her eyes to center herself before locking with Raven's, then she stops, her head cocking to the side.
"Shouldn't Reyes be in her gear?" she questions, everybody gasping as Indra lets out a smile, a light chuckle surprising everybody.
"Everybody thank Woods, she just got you guys out of practice early," Indra says, stepping away from the plate.
"What?" Lexa questions, eyes wide.
"You heard me, you're free to go. You just amazed me, Woods. Takes a lot to do that, but you do," she explains.
"For noticing that Raven didn't put on her gear?"
"Yes. Raven got a black eye last year because of that, was out for two weeks. You just prevented that."
"Way to go Woods. Amazing," O yells from the outfield, happiness evident in her voice.
"But I wanted to practice," Lexa sighs, her smile gone.
"You'll get plenty Woods, take the chance while you've got it," Emori says from her spot at shortstop.
"Yeah Woods, we'll go get some ice cream instead to cheer up your broken heart," Fish laughs at first.
"You're free to go," Indra says, picking up her bat and walking to her car without a glance back.
Lexa is assaulted with slaps on the ass, the team ecstatic about the fact she got them out of practice. A smirk works it's way on her face as they start whooping their happiness, throwing their gloves up as if they just won a game.
"You're all so overreacting," she laughs, leisurely walking to her own bag.
"Woods, we've been with her for like four years. I've never seen her do anything more than offer a smile. Once. One time she smiled. In four years. You made her start laughing!" Fox says seriously.
"I thought she was going to kill you, to be honest," Trina says with a laugh, most of the girls nodding their agreement.
"So you coming to the sweet spot Woods?" Fish questions, bumping her hip.
"No, I think I'll have to collect on that offer next time. I actually have a lot of homework," Lexa declines.
"She just turned you down flat out babe," Emori laughs as she wraps her arms around Fish's waist from behind.
"I guess that just means I'm stuck with you," she jokes, melting into her girlfriend's arms.
"Gay ass lesbians," Raven says, pushing them lightly, "Woods come on, come get some ice cream with the team."
"Yeah Woods, you have to!" O agrees.
"Or else we'll kick you off the team," Trina says, giving Lexa a glare.
She laughs but doesn't give in.
"I'm not joking guys, I really have a lot of homework. How about Friday? I'll do whatever with you guys after Friday practice, alright?"
"I'll hold you to that Woods," Roma says, slapping Lexa's ass before taking off to her car.
"We will seriously kick you off the team Woods," Trina glares, taking off after Roma.
Lexa shakes her head, gathering her stuff.
"Perfect timing," Raven says, watching the freshmen team walk down the hill from the entrance to the school.
"Clarke giving you a ride?" Lexa questions, looking up and finding the blonde being the last one.
"Yeah, thanks for asking Lexa."
"No problem, I'll see you guys later," Lexa nods her goodbye, walking to her car.
"What, did I scare her off?" Clarke questions when she gets within talking distance to her friends and Lexa's driving away.
"No, she said she had a shit ton of homework," O informs, picking up their bag and matching pace with Clarke.
"You should offer to help her Clarke. Isn't that how the gay movies go? First help her with homework, get into her room and then when you're in there you just-"
"No Raven, I'm good," Clarke interrupts, popping the trunk of her car.
"I'm just saying, you could use getting laid. We all could," Raven defends.
O rolls their eyes, shoving Raven playfully, "no all of us have even had sex, thank you very much."
"Hey! You can't be mad about that, I've offered!"
"You've what?" Clarke questions, spinning around.
Raven bursts out in laughter, causing O to follow, "Clarke, your face!" they laugh.
Clarke groans, shutting their trunk and turning to her cackling friends.
"Sweet spot?"
"Meet you there," O says, getting into their car and laughing as Raven jumps into it through the window.
"I see where I stand!" Clarke yells, but her laugh gives away her true feelings.
"See ya sucker!" O laughs, pulling out of the parking lot as Raven turns the radio up so it's blasting.
"Love ya!" all three yell at the same time, Clarke getting into her car to follow her friends and meet up with the rest of the team.