A few people came over to their table to say hey to Graham.
"You're popular," Bailey said.
Graham peered over the top of her menu. Bailey's dark hair was hanging in loose waves just passed her shoulders. When it fell across her forehead she casually pushed it back off of her face in a move that sent chills up Graham's spine. She'd never seen the young pitcher with her hair down. She's was beautiful.
"Are you okay?" Bailey asked.
"What? Yeah. Sorry I...did you ask me something?" Graham mentally chided herself for staring at the young woman and sniffing the air like a dog but she was sure the floral scent tickling her nose was coming from across the table.
"I said you're popular."
"Me? No. I know most of these people through Dashtin. She knows the entire town."
"I'm surprised she didn't come with you."
"She was glued to the TV when I left. She's into some new show and recorded a bunch of reruns to get caught up."
They both ordered dinner when the waitress appeared.
"You can drink if you want. I don't mind," Bailey said.
Graham smiled. "I'm not a big drinker."
"What are you going to do after graduation?" Bailey asked changing the subject.
"Going to graduate school I hope."
"What does a biologist do? I mean I know some people go on to become doctors and other things."
"Are you asking what do I want to be when I grow up?" Graham laughed. "I want to be a microbiologist. Basically, you sit in a lab all day doing research and experiments trying to cure diseases."
"Wow, that's big. It must be something if you're that passionate about it."
"It has to be. Otherwise it would be the most boring job in the world." Graham grinned. "What about you? Do you have a major yet?"
"At the moment it's business administration."
"Are you thinking of changing it?"
"I don't know." Bailey shrugged.
"What did you want to be when you were a kid?"
Bailey bit her lower lip casually and looked up. "A taxidermist," she said.
Graham had just taken a sip of her water and had to swallow awkwardly to keep from spewing it all over Bailey.
"What? I'm from Texas. We like animals in the south and taxidermy is huge." Bailey's southern draw was more noticeable when she talked about home.
"I see," Graham stated.
"Where are you from?"
"Portland."
"What made you stay in-state?"
"I looked at a lot of different schools and was accepted to at least half a dozen, but I had an in-state academic scholarship so I planned to stay in Oregon. Coach Walker needed a catcher so it worked out. How did you wind up in Oregon?"
"All of the big schools in the south wanted to make me an outfielder because of my height. No one thought I could make it as a college level pitcher, well except Coach Walker," Bailey said.
"I think you're a hell of a pitcher, Bailey. You just need to work on ball control."
"I thought we weren't going to talk about softball?" Bailey teased.
Graham smiled and shrugged.
"Let's dance," Bailey said.
"I'm not much of a dancer," Graham said.
Bailey was about to comment when her cell phone beeped. She answered the text and then answered two more after that. By the time their food appeared she had forgotten about dancing.
"So we don't see many people from Texas up here. In fact, I think you're the first one I've met," Graham said between bites.
Bailey grinned. "What's wrong with Texas girls?"
"Nothing. It does explain a few things though. Isn't the state motto 'everything's bigger in Texas?'"
"That and 'don't mess with Texas.' So what do you mean about it explains a few things?"
"You're this little person with this huge personality and attitude. It makes sense that you're from Texas." Graham smiled.
Bailey raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like a compliment and an insult."
"It's neither. Just a comment. Don't take everything so direct," Graham said pushing her empty plate to the side.
"Yes, ma'am Coach Cahill."
Graham shook her head and smiled. She tossed some cash on the table and stood when she saw Helena Mendez walking in their direction. "Come on, let's get out of here."
"Leaving so soon, Graham?" Helena said.
"Yeah, I have a busy day tomorrow."
"I was hoping for that dance."
"Not tonight."
"Make sure you get Bailey back to the dorm before curfew," Helena smirked.
"Will do," Graham said over her shoulder as she ushered Bailey through the crowd.
"What's her deal?" Bailey said once they got outside.
"I have no idea. She's been acting strange around me since the first team meeting before you freshmen got here." Graham unlocked the doors to the Jeep and opened Bailey's door for her before walking around to the driver's side.
"It looks like the snow has finally stopped," Bailey said as they drove across campus.
"Yeah, hopefully it stays that way for our first game this weekend." Graham looked over at Bailey. "Are you nervous?"
"I'm not going to lie to you. I have a lot weighing on my shoulders so yes I'm nervous."
Graham parked in the dorm lot and cut the engine.
"Bailey, you don't need to worry about what people think or say just go out there and pitch the ball. I'll be right there with you along with the rest of the team. There are no individuals. We do everything as a team. Besides, I'll be calling the game so you will have to rely on my skills and trust me at the plate. If all else fails picture the batter naked."
"Like that's going to help." Bailey laughed.
Graham shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow at practice."
"I had a nice time tonight, Graham. Thanks." As Bailey got out her cell phone rang and she answered it before closing the door.
"Alex, I said I would call you when I got home. I'm literally in the parking lot," Bailey rolled her eyes and smiled at Graham before waving and shutting the door.
~
Graham walked into the apartment and Dashtin was still sitting in front of the TV.
"How was your date?"
"It wasn't a date. We actually had a nice time until Helena appeared."
"Why don't you just hook-up with Helena? She's obviously interested." Dashtin paused the TV show.
"I don't hook-up with people, Dash, you do." Graham tossed her keys on the table and flopped down on the couch next to her. "Why don't you hook-up with her?"
"She's into you not me."
"Yeah well she needs to get over it."
"What did Bailey say about it?"
Graham shrugged. "I don't think she even noticed. She's straight anyway."
"What makes you think she's straight?"
"I'm pretty sure the Alex she was arguing with on the phone is her boyfriend," Graham said.
"Weird."
"How is that weird? You think everyone's a lesbian."
Dashtin laughed. "They are. They just don't know it yet."
"Uh huh and let me guess it's your quest to help them see the rainbow light at the end of the tunnel?" Graham shook her head.
"Something like that," Dashtin laughed.
Graham rose from the couch stretching the muscles in her back. She kicked her shoes off and turned towards the hallway.
"Is your pitcher ready for this weekend?"
"She's nervous, but as long as she controls the damn ball she'll do fine," Graham said walking down the hall towards her room.
Chapter 6
The weather held for the first game of the season and opening weekend. Graham was excited to be back on the field. She wore her number seventeen light blue and black uniform with pride. Dashtin stood in the shortstop position sporting the lucky number thirteen on her back with her long hair up in a ponytail and Bailey graced the pitcher's mound in her double-zero jersey with her dark hair pulled back in a
ponytail with a light blue ribbon and a smile on her face.
The first inning went off without a hitch, three up and three down. Then, Whitney hit an RBI in the second inning to push the Pioneers ahead by one. The third and fourth innings were ended quickly with pop ups from both teams. In the fifth Bailey threw two crazy balls that loaded the bases and allowed the tying run to come in after visibly arguing with Graham over which pitch to throw. Graham immediately ran out to the mound.
"What's going on?" she asked. "You're not throwing what I'm calling. What's the problem?"
"I disagreed with your call," Bailey huffed.
Dashtin ran up to both of them.
"What's the damn problem?"
"We're having a little issue with the pitch calling," Graham said.
"If I disagree with you then I'm going to throw what I want," Bailey said.
"You need to get it together, kid. Graham calls the plays whether you like it or not," Dashtin growled.
"Great," Graham said when she saw Coach Parker walking towards them. Dashtin ran back to her position.
"What's up, ladies?"
"We've got it, coach," Graham said.
"Bailey, open your hand so your palm is facing the sky on the curve. That should give you more control," Coach Parker said before walking back to the dugout.
"We'll lay off the curve until you get it under control," Graham said.
"You need to get your girlfriend under control. I'm not a fucking kid, she's not my boss, and you're not my coach," Bailey sneered before going back to the mound.
Graham raised an eyebrow and jogged back to the plate.
The Pioneers were able to get through the fifth and six without using the curve ball and one of the outfielders hit a home run in the seventh winning the game for them.
The team met in the locker room to discuss the game afterwards which was their usual custom. All of the coaches walked in together and stood in the front of the room near the dry erase board with all of the notes and plays written on it.
"First let me say it's nice to get a win in our opening game although it was extremely sloppy. Was the outfield slippery or were we just struggling to get under the ball? And that mess at the pitching mound better never happen again. Graham, you and Bailey need to figure out how to work together. I thought you've been working on that all week?" She raised her hand when Graham tried to comment. "I think you should all go home and think about this game, what went wrong, and areas you can personally improve so that we don't look like fools again tomorrow. This is our house! We should never play this bad in our house, ladies! Win or not we looked horrible tonight." She slammed her clipboard on the chair. "You're dismissed."
"Graham and Bailey, I need to see both of before you go," Coach Parker said.
Graham put her equipment in her locker and slammed the door. Her uniform was sweaty and itchy and she was ready to go home. The last thing she wanted was another ass-chewing.
"What the hell happened out there tonight?" Coach Parker asked.
"We had a minor disagreement," Graham said.
Bailey sat with her arms crossed.
"What's your side of the story?" Coach Parker asked her.
"I disagreed with the pitches she was calling."
"So let me guess, you threw what you wanted and that's why it went crazy."
"Something like that," Graham said.
"Bailey, you were brought to this team because you have mad pitching skills, but they aren't perfect. If Graham notices something whether it's with the batter or your pitching she's going to change things up and you need to be prepared for that. We can't have the two of you arguing at the mound. That gives the other team a huge advantage knowing the two of you aren't working together. You're both damn lucky we won this game tonight. Tomorrow afternoon better be a completely different atmosphere between the two of you. Am I clear?"
"Yes," they said together.
As soon as she dismissed them both women bolted from the locker room. Graham was so ready to be out of there she nearly got a speeding ticket on her way home.
~
Graham ignored Dashtin's jabbing and went straight to the shower when she walked in. She stripped and stood under the hot water until the muscles in her body felt limp. She spread the soap around her body, shampooed her hair, and rinsed off. She was so tired and emotionally drained that she almost forgot to condition her hair before getting out. She put on a t-shirt and warm up pants and walked out to the living room.
"I ordered a pizza," Dashtin said as Graham sat down on the couch and put her feet up on the table.
"That's good. I'm starving," Graham said stretching her tired sore muscles. "What a day."
"The first baseman was cute," Dashtin said.
"Seriously? We have a horrible game and you're checking out the other team's players." Graham shook her head. "Maybe you should pay more attention to the game next time. I had my ass chewed twice!"
"How much trouble are you in?"
"She was pissed, but it wasn't too bad. Now, if it happens again tomorrow we're all toast," Graham said.
"What's Bailey's problem?"
"Dashtin, she's not the only problem. The entire team played like shit to start with."
"Yeah, well it doesn't help when your pitcher hands them bases and scoring runs."
"She's got a lot on her shoulders and your little dig probably didn't help matters much."
"Are you defending her?" Dashtin growled.
"Damn it, Dash. She's the pitcher, I'm the catcher. We have to be on the same page. You know that. All I'm saying is maybe you should apologize for calling her a kid."
"Fine," she said picking up cell phone she texted a quick message to Bailey and tossed the phone back down. "Are you happy now?"
Graham sighed a frustrating breath. "Coach Parker and Coach Walker are riding my ass as it is. I don't need shit from you too."
~
Early the next afternoon the Pioneers took the field in their second of the three game series. Bailey came out pitching with precision, striking out every other batter with the exception of a stray ball or two. Dashtin was all over the place catching pop-ups. Graham was managing the game flawlessly from home plate by stopping the base stealers, crowding the plate when runners tried to go home, and calling the right pitches.
The score was one to five in the fifth when Whitney stepped up to bat. She hit a ground ball that went between the second base player and short stop allowing an RBI and setting her up in scoring position from second base. Vanessa went up behind her and was hit by a wild pitch that advanced her to first base. The other team made a quick pitching change and Dashtin batted next hitting a fly ball way out in left field but it was caught giving her the second out.
Graham stepped up to the plate. She swung the bat a few times before taking her stance. The pitcher threw a strike on the first pitch and Graham sat back on it. The next pitch was inside and low for ball one. The third pitch was also low but further out. Graham shifted her weight to swing the bat low and up as hard as she could. A loud crack sounded as the bat connected with the ball sending it all the way to the parking lot across the fence. Graham was already halfway to first base before she realized she'd hit a home run with two RBI's. She jogged around the bases and was crowded to the ground by all of her teammates when she reached home plate. The score went to nine to one and because they were up by eight at the bottom of the fifth inning the game was run-ruled over. The home team fans cheered loudly.
"Hell yeah, baby!" Dashtin yelled picking Graham up and swinging her around.
Graham laughed and hugged her teammates and friends as they lined up to shake the hands of the players on the opposing team. This was only the fifth home run in her career at UCO.
The team was still cheering as they gathered their equipment and walked into the locker room.
"You really came together out there today, ladies. I'm proud of you. Way to show them whose house they were in! We still have one more game to prepare for again
st them tomorrow, but I'll let you go celebrate. This is what winning should feel like, remember that. Graham, I'm glad to see you and Bailey working together. You called a hell of a game from the plate and that last at bat was priceless," Coach Walker said. She high-fived each team member before leaving the locker room.
Helena walked up to Graham, placing her hand on her shoulder. "You had a great game today. Maybe you can show me how to bat like that sometime."
Graham nodded and politely smiled before walking away.
"She might as well put a sign on her forehead that says 'I wanna do the catcher,'" Dashtin said.
"Oh well, want to and going to are totally different things," Graham said.
"Graham and Bailey, I'd like to talk to you before you leave," Coach Parker said.
"I'll see you at home," Dashtin said. "By the way, the team is going to Sister Fred's tonight so don't make any plans. You're coming with me, Captain."
Graham smiled and walked out of the locker room towards Coach Parker's office.
"You had a great game," Bailey said in the hallway.
"No, we had a great game. I may have hit a home run, but you struck out a lot of batters," Graham said as she held the door for Bailey to walk in ahead of her.
"You two are finally learning to communicate. I knew the combination would work out and you two ladies would be great together. There's still a lot of room for improvement and we'll work on that next week. Don't party too hard tonight. We still have another game tomorrow and we need to end this weekend on a winning streak."
"Do you need a ride?" Graham asked when they stepped back into the hallway.
"No, Alex is here. My dad finally got around to getting my car totaled by the dealer so the insurance check should hopefully arrive in the next few weeks so I should be getting a car before the semester I hope. But knowing my dad he will wait until the summer so I can come home and pick it out."
Fast Pitch Page 3