"Emmaleigh..."Paige started with a shy smile, "Grant and I have something to tell you...?"as she finished up with a small grimace. "We've been meeting up these last couple weeks, at the gymnasium behind the rec field, and he's been training and conditioning me to try out for softball next week?" Paige and Grant slowly waited for the atomic bomb known as Emmaleigh in front of them to explode. Her eyes got wide as saucers and Paige glanced at Grant, thinking that this was not going to end well.
******FLASHBACK TO 8TH GRADE YEAR********
"Come on, Em, give it all you've got!"
14 girls called from the dugout as Em rounded third base and ran it home, all while the catcher stomped hard as she slid, right on her shoulder. She was paralyzed on the ground, hot tears of anger coursing down her face. 13 hours later,after what was supposed to be the season of a lifetime, for an 8th grade softball player to be on varsity, she was being wheeled out of major surgery, having her rotator cuff replaced. Softball is what brought Em and Paige together. The two had never seen each other before, but on that fateful afternoon when Paige happened to be the catcher who ended Emmaleigh's softball career, they both vowed to never play softball ever again. It was one of the only things that brought a smile to Paige's face but she brought some poor pitchers career to an end, she told herself that she would neverset foot on a field again. That night she went to see Emmaleigh in the hospital and they talked for hours about their love for softball and the many other things they had in common. When Paige left the hospital hours later, with tears of sorrow running down her face, she knew she couldn't ever play again without reliving this day.
*********FLASHBACK OVER, NOW IN PRESENT TIME********
Paige and Grant had to physically move Em to the couch in order to keep her from falling down, and she finally gave them some sort of al reaction, and it started with a "WHAT THE HECK PAIGE?" she so violently shouted.
"After everything we've been through, you came to every PT session I attentended, you saw all the pain I went through just to come to a point where I could lift my arms above my head, and now you want to go play again?!"
"Listen Em, I've thought long and hard about this, I wouldn't play catcher, I could pitch and maybe your shoulder could heal and you could go back and play, because you used to see how happy I would get after a game when I was covered in red dirt and sweat but there would be a smile as big as Texas and honestly tell me, when was the last time that you saw that smile? Because I haven't been as happy as I was in the middle of tourney season since before your injury and I'm sick of you being so damn sad and self pitied because of some rotater cuff that you had replaced 2 years ago! The doctor cleared you to play 6 months ago! This could be the dynamic duo recovery season! We could go and own that field be the best two players out there, don't you ever just get tired of not playing a sport? Softball was my release from the world and now I'm taking 2 years of pent up anger out on you and you're gonna be pissed at me!"
Paige finished her rant and looked around at her surroundings, to see a totally blown away Grant (who, in Paige's defense, couldn't look prouder of her), and a Emmaleigh who looked like she was gonna implode if someone said another word about softball. Paige had realized what she just told her best friend, and she waited for the after shock of her words, but Grant was the first one to speak.
"Paige, some of that was very unnesscary, but Emmaleigh you needed to hear it. Both of you were so much happier when you had practice every night, and I fully support Paige in any descision she makes and Emmaleigh will support her best friend by going to games and scrimmages."
Neither girl looked too thrilled, but Emmaleigh decided to break the ice and apologize.
"Paige, maybe I have overreacted with the shoulder, but I made a pact 2 years ago to never play again and I'm going to honor that. I will come and support you with anything you do because you're my best friend and I don't know where I would be without you."
Paige looked at Grant with a big smile on her face, and he mouthed
"I told you she would get over herself."
Paige shoved him into the nearest wall and Emmaleigh screamed "I SAID QUIT WITH ALL THE FLIRTING AND JUNK WHILE I'M AROUND!"
******AUTHORS NOTE********
Okay, so I'm not exactly thrilled with this chapter, and the softball thing kind of just occurred to me that this migh lead to other roads I can go down. I didn't do any research for the softball terms, so please correct me politely if I got it incorrect. Also the medical terminology was not researched. Once again, MC is the main benefactor of this book because she convinced me not to give up on this book like I had planned. Thanks to all those who have read and voed, but please be patient with me and my update schedule will be a little iffy.
Much Love and Vote Your Hearts Out-
GPea
