"Coming down!" The catcher yelled, as she threw a strike down to second base where, my best friend, Dylan was there to catch it. She then throws it to me, playing third base, to wear I jog it over to our pitcher, Sutton.
"You ready to strike these people out, so we can go home? I have a paper due tomorrow in Composition I." I ask Sutton who just turns to me and gives me a small smile.
"I'll try my best, just for you Harper." Sutton then sends a wink my way and I jog back to my position, awaiting the next pitch.
We are playing a home game and it is the top of the seventh inning. We are in the lead with the score of 1-3. The inning went by faster than I had hoped. Sutton struck out the first batter, looking, the second batter came up and popped up to the first baseman, then the third batter couldn't handle the pressure of being the last hope and struck out swinging. We quickly shook the other team's hands and went back to form a huddle around our coach.
"Nice job, ladies! We will have practice tomorrow at the usual time to get ready for the conference games we have next week. If you can, please stick around to watch the JV play. I will see you guys tomorrow. Hands in!" That is my cue to lead the team as the captain.
"Great win today ladies! Eagles on three! One, two, three Eagles!" The team joins in and then we go our separate ways. Then I feel somebody jump on my back and I turn my head to see who it is. "Dylan, why must you do that? It's not like I can carry you, you have a good 4 inches on me!"
"Hey, even though my feet may drag the ground while you give me a "piggy-back" ride, I still don't have to walk! I'm just so exhausted! I hit a triple today, and let me tell you, that's a lot of running at once!" Dylan dramatically puts her hand over her face like an actress that about to "faint".
"Well maybe you should just hit it harder next time so it goes over the fence. Then you can take your precious little time around the bases so you don't over-exert yourself." I say as Dylan releases my shoulders and looks at me with one eyebrow raised.
"Sure, I will work on hitting a home run every at-bat." Dylan says sarcastically.
"At least you have hit a home run. It seems that my personal best will just be triples." I saw, remembering how many times I thought the ball would go over the fence, but comes up just short.
"I have a feeling you are going to hit one out of the park when we need it most this season." Dylan optimistically predicts and pats my shoulder.
"I hope you are right! It would definitely help me out to get scouted this year." It is Senior year, after all, so this is my last shot to get a scholarship. "But I have to go get my backpack and start my paper due for second hour. Looks like I will be multitasking while watching the JV for a little bit. Are you going to stay for a little bit?" I ask, trying to spot my dad and sisters in the stands.
"Yeah, I planned on it. I will protect you from any fouls balls that come our way so you can get your homework done. Come on, our families are sitting together." Dylan says, picking up on my stress from juggling school and softball. I give Dylan a grateful smile and follow her toward our families, carrying all of our softball gear and backpacks. We made it to our families and Dylan's eight-year-old little brother, Ethan, runs up to her and hugs her waist.
"That was a great hit, sissy! I thought it was going to go over the fence you hit it so hard!" Ethan squeals and all of us laugh at his excitement.
"Not quite, but thanks buddy!" Dylan says as she takes a seat next to her parents. Ethan and Dylan look very similar with both having brown hair and blue eyes. I go to sit next to my dad after he gives me a high-five and tells me good game. My sisters are already standing, wanting to leave since my game is over.
"Good game Harp! I have to run Halee to a cheerleading thing, but I will see you at home!" Hattie says while Halee gives me a hug goodbye.
I watch them walk away and think of how different our lives have become since our mom died of breast cancer four years ago. Hattie, being the oldest and three years older than me, has always had a motherly aura around her and it just seemed to increase when the tragedy in our family shook us. Halee is three and a half years younger than me; she just turned fourteen a couple of weeks ago.
We all are pretty close to each other and everybody says we look just alike, even though none of us think so. Hattie has dark brown hair and hazel eyes, Halee has blonde hair and blue eyes, and I have medium brown hair and brown eyes. We do have one thing in common though; we are all pretty damn short. None of us are taller than 5'3".
My dad distracts me from my thoughts by tapping on my shoulder. "Hey kiddo, I am going to go home and start on some dinner. I will see you in about an hour." He gets up and gives me a hug.
"Be safe and I'll see you later Pops!" I say as I start to get my notebook out of my backpack to start this essay.
About an hour goes by and the JV team is winning by 0-5 so I decide to call it a day and head home. Dylan and I get in her car and head to my house first. We live about five minutes away from each other and Dylan insists on giving me rides from school, practice, or games. We pull up to the front of my house and I grab all of my gear and school stuff.
"Thanks for the ride! I will see you tomorrow morning at band practice!" I say to Dylan. She just nods her head and waves before she shifts the car in reverse and heads to her house.
I don't talk much when I enter the house as I go downstairs to my room, in the basement, and grab clothes to take a shower to get rid of the sweat and dirt covering my body. After my shower, I head back to my room and finish up the essay for my second hour class. I hear a knock on my door and my dad walks in with a plate of food for me and leaves it beside me on my desk while a mouth a "thank you" to him and he nods his head. As I eat and write my essay for another hour, I notice the time and try to finish up. About twenty minutes later, I finish my essay and jump into bed.
As I am laying in bed, I think of my class schedule for my last high school year. I'm taking many AP or college credit classes this year to make my college application look appetizing. I want to become a Radiation Oncologist to help save people like my mom, so I want to get into a good undergraduate program to increase my chances of getting into medical school. A softball scholarship could also help with getting into a good undergraduate school.
The classes that aren't AP or college credit classes are my band classes. I am in marching/symphonic band and also jazz band. I play the trumpet, and if I am being honest, it is how I keep my sanity when softball season is over.
I set my alarm for 5:30 A.M. and close my eyes and try to go to sleep as tomorrow will be a busy day, like every ordinary day for me.
Author's Note
Thanks for reading this far! This is my first story so please comment and tell me how you like it!
YOU ARE READING
Unequivocally Confused
Teen FictionHarper Wilson is a senior in high school and is still trying to figure out what her first step into the real world should be. She is caught between three different passions in her life: softball, band, the pursuit of medicine. She is trying to find...
