"You'll never stop loving your first love. No matter how hard you try to rid yourself of them, they'll stain you forever." - Me
This chapter is dedicated to SLAYMEDINAH because I got back from soccer practice and saw 40+ notifications from you. Thank you for being such an avid reader and commenter, ily (:
Unedited
Lauren
"Softball season is starting soon," Dinah mentions as she picks up a box of cleats from the stack. She opens the box and takes the shiny cleats out. Dinah examines the cleats before catching my eyes and raising her eyebrows. "You okay?"
I simply nod before scanning the isle of softball items before me. I spot a black bat with white designs scattered all over it and decide that I need a new bat. I walk towards the bat and grab it before turning to face Dinah once more.
"You look like you want to say something," I chuckle, "spit it out." I urge her. Dinah bites her lip and looks deep in thought for a minute.
"It's just that you're usually so excited for the beginning of another softball season. You seem a bit gloomy," her eyebrows pull together.
"I'm fine Dinah, maybe a little tired but I'm doing just fine." I assure her with a quick tap on the shoulder.
I give her a small smile before turning my attention back on all the softball items that I'll need for this season. Softball has always been my favorite sport, it's really the only sport that I stuck to after all these years. When I was younger I was the kind of kid that sampled all the sports before finding one that I didn't just like, but something I was passionate about. Softball was my passion, and it's been my way of relaxation and clarity since the day I tried it. It was just something about being able to swing a bat and take out all your frustration on the ball that truly calmed me. I found that I hit the best when I had a harder day because I had so much pent up frustration. Softball taught me not to take out my anger on people, but to take it out on the softball diamond instead.
I walk down the aisle slowly inspecting all the cleats the sports store had to offer. My eyes swept over the options before they landed on a pair of dark blue cleats with lighter blue accents. A smile took over my face and I advanced towards the shelf they were placed on. The color of the cleats closely resembled our school colors and I was a person of school spirit during the season. Whenever we had games or practice I'd go full out Miami Sharks pride. I'd wear blue ribbons,cleats, and one time I even got customized shoe laces. When it came to school pride, I did not play around.
I held the box under my armpit and the bat in my hand as I slightly struggled to get to where the softball socks were. I sighed when I saw a bench near the sock area and plopped my equipment down before turning to view the socks. There are so many options, how am I supposed to pick a few pairs? My hand lightly caressed my chin as I thought about which socks I would buy.
"Hmm," I wondered out loud. I stood there staring at the wall for a few minutes before a blur of tan caught my eyes. I shook my head and I quickly realized that Dinah was racing down the isle picking out random socks and placing them in a cart. I noticed that she'd also put my items in the cart as well.
"Hey, what's the rush Dinah?" I asked her blocking her from getting back to the socks. She let out a small groan and attempted to move past me.
"You're taking too long Laur. We've been here for almost three hours and you've only gotten like 3 things!" Dinah yells out and I place a hand on her mouth instantly.
"Shush," I place a finger on my lips urging Dinah to be quiet.
"Fine. We'll leave after I get some socks."
