Hearing My plea

5

5

Several people were already there and it looked as if teams had already been split up. At first I was discouraged, but Willis immidiatly went to where the twins were already talking it up with some Healer girls.

"Yo little red!" Toni said when Willis and I walked up. I gave him a look.

"Little red?"

"Yeah," he said, his eyes sparkling. "Because you have red in your eyes. they're really pretty."

"Oh," I said awkwardly and shoved my hands in the back pockets of my shorts. "Thanks."

Todd walked over then and looked me up and down. "You playing too?"

"Why?" I asked him and playfully shoved him. "You think I can't play because I'm a girl?"

He laughed and gave me a pat on the back. "No, because your under dressed. That red tank top does go with your eyes, and I approve of the cap, but you may be sliding and with those shorts, your legs are going to get all black and blue."

I laughed him off. "I've been playing softball for years. I think I can handle myself."

"Wait, what?" Willis asked, walking over and grabbing my forearm. "You didn't tell me you play." Then she turned to the two teams and raised my arms. "Peyton's on my team!" she called out to every one.

"Who says you get claim to her?" Chip asked, emerging from the other teams crowd, a grin on his face.

Willis put her hands on her hips and stared him down. "Because she's my friend."

"Peyton and I could become fast friends, right Peyton?" he asked me, laughing while doing so.

"That's ok, Chip. I'm sure she isn't any good anyways," said a new voice in the crowd, and I knew right away who it was even before the other team parted to reveal Aspen in the middle of it.

"Is that so?" I asked, then turned to my own team. "We're first on the field right?" I asked. "Give me the ball. I'll pitch." My team all went "oooooooooh" and began to high five each other, and Toni gave me a look of approval.

~*~

I had discarded my cap in the dug out and stood at the pitchers mound, already warmed up and waiting for the first batter to do so as well. She was a Were wolf and and she looked like she had her swing down pretty well.

My team had all put black paint lines underneath our eyes to keep the sun out of them, but Todd's excuse was that it "made us look cool and intimidating."

Finally the she Wolf was warmed up and the catcher behind her said, "Play on!" She gave me a sickningly sweet smile that pretty much said get ready to have your ass whooped. I smiled back and took a deep breath. I could hear a wood pecker off in the woods surrounding the field, I could hear my teammates anticipation in their short and ragged breaths as they waited in the outfield for me to pitch, and I could also hear Him. Aspen. "Give her the ball," he whispered.

I grinned and whispered back, "Not a chance."

And then I pitched.

It happened so fast everyone had to squint to see if i had the ball, and when they all saw me empty handed they all turned to the catcher, the bright yellow-green ball smugly in his catchers mitt. "Strike one," he called out, and swiftly threw me back the ball. The opposing team in the dug out and even my own team mates on the feild began to whisper excitedly and exchanged surprised glances. I could hear them all as clearly as if I were standing right there next to them.

"Holey shit, did you see that?"

"...didn't even see her pitch..."

"....want her on my team...."