Slow Burn | HS

fueling the fire with burning desire

April 2017

The Green Line on the subway is packed to the brim as Joelle and Mia make their way to Fenway Park. They're in a sea of red and blue; navy ball caps decorated with a cardinal-colored "B," white baseball tees with red sleeves, countless jerseys with various numbers and names on the back.

It's opening day for the Red Sox, and somehow Niall had managed to score an entire row of coveted tickets to the game. Apparently one of the neonatal attendings who's taken a liking to him planned on taking his family, but something came up. It turns out that his only option, somehow, was to give them to Niall. Joelle's starting to think that she works in the wrong section of the hospital.

A man with a David Ortiz jersey sways uncomfortably close to Joelle with the motion of the T, hands grasping the railing that runs parallel to the ceiling and standing right in front of her. He looks down at her and smirks, sending her a wink and a smarmy smile. Joelle averts her eyes quickly while Mia audibly scoffs in distaste.

However, not even greasy men on public transit can stifle the smile the Mia's been sporting since Niall spontaneously invited them last night. This is her first Major League Baseball game, and she even went so far as to purchase a Pedroia jersey despite not really being an active fan. She tried to get Joelle to buy something festive to wear along with her, but Jo already had a bunch of Red Sox merchandise at home in Connecticut. She didn't feel it was necessary to buy any more. She worked with what she had in her apartment closet, though, to try and show support for the team. A pair of cut off jeans, a red t shirt, and navy Keds keep her casual and help her fit in with all the other fans.

She sends a quick text to Harry, letting him know that they're almost to Fenway. He sends back three heart-eye emojis and Joelle takes in a slow, deep breath in an effort to remain composed.

Mia sees right through her anyway.

"Is that blush on your cheeks because of Harry?" Mia nudges her with her shoulder. Joelle figures that she must have caught a glimpse of the name at the top of the screen. She rolls her eyes and looks away as Mia snickers.

The T comes to a halt, and the standing passengers get off first before Mia and Joelle stand up and wait for access to the exit. The platform is crowded when they get off, but it's easier to navigate because everyone is heading in the same direction. Mia and Joelle go up the steps, blending in with the mass of people. Once they reach the ground level, all they can see is green. The entire exterior of the the stadium is painted a green darker than mint but lighter than forest. It's a familiar sight to Joelle because her family used to come up at least once a year to catch a game. Mia looks at it in awe while she Joelle takes the tickets out of her bag.

"This way, Mia," she says when she sees the signs pointing at which entrance they should go to. Mia follows along as Joelle scans the tickets for their section number.

They follow the signs to section 93, and opt for the stairs instead of the various escalators because Mia wants to "get the full effect." Joelle feels the burn in her legs the entire way up but bites her tongue.

Merchandise stands line the hallways, stocked with t-shirts, posters, foam fingers, and various other overpriced souvenirs.

Mia tries to pull her over to one of the tents, but Joelle protests. "There will be plenty of time for that, Mia. If we come out while the game is going on, the lines will be much shorter."

They walk over towards the entrance to their section of the stadium when Joelle happens to glance at a drink stall. She spots Harry waiting towards the end of the line, arms crossed and stance relaxed. At the sight of all the beer labels on the menu above the stall, she gets a bit nervous. After processing the information she discovered at Liam and Mara's apartment, it still seems strange to her that Harry would even have a single drink as an alcoholic. He's told her that he never has more than one, but to her that still seems rather risky.