I made it, Ma

ii

"So, your last time playing with kids, huh?"

"Alright, enough, enough! I understand that you are jealous but that doesn't mean you take it out on me," James snorted and laughed softly.

Shaking her head, Skayler sighed. 

"Can't believe you would do that to the Brewers, going to the Cubs," she scoffed softly. "I don't know who you are anymore," she started to sob, obnoxiously and scary fake. James shoved her shoulder with his, laughing as she did.

As they ventured onto their home turf, what they called their 'Nest' (and to be honest, the rest of the district called it the Nest as well) and put all of their bags in the dugout. As they were grabbing everything out, Entrenador Lee walked in.

"Ladies sit down on the bench real quick," Skayler snorted softly at the groans of the other boys. Whenever they were called 'ladies' that meant that they were in deep shit. Or that there was something he found extremely exciting. "Today, we will be playing a team who has more experience than us but I think we can beat," he smiled wide.

"Entrenador, I thought that today was supposed to be just a relaxing practice as a goodbye," Liam spoke up, their backup catcher and also a really close friend of Skaylers.

Laughing softly, Lee looked up. "Yeah, I thought this would be a better goodbye to the Seniors, and to show James what he is missing by going to the Cubs," they listened to the chatter of men grow closer. "So I wanted to introduce the Brewers to you all, the team we will be playing today," at that, everyone lost their shit.

James looked pale, eyes wide and almost scared. Skayler shoved him. "What's wrong? You scared or something?" She snorted heavily as he shook his head.

"We only invited a few of them, about twelve of the players that are played the most in each position," Lee smiled, while a large group of the Brewers put bags in the opposite dugout and walked out to their own. 

"Hey," Ron Roneicke smiled at them, stepping into the dugout. "I know that you all know most of these boys, but I think it's best if we introduce them," he looked back to the group.

Ryan Braun was the first to step up, then was Jonathan Lucroy, followed by Carlos Gomez and so on and so forth.

In all, the group consisted of; Jonathan Lucroy, Todd Coffey, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Craig Counsell, Casey McGehee, Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez, and Corey Haurt. The other three she didn't immediately recognize, but would soon find out.

After they'd introduced themselves, the other three stepped up.

"I'm Lorenzo Cain," Hot damn, she thought silently. She knew she had recognized him, but didn't know from where. 

"Trevor Hoffman," she knew him once she could actually see him. 

"I'm Alcides Escobar," Escobar? How didn't she recognize him?

Shaking out of her thoughts, she watched as the boys introduced themselves.

"I'm James," he went silent, seeing Lee move his hand in a circle. "I'll, uh. Play for the," he drew out the last word. He swallowed. "Cubs, next season I think," when Skayler felt James nudge her, she snapped out of her thoughts and looked up.

She smiled softly. "I'm Skayler," she wiped her palms on her pants. Introducing herself to a new team was always nervewracking. 

"You," Gomez paused for a moment. "You play for this team or are you just here for..?" 

"Oh!" She laughed softly. "Yeah, I play with these idiots," she did jazz hands. "How surprising, a girl that actually plays baseball," she laughed.

Gomez nodded. "Thats cool," he said and smiled.

Then they continued down the line.

Clapping his hands, Lee stood up from the bucket. "Lets get started, yeah? We'll take the field first?" As everyone went back, they all scattered to start warming up.

"Hurry up James! We don't have four hours!"

"Alright, I'm going as fast as I can, this gear isn't easy to put on!" She huffed and tossed his chest piece at him, before walking out to the field.

After they spent some time throwing the ball to each other, they eventually moved to the field. Everyone settled into their positions and started warming up there. 

"Start left or right?" She called. 

James looked up at Lee, and then signalled to his right arm. She nodded and put her glove on. Twisting the ball around she threw it to him a few times before really picking up speed.

She wasn't going full power or anything, but did throw decently fast with each of her pitch types.

Once Lucroy stepped up, she smiled softly before rearing back and pitching. It was a simple fastball, but it was in the bottom inside corner. 

"Strike one!" James called out.

He signalled a screwball, and she delivered. Lucroy swung and missed.

He signalled a slider, to which she threw. Lucroy hit this one into the hole in right-center. 

On the next pitch of the next batter (which would be Todd Coffey), Lucroy raced for second, to which James threw down.

"Damn!" Lucroy called out, standing up and hustling back to the dugout. "Good throw, kid!" He shouted to James.

Skayler licked her lips, watching as Coffey stepped back into the batters box and set up. When she got the signal for a fastball, she reared back once more and shot forward, extending her body and throwing the ball.

It ended up as a strike in the top corner.

Following up that strike, she threw another one before he hit it for a double.

The next batter had the same routine, but only moved Coffey to third and stayed at first.

They had one out, and could make a double play. 

Rickie Weeks stepped up and then shot a grounder to short stop, which was where Elijah was playing and he flipped it to Nathan, who threw it to first.

"Yeah! Nice flip, kid!" James shouted. Elijah was a sophomore. Well, he was a sophomore.