shortstop // kuramochi

0.5 // sixteen

the end of the week could not have come sooner. maiko had been suffocating under the stares of her classmates and the whispers that followed her. she still watched the team practice, her assignment wasn't over and she wouldn't give up on something that was helping her over petty rumors.

but she had to admit, they were starting to weigh on her. not to mention the roster was coming out today. she had hope after the last practice game that she managed to get on the first string. at least, coach sugome seemed impressed with her plays in the last two innings. but she couldn't help the feeling like she was just grasping at straws.

she took her seat in class and leaned down, resting her head on her arms. the girls from the bathroom had been right about another thing, the baseball team really did have a lot of fans. a lot of female fans. and they didn't seem to take too kindly to maiko "stalking" the players. even if it was just one player in particular.

she was getting glares left and right, and in the halls she could feel daggers being pierced into her back from the intensity of the looks. she buried her face in her arms.

how had it gotten to this? she could only be thankful she didn't have any run-ins with actual members of the baseball team, or she definitely would have burst into flames by now.

alas, her bad luck only seemed to get worse. during the lunch break she decided to grab a drink from one of the vending machines downstairs, completely unaware of the trouble that was about to unravel.

standing in front of the vending machines talking and laughing, a group of boys from the baseball team. and among them, miyuki and kuramochi were right in the middle. her heart stopped cold and then started beating erratically all at once. before she could make a swift retreat, one of the players made eye contact with her and a quick flash of recognition passed through them.

maiko almost made it out, she really did,  if someone dashing through the hall hadn't picked that very moment to run her into the ground.

she barely heard the rushed "i'm sorry!" before whoever knocked her over was back up and sprinting away.

"sorry to my left ass cheek," she winced.

with a groan, maiko pushed herself up with her hands before the outstretched hand of a stranger was offered to her.

looking up, she recognized it belonged to one of the senpai's on the baseball team, an outfielder. she could feel her face heat up in embarrassment as she took it with a small "thank you" and hoisted herself up.

the stares from the rest of the group pierced the side of her face, and she turned away to avoid looking at him.

"ah, um th-thank you," she gave a small, flustered bow to her helper who smiled kindly in turn.

"don't worry about it, people here are getting toppled over all the time," he chuckled, and his small attempt to make her feel better had her lip quirking up in a grateful smile.

maiko began turning away, "right, sorry about that. i'll, uh, head back, so thanks agai—"

"you're the girl from the mornings right?" his question stopped her cold. she could feel her stomach doing somersaults.

"i-i mean, well...you mean—" he cut her word jumble off again.

"and the afternoons. you watch our practice almost everyday. well, maybe not our practice," he said coyly, turning his head to glance at his teammates.

to kuramochi.

and he caught their eyes. her eyes.

her face felt hot and her words got were in her throat, but she managed to pull through long enough to start a defense.