FWB Friends With Baseball

Donations.

Jailyn~

Doing a few jump squats, I get my pants stretched out, getting ready for our first official game of the season. The clicking of my cleats on the sheet rubber flooring of the locker room fills the air as I break the new pair in. Even with it being my third season, that doesn't stop nerves. My cleat line launching tonight doesn't help much either. 

"Whoo, mama," Carly says, slapping my ass as she gets to her locker next to mine. "I'm glad Yeli put a ring on it. I would've had to snatch you up for myself." 

Scoffing, I laugh as I swipe some extra deodorant on, "You're one to talk! I swear you get hotter every season."

"Yeah, cause you being a superstar got all of us paid." It's hard not to shake my head as I roll my eyes, "How's it feel to have single-handedly made Softball a mainstream sport?" 

"My relationship with a two-time MVP helped," I point out.

"That's still you," Maddy chimes in, "How are you doing?" 

"I don't know," I reply, chuckling, "It sucks that Christian's not here, but what am I gonna do?" I shrug before adding, "Knowing my first line with Adidas is dropping tonight doesn't help the nerves either, but I'm good."

"Those part of your drop?" Maddy asks, pointing down to the pair I've got on.

Chuckling, I show them off, "Hell yeah, they're the exclusive drop, though. One of a hundred and fifty." 

"Damn, Mammi," Carly says, "Hook a bitch up!" 

Chuckling, "I'll see what I can do."

Our conversation continues as I catch my phone lighting up in my locker. Letting the two of them continue talking, I pull it up, and smile seeing the notification. "Christian: Just wanted to make sure you knew not to suck today. ;) I love you, and I'll see you soon." 

"@ChristianYelich: Wishing my incredible fiance @JailynJames and the @USASoftballWNT good luck in their first game of the season. Excited to watch what I can and see JJ killing it like usual!"

 Shaking my head, I smile as I read the messages, replying to his text, "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, I love you too!" God, I wish he were here. Taking a deep breath, I try not to let it get to me how much I miss him in the three days it's been since he had to leave. Now that the two of us are actually attached, it makes this all seem that much harder to manage than it's been. Not getting to share this all with each other in the same capacity everyone else does is harder than I'd anticipated it to be. 

"Alright, ladies!" Ken calls, pulling me from my thoughts as he corrals our team, "We've got two phenomenal seasons behind us, lets keep that momentum going as best we can going into today's game. Let's keep fighting and keep playing our best. We've got more eyes on us now than ever. Let's show them why you girls deserve the hype." The chorus of cheers from the eighteen of us echos throughout the room before we embark on our first official huddle of the 2022 season.

After an uneventful top of the first inning and two strikeouts in the bottom, the crowd roars in excitement as I step up to the plate. Smiling to myself, I listen to the nearly halfway censored chorus of Mac Miller's, 'Smile Back' as I take my time getting into the box. Tapping the far side of the plate with the tip of my bat, I twirl it back up as I twist my new spikes into the ground. Even as good as I feel about the environment and the crowd, I'm stuck in my head. 

Even with the energy of the crowd being louder than I'd ever heard before, it just adds to the pressure I feel, especially with Maddy commenting on my near Hall of Fame status. There's so much hype around me that it's impossible not to feel the pressure of my own damn name. Everyone is expecting greatness from me, placing me on this pedestal, and it's a high bar to reach. I'd know, I set it.