Stealing First

Chapter 10

As the final bell sounded on Thursday afternoon, Charlie swept up her books and made a quick exit from the classroom. She set off in the direction of the baseball fields, lost in thought about the practice exam she was about to take when she heard someone call after her.

"Charlie, wait up!" Sawamura had noticed that his classmate was headed the same way as him and had run to catch up.

"Oh, hi Sawamura. Sorry, I forgot you had practice, I should have waited for you." Charlie gave him a warm smile. His positive energy was infectious and she could already feel it calming her anxious nerves.

"That's OK. Are you meeting your dad at the field?" Charlie's father had returned from his trip the previous day and was beginning his role as a team consultant today.

"Eventually, though I have my practice exam with Coach Kataoka first," replied Charlie. "I am so nervous about the test this weekend, I really hope I don't stuff it up." She stared down at her shoes and chewed at her bottom lip, showing her obvious nerves.

"You will do great, Charlie! You are one of the smartest in our class, and you have been studying so hard. I believe in you." Sawamura gave her an overly enthusiastic slap on the shoulder as a show of support.

Charlie smiled, "Thanks Sawamura. Enjoy practice, I'll see you in class tomorrow." With a wave of her hand, she veered off towards the baseball offices, leaving the spirited first year to go and join his teammates.

Afternoon practice extended into early evening, and it was dark by the time the players packed up the field and headed for their dorms. Miyuki bundled his helmet and mitt into his kit bag and felt his arm tremble as he swung it over his shoulder. Coach's final session before a game was always tough but he never complained; he loved the feeling of leaving everything on the field, even if it was just training.

"Miyuki!" His head shot up to see Rei leaning out of the window to the offices above. "Coach would like to see you for a few minutes. Can you come up?"

"Sure, be right there," nodded the catcher, turning to head up the stairs to his left.

He ran through the batting line-up of Maimon West, their first opponent, in his mind as he climbed to the first floor. He felt confident of a win, but never left anything to chance and was analysing a variety of different game scenarios based on the data they had. He was so preoccupied he didn't notice the body curled up on the chair outside the office, and he accidentally nudged the student's arm as he walked past.

Miyuki bent down and picked up the paper he had knocked loose. "Sorry, I didn't-" He stopped short, recognising a familiar floral scent, and looked up to see Charlie sleeping peacefully, one arm tucked under her head. He looked at the paper in his hand – her practice language exam – and smiled. She was obviously exhausted from the countless hours she had no doubt spent studying; he could relate to that feeling and admired her for it.

She looked so small, tucked up in the armchair. He felt what was becoming a familiar pull, a need to be closer to her. Despite his determination to focus solely on baseball, he seemed unable to avoid or ignore it. Or her. Before he knew what he was doing, Miyuki reached out and gently tucked the veil of purple hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her jawline, tingling slightly where they had made contact with her skin. Suddenly the door to the coaching office swung open. Miyuki's hand dropped quickly to his side. He saw Rei take in the scene before meeting his eyes. She held his attention with a steady gaze and a look that he could not quite make out. After a long pause, the director gestured towards the room. "This way, Miyuki. We are waiting for you." He swallowed hard, nodded, and followed her into the room.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The sun was well on the way to its midday peak by the time by the time Charlie woke up on Sunday. She could smell the bacon cooking downstairs, her father's game day tradition, and smiled. Despite all the change they had been through in the last few years, it was nice to have some familiar traditions to hold on to. Especially ones as delicious as this. She rolled over lazily, enjoying the rare sleep in. She had been getting up early to study before school, but with her exam now done she could afford to be more relaxed. Charlie grabbed her phone from the charger on her bedside table, noticing a notification for the Seido Summer Suckers chat. They hadn't got around to changing the group name, even though summer had come and gone. Charlie smiled as she remembered the fun they had had together over the vacation break.