The Perfect Moment

Chapter 5

I moved up the grassy hill, my eyes scanning the field. The dark surrounded me until I was directly approaching the field. The lights lit up the baseball diamond and everyone surrounding it. 

The game was over, people piling from the bleachers, cars zooming from the pavement in a desperate attempt to get out of the parking lot before the crowds hit. The players from the other team slumped to their cars with their parents, some wandering off into the distance. Their dark uniforms only caused them to blend into the darkness. The home team, however, had on neon green, and they all cheered, laughing. I needed to find Luke. I scanned the crowds, looking for any and every neon uniform. When I spotted him, I raised myself onto my tip-toes and waved. “Luke!”

He stopped walking, turning to face my voice. I was too short, and I weaved in and out of the crowd, rushing down the bleachers quickly. His face lit up when he saw me, “Hey, what are you doing here?” I scanned the crowd, looking for an escape path. There was a long line in front of me, and I was too high to jump. He smiled, and held out his hand. I took it, and he dropped his bag on the ground, lifting me off the bleachers.

“Thank you,”

He shook his head, beginning towards the street and away from the crowd. “Thank you,”

“Me? For what?”

“Coming. How long have you been here?”

I poked his chest playfully, and laughed, “Long enough to see you miss that fly ball.”

He groaned, ducking under the bleachers. I looked towards the street, but ducked under with him. “Where are you going?”

“Short cut, follow me,” He laughed, and I nodded, following behind him. “So, you just saw my mistakes?”

I laughed behind him, ducking out from the bleachers, emerging back into the open, night air.

“Well,” I teased, “That homerun in the last inning was pretty great.”

He stopped, leaning against the edge of the bleachers, looking out towards the road. “Stay here for a little while?”

“What?”

“The team meets here after the game if we win. We all live pretty close, definitely walking distance. We just hang out. I’ll walk you home, don’t worry.”

I nodded, biting my lip and looking back towards the road. Dozens of crazy cars cut over the grass in a desperate attempt to get out of the parking lot. I laughed to myself, watching as they all rushed toward the road. “You guys…” I trailed off, “You don’t, like….”

“Smoke?” He looked at me, “Drink? Get high? That’s exactly what we do.”

I felt my face heat up, and I looked back to the road. His fingers were cold, and it startled me when they touched mine, wrapping around them. He tugged me forward, and I laughed, looking down at them. “Come here, shh!” He tugged me to the side, hidden by the bleachers.

We watched as someone with a hoodie pulled tightly over their head rushed across the field. Once he had vanished behind the trees in the distance, Luke stepped back out, his neon shirt visible and obvious in the night air. I smiled, my hair blowing around us. “I was kidding, you know,” he whispered, watching in the direction of where the teenager had just run off. I looked to where his eyes were focused, “I know,” I mumbled, “I don’t think you’re as awful as my mom thinks you are.”

He laughed, swinging his duffle bag strap over his shoulder, “Come on.”

I followed him quietly, only stopping when he did, sitting in the grass. “The guys’ll be here soon.”