The Guy on the Bench

Chapter One

Water poured out of the faucet and went straight down the drain. A hand quickly shut the water off and the noise ceased. Two hands gripped the sides of the sink and a face looked up at the mirror. Chance Colt stared at his own brown eyes before his vision fluttered around the rest of his reflection. His brown eyebrows were flat above his eyes and eye black was painted on in a straight line beneath his eyes. His blond hair was fringed up to left. He pulled one of his hands away from the sink and ran his fingers out to smooth down the hair. Then he pushed himself away from the sink.

A red hat with the Redbird logo was sitting on a wooden bench. The bench was in the center of the room in front of the sinks. Chance snatched the hat up and placed it on his head. He took a deep breath before he pushed open the door and walked out into the locker room. His jersey hung in his locker with the number 24 in large print on the back below his last name. His uniform pants and cleats were already on. He grabbed his jersey off the hanger and started pulling it on over his undershirt.

"You know they're already doing warm ups out there, right?"

Chance looked over to see one of the relief pitchers standing at his own locker. It was the closer, Jayden Patterson. He was in his full uniform and was cleaning the lenses on his sunglasses. He glanced over to meet Chance's eyes.

"I figured as much," Chance said.

"You know you're starting today, right?" Jayden asked after he looked down to inspect his work on the sunglasses. He held them up to the light coming from above.

"I saw the roster," Chance said with a nod. He looked down and started buttoning up his jersey.

"Alright," Jayden said. He placed his sunglasses on the top of his cap. "I just didn't want you to be late."

"Aren't you late?" Chance asked.

"Well, they don't need me until the ninth inning," Jayden said. "Pretty sure they need you in the first. Good luck today."

"Thanks," Chance grumbled as he turned back towards his locker. He finished the top buttons of his jersey as he heard Jayden walking out of the locker room behind him.

Chance felt all the pressure of what walking out onto that field meant that day. He was very aware that it would probably be his final time in the starting lineup. He knew it didn't mean the end of his baseball career, but he wasn't sure he could be happy sitting the bench everyday and only coming in the game for a pinch hit. He wanted more than that and after he worked his ass off all year for it only to lose it, he wasn't sure what to do. He only knew that he had to play the game that day.

He let out a sigh before he headed upstairs to the dugout. The afternoon sun was high in the sky and it beat down on the field. Chance turned his back to it to find his glove off the shelf with his number on it. He flinched when he felt a pat on his shoulder.

"You were supposed to be on the field for warm ups ten minutes ago," Coach Comer said.

Chance turned his head to look at the Redbird's manager. Coach Comer had been one of the greatest outfields to ever play for the St. Louis Redbirds, but he might have been an even better coach. He had already led the team to one championship and they were leading the division already in July. He was always calm and collected, but Chance knew he had been pressing his patients.

"I know," Chance said. He quickly adverted the bright blue eyes that were set on him. "I'm going now."

"Colt, you're a good ballplayer whether you are in the lineup or not," Coach Comer said. "And when you aren't in the lineup, you're still apart of this team. You need to start acting like it."