In the Shadows

Part Twelve: the Game

    I decided not to go home after school. It was the Friday before spring break after all. And there was only an hour until both teams began to warm up in the field.

    It didn't take long for the crowd to begin rolling in. Students, families, friends, and more began to fill the bleachers. Everyone was dressed with color coordinated exuberance. My plain black t-shirt and faded jeans paled in comparison. I gathered my things and hurried to the bathroom in the nearby courtyard. Other girls had the same idea, there was a line of students freshening up in the mirrors. For only a moment, I felt a bit out of place.

    "Hey! Stephanie right?" It was Ashley, from student council. Of course they would be the ones to go all out.

    "Yeah, hey, Ashley. How's it going?" I smiled politely.

    "I'm glad you came out for the game! We gotta show our school spirit!" She looked me over briefly before asking, "Wanna borrow some of our stuff?"

    The girls were painting their faces- a high school war paint- and fixing their hair into big buns and braids with burgundy ribbons. It was cheesy, but it looked fun. I haphazardly agreed.

    I chose a white bow that was tied to a hair elastic, Ashley pulled my hair into pony tail. She managed to make my wavy hair look fuller than I ever could. Next, she gently placed a streak of black paint across each of my cheeks.

    "There." She said proudly. "School spirited."

    I thanked the girls and hurried back for the bleachers. Both teams were scattered in the field, warming up.

    Another loud crack, a ball zooming through the air, then clunk the metal bat gets tossed through the air. Repeated, heavy, thumps of the ball smacking against leather gloves. The sounds pulsed in my ear, egging on my anticipation. I sat in the bottom row of bleachers, the metal was cold against my jeans. Time moved on, and more people came to the seats. Despite how crowded it became, I refused to move my seat by an inch; I remembered Anthony mentioning that he played third base, the 'hot corner' he called it. My seat was close, with an unobstructed view of third base.

The commitment to my seat was almost completely removed in an instant. Above the chatter I recognized Monica's voice, where she went, more trouble was to follow. Trying to be discrete, I looked from the corner of my eye: they sat across the isle, Monica and Sara snuggling up close with Eric, Nick, and T.P.

My stomach began to turn. Maybe I should just leave.

Before I even had the chance to wonder if they sat close by to antagonize me, I found myself surrounded. Forming a human wall, John and Brett sat close beside me. With a few other their friends who I hadn't been introduced to, the boys piled in. My view of the adversaries was gone. The tall skaters lounged back in the metal seats, making themselves comfortable: I watched them as they fiddled with their headphones, tucking cigarettes behind their ear, twirling their keys around their fingers. For a moment, it felt as if they didn't know I was even there. Until Maddy's long soft fingers worked themselves over my tense shoulders.

I turned around, she sat directly behind me, with a bright smile, "Hello, little one. I'm glad to see you."

"Me, too." I responded truthfully.

"Don't mind those big, smelly, boys. We weren't planning on coming, but Anthony asked us to sit with you during the game."

"He did?"