Heart of Fait

Chapter 1: Cages and Baseball

I pull up to the batting cage before walking in as slow as possible dreading the work ahead of me. Don't get me wrong I love working at the cages, it feels like home, just minus the part where everyone is so picky with the speed of the machines and how many times you have to clean the cages.

"Carter!"

I turn around to find, Andrew, probably the most frequent visitor of the cages who also happens to be my best friend.

Andrew and I met in our freshman year of college. We were living in the same dorm building and kept seeing each other. One day he just came up and said something about Ben Zobrist since I was wearing his shirsey and we just hit it off.

"Care to hit with me?" He asks playing with his bat. Andrew also plays baseball at UIC.

"You know I'd loved to," I say taking a glance at one of the cages,"but I have to work."

"What time do you get off?" He asks walking over to bench and sliding on his batting gloves with me following behind.

"Noon." I sigh walking to the net to examine the clean turf.

"Perfect, do you want to go to lunch?"

"Sure." I smile watching him start swinging.

I walk back over to the counter and watch as Andrew practices for their upcoming game against Mississippi State.

-

After four dreadful hours of cleaning cages and changing speeds, my shift is finally over. I walk  to the entrance of the cage Andrew is in and throw on my batting gloves.

Andrew notices and jogs over to me. "I thought we were getting lunch?"

"Just a little competition? C'mon everyone left for lunch and it's just us and-"

"Slow down there, hot shot. I'd never say no to that." He smirks tossing me a bat.

"Okay, first to three hits hitting the machine wins. Loser buys lunch."

"You're on."

I start the machine and the game begins.

After a few roll-overs and pop-ups later I beat Andrew easily 3-1. I jog around the cage impersonating a home run.

"Yeah, yeah we get it hot shot, c'mon I'm starving." He groans.

We head out of the cages and drive separately to a small café that we found when we first arrived in Illinois. 

The hostess smiles and takes us to our usual table in the corner where no one can bother us. Once we sit down a waiter places water on the table and takes our order before rushing back to the kitchen.

"So, Carts, what are you doing for the summer?" Andrew asks taking a sip of his water.

"Probably flying back to California y'know, have to say hello to the folks." I smile.

"Yeah, I'll be heading to Dallas as well." He sighs. "Listen since we'll both be gone for the summer, I'm going to give you your birthday gift now."

He slaps a box on the table before smiling at me to open it.

"Andrew, you didn't have to, I mean-"