Hard Time

Chapter Six: Misfit

A few weeks has passed since Sasha made her new found friends. The bond between Seth and Sasha has sky rocketed but the one with Bayley is still underground. Bayley still hasn't gained her trust despite being nice and not hurting Sasha in anyway. She has even offered to help her along with Seth with homework. Meanwhile, Seth continued to walk Sasha to and from school with Bayley as well. He didn't want to leave her behind. Seth wanted to know that Bayley didn't feel like she was traded for Sasha. He cared for her. 

By now, the semester has ended and the next one has dawned. Thanks to Bayley, Seth was able to pass his courses and is staying on top of things this time. Seth and Bayley decided to join the school basketball team to spend time more together. When they'd be practicing, Sasha would often stick around and watch while doing any homework she had. Sometimes she'd fill in for a missing player. Sasha had Phys. Ed class before hand anyways. She actually hated that fact though. The teachers forced the students to change into proper athletic wear which meant Sasha would have to sit in the middle of the locker room half naked with everyone watching.

Meanwhile, Bayley has been a mess. Her position is all over the place and she doesn't really know what to do about it. She's been friends with Seth for a while and she is constantly thinking if he likes her or not. He's always been really kind to her and would often buy her a treat when they hung out after school. Seth makes her feel special. He always had a compliment for her and was always willing to listen to her problems. Maybe he's just a really good friend. Sasha though has left Bayley in the dark. She still refuses to open up to Bayley no matter how hard she tried to prove she was trustworthy. It started to toy with Bayley's head. She began thinking that she may not be as good of a person as she thought she was. But what was it that was throwing her off? Bayley would always greet Sasha when passing by, she'd always invest into a conversation with her. What was she doing wrong?

* * *

"Alright Yum Yums! We are about to enter our first tournament! So that means we are gonna practice hard and hit them harder! Am I clear?!"

The whole team said yes in sync to their coach.

"May I have our female and male captains step forward?!"

The two captains looked at each other and proceeded to take a step forwards. 

"We are gonna mix the female and male teams together and play a game. I wanna see everyone playing their hardest and making their shots. You two are gonna lead your own teams. Understood?"

"Yes," the two acknowledged together.

"Bayley, you being the female, you get the first pick."

Bayley examined who stood in front of her. Who would give her the best advantage? The tall guy? The high jumper? The fastest runner? Someone stood out though. Bayley was probably gonna regret her pick but she did so anyways.

"Sasha."

The team gasped as Sasha's head looked up in shock. Her eyes were wide open and trained on Bayley. Her jaw remained shut and thoughts flooded her mind. Why pick Sasha? Out of the whole team, Bayley picks Sasha?! The crowd moved away and stared at Sasha. All attention was on her and she was frightened. With a slight grunt, she walked towards Bayley. Everything was silent. Mutters could be heard with slight giggles.

"Your turn Seth."

Seth was too busy watching Sasha in fear. He turned his attention to the coach who was impatiently waiting for him to speak. His eyes examined the team but couldn't think straight. Seth nudged Bayley's arm and moves his lips to her ear.

"Good pick," he whispered.

Seth cleared his throat and brought his hands together.

"Uhh, Scott!"

He stepped forward and the team selection continued.

* * *

Bayley shook Seth's hand accepting defeat and he patted her shoulder.

"Good game."

"Yeah. Forty-two, thirty-seven," she replied.

Bayley walked into the girls change room to hear a ruckus. 

"It's all your fault!"

Bayley was curious on what was going on as she peeked around the corner. What she saw was frightening. One of the girls was holding Sasha's shirt high in the air while another kept attempting to unclip her bra. Sasha kept a hand on the back of her bra prevent access but was met with hands clawing their way through. She continued to reach up for her shirt but she was just too small. Everyone was laughing as Sasha was slowly humiliated. The fun and games ended when the girl holding Sasha's shirt was rammed into the locker.

"Enough!"

The locker room was silent as Bayley stood defiant. Bayley looked down at the fallen woman who was now holding her shoulder in pain. She bent down and picked up the shirt. It had some anime character on it or something. Bayley handed Sasha her shirt with one hand as the other was holding her bra in place. The straps dangled. Bayley walked around Sasha and slowly clipped her bra back on followed with a pat on the back.

"You okay?"

Sasha flung herself onto Bayley engulfing her into a hug. Everyone watched and listened to Sasha's weeps in silence. She whispered into Bayley's ear so softly.

"T-Thank you."