Bad Timing

Dieci

Broadway was everything to me. In my eyes, it was much more than a Hollywood movie. It was old fashioned, sincere, genuinely beautiful, and captured the true essence of singing and acting both at the same time.

However, I didn’t have the money to go to such a prestigious college. The only way I could get there was a scholarship and applying for a Fine Art’s school required a lot of recommendations from your high school teachers. If I could show my teachers the potential I have, their recommendations may blow the minds of the recruiters of my dream college.

“Okay fine,” I finally agreed with my shoulders slumped. “But we’re working on it later. Why don’t I try out what you enjoy? What do you enjoy?”

“Did you seriously ask me that?” Noah asked, his eyebrows drawn together as he shook his head. “Baseball.”

Before the accusations that he killed his brother, Noah was adored by everyone because he was the best pitcher on the baseball team. He and Callum were the only two team members that carried their team to State Champions for two consecutive years. Noah was known for his fast curve balls and fast pitches. Not only was he the respected delinquent, but he was also East Carteret’s baseball team’s MVP. Then his brother died and you know how that story went.

We headed outside to their enormous yard. The sun was going down, casting an orange and pink color across the sky. Noah brought a bag of baseball equipment out of the shed and handed me a wooden baseball bat.

“Well, the bat is lighter than I thought it was going to be,” I commented, weighing the stick in my hands.

The corners of Noah’s lips twitched upwards. “You never played baseball?”

“Nope. Every time we played baseball for gym, I’d pretend I ate the Cafeteria’s food for lunch and caught a stomach virus. Really, I was just afraid that the pitcher was going to purposely throw the ball right in my face. I used to be the hated freshmen because I was forced to snitch on everyone who cheated on their laps,” I admitted and laughed in embarrassment.

I really didn’t understand why I shared that piece of information with him, but I was growing anxious by the minute. I really didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of someone who was clearly an expert at playing baseball.

Noah smiled down at me in amusement, causing my heart to skip – not one – but several beats in the process. He shook his head, obviously trying not laugh. He bent down to pick up a red helmet from the bag of equipment and situated a helmet over my head. I nervously bit on my bottom lip when his fingers lightly brushed my skin as he adjusted the chin strap cautiously over my bandaged injury.

“It’s a football helmet,” Noah said, patting the top of it with the palm of his hand. “But it’ll lessen your chance of getting hit in the face with a baseball.”

I laughed, focusing on the bars in front of my face. “Oh gosh, I’m so embarrassing. I have to wear a football helmet to play baseball. I’m a humiliation to both sports right now.”

“I think it’s brilliant,” Noah teased, tossing a baseball up and down with one hand. He stepped back until he was at a decent distant. “Okay, so it’s not that hard. It’s all about the timing. I think you’ll pick up on it pretty quickly.

I swung the bat over my head and awkwardly stood stiffly in my spot. “Yeah, I could do this,” I lied, nodding my head. I gulped nervously as I tightened my grip around the bat. “Just hit me – not literally because I bruise easily and I’m pretty scared of balls. Well, balls as in sports equipment. Not male gen – “

“Relax, Emmy,” Noah interjected in the middle of my babble. “I’m going to throw the ball now so … be prepared.”

“Alright. I’m ready! I so could do this! Woo! This will be a piece of cake.” I frowned when I missed Noah’s pitch. I jumped up and down in place to prepare myself for the next pitch. “Okay, that was just a test run! I’m just testing how fast you pitch! I’ll get it this time!”