Seize the Moments of Your Life

"Y'see, you and your girls know what a longstanding rivalry our teams have," Staycie began. "And not to toot my own horn, but ya also know how good I am. I understand how much a victory over the Longhorns means to the Sprite legacy, and especially to Adair. So here's what I's thinkin'."

Staycie took a step closer, and coyly but slyly smirked.

"While I am not prepared to throw the game...I might just be willing to, uh, go a little 'easy' on you guys, and especially you, Kelts...if you agree to come tonight to the Holiday Inn where I'm staying, on Berrywood and 17th...

"...And sleep with me."

Sara gaped at her, eyebrows positioned completely differently from the way they'd been a moment ago. She tried to process what she'd just heard—if in fact her ears weren't playing a gag on her. Staycie could not have been serious. Sara had told her all about Mel. She'd brought her up numerous times during the short while they hung out. In fact, other than their mutual love of softball, Mel was just about all Sara talked about! What could possibly make Staycie think Sara would even consider such a disgraceful offer?

Finally, Sara dropped her brows into a disdainful glower, and shook her head.

"Staycie Dunheuser, that is not funny."

Staycie cocked her own head just an inch. "I'm sorry?"

Um, Sara? came the little voice from between her legs. May I have a quick word?

Sara continued, her tone escalating. "If that's supposed to be cute or charming, it's not. That is in truly sick taste. If that's your idea of initiating things, I frankly feel sorry for you. You are repulsive for having the balls alone to ask me to do such a thing. You run out on the team and then expect me to betray them?? I wouldn't sell out the Sprites for a billion dollars. But forget that! Just supposing I were the kind of person who'd do something so sleazy and disgusting. Leaving aside for just a second your sheer arrogance and temerity, did you just completely forget about my girlfriend??"

Staycie held innocent focus on her, barely fazed. "...Is that a no?"

Sara? her pussy repeated. Can we talk?

Sara fake-laughed in utter causticity, ignoring her little friend.

"I cannot believe you!" she exclaimed. "I just don't even beli—...y—...you are the most self-indulgent, reprehensible...insane person I've ever met! How dare you even think I'd debase myself and my team—not to mention make a mockery of my relationship—for any reason?!" She scoffed, unable to swallow something so despicable, not to mention downright ridiculous. Staycie hadn't much integrity after all. She really was lower than Sara could've guessed. After all this, her dismission had barely any impact.

"Very well," scowled Staycie, clearing her throat. She evidently found it hard to swallow that Sara—or anyone—would turn down the chance to have sex. Devoid of scruples as Sara sensed, she was wounded and indignant at the rejection, and magnitude thereof.

"In that case, I wish you a lot of luck in the game today...'cause you're gonna need it."

She turned up her nose and began walking away. Sara didn't wish to let her have the last word in the matter, however.

"Oh yeah??" Sara called after. "Well, joke's on you, young lady, 'cause I'd rather lose with integrity than win by prostituting myself!"

She waited until Staycie disappeared, then returned to the clubhouse. She acted natural sifting through her teammates, and slipped into Coach Darcy's office in the back (hoping no one noticed the slight wet spot in the front of her pants).

Adair looked up. "Ya need something, Miss Kelton?"

Sara shut the door. "Yes, Darcy. I need to talk to you, in private."

*****

"...And There Isn't Any In Softball, Either!!"

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016, 12:54 p.m.

Sara didn't yet want her teammates to know what happened, and Darcy agreed. They had an important game to play, and needn't weigh down the girls' minds. But Darcy assured Sara she'd done the right thing by coming to her. Again, the game was imminent, and there was no time for any sort of action. But this was serious. This was sexual harassment. And they weren't prepared to let Miss Dunheuser get away with it.

Sara was so consumed with this turn of events, she forgot about her family and friends until they arrived. Sara chose as well not to tell her loved ones of Staycie's advances, for basically the same reason. They were here to enjoy the game, not to be sucked into Staycie's web of manipulation. She stole a chance to greet them before they took their spots in the bleachers. Melleny was the last to go and sit after Sara talked to her.

"Oh my gosh, I am so happy you guys came!" she told Mel. "Thank you!"

"Aw, sweetie, we wouldn't miss it for the world!" Melleny smiled.

Sara suddenly sniffled, feeling something tug at her heartstrings.

"I know...I know. You guys are the best. You all really do love me. I...erm..." She gulped. "I dunno what I did to deserve you."

Mel's face softened.

"Are you crying?"

Sara chuckled sheepishly, looking down as she swiped at her eyes.

"Are you crying??"

Sara began laughing through her approaching tears. She knew where this was going.

"I know! I know!" she nodded, holding up her hand.

"Do not make me go all Tom Hanks on you, rookie!" Mel grinned, pointing a finger.

"I won't. Now kiss me. Just don't make me go weak in the knees."

"I can't promise that, Sara."

They locked lips, holding paws. Wherever she was, Sara hoped Staycie saw this kiss.

And she hoped it made her crawl.

*****

Chevys And Rockys

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016, 1:00 p.m.

"Play ball!" shouted the ump. The Sprites headed to their positions for the top of the first. Patty Dimberg took the pitching area. The leadoff Longhorn, a rightie named Terri Cooke, stepped in the batter's box. Patty knew she preferred pitches on the outer half, so she'd pitch to this girl dense and tight. She wound up, windmilled, whipped the ball, and Terri swung. The ball fouled off behind her for strike one. The game was underway.

Sara watched the first inning unfold from short, midway between second and third. She of course had some moments to shine in previous games, both on offense and defense. But once again, this was the first time she'd be playing for her own few fans. After the first out, the Longhorns drove a base hit to right, putting a girl on first. She advanced to second when the following batter hit a grounder. The Longhorn who came to bat next laid down a bunt, which went right Sara's way. Here came her first play. The runners raced to second and third. Sara trotted up a few steps, planted her feet, scooped up the ball and flipped it to second. Her teammate Shelly at second caught it in time, then threw to first. Lesley Walker caught the ball at first base, just before the bunter reached it. The fans cheered. Double play!

The side was retired, and the Sprites were up. Once the Longhorns took the field, Sara noticed that curiously enough, Staycie was not pitching. Perhaps they were saving her for later innings. Leading off was another pal of Sara's called Linny, who fielded beside her at third. She missed the first pitch, then sent a line drive to right center.

Sara was fifth in the order, so she had a bit of waiting to do. With as much current and classic pop culture as she'd accumulated in her thirty years (which was quite a bit) she began thinking of the game as an action movie, with a soundtrack of driving rock music. An old song she'd heard recently—"American Heartbeat" by Survivor—served the setting well. It came out a few years before she was born, at the same time as the band's Rocky anthem "Eye Of The Tiger." Both in fact could dynamically capture the game's key moments. Sara played them in her head as she watched.

"The night's alive with wind and fire/We telegraph our hearts' desire/Through the night with our eyes.../Wheels are turning fast and hard/Hearts are burning on the boulevard/Hear them pound, young and proud/It's the American heartbeat!"

"It's the eye of the tiger/It's the thrill of the fight/Rising up to the challenge of our rival/And the last known survivor/Stalks her prey in the night/And she's watching us all with the eye...of the tiger!"

The Sprites were put out to end the first inning. The second played out similarly, with several batters—including Sara—making it on base, but not back home. There was still no score until the top of the third. The Longhorns got hot with a series of base hits, finally sending one of their girls to home plate to take the lead: 1-0. Fortunately for the Sprites, they were able to hold off the Longhorns from scoring any more runs this inning. Unfortunately, they themselves could not tie things up.

It seemed the Longhorns had been only warming up till now. Inning four gave them their second run. Again, Minnesota held them to only this one, but now trailed by two. In the bottom of the fourth, Sara got her next at bat. She sent a fly ball to left, which the left fielder leapt and caught with an amazing grab. The Sprites came yet closer, but were allowed still no official runs. The Longhorns were living up to their reputation.

The game was now just past the halfway point. Inning five followed, the Longhorns batting through the bottom of their order. This was a small break for the Sprites, who got the next three outs with little trouble. The score was still 2-0, but this time with one not so minor change. Sara was correct in her earlier theory, she noticed: the Longhorns had unleashed their new big gun. Staycie assumed the pitching area. Sara watched with growing dismay as two teammates were struck out. The third got lucky with a base hit, but was herself snuffed taking too big a lead from first.

Two innings from defeat, the Sprites were getting fatigued. Madison poured it on to open the sixth. After two outs, the catcher slammed a monstrous homer out of the park. No one was on base, but the lead was opened to 3-0. Sara kept herself energized by imagining more rock songs playing in the background. With the first to come to mind being early '80s tunes, she started whipping up a whole '80s soundtrack to put to the game. With the typically invigorating synth music as in some of her favorite films like Major League, The Karate Kid, or even Vision Quest. Seeing her fellow Sprites growing discouraged, she tried to psyche them back up. There was still one inning left.

"Come on, you guys!" she told those around her. "Remember what Darcy said! Determination in our eyes! Heart in our gameplay!"

The Sprites were unable to get anything going in the sixth inning either, but finally agreed that Sara was right. There was still some pride and stamina lurking in each of them. And they were going to channel it into this last inning, and give it everything they had. They were still undefeated, and weren't going down without one hell of a fight.

Each took a deep breath, summoned her second wind, and took her fielding position for the seventh and final time. With a great arm that didn't quit, Patty was still pitching. Her windmill motion continued to serve well, packing much-needed speed and accuracy. She struck the first batter out. The second fouled outside first base, and Lesley caught it for out number two. Batter three was the same hitter who'd driven in the go-ahead run in the third inning. She whacked a fierce grounder between short and third. It got by Sara and Linny, rolling into left. A swift runner as well, she rounded first with no hesitation, kept going and slid safe into second. The Longhorns were threatening again, but their runner got cocky. Leading off second, she waited until Patty went into her windup, and attempted to steal third. The fourth batter swung and missed. The catcher nabbed the ball, fired a quick throw to Linny, and the base-stealer was arrested.

Bottom of the seventh. The Sprites congratulated Patty on a terrific game as she sat to let her south-paw rest. Marcie Pishdal, final in the order, stepped into the box, tapped the plate and took some swings. With three outs to go, the Sprites still had three runs to make up. As Marcie faced Staycie, she couldn't help but have mixed feelings. She felt as resentful as did the other Sprites towards Staycie for abandoning them. But had she stayed, Marcie would not have made the team. Staycie had essentially given up her spot so that Marcie could play. And she intended to show what she could do.

Staycie windmilled and fired. Marcie swung with all her might and connected, pulling a line drive to left. She let the bat fly and sprinted to first as the left fielding Longhorn retrieved the ball, sending it the same way. Marcie ran as fast as she could and dove head-first, mere nanoseconds before the first basegirl caught the ball. Safe!

The Sprites and their allies in the stands cheered like crazy. They had the advantage. They had the top of the order coming to the plate. They remained behind, but having a runner on base kept hope alive. In stepped Linny.

Staycie was feeling vindictive. Knowing Linny was friends with Sara, she decided to send the lot of them a message. She wound, and served up a Windmill Fireball...straight at Linny's head. Linny gasped and hit the dirt. Ball one.

The crowd booed. Half the Sprites leapt to their feet to storm the pitching area. But cooler heads prevailed. Linny got up, put her helmet back on, and steadied herself. Staycie leveled another close to her, high and tight. This pitch wasn't close enough to nail her, but she didn't dare swing at it either. "Ball two!" announced the umpire.

The Longhorns' coach yelled something at Staycie. Her team grew antsy at her actions. She was being rash. She was risking the lead in trying to intimidate the Sprites. Staycie was losing patience with this girl. She threw her an outside curve next, hoping she'd swing and miss. But Linny caught her, and only check-swung. "Ball three!"

Staycie's catcher caught the ball and threw it back with an aggression that seemed to say, "What the hell're you doing?! Cut it out!"

Finally, Staycie got the message. Playing with this kind of fire was dangerous. If too careless, she could blow the lead. She took a breath and collected herself. It was time to stop messing around. She wound up and pitched, but let the ball go just a fraction of a second too early. With no strikes on her, Linny didn't move.

"Low!" shouted the umpire. "Ball four; take your base!"

The crowd cheered. Linny tossed the bat and pranced down the baseline, as an equally pleased Marcie trotted to second. Next up was center fielder Violet Daniels. She let one outside pitch go by, swung and missed for a strike, and hit the next. Unfortunately, she clipped it from underneath, popping it straight up. The catcher nabbed it; she was out.

Lesley was next. She missed her first two pitches, but sent the third over Staycie's head and the second basegirl's as well. The Longhorns center fielder ran in. Linny and Marcie took off respectively for second and third, as Lesley booked it to first. The center fielder threw to second, needing a double play to end the game. But Linny had quite a set of legs on her as well. They carried her speedily to second, sliding to make contact with the bag just in time. Momentarily caught off guard, the second basegirl whirled around and threw to first, but Lesley was already there, safe and sound. The Sprites couldn't believe it. The bases were suddenly loaded. With only one out. They had a chance!

Batter four was the Sprites' right fielder, Steph Reed. The runners took their leads as she took the box. Marcie gazed at her batting teammate, wanting to jump the gun and steal home. She honestly thought she could do it, but didn't think she should. There was a reason she'd been put on this team, and she couldn't throw it away on a gamble. Staycie whipped a fastball. Steph swung and missed. "Strike one!"

Sara was getting nervous. She was on deck, and realized she'd be batting no matter what. If Steph was out, that'd be two, and the third out would be Sara's. If Steph got a hit, however, the Sprites could score, keeping the bases loaded while closing the lead to 3-1, and the pressure would be taken off Sara. Oh, she hoped Steph got a hit.

"Strike two!"

UH-oh... Sara abruptly also realized this would be the first time she'd be facing Staycie. The first time in both of their young careers...and the first and only time, since she'd turned down Staycie's crude advance. Please get a hit, Steph, pleeeeeease get a hit.

Whiff! "Strike three!"

Oh no. Ohhh, crap. The audience let out a collective "aw." Steph woefully returned to the dugout. The Sprites gave her some hugs and words of encouragement.

Sara Kelton was up.

Gulp.

A few familiar voices behind her began chanting, trying to get the atmosphere fired up.

"Sar-a! Sar-a! Sar-a! Sar-a!..."

Their voices faded and swirled into a blur as Sara stepped to the plate. She rose her determined eyes to meet Staycie's. Staycie was leering, trying to bore fear into her.

Don't let yourself get frazzled, Sare, she told herself. Don't get rattled 'cause you spurned her. What she did was wrong. Her. Not you. You're not the guilty party here. Just remember what Darce told you, and what you told the girls. Take your own advice.

Staycie seemed to take forever to throw Sara her first pitch. There was the windmill, and here it came...a curve ball. Whiff! Dammit.

She heard a brief collective "aw," followed by applause. "C'mon, Sara!" "You got this!" came her supporters' voices.

Oh, hell... Sara thought, feeling dread descend upon her shoulders. That's right...she knows I can't hit a curve ball. I told her. Dammit dammit dammit.

Marcie extended her lead, now dying to steal home. Staycie grinned, eyes only on Sara. She delivered. Another curve. Whiff! "Strike two!"

Oh Goddess...help me...

Staycie was being deliberately spiteful for scorning and turning her down. She knew it, and Sara knew it. She was going to try and end this game with three pitches, one right after the other. And to make matters worse, Sara was feeling an uneasy sensation...

...Way down she-knew-where.

Not now, Little Sara, please, not now... She shook it off and focused on the batting advice Jake and her Dad gave her weeks back.

Let's see..."back elbow up, dominant hand on top"..."feet evenly apart, step into the pitch"..."shoulders square, level swing"..."eye on the ball, watch for the possible break at the last moment"...

Staycie wound up. Sara's heart began to pound. She thought she saw Marcie charging in from third out of the corner of her eye.

..."Watch for the pitcher's timing..."

All sound died down. There was the windmill again...

"...Let the ball come to you..."

It all happened in slow motion, as Staycie finally released the ball...

"...And you'll learn to sense just the exact right moment..."

The softball sailed through the crisp equinox air, like the dozens of times before...

"...It'll get bigger and bigger, until you can't possibly miss it."