Page 30 of Double Play

I look around the ballpark, which is roughly a quarter the size of ours. It’s about half full. I have no idea if that’s good or bad for women’s softball.

I’m announced and then throw out the ceremonial first pitch to a sea of cheers. Catching Arizona’s eye, I turn and point to the back of my jersey. I see her laugh as that beautiful smile of hers takes shape.

I’m trying to learn the differences between softball and baseball, besides what I already mentioned to her. I notice the women wear way tighter pants. I don’t think I could play in pants that tight. And all the pants end just below the knee, with the socks pulled all the way up. Almost all baseball players wear pants to their ankles, though there are a small handful that wear them shorter like the girls.

You can see all their curves with the way they wear their pants. I can’t believe more men don’t realize this. They should publicize that. I don’t think there’s a man in America who wouldn’t want to see Arizona Abbott in tight clothing.

I knew in theory that the field was smaller, but seeing it inperson makes it come to life. They don’t have any grass in the infield. The balls must come at them crazy fast.

I hear commotion in the stands and look up. I see Quincy, Cheetah, and Ezra walking down the steps toward me. Fans continuously stop them for selfies and autographs, which they happily oblige.

They eventually make their way to me. We all say our hellos, and I smirk at Cheetah.

He gives me his self-satisfied smile. “Dude, I would never go back on a bet. Where’s Kam bam?”

“They’re about to take the field. She’s the shortstop.”

“Ooh. My future wife is a star.”

I notice that Quincy is wearing Ripley’s jersey, not Arizona’s. I give him a questioning look.

“I knew you’d be wearing my sister’s jersey. I’m simply supporting all the girls.”

They eventually take the field, and we all cheer for them. My eyes immediately find Arizona. She looks so badass yet adorable in her catching gear.

I see Kam is looking our way, as does Cheetah. He immediately tears off his shirt. Sure enough, he has written across his chest, in thick Sharpie,Kam’s Kitten. He even has an anaconda drawn under it, leading into his pants. It’s professional-level artwork. He must have hired someone to draw it.

He stands on his chair so everyone can see him. He starts screaming for Kam. “Kam bam is the bomb! Go Anacondas! I love softball!” And then he takes it a step further and does a littleMagic Mikedance routine, rolling his body and hips.

The whole crowd starts cheering for him. Thecameras find him, and he’s shown on the big screen. This will undoubtedly be on SportsCenter later.

I see all the girls on the field laughing at his antics. None of it deters him. He keeps dancing and smiling the whole time.

The game finally begins. The four of us sit in awe at the level of play. They’re amazing. I had no idea.

ARIZONA

After a lopsided victory in the debut game of the Philly Anacondas, we head to Screwballs with Layton and the boys to celebrate. They were incredible today. They cheered like lunatics the whole game. All the fans were getting a kick out of them, and the cameras were on them the whole time. I have no doubt the team will get a lot of press from it and more fans will come out.

As we walk down the street, laughing at some crazy thing Kamryn said, I feel my face with my hand. It almost hurts from smiling so much. I look around, suddenly realizing I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. I get to play with my friends again, we’re making new friends with the guys, and I’m really liking my new city. And, if I’m being honest, hanging out with Layton isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I’m enjoying his company.

When we walk into Screwballs, the whole crowd cheers for us. The owner asks to take a few pictures for us to sign so he can hang them on the walls. Of course we oblige.My friends are all on cloud nine too. I notice that a lot of the televisions at the bar have coverage of our game. Half the coverage is of Cheetah dancing, but the rest is of the real game. Kam and Bailey hit back-to-back home runs. They’re already being dubbed the slugger sisters. I love it. It’s good to see softball getting so much attention.

We sit in our booth, yes,ourbooth, and order a round of beers. Layton is next to me with Quincy watching us like an angry hawk. He’s ridiculous.

Kam lifts Cheetah’s shirt. “I need a picture with this.” She hands her phone to Bailey who gets the picture of Kam with a happily grinning Cheetah. Naturally, Kam takes it a step further and poses for a few shots of her clawing him and biting his nipple. It doesn’t seem to bother him though. In fact, he clearly seems to be enjoying the attention from her.

He has himself positioned between Kamryn and Bailey. His head toggles between the two of them. “Have you two ever done a guy at the same time?”

Bailey rolls her eyes. “I’m not into incest. Sister threesomes are a made up thing for porn. No one does that in real life.”

“Have you guys ever hooked up with the same guy?”

She bites her lip and scrunches her nose at that one. I know they have.

Cheetah smiles. “So youarespit sisters too.”

She sighs. “No wonder my sister won’t have sex with you.”

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