Softball, Sleepovers, and Surprises
I stretched my arms and legs as I got out of Mary Anne’s car, groaning rather loudly as I did so. This earned me a smirk from Mary Anne as she too got out of the car. I grinned at her and pulled my duffel bag from the backseat, checking to make sure I had everything I needed.
“Thomas!” Coach bellowed at me from the softball field, “Get your Raggedy Ann ass down here!”
Mary Anne waved at me with only her fingers, trying to hide another smirk, a more teasing one, as I trotted down to the field set below the hill we parked on.
“Don’t have an aneurism, Coach,” I tossed my bag into the corner of the dugout, fishing out my glove.
He opened his mouth to scream at me again but was interrupted by the umpire walking over to check the line-up, which I was not currently on. He frowned at me and I grinned back as he added my name and probably mentally decided to make me run extra laps on Monday’s practice. I jogged over to where Abby Stevenson was warming up with two of our teammates. I shot her a grin as she launched the ball at my head.
“Thomas! You used to be so responsible, why are you always late now?” Abby gave me a stern look.
“Not my fault, Mary Anne got into it with her dad after school today, so she was late picking me up,” I had spent most of the afternoon consoling my best friend after she forgot to change her short skirt back before she got home. Her father was very strict, and Mary Anne showing skin was definitely one of his hang-ups.
“Alright, well, get your head in the game so we can beat these guys,” Abby warned, giving me a pat on my butt before we headed into the dugout.
“Thomas, you’re leading off, then Jackson, then Stevenson,” Coach told us as we started gathering our helmets and bats. I nodded and went on deck to take a few practice swings.
As I stepped to the plate I could hear mom, Watson, and David Michael cheering for me above the crowd. I also heard Mary Anne, Claudia, and… Stacey’s voice? What? I turned around before stepping into the box to see Stacey McGill sitting next to our friends, beaming at me. I didn’t know she was going to be in town this weekend.
“Thomas! Make something happen!” Coach’s voice brought me back to life and I stepped into the box. I took a few hard swings at a couple of rather wild pitches. Come on, Kristy, be smart. I heard the cheers behind me and focused my eyes on the pitcher. She flung one straight down the middle of the strike zone and I connected, sending the ball into right field. I sprinted past first base and slid into second. The crowd was really loud. I turned back to the crowd, looking directly over at Stacey who gave me a little wave. Something in my stomach did a strange flip. I nodded back to her and decided to focus on the rest of the game.
We won the game 7 to 5, with Abby and I scoring 3 of those runs. I sat down in the dugout, pulling my equipment together and pulling off my cleats. Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey walked into the dugout next to me.
“Great game, Kristy!” Claudia smiled at me, giving me a dorky high five. Her enthusiasm for my favorite sport was cute, because she herself never played. She showed me a sketch she had been drawing during the game. It was a picture of me at bat, with a goofy look on my face.
“Claud, you’re supposed to watch the game, not draw the game,” I laughed and stood up to give her an appreciative hug. Mary Anne gave me a pat on the back as Abby entered the dugout and began gathering up her equipment as well.
“Kristy, I had no idea you had gotten so good at softball, I bet you get a scholarship to college before this season is over!” Stacey gushed. I blinked then stood up, wrapping her in a sweaty hug. She didn’t move away.
“Thanks, Stace, that means a lot,” I smiled at her, picking up my bag and launching it over my shoulder. Mary Anne ducked out of the way just in time, “I didn’t know you were coming into town this weekend.”
“Yeah, well, actually, I am thinking about moving back here, since I’ve spent the last couple of years in New York with my dad, it might be fun to finish high school with you guys,” Stacey shrugged, “So, can we have a BSC reunion tonight?”
“Hell yeah!” Claudia nodded. Mary Anne rolled her eyes, but looked delighted as well. Abby looked over at us, wondering if she was invited.
“Stevenson, you in?” I smirked at her, holding out a fist.
“Definitely, if that’s ok?” She bumped my fist and looked at the others.
“Of course, Abby, it will be fun,” Mary Anne spoke up, “Kris, can we have it at your house?”
“Uh… I am sure it will be ok… sleepover?” I shrugged then looked over to where mom and Watson were walking up the hill, “ Mom! Can we have a BSC reunion tonight at our house?” She turned around and gave me a thumbs up sign and David Michael immediately looked annoyed.
“That settles it then, how about we meet at Kristy’s around 8 o clock?” Claudia had been putting her sketch pad back into her bag and now pulled it over her shoulder. We all nodded and headed back to our respective cars. I slid into Mary Anne’s front seat as we decided to stop by her house and get her things before heading back to mine.
“Stacey looks amazing, doesn’t she?” Mary Anne gushed, obviously happy to have her friend back in town. Yeah, she does, really amazing. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
“Yeah, she looks like she’s never been happier,” I nodded trying to sound casual. I began wondering what she had been up to lately and if she had a boyfriend at the moment. Probably not, or she would never consider moving back to Stoneybrook.
We pulled into my driveway about 7 o clock and I ran inside to get cleaned up. Mom was ordering pizzas for us, and Watson was taking David Michael to a friend’s house for the night.
“Kristy, Watson and I are going to spend the night down in the city, just to get some alone time together,” I nodded. Yes! We have the house to ourselves! “So, do not get into any trouble tonight, understand?”
“Yeah, Mom, we’ll be perfect angels,” I grinned at her and she winked back at me as Mary Anne and I ran upstairs to my bedroom. I collapsed onto my bed for a moment, with Mary Anne sitting at my computer, reading an email from Dawn. I looked at the clock, seven-thirty. Shit. I got up and ran to the bathroom, pulling my uniform off on the way. I ducked into the shower and let the hot water take over. After cleaning up a bit, I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself and walked back to my bedroom. I opened the door to see Claudia and Stacey had arrived and were perched on my bed. Stacey giggled at my towel-clad appearance.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much of you, Kristy!” I blushed as she looked at me and I was sure she could see right through my towel. I stuck my tongue out at her and tried my best to be cocky.
“Well, if you’d quit staring at my perfect body, then maybe I could put my clothes on, “I grinned at her and grabbed my essentials. Underwear, bra, t-shirt and some loose-fitting jeans. Perfect. Stacey shifted a little at the comment and Claudia gave her a nudge. What was that about?
I heard Abby call out from the living room that the pizza had arrived. I got dressed and we all ran downstairs to dig in. We settled in the den, munching on pizza and watching some countdown on VH-1. We spent a good amount of time picking fun at the dorky commentators the show had. Abby pulled a bottle of coconut rum out of her knapsack.
“Hey, Kristy, I brought your favorite,” she tossed me the bottle as I opened it and sniffed its contents. Whenever Mom and Watson were not home for the evening, Abby and I had been sneaking alcohol from our parents’ liquor cabinets. We never drank much, just enough to feel slightly dangerous.
“Ooooh! I want some!” Stacey grabbed the bottle out of my hand and headed into the kitchen to find something to mix it with. I raised my eyebrows at Claudia who shrugged and smiled. Mary Anne looked a little uncomfortable, but I gathered that after her fight with her father, she wanted to be a little rebellious. After all, no one would ever know and she was with her best friends.
Stacey ran back into the room with two 2-liters of Sprite and a bunch of cups with ice. She poured some rum into each of them and then applied the Sprite. She seemed to know what she was doing. We all drank and talked about where our lives had been, and what we wanted to do after we graduated from college. The conversation was starting to get dull when Abby sat up, cross-legged, and announced that she wanted to play a game.
“Let’s play ‘Never Have I Ever’ you guys!” She took another big gulp of her drink, which was immediately refilled by Stacey. I groaned into a sofa cushion and let myself be pulled into the circle.
“I’ll go first. Never have I ever wanted to punch my older sister in the face,” Claudia smiled as she said it and took a big drink of her rum and Sprite. We giggled and Mary Anne looked thoughtful.
“Never have I ever… stolen alcohol from my parents’ liquor cabinet, “she laughed and every single one of us took a drink. Now it was Abby’s turn.
“Never have I ever hit a home run, “she looked at me. I had a feeling she was going to try to get me drunk. I took a drink and rolled my eyes.
“Never have I ever had a twin, Stevenson!” I bit back, giving her a poke on her side. She laughed and nodded, taking a drink. I looked over at Stacey who had a mischievous smirk on her face, making her dimples show.
“Never have I ever had sex,” Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey took a drink. Abby and I both blushed sheepishly. After Claudia and Stacey drilled Mary Anne on her sexual escapades with her ex-boyfriend, Logan, we moved on. It was Claudia’s turn.
“Never have I ever kissed a girl,” Claudia looked directly at Stacey who took a drink, and then they both turned their eyes on me.
“Take a drink, Kristy, “Abby smirked. I shook my head.
“Why? I’ve never done that, “I replied, feeling a little uncomfortable. I had had crushes on girls before, but I had never told anyone or acted on them. There was no way they could know that I wanted to.
“Yeah, right, Kristy, what about that Senior Megan something?” Abby crossed her arms.
“Uh uh,” I shook my head, “Stacey? Who did you kiss?” I decided to turn the attention off of me.
“Oh, I dated a girl last year, she was really awesome. She moved to California and I suspect she is probably making out with Dawn right now,” Stacey giggled and took another drink, leaning back against the couch. Claudia did not look surprised, actually, none of them did.
“How come I’m the last to know about this?” I furrowed my brow, trying to look mad and not excited.
“How come you haven’t kissed a girl?” Mary Anne suddenly spoke up.
“Yeah, come on, Kristy, we know you’ve had crushes and you ARE the biggest lesbian any of us know,” Claudia teased. Stacey scooted closer to me and Abby pinched my arm.
“I am not! I… I just haven’t you guys!” I suddenly felt very small, like I had just gotten caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
“Come on, Kristy, you like girls though, right?” Abby poked my side, making me squirm away, but closer to Stacey who was grinning now. I stuttered for a moment before both Stacey and Abby pounced on me, nearly knocking over my drink, tickling my sides. I erupted into laughter.
“Come on, Kristy, just tell us the truth and we’ll stop! We are your best friends,” Stacey taunted. Claudia grabbed my ankles to keep me from kicking someone or something.
“Alright! I like girls!” I yelped, rolling into a ball as they stopped, still giggling. They gave each other triumphant high fives. Stacey pushed her blond hair back behind her ears, kissing my forehead playfully.
“You are so cute, Kristy,” She smiled down at me, which earned a look between Mary Anne and Claudia.
“Yeah, whatever, get off,” I pushed her playfully, feeling a little bit happy that I did not have to keep my secret anymore. Besides, kissing Stacey would not be so bad, would it?
“Alright, let’s watch a movie now that we know that Kristy is for sure a big dyke!” Abby poked my side again, and then put her arm around my shoulder, teammate style.
“Yeah, and I am going to go see if I can find some more rum in the cabinet,” I stood up heading to the kitchen while my friends began looking through our DVD collection. I was looking at labels of the different types of alcohol as Stacey came up behind me.
“You really are cute, ya know,” Stacey leaned against the counter, looking me over.
“Uh… thanks, Stace, you’re pretty gorgeous yourself,” I grinned at her. She grabbed my arm and pulled me to her, locking her lips with mine. It took me a moment to respond, but Stacey felt so good. I wrapped my arms around her waist and savored the sweet taste of rum on her tongue. She giggled as our tongues combined and we both leaned into the kiss, pressing our hips together.
“Looks like it’s going to be an interesting night, huh?” She winked at me and grabbed another bottle of rum from the cabinet, leading me back out into the living room.
“Kristy, why are you all red?” Mary Anne looked up at me teasingly.
“Because she is a VERY good kisser,” Stacey sat down, pulling me with her and wrapping her arms around me. I stiffened a little, waiting on the reactions of my friends. They all looked at each other and laughed, sending cheers in my direction as Stacey kissed me gently on the cheek. We settled in to watch the movie, Stacey and I cuddling on the love seat. I found it strangely gratifying that none of our friends really cared that Stacey and I had just kissed and now were showing affection right in front of them. In fact, they looked pleased.
“Kristy, I do not think I’ve ever seen you look so happy,” Mary Anne whispered as got up to go to the bathroom. I beamed at her. I had not felt so happy in a long time. I came back from the bathroom and resumed my spot intertwined with Stacey on the love seat.
“Moving back here is definitely going to be worth it now,” Stacey whispered softly in my ear. I knew the rest of high school was going to be amazing and kissed her gently one more time before allowing myself to drift off into sleep.
“Thomas!” Coach bellowed at me from the softball field, “Get your Raggedy Ann ass down here!”
Mary Anne waved at me with only her fingers, trying to hide another smirk, a more teasing one, as I trotted down to the field set below the hill we parked on.
“Don’t have an aneurism, Coach,” I tossed my bag into the corner of the dugout, fishing out my glove.
He opened his mouth to scream at me again but was interrupted by the umpire walking over to check the line-up, which I was not currently on. He frowned at me and I grinned back as he added my name and probably mentally decided to make me run extra laps on Monday’s practice. I jogged over to where Abby Stevenson was warming up with two of our teammates. I shot her a grin as she launched the ball at my head.
“Thomas! You used to be so responsible, why are you always late now?” Abby gave me a stern look.
“Not my fault, Mary Anne got into it with her dad after school today, so she was late picking me up,” I had spent most of the afternoon consoling my best friend after she forgot to change her short skirt back before she got home. Her father was very strict, and Mary Anne showing skin was definitely one of his hang-ups.
“Alright, well, get your head in the game so we can beat these guys,” Abby warned, giving me a pat on my butt before we headed into the dugout.
“Thomas, you’re leading off, then Jackson, then Stevenson,” Coach told us as we started gathering our helmets and bats. I nodded and went on deck to take a few practice swings.
As I stepped to the plate I could hear mom, Watson, and David Michael cheering for me above the crowd. I also heard Mary Anne, Claudia, and… Stacey’s voice? What? I turned around before stepping into the box to see Stacey McGill sitting next to our friends, beaming at me. I didn’t know she was going to be in town this weekend.
“Thomas! Make something happen!” Coach’s voice brought me back to life and I stepped into the box. I took a few hard swings at a couple of rather wild pitches. Come on, Kristy, be smart. I heard the cheers behind me and focused my eyes on the pitcher. She flung one straight down the middle of the strike zone and I connected, sending the ball into right field. I sprinted past first base and slid into second. The crowd was really loud. I turned back to the crowd, looking directly over at Stacey who gave me a little wave. Something in my stomach did a strange flip. I nodded back to her and decided to focus on the rest of the game.
We won the game 7 to 5, with Abby and I scoring 3 of those runs. I sat down in the dugout, pulling my equipment together and pulling off my cleats. Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey walked into the dugout next to me.
“Great game, Kristy!” Claudia smiled at me, giving me a dorky high five. Her enthusiasm for my favorite sport was cute, because she herself never played. She showed me a sketch she had been drawing during the game. It was a picture of me at bat, with a goofy look on my face.
“Claud, you’re supposed to watch the game, not draw the game,” I laughed and stood up to give her an appreciative hug. Mary Anne gave me a pat on the back as Abby entered the dugout and began gathering up her equipment as well.
“Kristy, I had no idea you had gotten so good at softball, I bet you get a scholarship to college before this season is over!” Stacey gushed. I blinked then stood up, wrapping her in a sweaty hug. She didn’t move away.
“Thanks, Stace, that means a lot,” I smiled at her, picking up my bag and launching it over my shoulder. Mary Anne ducked out of the way just in time, “I didn’t know you were coming into town this weekend.”
“Yeah, well, actually, I am thinking about moving back here, since I’ve spent the last couple of years in New York with my dad, it might be fun to finish high school with you guys,” Stacey shrugged, “So, can we have a BSC reunion tonight?”
“Hell yeah!” Claudia nodded. Mary Anne rolled her eyes, but looked delighted as well. Abby looked over at us, wondering if she was invited.
“Stevenson, you in?” I smirked at her, holding out a fist.
“Definitely, if that’s ok?” She bumped my fist and looked at the others.
“Of course, Abby, it will be fun,” Mary Anne spoke up, “Kris, can we have it at your house?”
“Uh… I am sure it will be ok… sleepover?” I shrugged then looked over to where mom and Watson were walking up the hill, “ Mom! Can we have a BSC reunion tonight at our house?” She turned around and gave me a thumbs up sign and David Michael immediately looked annoyed.
“That settles it then, how about we meet at Kristy’s around 8 o clock?” Claudia had been putting her sketch pad back into her bag and now pulled it over her shoulder. We all nodded and headed back to our respective cars. I slid into Mary Anne’s front seat as we decided to stop by her house and get her things before heading back to mine.
“Stacey looks amazing, doesn’t she?” Mary Anne gushed, obviously happy to have her friend back in town. Yeah, she does, really amazing. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
“Yeah, she looks like she’s never been happier,” I nodded trying to sound casual. I began wondering what she had been up to lately and if she had a boyfriend at the moment. Probably not, or she would never consider moving back to Stoneybrook.
We pulled into my driveway about 7 o clock and I ran inside to get cleaned up. Mom was ordering pizzas for us, and Watson was taking David Michael to a friend’s house for the night.
“Kristy, Watson and I are going to spend the night down in the city, just to get some alone time together,” I nodded. Yes! We have the house to ourselves! “So, do not get into any trouble tonight, understand?”
“Yeah, Mom, we’ll be perfect angels,” I grinned at her and she winked back at me as Mary Anne and I ran upstairs to my bedroom. I collapsed onto my bed for a moment, with Mary Anne sitting at my computer, reading an email from Dawn. I looked at the clock, seven-thirty. Shit. I got up and ran to the bathroom, pulling my uniform off on the way. I ducked into the shower and let the hot water take over. After cleaning up a bit, I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself and walked back to my bedroom. I opened the door to see Claudia and Stacey had arrived and were perched on my bed. Stacey giggled at my towel-clad appearance.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much of you, Kristy!” I blushed as she looked at me and I was sure she could see right through my towel. I stuck my tongue out at her and tried my best to be cocky.
“Well, if you’d quit staring at my perfect body, then maybe I could put my clothes on, “I grinned at her and grabbed my essentials. Underwear, bra, t-shirt and some loose-fitting jeans. Perfect. Stacey shifted a little at the comment and Claudia gave her a nudge. What was that about?
I heard Abby call out from the living room that the pizza had arrived. I got dressed and we all ran downstairs to dig in. We settled in the den, munching on pizza and watching some countdown on VH-1. We spent a good amount of time picking fun at the dorky commentators the show had. Abby pulled a bottle of coconut rum out of her knapsack.
“Hey, Kristy, I brought your favorite,” she tossed me the bottle as I opened it and sniffed its contents. Whenever Mom and Watson were not home for the evening, Abby and I had been sneaking alcohol from our parents’ liquor cabinets. We never drank much, just enough to feel slightly dangerous.
“Ooooh! I want some!” Stacey grabbed the bottle out of my hand and headed into the kitchen to find something to mix it with. I raised my eyebrows at Claudia who shrugged and smiled. Mary Anne looked a little uncomfortable, but I gathered that after her fight with her father, she wanted to be a little rebellious. After all, no one would ever know and she was with her best friends.
Stacey ran back into the room with two 2-liters of Sprite and a bunch of cups with ice. She poured some rum into each of them and then applied the Sprite. She seemed to know what she was doing. We all drank and talked about where our lives had been, and what we wanted to do after we graduated from college. The conversation was starting to get dull when Abby sat up, cross-legged, and announced that she wanted to play a game.
“Let’s play ‘Never Have I Ever’ you guys!” She took another big gulp of her drink, which was immediately refilled by Stacey. I groaned into a sofa cushion and let myself be pulled into the circle.
“I’ll go first. Never have I ever wanted to punch my older sister in the face,” Claudia smiled as she said it and took a big drink of her rum and Sprite. We giggled and Mary Anne looked thoughtful.
“Never have I ever… stolen alcohol from my parents’ liquor cabinet, “she laughed and every single one of us took a drink. Now it was Abby’s turn.
“Never have I ever hit a home run, “she looked at me. I had a feeling she was going to try to get me drunk. I took a drink and rolled my eyes.
“Never have I ever had a twin, Stevenson!” I bit back, giving her a poke on her side. She laughed and nodded, taking a drink. I looked over at Stacey who had a mischievous smirk on her face, making her dimples show.
“Never have I ever had sex,” Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey took a drink. Abby and I both blushed sheepishly. After Claudia and Stacey drilled Mary Anne on her sexual escapades with her ex-boyfriend, Logan, we moved on. It was Claudia’s turn.
“Never have I ever kissed a girl,” Claudia looked directly at Stacey who took a drink, and then they both turned their eyes on me.
“Take a drink, Kristy, “Abby smirked. I shook my head.
“Why? I’ve never done that, “I replied, feeling a little uncomfortable. I had had crushes on girls before, but I had never told anyone or acted on them. There was no way they could know that I wanted to.
“Yeah, right, Kristy, what about that Senior Megan something?” Abby crossed her arms.
“Uh uh,” I shook my head, “Stacey? Who did you kiss?” I decided to turn the attention off of me.
“Oh, I dated a girl last year, she was really awesome. She moved to California and I suspect she is probably making out with Dawn right now,” Stacey giggled and took another drink, leaning back against the couch. Claudia did not look surprised, actually, none of them did.
“How come I’m the last to know about this?” I furrowed my brow, trying to look mad and not excited.
“How come you haven’t kissed a girl?” Mary Anne suddenly spoke up.
“Yeah, come on, Kristy, we know you’ve had crushes and you ARE the biggest lesbian any of us know,” Claudia teased. Stacey scooted closer to me and Abby pinched my arm.
“I am not! I… I just haven’t you guys!” I suddenly felt very small, like I had just gotten caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
“Come on, Kristy, you like girls though, right?” Abby poked my side, making me squirm away, but closer to Stacey who was grinning now. I stuttered for a moment before both Stacey and Abby pounced on me, nearly knocking over my drink, tickling my sides. I erupted into laughter.
“Come on, Kristy, just tell us the truth and we’ll stop! We are your best friends,” Stacey taunted. Claudia grabbed my ankles to keep me from kicking someone or something.
“Alright! I like girls!” I yelped, rolling into a ball as they stopped, still giggling. They gave each other triumphant high fives. Stacey pushed her blond hair back behind her ears, kissing my forehead playfully.
“You are so cute, Kristy,” She smiled down at me, which earned a look between Mary Anne and Claudia.
“Yeah, whatever, get off,” I pushed her playfully, feeling a little bit happy that I did not have to keep my secret anymore. Besides, kissing Stacey would not be so bad, would it?
“Alright, let’s watch a movie now that we know that Kristy is for sure a big dyke!” Abby poked my side again, and then put her arm around my shoulder, teammate style.
“Yeah, and I am going to go see if I can find some more rum in the cabinet,” I stood up heading to the kitchen while my friends began looking through our DVD collection. I was looking at labels of the different types of alcohol as Stacey came up behind me.
“You really are cute, ya know,” Stacey leaned against the counter, looking me over.
“Uh… thanks, Stace, you’re pretty gorgeous yourself,” I grinned at her. She grabbed my arm and pulled me to her, locking her lips with mine. It took me a moment to respond, but Stacey felt so good. I wrapped my arms around her waist and savored the sweet taste of rum on her tongue. She giggled as our tongues combined and we both leaned into the kiss, pressing our hips together.
“Looks like it’s going to be an interesting night, huh?” She winked at me and grabbed another bottle of rum from the cabinet, leading me back out into the living room.
“Kristy, why are you all red?” Mary Anne looked up at me teasingly.
“Because she is a VERY good kisser,” Stacey sat down, pulling me with her and wrapping her arms around me. I stiffened a little, waiting on the reactions of my friends. They all looked at each other and laughed, sending cheers in my direction as Stacey kissed me gently on the cheek. We settled in to watch the movie, Stacey and I cuddling on the love seat. I found it strangely gratifying that none of our friends really cared that Stacey and I had just kissed and now were showing affection right in front of them. In fact, they looked pleased.
“Kristy, I do not think I’ve ever seen you look so happy,” Mary Anne whispered as got up to go to the bathroom. I beamed at her. I had not felt so happy in a long time. I came back from the bathroom and resumed my spot intertwined with Stacey on the love seat.
“Moving back here is definitely going to be worth it now,” Stacey whispered softly in my ear. I knew the rest of high school was going to be amazing and kissed her gently one more time before allowing myself to drift off into sleep.