In Her Cousin's Footsteps Pt. 03

She reasoned, putting the pieces together. She was sure they were referring to Kristi and her as girlfriends, although they didn't specifically say Kristi's name. But Kristi mentioned 'Jake' a few times. How could she date and be intimate with boys like Jake, yet be the type of person - the 'dyke' that they made her out to be? She wasn't sure if she wanted to believe them or how she would handle the information, but she made a mental note of the two girls, assuming they were the ones who passed them in the parking lot. They were exactly the type that she tended to avoid in high school - the debutants who thumbed their noses at the masses. Yes, they were attractive, she had to admit, but if she had her choice, she would pick Kristi over them any time. She laughed to herself. What was she saying? Was she actually considering which girls she found more attractive? What a week it had been.

The more Lacey thought about the exchange between the two girls, the more upset she became, not only with them but also with herself. As a real friend, she should have defended Kristi instead of cowering in a dark bathroom stall, although she knew that there was nothing she could say to get them to believe her. Those types of girls wouldn't take someone like her seriously. Still, the thought of her being mistaken for her cousin's girlfriend made her heart beat just a little faster.

She returned to the bleachers and relaxed, enjoying the sun. Looking out over the field, she spotted her cousin, before scouring the field for the other two, finally finding them stretching in the outfield grass. Numbers 22 and 23. She made a mental note of their numbers and wished that they would have had their names on the backs of the jerseys so she could try to learn more about them somehow. She counted twenty players on the field in addition to the coaches, and she was relieved that she wouldn't be needed in case they wanted to scrimmage. The last thing she needed was to show how bad she was at softball in front of her cousin.

Lacey was one of only a few spectators, and most of the others were either distracted boyfriends or attentive parents. Each time she scanned the stands, she was surprised at how many of them were glued to their cell phones, oblivious to the actual practice. She, however, was riveted to the activities on the field, and she watched as the players first stretched, then took infield practice. From what she could tell, Kristi was one of the better players, fluidly fielding her position at shortstop like a professional. Her throws to first base were always on target and strong, and her pivot at second base for double plays was well choreographed. She looked around, and suddenly didn't care if the mean girls thought of her as Kristi's girlfriend. Was that so far-fetched, after all? They did hold hands in the car, and their hugs - despite being innocent - had become more and more frequent.

Quite the opposite of Kristi, the mean girls appeared to be more focused on their looks than their form or their lack of talent. The were like two peas in a pod. Where one went, the other followed. They each misplayed several balls in the outfield and spent way too much time using their sunglasses as mirrors, puckering into their images and fixing their hair.

After an hour, they took a break, and Kristi ran to the dugout, waving up at her cousin from the field. Lacey smiled and waved back. She was surprised when Kristi jumped the low fence and ran up the steps to reach Lacey as she held her bottle of water.

"Hot enough for you, Lace?" she asked, before squirting her cousin's top with water from her green Gatorade bottle.

"Hey! What was THAT for?"

"You looked hot, so I thought I'd cool you off a little," Kristi laughed.

"Ok, maybe it DID feel good, but you could have warned me," she said, smiling up at Kristi.

"Did I tell you that I'm really glad you came?"

"No, you didn't. Did I tell you that I'm glad you invited me? This place is incredible."

"No, you didn't. So I guess we're even then. Are you okay with watching practice for another hour? Hopefully it's not too boring for you."

"No, I like it. I'm getting an education," she said in the understatement of the year as she thought back to her eavesdropping.

"Okay, good. We can decide later whether to go back home or hang out on campus. See you in an hour!"

Lacey watched her cousin bound down the steps, happy that the others in the stands could witness their friendship, yet somewhat concerned that they too may mistake that friendship for something more. Gone was the insecure, sobbing older cousin from just two hours before. She was back to being the rock-solid Kristi, and although Lacey was happy that she had turned the corner, she knew that they would both have to talk about what she had overheard sooner or later. She looked down at the field, and the evil "Siamese twins" were both looking up in her direction. She almost gave them the middle finger, but she chose instead to try to ignore them, knowing she could never win with people like that.

Lacey watched as the team went through hitting drills before finally finishing up. As they all headed for the dugout, Kristi looked up at her, smiling. She gathered her gear and slung it over her shoulders while Lacey walked down to meet her.

"I'm beat. I forgot how out of shape I am," she said, nearly out of breath. Lacey took a deep breath, not caring that Kristi was sweaty and desperately wanting to hug her, yet avoiding it, assuming that several sets of eyes would be on them, judging every action.

"You looked really great out there, Kristi. Is there anything you CAN'T do well?"

"It's funny that you asked me that, Cuz. I'm not sure what you are up for later, but I was invited to a team Karaoke get-together, and I really suck at singing, so I'm hoping you would rather do something else instead, assuming you're good with staying overnight."

"Okay, I mean, I already told my dad I wouldn't be home until Saturday or Sunday. Anything you want is good with me. What would you like to do?"

Lacey was hoping it would be something that just the two of them could do, partly to spend more time with her one-on-one, but also to try to learn more about the false rumor.

"Well, we're about two hours from the beach. Depending on what you packed, we could go there and try to find a cheap place to stay. We could do that Karaoke thing. We could hang out at the apartment, although there's no food or drinks there, and I don't know if my roomies will be there. We could find a house party or go to dinner and a movie. Which would you prefer, cuz?"

Lacey pondered each option. She didn't think Karaoke would work, although it would be fun to see Kristi in a vulnerable state again. Plus, the "twins" may be there, which could get messy. The beach sounded tempting, just the two of them far away, and she imagined her cousin in a two-piece, again raising her heart rate. She didn't feel like the "house party" type, and dinner and a movie sounded too much like a date, but relaxing in the apartment - although it sounded dull compared to the other options - could allow them to spend quality time alone.

She imagined each scenario before answering, and she snapped out of it as a smiling, sweaty Kristi tapped her foot, waiting for her response. What should she pick?

Note - Place your vote in the 'comments' section and I'll write the next chapter based on your preference. Choices are: karaoke, house party, dinner & a movie, beach, casual night at the apartment, or something else of your choice.