"My parents tolerated Sammy, but I know they never cared much for her. Now you, they would love you. In fact, they would prefer you because you would be a good influence on me. My mom knows I'm dating someone, but I haven't given her any details. She would be begging me to bring you home with me this summer if she knew anything about you," Bailey laughed.
"I don't think they want to know what kind of influence you've been on me," Graham said kissing her.
"You better stop that," Bailey said pulling away. "Don't start something we can't finish."
"We should probably go to sleep then. Do you need any more ibuprofen?"
"No, maybe in an hour or two."
"The bottle is on the nightstand next to you by your water. Wake me up if you need help getting it," Graham said wrapping her arms around Bailey. She kissed her lips and then her forehead.
Chapter 18
The next day the doctor looked at Bailey's x-ray and MRI results and sent her for another set since his office was in the hospital. The swelling had gone down and there was definitely no tear. He told her it was bruised and to take it easy with no softball for a week maybe two. He also said to go back to pitching slowly, stopping if she was in pain and to go to the athletic trainer for therapeutic massage to help the muscles heal.
Bailey was feeling better towards the weekend so she joined her team for their game Friday night which they lost by two runs. Then, they barely won Saturday's game in extra innings. By Sunday the team was exhausted and Bailey was frustrated sitting in the dugout.
The Pioneers were tied with the opposing team at one run each in the sixth. It had been a long weekend and everyone was ready for it to be over. Graham was worn out from chasing foul ball after foul ball. Sarah wasn't the strikeout pitcher Bailey was and most of her pitches were hit or fouled away.
"I hate not being out there," Bailey said.
"I know. You'll be back on the mound soon," Graham said patting her thigh.
Katie struck out for the third out ending the sixth inning. Graham and the rest of the team took the field. Graham pulled everyone in at the mound.
"Three outs. We can do this. Stay on point and keep your eyes on the ball," She said. Everyone high-fived and ran off to their positions.
Sarah threw the first pitch for a surprising strike. The next pitch was clearly a ball, but the batter checked her swing too far and had a second strike called. Graham prayed for the girl to strike out and sure enough on the third pitch she tried to slap it and missed for the third strike and first out of the inning. The next girl that came up hit the first pitch hard. Graham watched it sail to the fence as the girl raced to first base. Vanessa crashed into the fence diving for the ball and missed it by an inch. The runner was rounding second when Vanessa threw the ball to Dashtin who launched it home to Graham. The runner rounded third and was halfway home when Graham caught the ball. She held her ground tagging the runner out as she tried to slide by her. The next batter to the plate made a huge mistake hitting a short pop-up for the final out.
The Pioneers ran back to the dugout cheering. They just needed to score to win the game, but it had been extremely difficult to score the entire time. Dashtin was up first and struck out, followed by Graham who did the same thing. With two outs and another potential extra inning game looming Whitney stepped up to the plate. She took a few practice swings and moved into the box.
The first pitch was a ball on the outside. She readjusted her footing and sat back on the next pitch which was a strike. The third pitch was a screwball that came in low and wide. Whitney swung the bat connecting with the ball as hard as she could. She watched the ball drop over the fence as she ran to first base. The entire Pioneer team came out of the dugout jumping up and down cheering as Whitney jogged around the bases. Dashtin and Graham put her up on their shoulders.
When everyone finally made their way back to the locker room Coach Walker was standing on a chair in the middle of the room. "Way to go, ladies!" she yelled. "We had a hell of a challenge this weekend and we managed to make the best of it. I'm so proud of this team and with this win today we are guaranteed a spot in the regionals. So, congratulations to everyone." She jumped down and walked over to Coach Parker. "We need Bailey back on her game by the time we start regionals or we will never get past the first round," she whispered.
Coach Parker called Bailey, Graham, and Dashtin into her office when the celebration calmed down.
"We need to have you ready to go for regionals, Bailey. Next week I want you to work with Dashtin just throwing the ball playing catch nothing strenuous. You two also need to work on stretching the arm out so the muscles don't shorten. Dashtin knows what she's doing and she will be in contact with Coach Walker and me every day to discuss your progress,"
"Yes, ma'am," Bailey said.
Dashtin nodded. She knew it was coming. In a couple of months she'd have her degree so she was more than prepared. She wasn't thrilled about it. At least Bailey wasn't staying with Graham any longer since she was getting better.
"Graham, you need to work with Sarah these next three weeks on her off speed pitches because her on speed pitches aren't up to par. She needs to be ready for regionals because she will be used a lot in relief as we go forward."
"I'll start tomorrow," Graham said.
All three women walked out of the coaches' office.
"I guess we won't see each other much with our separate training routines," Bailey said.
"Yeah and I am behind with my research so I'll be in the lab a lot. We'll find time when we can. The most important thing is getting you healthy and if there is anyone that can do it I know it's Dashtin. She takes what she does very seriously. She'll get you pitching like a pro again," Graham said. "Come on, I'll drive you home."
~
Two weeks into the rigorous training and exercise sessions Bailey and Dashtin were finally starting to work together after butting heads at every turn during the first week. The fact that they didn't like each other wasn't helping matters. Dashtin stepped up the routine during the second week and started Bailey pitching slowly.
Bailey was struggling on the mound in the pitching cage. Every pitch hurt worse than the last and she was only pitching half-speed. She stopped when she could no longer take the pain.
"This is crazy. I can't do this," Bailey yelled.
"Yes you can. It's mind over matter, Bailey," Dashtin said.
"Yeah well you try to do this shit with your shoulder burning. I'm sick of being in pain." She stormed off to the locker room. Dashtin followed.
"Let's work on massaging the muscles and tendons before you ice it. Therapeutic massage can work wonders on sore muscles," Dashtin said.
"Fine," Bailey waited for Dashtin to set up the massage table in the training room next to the locker room. She took her shirt and sports bra off and wrapped her upper body in a towel.
"Lay on your back first, we'll start with the front of the shoulder," Dashtin said. She waited for Bailey to get situated on the table and she covered her hands in a cold jelly-like substance that warmed when she began moving her hands over Bailey's skin kneaded the sore muscles.
"That hurts," Bailey winced.
"It will get better, just relax."
Bailey tried to clear her mind, but nothing helped. Ten minutes later Dashtin had her roll to her back. The towel came open revealing the creamy smooth skin of her entire back. Dashtin massaged the muscles softly at first working up to a much harder deep tissue massage as she moved Bailey's arm to different angles working every part of the tender area. Eventually, the pain subsided to more of an ache than a constant throb.
"How does that feel?" Dashtin asked.
"The pain is better and it's not as tight," Bailey said. She sat up moving her shoulder around oblivious to the towel sliding down her breasts and pooling around her waist.
Dashtin was standing next to her with her hip against the table Bailey was sitting on. Her eyes wandered from Bailey's arm to the perky round breasts and dark nipples pea
king out at her. Bailey's eyes met hers and Dashtin leaned in. Their lips touched briefly and neither woman pulled away. Dashtin pushed further deepening the kiss and Bailey opened her mouth to her.
In the blink of an eye Bailey was on her back with Dashtin on top of her stroking her breasts and inching her hands lower. She shook the fog from her head.
"I can't do this," she said pushing Dashtin away. "I can't believe you can." She shook her head wrapping the towel around herself and walked back to the locker room hastily.
Chapter 19
Graham was sitting at the desk in her room working on her thesis when Dashtin walked in and sat on the edge of her bed.
"How was practice?" Graham said spinning around in her chair to face her.
"Fine," Dashtin said.
"Are you sure? You look like you did that time you got chased out of that woman's bed by her truck driver husband," Graham laughed.
Dashtin raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "That has only happened once thank God."
"What's up then?"
"Nothing, I'm just tired I guess. What do you want to do for dinner? Or do you have plans?"
"No plans. Bailey just called and she's not feeling well. You guys must have had a pretty difficult practice," Graham said.
"Yeah. She's pitching and it's causing her some pain. She'll be ready by the start of regionals. She'll need to be relief though until she's stronger," Dashtin stood up and walked over to the door. "I'm going to order something from that new Italian place that left a menu on the door. Do you want anything?"
"You must be tired if you're not going out. Wednesday night is your party night." Graham laughed. "I haven't even looked at that menu. Just get me lasagna or something. I need to get these next two pages edited. I'm almost finished, finally."
~
A few days later the Pioneers had just finished their last regular season game easily winning ten to two. They finished number three in their division and earned a spot in the upcoming Regional Tournament. Graham stored her gear in the locker room and talked to a few of her team mates before leaving with Bailey.
"I can't wait to have you back on the mound. Sarah's okay, but you're more of a threat with your speed," Graham said walking to the Jeep. She held the door for Bailey and walked around to the driver's side.
"I'm looking forward to being back too. I hate just sitting and watching the game," Bailey said.
Graham moved her hand from the gearshift to grab Bailey's. "Do you want to go get something to eat and come home with me?"
Bailey looked at Graham. The streetlights casted a soft glow inside the Jeep lighting up her face as she drove. Bailey squeezed the hand holding hers.
"Are you still feeling bad?" Graham asked. "I can just take you to the dorm if you want."
"I need to tell you something," Bailey said.
"Okay," Graham said turning into a parking lot on campus. "What's wrong?"
"Dashtin kissed me," Bailey said. "I didn't...I didn't stop her. At least not at first."
"Are you serious?" Graham stared at her.
"Yes."
"When was this?"
"A few days ago at my practice session," Bailey said.
"What do you mean you didn't stop her at first? How far did it go? Did you sleep with her?"
"No. It didn't go that far, but it was heading in that direction. I'm sorry, Graham."
"Sorry?" Graham huffed in shock. "Why would you make out with my best friend? I almost understand why she did it, but you?"
"I was caught up in it. She kissed me and I don't know, Graham. It just happened."
"Do you want to sleep with her?"
"No. It was a mistake. It's tearing me apart that's why I had to tell you," Bailey wiped a tear from her cheek.
Graham shook her head staring out the window. "I can't do this," she said starting the Jeep. She turned back towards the other side of campus and stopped in the dorm parking lot.
"Can we talk about this, please?" Bailey said.
"We just did. I'm not playing this game, Bailey. Not again," Graham said waiting for her to get out.
Bailey wiped the tears pouring from her eyes as she got out. "I don't want to lose you, Graham. I love you."
Graham sighed. "If you loved me, Bailey, you wouldn't be standing there explaining to me why and how you made out with my best friend and almost slept with her."
Bailey shut the door and watched the taillights as Graham drove away.
~
Dashtin walked into the living room with her shoes in her hand as Graham walked inside the apartment.
"It looks like you're going out on the prowl. You must be over getting turned down," Graham said throwing her keys hard against the wooden coffee table. "Why, Dashtin? Why her?"
Dashtin hung her head in her hands.
"I should beat your ass right now," Graham said angrily. "How could you do this to me?"
"I'm sorry, Graham. I didn't mean for anything to happen, it just did. I regret every minute of it."
"That's not good enough," Graham paced the floor. "Why didn't you tell me? Did you think it was okay to make out with my girlfriend and then move onto the next willing participant?" she yelled. Shaking her head she said, "I'll give you credit, Dash. It must have taken balls to stab your best friend in the back."
"I'm really sorry, Graham. I never meant to hurt anyone, especially you. This was a huge mistake. I'm not even attracted to her."
"Mistake?" Graham yelled. "A mistake is dropping a ball on the field or sleeping in and missing class! This is a catastrophic fuck-up!"
"What did Bailey say?"
Graham spun around from her pacing and stared Dashtin in the eyes. "I'm assuming the truth. You made a move and she didn't stop you."
"She's right, but she did stop. She doesn't want me and I don't want her."
"After everything I went through with Olivia cheating on me and breaking my heart. How could you do this to me, Dashtin?" Graham's voice cracked and she turned away.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am. I don't know what else to say."
"You're the most careless, insensitive person I know and I'm ashamed to call you my best friend," Graham said grabbing her keys from the table before walking out the door and slamming it behind her.
~
Graham drove to her quiet spot at the park by the river, but thoughts of the time she brought Bailey there flooded her mind. She drove around town finally stopping at the lab on campus. She didn't want to blow money on a hotel room, but she didn't want to go home either. The last time she felt this emotionally drained her best friend was there to pick her back up. This time she was the cause of it. Graham had no one to turn to.
After watching her rats sleep for what seemed like hours and crying until there were no more tears to cry out Graham realized she really had nowhere to go. She didn't want her dirty laundry aired all over campus, so going to a teammate's house was out of the question, and her father's house was hours away. She decided to go back home and sleep in her own bed.
She snuck in quietly hoping Dashtin was either asleep or out for the night. She didn't expect her to be sitting on the couch.
"I'm sorry, Graham."
"I don't want to hear it. I honestly don't even want to talk to you or see your face," Graham said walking past her as she walked into her room and flopped down on her bed.
Chapter 20
Two weeks later the team traveled by bus to Boise, Idaho for their Super-Regional Tournament after winning their at-home Regional tournament easily in two straight games. No words were spoken by Graham, Dashtin, or Bailey during those two games or few practices they had throughout the past two weeks and now with the three of them sitting alone in different areas of the bus a few of the team members were starting to talk. Whitney knew something was up when Dashtin asked to room with her during the week long tournament.
Graham had her headphones on with music from her playlist playing as she watched the world go by outside through the large window. S
he was glad to have the weeks behind her. No matter how hard she tried she kept thinking of Bailey. The grueling practices didn't help matters and sharing an apartment with Dashtin was the icing on cake. The more she moped around barely eating and barely sleeping while Dashtin watched in silence only added fuel to the fire turning her sadness into anger.
She turned her thesis in the day before the trip along with her graduate school application. Her fate was in the hands of the very same professors that taught her everything she knew. Without a doubt she would graduate in the coming weeks, but her future was still a blur. If she didn't get into grad school at Central Oregon she planned to move closer to her father and attend Oregon or Oregon State. In the back of her mind she really hoped she was turned down so she could move on with her life and get the hell out of Bend, Oregon.
The bus finally pulled into the hotel six hours later. Graham was one of the last people off. The less time she had to stand around near Bailey or Dashtin the better. She grabbed her bag from the storage compartment outside of the bus and turned to go inside.
Coach Walker was standing nearby with her hands in the pockets of her dress slacks. She fell in step when Graham moved to walk by her.
"Can we talk for a minute, Graham?" she said.
Graham stopped walking and turned her head. Her big blue eyes were hollow and her skin seemed pale. She looked tired and physically worn down.
"Are you feeling okay?" Coach Walker asked putting her hand on Graham's forehead after getting a good look at her.
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