First Strike at Home Plate

Maya's palms were literally sweating through her batting gloves. Again.

"You good, M?" Jordan asked, tossing the ball in the air behind home plate. His backwards cap and effortless swagger were doing things to her stomach that had nothing to do with the cafeteria lunch.

"Totally fine," she lied. "Just warming up."

Truth was, she'd spent all morning dealing with Mittens – her mom's demon **cat** who'd decided her favorite cleats were a scratching post. Now her left shoe was basically shredded, and she'd had to borrow her little brother's备用 pair. Two sizes too big. Rookie mistake, but whatever.

The baseball team tryouts were everything. Making varsity wasn't just about the sport – it was about finally having a crew, a place at Oak Creek High where she wasn't just "that quiet girl from AP Chem." Jordan was varsity shortstop. If she made the team, they'd have something real to talk about.

"Come on, show me what you got," Jordan called, his voice dropping to that register that made her knees weak.

She stepped up to the plate, adjusting her helmet. The **baseball** felt heavy in her hands, the stitching rough against her fingers. She'd been playing since forever, since her dad first taught her to swing in their backyard. But this? This was different.

Pitch one: swing and a miss.

"You're overthinking it," Jordan said, wandering closer. "Relax your grip. Let it flow."

Pitch two: foul ball into the fence.

"Better. But you're still tight."

Maya took a deep breath, wiped her **palm** on her jersey, and tried to shake out the tension. She couldn't mess this up. Not when she was this close.

Pitch three came fast.

*CRACK.*

The ball sailed toward center field, kept going, going, gone. Her knees gave out. She'd actually done it.

"Yesss!" Jordan whooped, his grin real this time. "See? That's what I'm talking about!"

The rest of tryouts blurred. When Coach Hernandez finally announced the roster, Maya didn't even breathe.

"Maya Chen – varsity outfield."

Her phone buzzed immediately. Her mom: COME HOME MITTENS THREW UP SPINACH EVERYWHERE

Maya couldn't help it – she laughed out loud. Jordan shot her a questioning look, and she just shook her head. Some things were worth the chaos.

"So," he said, falling into step beside her. "You coming to the party Friday?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

Her phone buzzed again. Another photo of Mittens looking innocent beside a pile of **spinach**-covered disaster.

Some things were definitely worth the chaos.