Double Play XXX
Chapter 36
'Here it comes. She's going to tell me to hit the road.' Cass inhaled deeply, feeling butterflies in her stomach as she approached Dakota. "Okay." Cass looked up at her tentatively.
Dakota looked away nervously, and then glanced back at her. "About last night and the whole Leila thing…"
"Hey Kody. I want to go with you two. I'd like to see Ali." Wyatt informed his sister when he entered the kitchen.
Cass sighed, frustrated and turned away from Dakota.
Dakota rolled her eyes at her brother.
"Aah, dude we were..." Dakota looked at him exasperated and glanced at Cass who had stepped out of the kitchen. "Never mind." She shook her head and looked at her watch. "Shit, we need to leave. I'm going to be late." Dakota followed her brother out of the kitchen and walked up next to Cass. "I'm sorry. I'd like to talk about this later."
Cass looked up at her as they walked towards the garage and smiled weakly. "Sure."
***
The ride to the ballpark was quiet until they arrived and Cass read the name of the complex…Dakota Colby Field.
Impressed, she looked at Dakota with a smile. "How did you get a ball field named after you?"
Dakota smiled slightly and glanced over her shoulder at Cass who sat in the back seat. "If you donate enough money they will slap your name on anything."
"Don't sell yourself so short sis. You did more than donate money." Wyatt looked at his sister then back to the road as he was driving.
"Well, tell me what did you do?" Cass smiled intrigued as she moved to the middle of the seat and leaned forward between the front seats. Her heart raced faster when Dakota's blue eyes looked into her own.
Dakota stared into the endearing green eyes before her, momentarily lost in them.
"Seeing as how my sister is being so shy I'll tell you what she did. She donates the money she receives from endorsements, which helped to create the little girl's league. She hosts tournaments and softball camps for underprivileged girls. The league covers all of the expenses for the players and her foundation gives out scholarships each year."
Dakota looked at her brother embarrassed.
"What? Why are you looking at me that way?" Wyatt looked at her then back to the road.
"You know why." Dakota glanced at Cass.
"She doesn't want very many people to know that she actually has a huge heart Cass." Wyatt chuckled as he looked at Cass through the rear view mirror, and then looked back to the road as he navigated the SUV through the parking lot.
"That is an awesome thing that you do for the kids. Wow, I'm very impressed." Cass smiled, staring at Dakota.
Dakota looked at her. "You are?"
"Yeah, I think everything you are doing for the little girl's league is fantastic. I would love to help out in any way I can…if you would like."
"Well, I'm sure I can find something for you to do." Dakota smiled and winked.
"You better be careful how much time you want to volunteer with her. She's a slave driver." Wyatt chuckled and turned the engine off.
Cass leaned her chin against Dakota's seat, staring at her. "I don't mind." Her voice trailed off as she stared deeper into Dakota's eyes trying to figure her out.
Dakota stared at Cass and leaned in to kiss her.
Cass closed her eyes and sank into the kiss, feeling her heart race faster.
They broke the kiss when Wyatt closed the car door.
"I guess we should get out huh?" Dakota chuckled and opened the door.
"I guess so." Cass smiled and opened her door. She walked around the front of the truck, looking at the complex. "This place is wicked nice!"
"Thanks, with the help of sponsors we have made something that the girl's can be really proud of and have fun at the same time." Dakota smiled, looking over at one of the field's where Wyatt was standing. She caught a glimpse of the coach that he was hugging and turned towards Cass. "Aah, Cass there is something that I need to tell you."
***
"Dude, where are you going?" Rex asked Chad when he walked into the living room, seeing Chad place his bags next to the door.
"I'm going back to G-ville to find Michelle." He placed his iPod in his back pack and stood up, facing his brother.
Rex looked down, and then approached his brother. "Are you sure she's there?"
"It's the only place I can think of that she would be."
"I don't want to hurt you bro, but what if Michelle decides she doesn't want to be with you?"
"I really don't want to think about it. She won't answer my calls and I'm worried. I just want to find her and make sure she's okay."
Rex saw the worry in his brother's expression and placed his hand on Chad's shoulder. "I'm sure she's fine, but you need to prepare yourself for the possibility that she may break your heart."
"Why is it so hard for everyone to believe that she has feelings for me?"
Rex sighed, trying to be as gentle as possible. "She's a lesbian?"
Chad turned his back to Rex. "Was."
"Usually, they don't just switch teams so easily and from what has been going on between you two lately, it doesn't inspire much confidence that she will."
"Thanks for the support." Chad looked at his brother incredulously and shook his head.
"It's not that I don't support you Chad, it's just that you need to look at this realistically. At this point, if she truly wanted to be with you, she would be. She has had plenty of time to make that determination. My personal feeling is that Michelle being with a guy is just not who she is, bro. I'm sorry if that hurts you, but I feel that is the truth and I don't want you to be blindsided."
He stared at his brother, silent for a long moment. "I appreciate your honesty, but I think you're wrong and I'm going to find out just what is going on between us very soon. It was great seeing you. I'll try to get down for a game soon." He hugged Rex and patted his back, then kissed him on the cheek. "Take care hermano." He smiled slightly and grabbed his bags before exiting the house.
Rex stepped out onto the porch and watched his brother walk towards the hanger. 'Man, I hope I'm wrong because otherwise you are in for a world of hurt.' Rex shook his head and walked back inside when Chad disappeared into the hanger. 'I need to shake a leg and get packed for my flight.' Rex headed towards the stairs.
***
Michelle and Ashley had finished eating at Burrito Bro's and casually strolled across campus.
"Hey, I want to see your place." Ashley smiled excitedly and looped her arm around Michelle's.
"It's not very clean." Michelle laughed as she looked at her.
"I don't mind." Ashley chuckled.
"Okay, follow me." Michelle smiled and led her in the direction of her dorm suite that she shared with Brenda and Penny.
After a short walk they arrived and Michelle opened the door.
"Wow, not too bad." Ashley chuckled looking around the dorm room. "It's not that messy either."
"Compared to your place, it's a pit." Michelle chuckled and tossed her keys on the dining room table near the door.
The combined living and dining room with a refrigerator and stove was to their right. Ashley looked to her left seeing two desks and a bathroom. "How many roommates do you have?" She glanced ahead and to her right, noticing a bedroom with two twin beds.
"Two, they are my teammates. That's Penny and Brenda's sleeping quarters. We had another person in here, but they couldn't hack it and left so I get the bedroom to myself." Michelle smiled and led her towards her sleeping area that was ahead and off to the left.
"Ooh, very nice and the beds are pushed together." Ashley smiled provocatively and pressed her lips against Michelle's.
Michelle chuckled and wrapped her arms around her deepening the kiss as she led her towards the bed.
***
Cass inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled waiting to hear what Dakota had to say.
Dakota moved closer to her. "I wanted to let you know that I well…aah, slept with Nancy who you'll meet in a few minutes." She smiled slightly as she gauged Cass' response.
Cass felt a nervous tingle in her stomach and that familiar pang of jealousy. She glanced away briefly and turned to Dakota. "Thanks for telling me. I appreciate hearing it from you rather than someone else." Cass looked towards the field catching a glimpse of a short dark haired, slender woman. She looked back at Dakota and grinned slightly. "I thought you said you didn't like older women."
Dakota chuckled and looked down, then back up. "She is only six years older than me."
"Yeah, but she is still older." Cass chuckled and winked.
"True, but she is…was hot." Dakota grimaced at her choice of word. "I was pretty down at the time too and it just happened."
"Why were you down?" Cass' tone turned sympathetic.
"Because of…" Dakota stopped and stared at her, remembering the warning Cass gave her about discussing softball camp. "Aah, because someone had broken my heart. She was consoling me and things just happened."
"How old were you when you two hooked up?"
"Sixteen."
"Wow, how did you meet her?"
Dakota looked down, having an abnormal feeling of uneasiness about the discussion and looked up. "She was my softball coach in high school."
"Damn, wow aah, that's just…" Cass stepped back surprised and looked at the woman, then back to Dakota. "Did she try to take advantage of the situation?" Her tone reflected a twinge of anger.
"No, no…no it was all me. It was really stupid. I came on to her and should have never done that. It's just that this other girl really hurt me and I aah, cared for her very much. It sounds pretty juvenile that I cared for this person yet turned to someone else." Dakota looked away shyly and inhaled when those old feelings came rushing back.
"It's understandable, you were young and hurt."
Dakota looked up at her and stared into Cass' green eyes. "Oh, yeah, but hurt is mild compared to what I felt. She made me the womanizer that I became."
"How did she do that?"
"I didn't want to ever feel that pain and rejection ever again so I decided I would not invest myself into a relationship."
"That is so sad. Why did she reject you?"
"I have a feeling why, but I could never get in touch with her."
"Wow, I'm sorry."
"You are?" Dakota was hopeful Cass remembered.
"Sure, because your heart was broken and you look so sad talking about it." Cass lightly rubbed her hand on Dakota's cheek.
Dakota closed her eyes, enjoying Cass' warm touch.
"Hey Colby!" The dark haired coach called out as she approached.
Dakota opened her eyes, starting into Cass' and turned with a slight smile. "Hey Nancy."
"How the hell are you stranger?" She smiled as she engulfed Dakota in a hug.
"I'm doing great." Dakota patted her on the back and broke the hug. She looked over her shoulder when she felt Cass slide her hand into hers. The contact sent a smile to her face instantly and she glanced over her shoulder at Cass. She stepped back towards Cass. "Nancy, this is Cass Storms."
Nancy smiled and extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Cass. My daughter is a big fan of yours."
Cass was caught off guard by the comment and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you too."
"I thought she was a fan of mine? What's going on?" Dakota said jealously.
Nancy gave her a sideways glance and smiled. "You know my daughter idolizes you, but she can have two favorites Kody."
"I'm jealous." Dakota teased and laughed harder when Cass squeezed her hand.
Cass leaned close and whispered in her ear. "You're my favorite."
Dakota grinned and squeezed Cass' hand, then kissed her on the cheek. "That's all that matters." She winked and the three walked away. "Let's see what these girls got."
"They look great Kody, wait until you see them play." Nancy smiled as they walked onto the field.
Dakota smiled broadly when she heard a shrieking voice yell, "KODY!"
Dakota walked toward the baseline and squatted down. "Hey Ali!" She smiled greeting the six year old who ran up and engulfed her in a hug.
Ali hugged her tightly. "I've missed you Kody. I'm so happy you are here."
Dakota smiled and broke the hug, moving the little girl in front of her. "Wow, you must have grown about two inches since the last time I saw you."
"I'm going to be as tall as you very soon." Ali giggled and smiled excitedly.
Cass stood watching and smiling.
"I'm sure you will be." Dakota smiled and leaned in, kissing her on the cheek.
Ali leaned her forehead against Dakota's. "I can't believe you brought Cass can I meet her?"
"Of course you can, but I think I'm a little jealous." Dakota teased and tickled her ribs.
Ali giggled and squirmed away from Dakota. "You are always my favorite, but a girl has to have two favorites."
Dakota laughed as did Cass and Nancy.
"I suppose it doesn't hurt." Dakota stood up holding Ali's hand and walked toward Cass. "Cass this is Ali, Ali this is your number two favorite." Dakota laughed and scrunched her nose up playfully at Cass.
Cass gave Dakota a sideways glance. "Very funny." She squatted down. "Hello Ali, it's nice to meet you." She shook the little girl's hand.
"It's nice to meet you Cass. What's it like playing softball with Kody?"
Cass looked up at Dakota.
"Be nice." Dakota playfully warned.
Cass grinned mischievously and looked back to the little girl. "Well, she's pretty tough on us all, but we wouldn't want to play with anyone else."
"Then you all will be good." Ali smiled.
"Okay, Ali get out to your position." Nancy told her daughter and laughed when she ran out to shortstop.
Cass stood up and moved next to Dakota who smiled at her. She was impressed with how polite and grown up she seemed for a six year old.
Dakota looked out at the field as Ali got set to field a ball. She smiled proudly and clapped when she made a good play. "Way to go!"
Cass leaned closer to Dakota. "She looks like you."
"Of course, I taught her everything she knows. She plays the same position as me, has my number, the same kind of cleats and glove that I have, how could she not?" Dakota smiled gloatingly, watching Ali field the ball.
"That's not what I'm talking about Dakota. She physically looks like you. She has long dark hair, is pretty tall for a six year old and has blue eyes just like you. Have you checked yourself out in the mirror lately?" Cass nudged her with an elbow, chuckling.
Dakota looked at Ali, and then glanced at Cass. "Well, Cass as much as I act like a guy I just don't have that gift."
"Oh, silly I know that." Cass laughed and playfully slapped her arm. "What about one of your brothers?"
"No way, they would have told me if they hooked up with Nancy. Nancy told me she had an anonymous donor. It's just a coincidence that she looks like me." Dakota shook off the notion, even though it kept creeping back into the front of her mind as she watched the little girl.
Cass shrugged her shoulders surprised by Dakota's casual manner about the similarities. "Okay."
Dakota contemplated Cass' insinuation. 'Nah, they would have told me.'
Wyatt walked over and stood next to Dakota watching the players on the field.
Dakota looked her younger brother's profile over and looked at Ali, then back to him. 'She better not have slept with my baby brother six years ago, that is just way wrong.'
Wyatt caught his sister staring at him out of the corner of his eye. "What are you doing?"
Dakota glanced at Cass who was intently watching the field and moved closer to her brother. "You never did anything with Nancy right?"
Wyatt looked at Dakota strangely. "What in the hell are you talking about?"
"Never mind, forget about it." Dakota waved her hand at him and flicked her eyes towards Cass nervously. She turned toward her brother when he took her by the arm.
"Oh, no finish what you were asking."
"Well, Cass thought that Ali looked a lot like me, and well, naturally it couldn't have been me. So, I know it's pretty stupid, but I just had to ask."
"Dude, I was like twelve when Ali was born I wouldn't have known what to do with it then." He chuckled as did Dakota.
"Yeah, that's true you were pretty clueless as to how to control it then. You could barely keep from having it stick out of your pants for no apparent reason." Dakota laughed harder when he punched her arm and she bumped into Cass. "Oh, sorry Cass."
"What are you two laughing about?" Cass smiled and righted herself back up.
"We were laughing at the fact that…"
"Nothing Cass, it wasn't important." Wyatt waved Cass off with a nervous look on his face.
"She should know Wyatt." Dakota laughed harder when he covered Dakota's mouth with his hand.
"Come on man, it's embarrassing." Wyatt's blue eyes pleaded with his sister's.
Dakota held her hands up in defeat. "Okay bro, I won't tell her."
"Oh, this is just not fair. Now I really want to know." Cass whined and crossed her arms over her chest pretending to pout.
"He's shy Cass, I won't embarrass him." Dakota chuckled as she looked at Cass.
"Thanks, I appreciate it." He sighed relieved and glanced towards home plate.
Cass leaned closer to Dakota. "Tell me later?"
Dakota covered her mouth whispering, "of course."
The two women shared a quiet snicker.
***
"Who in the hell is knocking on the door so damn loud?" Michelle groaned, unwrapping herself from around Ashley.
Ashley groaned when Michelle moved to the side of the bed. "No, don't go."
"Maybe it's just Penny and Brenda giving me a warning that they are home." Michelle smiled and laid back.
Ashley quickly snuggled against her. "Hmmm, this is much better."
"Definitely." Michelle laughed and kissed the smaller woman. She broke the kiss when the pounding continued and swallowed the lump in her throat when she heard Chad call out her name. "Shit, what is he doing here?"
"Who?"
Michelle looked at Ashley, suddenly realizing how badly the situation looked for her. "Aah, it's my friend. Listen, stay here I'll be right back." Michelle scrambled to the side of the bed, hurriedly tossing a t-shirt and shorts on. She ran her fingers through her disheveled hair and smiled at Ashley. "I'll be right back." Michelle closed the door behind her and walked to the door. 'What am I going to tell him?' She inhaled deeply and exhaled as she opened the door.
Chad hurried into the room. "Thank goodness you are alright. I was so worried about you." He engulfed her in a kiss and hug.
After the surprise wore off and she came to her senses Michelle broke the kiss and pried his arms off of her. "What is going on?" She backed away from him.
"I was so worried about you. I tried calling you so many times and I…well, I missed you so much."
"Listen Chad we need to…" Michelle was interrupted by Chad's kiss.
"Michelle what is going on?" Ashley asked solemnly as she stood in the doorway.
Michelle pushed away from Chad and turned towards Ashley. "I asked you to stay in the room."
"Who is this?" Chad asked angrily, pointing at Ashley.
"I'm her girlfriend who are you?" Ashley asked defensively and walked towards him with the sheet draped around her.
Michelle looked up towards the ceiling rolling her eyes. 'This cannot be happening.' She sighed and looked down.
"Girlfriend? No way, she's my girlfriend." Chad spat back.
Michelle stepped between both of them and held her arms out, separating them. "I'm no one's girlfriend." She looked between the two.
"Really…I thought we would be together." Ashley looked at Michelle waiting for an answer that never came.
"So, you've been playing me this whole time about having feelings towards me right?" Chad looked at Michelle trying to contain his annoyance.
"Is this your boyfriend?"
"Yes." Chad snapped, glancing Ashley's way.
"No." Michelle said simultaneously with Chad.
"I'm out of here." Ashley hurried into the bedroom.
"No?" Chad stared into Michelle's eyes.
"I'm sorry. I…I tried Chad." Michelle's eyes moistened seeing the pain in his blue eyes.
Ashley entered the room and looked at the pair.
"Don't bother leaving Ashley, I'll do that. You have what she wants." Chad turned toward the door and stopped when Michelle grabbed his muscular arm.
"Chad wait."
He jerked his arm away and walked out of the room.
"Chad come on. Please." Michelle pleaded and hurried out into the hall towards him. She stood in front of him, stopping his forward progress. "I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out about what happened with her this weekend."
"Please don't talk to me. I need to be alone so, don't come after me." Chad stared into her eyes to emphasize his point before walking away.
Michelle began to cry harder as she watched him walk away and disappear out of the building. She wiped her tears and walked into her room.
"What was that all about?"
"I need to be alone right now."
"I think I deserve an explanation. I thought we had something going." Ashley demanded standing before her.
"You're right, he is my best friend and I just destroyed him. I'm really not ready to be in a relationship with anyone. I didn't realize that is what you were looking for between us. I'm sorry."
"Me too." Ashley looked down sadly and walked out of the room.
Michelle flopped down in the chair and ran her fingers through her hair as she sighed. 'Why did I just complicate my life even more? Damn it, I hurt Chad so bad. How is he ever going to forgive me?' She leaned her head back and cried.
***
Cass, Wyatt and Dakota filled the remainder of the day taking the kids to the pizza parlor near the ball fields following practice, frequenting the various bars on the beach side and having fun at the famed boardwalk amusement area and pier on Daytona Beach. They ended up back at the house late that evening with Cass and Dakota hurrying up to bed so Cass could show her appreciation of Dakota's prowess in winning her the largest polar bear they had.
Cass woke and watched Dakota sleeping. 'You are so beautiful. I've had a wonderful weekend and I don't want it to end. I want to be with you and I want you to be with me. I don't want anyone else to have you, but I think that is too much to ask. I've been telling myself not to get too excited about you only wanting to be with me and to take whatever it is you want to give me.' Cass lightly stroked Dakota's hair. 'But, I don't think I can do that now. I want you all to myself.' Cass felt a tear fall down her cheek and quietly moved off the bed as she began to cry harder. She stared out the window thinking of how wonderful Dakota has made her feel this weekend, how welcome her family had made her and how it terrified her to think that it was all coming to an end very soon. Cass wiped her tears away as she stared out over the storm darkened swamp in the distance, chuckling at the irony when she saw lightening fill the sky. 'That's exactly how my heart feels as I think about her being with someone else.'
Cass jumped slightly when Dakota slid her arms around her from behind.
"Hey, can't sleep?" Dakota said in a hushed tone in her ear and leaned her head against Cass' shoulder. She lightly kissed her on the cheek.
"No, I couldn't." Cass said softly and placed her hands on Dakota's arms that held her tightly.
"I'm sorry…is there something I can do to help?" Dakota kissed her neck softly.
'I need to know where this is going. Wait, do I really want to know that? What if I tell her that I only want her to be with me and she doesn't want that? It will scare her away. I think she wants to be with me and her eyes tell me that, but is it really true?'
"Hey, are you okay?" Dakota asked, gently turning Cass to face her.
"Sorry, I was just lost in how wonderful it feels to have you wrapped around me." Cass smiled briefly and nibbled on her lip nervously.
"I like having you in my arms." Dakota smiled and kissed Cass on the forehead. "Listen, I didn't get a chance to finish what I wanted to say in regards to Leila earlier. I'm sorry if I hurt you by what I said about not worrying about her. I don't want to be with her. I hope you believe that."
"I would like to Dakota. Thanks for telling me that, I appreciate it." Cass smiled and looked down, lightly moving her finger in a circle on Dakota's arm. 'I need to know what her intentions are.' She looked up into Dakota's blue eyes. "Where do we go from here?"
"How do you mean?"
"When we get back to school?"
"We go back to our same routine I guess. We'll be pretty busy from now until our Christmas break with school and the SEC championship football game. We have a few fall games before our fall season ends, and of course, we'll be slammed with our impending finals." Dakota shrugged her shoulders.
Cass sighed and looked down. "That isn't what I was talking about." She turned away from Dakota. 'She either doesn't want to be with me or is seriously clueless.'
Dakota sighed softly and moved in front of Cass. "Hey." She lifted Cass' chin up to look at her.
"I was talking about us. Where do you and I go, our relationship, where does it go?"
It finally dawned on Dakota and she stood upright, sighing as she stared at Cass.
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November 2006