"Take me Out To the Ball Game..

This is a story mainly comprised of some of my best friends as characters. It's the beginning of my sports romance series..Let me know what you think!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game..

Chapter 1

Charity Douglas pulled her yankee cap down over her eyes to shield the sun, "Whatcha think of the new center fielder?" she asked the girls as she glanced out at him.

"Eh, he's okay, I suppose if you like them from 'the other side." commented her long-time friend Lidia.

"Other side or not, he's gonna' fill the gap we need." put in her sister Jazzelle as she slid past her to take her seat.

"What do you think, Beth?" asked Charity bending at the waist to view her friend who sat near the end of the row.

"What is it your talking about?" questioned the blonde beauty, peeking over the corner of her book.

"Baseball, you know, that game where they hit the round white thing with a big wooden bat? What we're watching?" Jazelle pleaded with Bethany to understand.

Bethany gave a non-chalant shrug, "Whatever, I'm here to see the guys, not that baseball stuff." She giggled and went back to reading.

"She's hopeless!" Lidia decided, throwing her hands up in the air.

Jazelle and Lidia went back to talking about the starting line up, but Charity couldn't help but let her eyes wander around the stadium. A feeling of glory and awe that was Yankee stadium swept into her body, the love of the game penetrating any annoyance. She loved everything about baseball, especially the New York Yankees. Sighing, she let her eyes wander again, however where they settled was no the field.

"Hey, check it out, new ticket holder." she hissed to the friends she'd long ago adopted as sisters.

"Oooh he's cute." Bethany nearly sprang from her chair.

"Shut up, do you want him to hear you?" called Lidia, her eyes rolling involuntarily.

"I think all of you should shut up, we come here to watch baseball not check out the men." Andre spun in his seat nearly upending his soda.

"You start checking out men and we'll have a problem." interjected Jazelle, her smile mischievous as she crossed her arms and glanced toward second base.

"Back! With snacks!" Keely moved to take the seat next to Bethany, and passed a bucket of popcorn down. "What's going on? Anything?"

"Nothing more than all of them squaking about some new guy.." Andre muttered turning around.

"Hey, that guy looks familiar.." Bethany called from her seat, pointing a finger at Andre.

"You're kidding?!" Lidia rolled her eyes again.

"No, I'm not..who is he?" asked Bethany, her blue eyes wide as she stared.

"Will you all shut up, it's starting!" exclaimed Charity, on the edge of her seat.

The announcer's voice cackled through the speaker system, and everyone rose to their feet for the national anthem. The flag cracked sharply in the breeze as every eye fixated on the striped symbol of the nation. Her heart felt ready to burst as she took a deep breath when the song ended. "Here we go!" she called, sitting back in her chair. Her eyes were automatically locked on third base.

"She's gone to A-rod land already.." Lidia shook her head in dismay.

"Hey, she's got the right, this is HIS turf." Jazelle laughed, pointing toward third base.

"Again I say, SHUT UP! My word, you'd think we came here to man hunt." Andre turned around.

"We didn't?" Bethany asked, dropping her book.

"NO!" they answered in unison.

Keely patted Bethany's shoulder, "It's okay, Beth, they still like you. Their just trying to watch the game."

"Okay.." Bethany's voice cut off as a foul ball was cracked their way.

"I got it!" cheered Charity, jumping up from her seat, glove poised.

However, the thud of the baseball in a glove, was not her glove.

"There you are ma'am." said a rough voice, a tall man dropped the baseball into her glove and hobbled back to his seat a few rows in front of them.

"What in the world was that?" she asked her friends, looking down at her glove.

"I believe that is a baseball, sister dear." answered Jazelle with a smile on her face as she watched the man retreat to his seat.

"I think she meant him." pointed Lidia, smiling.

"He is cute!" exclaimed Keely, elbowing Bethany.

Andre growled trying to sound ferocious as he turned around.

Charity couldn't help but feel annoyed with the man. Since when did she need saving from a baseball? Did the man think she was totally incompetant? She felt like growling as well or going down there and straightening him out.

Groaning, she crossed her arms and focused on the game. No, she would not make a spectacle of herself, nor would she miss A-rod's at bats.
--
Alexander Harper stood in the seventh inning stretch, and did just that. He inhaled, taking deep breaths of the stadium air. It was nice to be back, even better to feel okay about it. He looked down at his bum leg and frowned, okay so maybe he wasn't feeling okay about it. Saving that poor girl from that foul ball had been nice, it almost felt like reliving the glory days. He glanced back at her and her full row of friends now, their laughter and talking was so animated he almost wished...NO! He would not let himself hope for friends again.

"Harper? That you?" asked a familiar voice from beside him.

"Hey Andrews, what's crackin'?" he tried to pull on his best fake of his old personality for his old team mate.

"Nothing but my bones, old man, nothing but bones." Andrews chuckled, and pulled him into a haphazard hug. "You ever meet my family?" he asked, gesturing to the people to his left.

"Uh..no I don't think I have."

"This is my wife, Tricia, and our kids Stacy and Pete." Andrews smiled like he couldn't stop, and Harper could hardly blame him. The smiles the three of them showered on Peter Andrews could hardly be described as anything but pure love.

Something deep inside of him ached for that, yet he simply extended his hand, "Alexander Harper."

"Nice to meet you finally." Tricia smiled at him,her green eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Your Alex Harper? You played with my dad!" little Pete, who seemed no older than six beamed up at him.

"Sure did." he said, trying to sound like he was enjoying the trip back to the glory days.

"Well looks like their getting back to it, good to see you again man. Call sometime." Pete slapped a business card into his hand and he and his family back-tracked toward their seats once more.

He breathed deep, "Oh yeah, take me out to the ball game sure had a nice ring to it before all of this."