Strike One! (closed)

[gunforhire]

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Dane McElroy

Freshman pitcher for Eastern State U. 19 years old.

6'3" 200 lbs. Lean muscular build, wavy brown hair that hung down his forehead and over his collar, hazel eyes. Tanned skin from all the time he spent outside.

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Dane's freshman year at ESU was coming to an end. It was a tough year. His girlfriend Ashley was back home and a year younger. Being away from her was hard. He would get home about once a month until the season started. She was able to visit him a few times, usually with her best friend, Kali. He would have liked her to be alone but her parents didn't want her making the three hour drive by herself so they made the best of things. He had opportunities to cheat on her but that wasn't his style. This was the girl he saw himself marrying one day after all. He had lost track long ago about how many texts and phone calls they shared over the year. But next year would be better. It was awesome news when she was officially accepted.

His season was up an down. He split the season as a spot starter and middle reliever. Some games he dominated, others he was lit up. His coach was mainly supportive, realizing they asked a lot from an 18 year old kid. Next year he was pencilled in the rotation since they would lose 2 starters to graduation.
The team was an overall disappointment, finishing just above .500 after much more was expected.

Thankfully the season and school year were coming to an end. He couldn't wait to spend the summer with Ashley. Her parents had a ton of money so she wouldn't have to work. Things were looking much brighter.

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After the final game of the year Coach Anderson asked Dane to meet him in his office. There would be a change in pitching coach . Coach liked what Dane had done but the staff really underachieved. A new coach was hired who would work with Dane on his mechanics. It was strongly recommended that Dane stay on campus and get a head start. Dane nodded in agreement. Not that he had a real say in the matter.

Breaking the news to Ashley would be tough. When he finally got up the nerve and reached her on the phone, he could tell how upset she was. It sucked but it was just a few months. Why couldn't she get that?

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali and Ashely were best friends as they had grown up. In high school their friendship changed alittle. They both had boyfriends and got busy with other things...but they always stayed close. Their senior year Ashley's boyfriend Dane had been away for his freshman year of college. It was tough on Ashley. Ashley had always been the social butterfly and was always going to whatever party or gathering people were having. Ashley's parents had always insisted Ashley not make the drive to visit him alone so it was a given she would drag Kali along. Not that Kali really minded, butit did get old...being the third wheel. It was nice however that Kali already had friends there trhu Dane because she would be attending in the Fall.

Kali couldn't wait for Dane to be back for the Summer... Ashley was making life miserable until he did. She was always saying she missed him...but Kali thought it seemed more like she wanted to be able to go do things and bring him with her. Ashley had loved the fact that she was dating someone in college and never missed her chance of saying so.

Kali was just getting out of her car, home from dance practice when Ashley's car whirled into her driveway.

"Ashley?...Whats going on?" Kali asked, confused.

Ashley took a minute, she was so mad she couldn't even form a sentence until she cooled down a little. She retold the story, as she had heard it. Stating that Dane was choosing to stay at school for the Summer. That he may try to come see her when he gets the time...

Kali tried to be supportive. "Ash, you know he loves you...and I'm sure if he could he would be home with you in a heartbeat..." Kali could tell her words were falling on deaf ears.

Ashley shook her head, "Fine. If he wants to stay there and have whatever fun he wants...so will I." she jumped back in her car before Kali could really question what that statement really meant... She had a feeling it wouldn't be good tho.
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Kali had been hearing from just about everyone that Ashley had pretty much gone totally wild. She never missed a party and was hooking up with guys she didn't even know...

As her friend she wanted to talk some sense into her, but then... What about Dane? She had talked to him thru messages on Facebook and he had given his side of things and she couldn't fault the guy for putting Baseball first this time.

She was having coffee with Ashley when she gently brought up Ashley's actions. Ashley stated she didn't care. She was going to have a fun summer with or without Dane and that he would never even know. When Kali tried telling her she was being unreasonable Ashley would have none of it and had said if she had a problem with it she didn't have to be around her anymore...and stormed off.

That was the last time Kali had talked to Ashley. She really didn't feel like she was missing anything.

 

[gunforhire]

Dane was enjoying working with the new pitching coach. Although the change in his mechanics was a struggle at first, he could feel his muscle memory slowly adapting to the smoother motion. In a few weeks it was second nature.

Dane and Ashley continued to talk and text although it was harder to get a hold of her lately. At first he shrugged it off, she was done with school and had a less structured schedule. But the calls were less frequent and the warmth in her voice was decreasing. He convinced himself that it would be better in the fall when they could spend time together again.

Dane and Kali had used Facebook to catch up on things. He explained his situation but didn't directly ask her anything about Ashley. As good as friends as they were he was wary of their conversations getting back to Ashley. The last thing he wanted to do was come across as jealous. Dane secretly enjoyed checking out Kali's posted pictures as well, especially the ones in her dance outfits and the pool shots. She really was an attractive girl.

One night he was bored in his dorm room, unable to get a hold of Ashley again. He decided to kill time on Facebook and checked out Kali's profile. He saw her relationship status had been changed to single. He was curious but decided he didn't know her well enough to ask. Beside's she would probably tell Ashley he was getting too personal with her. She was a nice girl but he wasn't sure how much he could trust her.

It was a Thursday afternoon when his pitching coach told him that he had to go out of town for the weekend. Dane had been working hard and should enjoy his weekend. After showering and heading back to his dorm he decided to head home. Ashley's parents were out of town. It would be great to surprise her.

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali hadn't really been on speaking terms with Ashley and Ashley hadn't really seemed to miss her...or Dane from what Kali had heard. Each time she had chatted with Dane on Facebook she had felt guilty...he deserved to know what was going on, but then if he didn't believe her...that would make it ackward come the fall when she was attending school there too. So she kept her mouth shut.

Kali had been seeing a guy for most of her senior year but now that it was summer he had decided that he didn't want any commitments. So they had broken up. Kali found a small amount of satisfaction when she changed her status on her Facebook...she didn't really know why...but it made her feel better.

Her family had decided to go on their annual camping trip but Kali, of course, had dance practice and wasn't going to be able to go. She was a little happy to be getting the entire house to herself for the weekend tho.

She had run a few errands not bothering to get all dressed up, wearing a jean skirt and a black tank top and had had to stop for gas on her way back to her house...

 

[gunforhire]

Dane packed a small bag of clothes and walked to his car. It would be great to get away for a few days. Staying on campus for the summer was nice but it wasn't the same as the school year with most of the students gone for the summer. And since he wasn't 21 yet he couldn't hang out in the bars. It was all training and baseball. He needed a break. Spending time with Ashley would make the break even better.

He made the three hour drive back to his hometown. Luckily his tank was full so he should be able to make it without stopping. His parents had sold their house and moved a few hours away after he graduated when his father took a lucrative transfer. The timing was perfect to surprise Ashley, with her family out of town. He couldn't wait to get his hands on that hot little body.

When he got off the expressway his tank was on E. He pulled into the gas station on the way to Ashley's house. After filling his tank he went into buy a Coke, realizing how thirsty he was. As he made his way to the cashier, he couldn't help notice the long legged girl in the skirt in front of him. As she turned after paying for her things he recognized her.

"Kali? How the hell are you?" She looked even prettier than he had remembered, even without her trying too hard. He smiled at her. "Just don't tell Ashley you saw me. I'm going to surprise her."

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali was surprised when she heard her name and looked up as she turned from the cashier. She saw Dane and smiled, "Dane! Hi... What are you doing here?" she gave him a little hug, "Suprising Ashley huh? Well thats really sweet... I'm sure you will definatly suprise her.... Don't worry, I'm not gonna ruin it." she stepped back, "It was nice seeing you tho... how long are you in town for?"

She had to admit, she was jealous... a little bit of what Ashley had... Any girl would be jealous... Dane was a great guy... and as she headed back to her car she couldn't help but to be reminded of all the wild things Ashley had been doing lately behind his back.

 

[gunforhire]

Dane give her a quick hug back as they greeted each other. "I'll be here till Sunday night. Maybe we'll see each other around?" They parted and Dane paid for his things. His eyes were drawn to Kali's ass as she walked away from him. Damn I need to get laid.

Dane made the short drive to Ashley's. Her car wasn't in the driveway, maybe she parked in the garage with her parents being gone. He parked and walked to the front door and knocked. No answer. She's probably just running an errand or shopping again.

He pulled out his phone and sent Ashley a text - Hey Babe. Whatcha up to tonight?

Just over at Kali's hanging out at her pool babe.

Have fun. Miss ya babe.

Miss ya more

Dane shut the cover on his phone. Was she lying? His mind raced as to what would prompt her to lie. He sat down on the porch and debated his options. Only one way to be sure and catch her in a lie.

Kali lived nearby and Dane made the short drive. There were no cars in the driveway and no one answered the door. He walked around back and saw the covered pool.What the fuck?

Dane was feeling enraged. His girlfriend was lying to him. No question. He headed back towards his car full of dread and rage. He took a deep breath and sat on the hood of the car. Dane was so focused on his lying girlfriend he didn't even notice the car pull up into the driveway.

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali thought of Dane as she made a couple more stops before heading home. As she pulled into her driveway she was thrown off seeing a car where her's was normally parked. She pulled her keys from the ignition and climbed out. As she stepped around her car she saw someone sitting on the hood of the car.

As she got closer she was really thrown off, "Dane? What are you doing here?" Why would he be at her house? He was surprising Ashley..... Then it hit her, Where was Ashley? She had no idea...Ashley having not talked to Kali for over a week.

"Is everything ok Dane?" She touched his arm, she could feel his muscles tensed as he practicaly strangled his cell phone in his hand.

 

[gunforhire]

Dane? What are you doing here?

The words startled him back to reality. What was he doing here.? He tried to conceal his anger but the way he clenched his phone betrayed him. He was looking for the right words but found himself just staring ahead, feeling like a played fool. When she touched his arm and asked him if everything is ok, he took a deep breath and spoke quietly through clenched teeth, "my lying girlfriend said she was here with you." He felt like an ass.

He stood up and paced to the garage door, turning to face Kali, arms crossed defiantly. He wasn't sure how much he could trust her and regretted even telling her what he had. But she had already seen him, twice now, of course it would get back to Ashley.

"Mind if I use your restroom before I head back?"

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali's eyes widened at his statement. "She said she was here?" she bit her lower lip and watched him, knowing how upset he must have been. "Im sorry Dane. Ashley and I haven't been talking for like a week now.." She followed him up the driveway and opened the door. "Of course you can use the restroom..." she led the way inside and motioned down the hallway, "last door on the right."

She watched him head down the hallway and shook her head. She felt horrible for him. He in no way deserved to be going thru what he was right now. She went down the hallway to her room and tossed the few bags inside before returning to the kitchen, waiting for him to get out of the bathroom.

 

[gunforhire]

Dane was shocked when Kali told him that she hadn't talked with Ashley in a week. They were best friends as long as he had known Ashley. What was going on with Ashley? He instinctively knew but didn't want to admit it.

He used the restroom and came back towards the kitchen. "Thanks Kali. Just do me a favor and if you do talk with her, don't say anything to her about me being here." His pride was hurt enough, he didn't need to give her the privilege of knowing she had hurt him or had been found out.

The ride back would suck. But there was no point in staying around here. Dane made his way back to the door. He forced a smile at Kali, "well i guess I'll be seeing ya...maybe..."

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali felt for the guy.... He had made the drive and was trying to be sweet and this was the thanks he got? She watched as he headed for the door.

"Of course I won't say anything, like I said...we aren't on speaking terms anyway." she forced a smile, "You know you are more than welcome to hang out here if you want to... I'm not all that exciting...just kinda hangin out this weekend while my family is camping..... I understand if you don't wanna...I just know you drove all that way and to turn around and drive right back just seems..... well, like it would totally suck." she smiled sympothetically.

 

[gunforhire]

So Ashley and Kali weren't on speaking terms right now. Dane wondered what that was all about.

He was watching her carefully as she explained herself and invited him to hang out. She seemed sincere. The last thing he felt like was driving back to his dorm. It would be different if his friends were still on campus.

"Yeah, I can hang out a bit." He smiled at her. She really was an attractive girl. "I can always appreciate the company of a pretty girl. Especially now that it looks like neither one of is attached." Her smile did relax him. "So what do you wanna do?"

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali smiled, "Good... I would hate thinking about you driving all that way back after only just getting here." she blushed a little at his pretty girl comment. "I don't really know what I was gonna do...I kinda just thought I'd khang out here...watch a movie, order some take out or something... It's really up to you...what would you like to do?" she ran her fingers thru her hair. She liked the idea of getting to hang out with him, they had never actually done that without Ashley.

When he commented on them both being single she laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "So you saw my status change huh?" she laughed figuring that was the only way he would have known that.

 

[gunforhire]

Dane smiled at her when she mentioned the Facebook status. He was finding himself more relaxed with her. "Well I've been kind of bored up at school so maybe I've been stalking you."

Dane watched her put her hands in hair, revealing her pretty features. If something were to happen with him and her, it would be a great way to forget about his lying and probably cheating girlfriend. "I'd say we should get some beer and go swimming but I didn't pack a suit. We can get the beer though. McCrary's never cards me since I played ball with his kid."

She really was a nice girl he realized. If he weren't so wrapped up in Ashley he probably would have noticed a lot sooner.

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali laughed, "Stalking me huh?....wow, and I didn't even have the pleasure of knowing it...thats no fun........."

He brought up swimming and beer and she smiled, "Yeah don't need any scandals involving you minus a swim suit." she winked at him playfully.... I guess that's one of the perks of hanging out with you huh?...don't get carded because everyone loves you." She smiled at him as she said it.

It felt different to hang out with him minus Ashley... She actually got to speak and have full conversations without being interrupted, it was refreshing. It was also nice to not deal with constant arguements.

 

[gunforhire]

"Well not everyone loves me." Dane thought of Ashley again and his mood darkened before catching Kali's smile.

"Why don't you call Marco's and order a pizza. My phone is about dead. We can pick it up on the way back from the store." He gave her his best attempt at a smile. She was doing her best to be friends with him and deserved better than him pouting.

Dane waited for her to call it in before walking over to her. "You ready?" He walked with her to his car, noticing her strong toned dancer legs as she climbed into the passenger seat. When he got into the driver's seat he couldn't help but notice how her skirt was even higher sitting down. He studied them from the corner of his eye as he drove down the street. "Thanks for the company. I need a distraction." He turned and gave her a quick smile as they were stopped at the STOP sign. His hand dropped from the wheel and he set it on her knee. Might as well see her reaction...

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali smiled, "Marco's sounds good." she called the order in and hung up her phone. When he asked her if she was ready she shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sure...I'm good to go."

She walked out to his car, climbing into the passenger side. "Wow, there's alot more room in the front seat than in the back." Kali had only ever riden in the back when they three of them had gone places and she had ended up basically folded in half in order to fit. Of course she had never said anything then, what would be the point to complaining?

She smiled at him when he thanked her for her company. "You don't need to thank me...It's nice to have someone to just hang out with." She settled back in the seat and barely noticed when he hand set on her knee. She patted his hand affectionatly. "I'm just sorry this all didn't work out the way you had wanted it to."

 

[gunforhire]

Dane was relieved when Kali held his hand to her knee. As much as he would have liked to slide that hand up her leg, he was relieved she didn't push it away. Whatever loyalty he thought she had with Ashley seemed to no longer matter. Good, his loyalty to her was an afterthought too by now.

They went into the store and bought a twelve pack of bottled beer. Old man McCrary seemed surprised to see Dane without Ashley but said nothing, instead asking Dane about his ball playing. As they finally got out of there, Dane smiled sheepishly "sorry about that. But at least we have beer."

They made the short drive and got the pizza before returning back to Kali's house. Dane set the pizza on the table and cracked open two beers. "Hope you're ready to have a good time." He smiled and winked at Kali just before taking a long drink.

 

[Kaligurl222]

They were able to make small talk on the way to the store... talking about random things, neither of them bringing up Ashely.

Inside the store they ended up staying much longer than a normal person, bc McNary had to of course get the scoop on Dane's ball playing. Kali didn't mind. She could tell when Dane talked about baseball he was happy...it was good to see him genuinly happy considering everything.

When they were on their way to the pizza place and he appologized she just laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "Sorry about what? I didn't mind."

When they made it back to the house Kali grabbed plates and napkins and was sitting them down on the table when he made his comment, Hope your ready to have a good time.It made her smile, "I'm always ready to have a good time."

She grabbed the other beer and took a pull from the bottle. "You can see what's on TV, or pick a movie from the entertainment center...Doesn't matter to me... "

She took a seat on the couch, making herself comfortable.

 

[gunforhire]

Dane put a few pieces of pizza on his plate and sat down on the couch with Kali. He took the remote and began flipping through the channels. He was impatient and couldn't settle on anything. "sorry I guess I'm too distracted." He surrendered the remote to Kali as he finished his beer and brought back two fresh cold bottles.

"These are going down too easy...I've been so busy training I havent been drinking very often." He looked at her. "you sure I'm not boring you? I know I'm not the best of company right now." He didn't want to leave but was worried he was boring her.

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali watched as he flipped thru the channels quickly, barely having time to determine what it was on the screen before moving on to the next one. She smiled and took the remote away from him.

"I understand, you've got alot going on that you haven't really had any time to process. I'm sure the last thing you are thinking about right now is what you want to watch on tv." she laughed and patted his thigh. "it's not a big deal."

As she browsed the channels she pushed up from the couch and walked over to the entertainment center looking on the shelves of DVD's for a movie to watch...squatting down a little

"Dane, how could you be boring me when my alternative for tonight was to do this same thing.... only by myself?...well probably not with the beers either." she laughed "No, you aren't borning me. I enjoy your company.... I kinda wish we had gotten the chance to hang out before." she smiled as she admitted that to him.

 

[gunforhire]

Dane enjoyed the brief touch of Kali's hand as she touched his thigh. It wasn't a romantic gesture he thought but it was comforting in a way.

Dane enjoyed a nice view of Kali's body as she looked in the entertainment center. Her legs were strong and toned from dancing, her ass trim. "Dancing keeps you in pretty good shape," he suggested.

Dane stretched out his legs, on to the coffee table. "I hate to say it, but if you put a movie on I'm gonna fall asleep on you. It's kinda been a long day. Let's go swimming, I'll just wear my shorts. I've packed extra clothes anyway, thinking I'd be spending the weekend with Ashley." He really hoped she'd agree. Seeing her body in a swimsuit would definitely help him forget about Ashley.

 

[Kaligurl222]

Kali looked back at him and smiled, "Well thanks... I try to stay fit."

When he commented about swimming she stood up and turned around to face him again. "Well I'd be bored again if you fell asleep right now, so a swim would be a good idea.... I'll run upstairs and change real quick.

With that she left the room, heading up the stairs to her room and slipping into her lime green bikini. She returned back downstairs holding two towels in her hand, "You ready?" She didn't wait for a response before heading out back to the pool. She walked over to the lounge chairs and laid the towels out on them.

 

[gunforhire]

Dane was glad she agreed to the swim. It would be relaxing plus he'd get to check her out a bit better. When she went upstairs he went out to the car, got his bag, and changed into a pair of basketball shorts.

He was back in the living room waiting in just the shorts, showing off his muscular and cut upper body. When she came back down the stairs dressed in the bikini he smiled. Her body was even tighter than he thought.

You ready? Kali asked

Dane smiled "I am now." Seeing she was on the way out already, he grabbed two cold beers from the fridge and hurried after her, getting a nice view of her ass, as it stretched the tight fabric.

When he was by her side he asked. "You're coming in right? Or are you like your bitch friend and too worried about messing her hair?" He laughed as he said it, trying to conceal the anger in his words.