Out of Left Field: Marlee's Story by Barbara L. Clanton

patted the keys in her pocket for reassurance and hoped Jeri would keep her word. When Lisa got called up to the ping-pong table next Marlee hoped Lisa would fare better than she had. But Marlee also did a tiny happy dance inside. She was going to have Susie all to herself for a while.
    “Hey,” Susie said, “seeing as we’re both out of the tournament, do you want to go out back for a while?”
    “Uh, yeah. Sure.” Marlee stood up. Maybe she really was going to have Susie all to herself.
    Susie put her hand up for a lift and Marlee prayed Susie would think her palm was sweaty from playing ping-pong. Marlee knew otherwise.
    As they walked to the front hall to get their sweatshirts, Marlee wondered aloud, “Hey, where are Christy’s parents? Do they go out every weekend?”
    “I know. It’s weird. Mr. Loveland travels a lot for business and Christy’s mom goes with him. They’re, like, never home. Christy’s always here by herself. She’s stayed home alone ever since her sister went to college four years ago. Lauren’s a senior at Albany State and doesn’t even come home on vacations anymore.”
    Marlee had no idea where she wanted to go to college, but she knew she’d probably come home every available vacation. “That’s kind of sad.”
    “Yeah, but I’m over here a lot so Christy doesn’t have a chance to get lonely, you know?”
    Marlee didn’t like the fact that Susie spent so much time with Christy. She wasn’t sure why, but it made her uneasy.
    Susie led her out the front door past the split-rail fence, the fence where Marlee had grabbed her hand and held it a little too long.
    Susie unlatched the gate to the back yard and motioned for Marlee to go through first. Marlee had been cold when they left the softball game, but she had warmed up considerably since then. She wasn’t sure if the heat she felt was from the ping-pong game or her proximity to Susie. A little of both, she thought.
    “So,” Susie asked, “how’s this Bobby of yours?”
    Marlee inhaled sharply. She hadn’t expected that question. She gathered her composure as best she could. “Oh, I didn’t tell you. He, um, broke up with me on Tuesday.”
    “What?” Susie was clearly flabbergasted. “Why didn’t you tell me right away? What happened? Aay, I’m sorry. You probably don’t want to talk about it.”
    The lights from inside the house dimly illuminated the spacious back yard. They picked their way carefully over the grass in the semi-darkness toward some outdoor furniture at the far end of the property.
    “No, that’s okay.” Marlee sighed. “I’m getting over it. I think we were heading toward a breakup anyway.”
    “Well, it always feels worse when they break up with you.” Susie rolled her eyes. “That I can tell you for sure.”
    Who in their right mind would ever break up with Susie? What history lurked behind those alluring brown eyes?
    The voices of their teammates permeated the relatively quiet night. Marlee could hear Lisa among the voices. It sounded like she had scored a point.
    “ Aay, Santo, ” Susie said. “They sure are getting loud in there.”
    Marlee wanted in the worst way to reach out for Susie’s hand as they strolled toward the chairs, but she kept both arms tight by her sides.
    As they neared the tool shed, Susie asked, “So are you still thinking about him?”
    “Who?”
    Susie laughed. “Bobby.”
    “No,” Marlee said quietly.
    “Well, this Bobby must be a real jerk to dump someone like you.” Susie stopped walking and looked at Marlee. “Because I think you’re beautiful.”
    Marlee’s breath caught in her throat and she looked away from Susie’s penetrating gaze. The realization that she wanted more than friendship from Susie hit her like a physical blow. She swallowed hard and in an almost out of body experience blurted, “It’s not Bobby I’m thinking about.” She looked back up. “It’s you. You are all I can think about. I can’t get you out of my head.” Her