ODE TO THE END: A BALLAD OF BROTHERS

CHAPTER 2

NAOMI

"Do not be a bother," Naomi thought.

Her bright eyes lowered to her cleats. They were polished to perfection, but such was always the case. The custodians tasked with their cleanliness made sure of it. The janitors always spent hours ensuring the cleanliness of her clothes, the functionality of her gear, and the neatness of the fields she stood in. This tale was repeated for every student standing with her, but only Naomi's consideration was granted. Baseball was the sport of the day so filth was an imminent fact, but the freckled girl swore to take on no more dirt than what was absolutely needed. Do not be a bother, she thought. Not to anyone. Not ever. 

Naomi was in shackles, but her peers thrashed through the dust without a care. Plumes of red sand caked their clothes, but, as the lone unsullied, Naomi looked at them without a hint judgment. How could she when the looked so happy? 

Naomi and her classmates were commanded to enter the field and tow the white line until their coaches arrived. Said coaches resided in a trailer a short walk beyond the fence, the only refuge from the scorching summer sun beyond the dugouts. The temperature scathed the skin and the spice-laced breeze only made it worse. The lot of them choked on the summer dust in exaggerated fashion, leaving Naomi as the pinnacle of poise. Even 20 minutes after the designated time, far beyond the point where the whiniest students were vindicated by their peers, Naomi simply adjusted her cap and fluffed the sweat from her long frizzy hair.

Of all the students on the baseball line, none bore skin darker than a peachy pink. Blonde hair, blue eyes, brunette locks and hazel gazes were but a few combinations among the varied students. They were all fair of tone, but Naomi was the only one kissed by fire. She was peppered in ginger freckles and her heat-trapping hair was a mane of silken flame that could not be tamed. Even now, Naomi wild hair blocked her view of the emerging instructors despite her being the first to notice their approach.

The slam of the door interrupted her classmate's loose chatter. Naomi remained the lone stoic with arms crossed behind her back and her feet shoulder-width apart. Her peers were a fumbling mess in comparison and their failure, or rather Naomi's success, highlighted the sun-kissed girl. Of course, this was not the first time.

"Caitlyn," howled the head coach.

The boom in their call pinched her classmates' senses in an ill way.  Naomi raised her bright eyes to meet the authority that beckoned her. Her peers knew the exact phrase that would follow so well that some mockingly recited it.

"Since you are the only one who understands the value of bearing, you will assume command of class today," Said the head coach.

"Yes, Coach!" Naomi's confirmation was powerful.

She stepped forward in flawless practice, did the proper salute, and performed an about-face with the crisp satisfaction of a craftsman cutting soap. The coaches would leave her to lead, but only after wiping the drops of sweat from their brow and disappearing into their air-conditioned trailer. Now, standing as the leader of the student body, Naomi's  gave her peers a big bright smile.

"Okay then. You know what to do guys. We're just playing baseball, so we'll start by picking team captains. But first, let us all agree on one rule. To have FUN!" Naomi pumped a fist to rile up her audience, but most were already gone. What little of her forces remained simply cringed before breaking ranks as unceremoniously as the others.

"D-do not forget to drink water guys! I will also need two team captains to step up so we can form" --

"We already have team captains and teams," shouted a sharp tongued classmate.