Strikeout

Chapter 1

"Strike 3, you're out! And that's the ball game!"
Gabbie and her team, the Johnson High School Tigers, went to shake the other team's hands. Then they went to the dugout to pack their equipment. As the team left for their locker room, they ran into some... familiar faces.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our beloved softball team," mocked Tyler, the baseball team's star 3rd baseman.
"Good to see you too, Tyler," Gabbie responded sarcastically.
"What do you all want?" Tatum, the pitcher, asked.
"For you to go back to the kitchens!" Charlie, one of Tyler's cronies, insulted. Tyler laughed, but Shawn, his other friend, gave them a serious look.
"Guys, don't be too mean to them. They can't take it, I mean, they're only girls!" ridiculed Shawn. The three boys began to laugh again, while the softball team stood there, giving the boys the death glare.
"Cut it out, guys. You're not funny," Gabbie said.
"What're you gonna do about it?" Tyler retorted.
"Stop it or else coach is gonna bench you on Sunday, and I'll make sure of it." A voice spoke from behind the boys. Gabbie realized it was her best friend and next door neighbor Jonah, the baseball team's captain and starting pitcher, standing with the rest of the team.
"Seriously Jonah? Taking the girls' side?" Tyler said, turning to face Jonah.
"Yeah, seriously. You're being rude." Jonah retorted.
"Just because you're the team captain doesn't mean you can boss us around." Charlie argued.
"I'm not doing it because I'm the team captain."
"Then why are you defending them? Are you their friends?" asked Shawn, laughing.
"Yeah. Is that an issue?" Jonah questioned. The three boys laughed.
"Whatever," Tyler said. "We're leaving. That game sucked, anyway." And with that, the three boys walked away.
"Sorry about them," Jonah apologized.
"You all played great today!" Corbin, the second baseman, complimented. The rest of the baseball team murmured in agreement.
"Thanks, guys," Gabbie said.
"We have to go to practice, but we'll see you all tomorrow!" the left fielder, Daniel, said. The teams said their goodbyes and headed their separate ways.
"Tyler and his friends get on my last nerve," Tatum said.
"I know, right? What makes them think that they're funny?" Ashley asked.
"They're annoying and rude," Anna added.
"Okay, enough talking about them," Gabbie said. "Yes, they're rude, but don't think about it. We played a great game today, they were a good team and it was a pretty big win for us. Now let's get changed." The girls then headed into their locker room, talking about the great game they had just played.