Payton Caroline Martinez (payton_martinez) wrote in btvsal, @ 2011-03-20 17:00:00 |
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Current mood: | happy |
Entry tags: | payton martinez, ~eric kinkaid |
Making a day of it
Who: Eric and Payton
Where: Reagan High Athletic Fields/Salvatore's Pizza
When Last Friday, 3/10
Note: This scene is a little on the long side, so you might want to sit down with a coffee or something. :-P
The Regan High Knights' 2001 baseball season was in its infancy, but the weather was cooperating, the skies blue - at least, as blue as the skies over Los Angeles ever got - and the air a crisp 68 degrees at game time. This was the first game against Regan High's crosstown rival, Carter High, but spirits were high in the Knights' dugout. Although Carter High was up 1-0, the first two innings had gone relatively smoothly, Carter's sole run coming on a pass ball. But now in the top of the 3rd, Carter had runners at the corners with only one out. Eric Kinkaid, playing shortstop, bent forward at the waist, his right hand balled into a fist as he smacked it into the palm of his glove, waiting for the pitcher to deliver the ball to the plate. The pitcher went into his wind-up, and Kinkaid shifted to the balls of his feet.
With a loud ping, the batter struck the ball and drove a hard shot that threatened to split the gap between short and third. Kinkaid lunged at the ball and felt it smack into the webbing of his glove, and with one fluid motion, he rolled toward second and threw the ball hard to the second baseman, who then spun and fired the ball home to first. Bang, bang. Two outs. End of the inning. Eric ran off the field, his pants streaked with the red dirt of the infield, high-fiving his teammates, and chanced a look out into the stands, searching for a certain head cheerleader as he jogged to the dugout.
While she didn't know much about baseball as she did about basketball or football, Payton was in the stands, cheering her boyfriend on. Two other girls on the cheerleading squad sat to either side of her, as they had boyfriends on the team as well, which meant that (luckily) she wasn't alone getting leered at by the fathers of some of the players. Which... happened fairly frequently, she had to admit. If she wasn't worried about how a suspension would look on her transcripts, she might have acted out her aggression on said parents. As it was, however, she just let those moments slide.
While it wasn't a particularly hot day, Payton was dressed in a short black skirt and had a tight-fitting Knights tee on (nothing like supporting the team, eh?), looking just about to die for. She smirked faintly when Eric started looking for her and gave a small finger wave when their eyes locked.
It didn't take him long to find her - Payton always managed to stand out in a crowd, regardless of what she was wearing. He lifted his hand briefly as she met his eyes, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. As he stepped down into the dugout to grab a cup of water, several other players clapped him on the shoulder.
"Hudson, you're up. Kinkaid, you're on deck. Hernandez, you're in the hole," called out the coach.
Setting his glove aside, Eric pulled on his batting gloves and grabbed a bat, heading out to the on-deck circle. Hudson took six pitches to get on base - two strikes and four balls - and Eric was up. Eric fell behind 0-1, but worked the count to 2-2, glancing at his coach. The pitcher delivered, and Eric stepped into his swing, giving the ball a ride to deep left-center field, the ball dropping into the gap between fielders.
Hudson scored easily, and Eric, glancing at the third base coach, dug for third, sliding under the tag. Calling time, he stood, dusting himself off, and looked out into the crowd, giving Payton a brief wave as he took off his batting gloves.
By this point, Payton was starting to understand how the game worked, so it should come as no surprise when the teenager hopped out of her seat, clapping and yelling as her boyfriend rounded to third base. Well, she was a cheerleader, so of course she was going to be the loudest one in the crowd. She grinned when Eric waved at her, surprised by how much she was enjoying herself. She supposed a part of that might have had something to do with the fact that she was watching the game, rather than splitting her attention to cheer. That... and, well, come on, those tight pants that they had to wear? Were kind of fun to look at.
Kinkaid's smile grew as he watched Payton jump up and down in front of her seat. Damn, that girl looks good, he thought, dusting himself off again. As Hernandez came up to bat, Eric led off from third, taking several long steps so as to get a jump on any ball put in play. Hernandez swung at the first pitch and sent it into the gap between first and second, the ball dropping before it reached the outfielder. Eric trotted to home, and the Knights took a 2-1 lead. He turned and headed to the dugout again, walking away from the stands where Payton and the other girls were sitting, high-fiving his teammates as he went.
"Number 24's got a cute butt," one of the cheerleaders said to the other, giving her a nudge with her elbow, gesturing at Eric as he walked away from home plate.
"You should see him naked," Payton said without really thinking. She'd been known to sleep around, but had never been... explicit about it with the other girls. As far as she was concerned, what she did in her own time wasn't anyone's business... but still, she'd made the little slip-up and now was forced to explain. Lovely. "Actually, I'd rather that you didn't see him naked, since we're dating," she added, a warning to her voice. When she looked away from them, back toward the field, she completely missed the dubious looks the other two cheerleader's swapped at hearing that.
Hernandez made it all the way to home two batters later, but Carter High got out of the bottom of the third without the Knights doing too much more damage, ending the inning down 3-1. In the meantime, Kinkaid had been chatting with his teammates in the dugout. "Hey, who do you keep waving to out there, Eric? Your mom?" Hudson asked, socking Eric in the shoulder.
"No, you ass," Eric replied, slugging him back in the arm. "That's my girlfriend out there," he explained, smiling.
"Wait - the dark-haired chick? That's - holy cow, dude. That's Payton Martinez. The head cheerleader," Hudson said, eyes widening. "She doesn't really date anyone, man. She's got a rep."
"Watch it, jackass. That's my girlfriend you're talking about," Eric said, standing from the bench and taking an aggressive step toward Hudson.
"You two idiots break it up and get out on the field. And Kinkaid, keep your damn eyes on the field and out of the stands!" their coach yelled.
"Right, coach," the boys called back, grabbing their gloves and trotting out onto the field for the start of the fourth.
Payton managed to snag a home-made icy from one of the players mom's seated behind her and had just turned back to the field, bringing the straw to her lips and sucking lightly as she looked for Eric. She frowned when she caught the tail-end of... whatever it was that Hudson and Eric were arguing about. Hm. She have to ask Eric later what that was about.
The game settled down after that, the flurry of activity during the third inning giving way to a pitcher's duel, and by the sixth inning, the score was still the same: 3-1 with the Knights in the lead. However, things started to unravel for the Knights in the top of the sixth, and Carter had the bases loaded with one out and their clean up hitter at the plate. If he hits it in the dirt, we can turn two and get out of this, Eric thought, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees.
But Eric never got the chance to make a play on the ball as the kid at the plate drove a blast that ricocheted off the wall in deep center field, the outfielder snagging the ball on the rebound and hurling it toward home, but too late. Three runs had scored, and just like that, the Knights were down 4-3. A few minutes and one pitching change later, the Knights got out of the inning, and Eric and the others trotted back to the dugout. Kinkaid wouldn't be up for a few batters, and he hung over the dugout railing, scanning the field, and looking up to find Payton again, showing a small smile when he found her, giving her another brief wave of his fingers. But now, the star athlete in him was taking over, and Eric's expression became serious as he watched his teammates out on the field.
Payton was watching the game raptly at this point, cheering and booing where appropriate. The girls to either side of her seemed a little surprised by the outward show of emotion from Payton, to which she just rolled her eyes to. She wondered briefly if she could get Eric to teach her how to play, since it seemed like something she could get into. Not professionally, mind you, but a local team wouldn't be out of the question down the track. Spotting Eric waving, she gave him a 'more power to you' fist in the air, encouraging him along. His... stern face was actually kind of cute, wasn't it? She didn't voice that particular thought out loud, but... she might later when they were alone.
The inning ended with the score the same, and the Knights entered the top of the 7th still down 4-3. A quick 1-2-3 inning had the Knights up to bat again, and Eric was on deck with Hudson once again leading off. Hudson was crowding the plate, taking an aggressive stance, and ended up paying the price for it. The Carter High pitcher hurled the ball toward the plate, but instead of throwing it over the plate, he drilled Hudson in the hip, knocking the kid to the ground. After a few minutes, Hudson was helped off the field, and the Knights brought in a pinch runner.
Eric stepped up and eyed the pitcher, setting his jaw and waiting for the split-finger fastball the kid had been throwing since he'd come in at the bottom of the 4th. And then, two pitches later, he saw it - his perfect pitch - and he jumped on it, the bat making solid contact with the ball, giving it a ride over the right-center field wall. A two-run homer that put the Knights up 5-4. Pumping his fist, Kinkaid rounded the bases, touching all four, and pointed to Payton in the stands as he went to the dugout.
Payton was up and whooping like it was nobody's business, honestly amazed that Eric was doing so well. Perhaps he was just having a good day? Those days happened, after all. She tapped the shoulder of the cheerleader next to her, and pointed back at Eric: "That's MY man!" ...That was something that she'd never done before, interestingly... but let's not draw too much attention to that now, shall we? Win or lose, she had definitely planned to get Eric alone later. She was in a good mood, and good mood's should be shared. Ahem.
Two paper cups of Gatorade later, the Knights were back on the field playing defense, the score still 5-4 at the top of the 8th. Things got dicey for a few minutes, Carter High getting their first two batters on base before the pitcher struck out the third batter. Kincaid took several steps back to the edge of the infield as a lefty came up to bat, bent at the waist. Come on, come on, he thought. Ping! Eric lunged at the ball, throwing it to third from his knees, and the third basemen tagged the base and delivered the ball to second in time, getting the Knights out of a jam.
Hanging over the railing of the dugout again - most likely, he wouldn't be up to bat for the rest of the game - Eric took his hat off and stuffed the bill into his back pocket, alternately looking between the field and back where he knew Payton was sitting. He was surprised how long it took her to meet his eyes - she actually looked like she was enjoying the game. When he finally caught her gaze, he smiled and blew her an air kiss.
"Kinkaid! Knock that crap off!"
"Sorry, coach!"
Payton had to laugh when the coach yelled at Eric. Still, she found it sweet that he was checking up on her. Most girls (like the two to either side of her, come to think of it) became totally disinterested in the game after about the second innings and either texted their friends, read a book or left to do their own thing. Payton, however, wasn't 'most girls'. Luckily for Eric, eh? She gave him a quick wave back before diverting her attention back to the game. He was right, she was enjoying herself here, already thinking about seeing if they could go to a game together sometime so he could explain the little details to her.
Half an hour later, Hernandez got under a fly ball in the outfield and closed his glove around it, getting the last out of the game in the top of the 9th inning. The Knights had won, giving them the lead in the district for the first time this season. After the traditional exchange of high-fives between the teams, Eric went into the dugout for a moment to grab his gear, stuffing it into his equipment bag and slinging it over his shoulder before heading over to the stands where Payton was sitting.
"Hey, gorgeous," he called to her several rows up, taking off his hat and grabbing a hand towel out of his bag, wiping the sweat off his face, his hair still damp as he waited for her by the railing.
"Hey," she called back to him with a smile on her face (which, admittedly, terrified the other cheerleaders that were still sitting to either side of her). She stood up and smoothed out her short skirt, saying a quick goodbye to the girls before making her way down to him, hopping with each step. She gave him a quick kiss and hug, and then teased him by waving a hand in front of her face. "Whiffy," she joked. She was used to jock smells by now, though, and had frankly become used to it. "It was a really fun game," she told him. "You did so well."
Eric's smile grew as she smiled back at him, watching as she trotted down the steps to him, her face very nearly lighting up with her smile. He didn't even spare the other two girls with her a glance as made her way down the stands. Kinkaid returned the hug, giving her a quick peck on the lips. He knew how gross he was after a game. "I'm glad you had fun - I'm so glad you came, Payton," Eric replied.
"Um, listen - I need to hit the shower, but I shouldn't be too long. Do you want to go to Salvatore's and get a pizza?" he asked, reaching down to take her hand without thinking, giving it a squeeze.
"I am kind of hungry," she lilted. Yep, sitting in the stands with nothing but a home-made icy would make anyone hungry. Again, while most women would have been turned off by the idea of pizza for lunch/dinner? Payton? Not so much. She tended to exercise a lot and never retained weight. The bitch. She gave him a surprisingly coy little smile and squeezed his hand back. "How long do you think you'll be?" Now that the game was over, she had to figure out something to do with her time while he was gone, after all.
"Twenty minutes, top. I promise I'll make myself presentable," he replied, leaning in to give her another, longer kiss, then pulling back again, releasing her hand. "Um... do your teammates want to come with us with their boyfriends?" Eric asked, recognizing the girls from previous games. "Or do you want it to just be the two of us?"
"I think I've had about as much as I can handle of those two today," she replied honestly. Which... sounded catty, admittedly, but she could only handle so much frivolous talk before she wanted to murder someone. "I promise that next time I'll make the effort to ask, but right now I just want it to be us," she told him, smiling softly as he pulled away from her. She idly wondered how long it would take him to realize that she wasn't an overly friendly person to anyone but him.
"Hey, don't worry about it - I was hoping you'd say 'no' anyway," he replied giving her a wink. Truth be told, he just wanted it to be the two of them tonight. "Alright. Twenty minutes - I promise. Time me." Kinkaid turned and jogged to catch up with his teammates, heading for the locker room.
Half an hour later, the two teens were seated across the table from one another - Eric freshly showered, hair gelled - waiting for their order to arrive. "Thanks for wanting to grab dinner. I'm usually starving after a game." Kinkaid reached for his soda and took a sip from the straw, moving his foot under the table to brush against hers. "I'm really glad you came out tonight. It was awesome seeing you in the stands." He showed her a fond smile. "Were you able to follow along? I don't know how big a baseball fan you are."
"Don't mention it. I was famished just watching you," she replied as she reached for her own drink, drawing the straw between her lips and sipping for a moment before setting the drink back down. "I'm glad I went as well. It took me a little while to catch on," she admitted, brushing her ankle against his lightly as soon as she felt his foot brush up against hers. "But after that, I really enjoyed it. You'll have to teach me how to play, or go to a game sometime." Yes, folks, she was serious. Hell, she knew about basketball and football, why not broaden her knowledge?
Kinkaid smiled as he felt her respond to his foot under the table, looking down at the tabletop, looking up at her as she mentioned going to a game. "I'd love to take you to an Angels game. It's out in Anaheim, but I think it'd be a lot of fun. You'd really enjoy it," Eric said, his enthusiasm for the idea obvious. It helped that the team was actually good. "They're in the middle of spring training right now, and opening day's not for a few weeks, but we could definitely go to a game."
Just then, their pizza arrived - All the Meats. Pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, everything but Canadian bacon. The waiter set their pizza on a rack between them and then set a slice on the plates in front of both teens. "Man, this smells awesome. I love this place," Eric said, reaching for a few napkins before taking his first bite. It was hot enough almost to burn his tongue, but he quickly cured that with a sip of soda. Pizza and a soda with a gorgeous girl after a win on the field. Perfect day.
Anaheim wasn't too far, really. Payton mentally reminded herself to make sure to ask for a day off of work in the near future. She'd been smart enough not to be bitchy with customers, so hopefully Neely felt that she deserved a little break. "Be sure to tell me what date works best for us to go," she replied, since not only did she have work, but she had cheerleadering practice and other responsibilities as well.
Once the pizza was set in front of them, she let her slice cool on the plate for a few minutes before picking it up, folding it over and taking a bite. Wow. It really was nice. "I can't remember the last time that I had pizza," she admitted. "It is good, though."
"I'll let you know for sure. The schedule's out by now, but with practice and everything, we're probably going to have to make it a weekend," Eric replied, covering his mouth. He really should have let the pizza cool - it was much better when it wasn't searing the tip of his tongue. Ah, well. "Thanks for being interested enough to try seeing a game. Most girls don't give a damn about sports, which kind of sucks when it's such a big part of my life." He shifted his leg under the table, giving her ankle another nudge with his.
"How's practice been? You've got regionals coming up before too long, right?" he asked, taking another bite of his slice.
"A weekend would be perfect," she assured him with a nod, before taking another dainty bite of her pizza. She made a mental note to come here again some time. The pizza was surprisingly good. She smiled faintly when he mentioned her interest in sports. "When I started cheerleading, I figured it'd be an idea to know what I was cheering for. After that, I realized how fun sports were. I thought I might take something up over the summer." Since she'd have a lot more free time, clearly.
She smiled faintly when she felt his ankle brush against hers, oddly enjoying playing footsy with him. "Practice has been good. We're all very energetic." Ahem. "Regionals aren't for another three weeks, I think, so we've got time."
His smile reflected her own as she talked about her enjoyment of sports. Finally, a girl who got it! Lots of girls he'd known since getting into high school had thought of cheerleading as something wholly separate from the sport at which they were cheering. "Well, I tell you what - you could probably get into a girl's summer league for softball once school's out. I'd be happy to play some catch with you, maybe take you to a batting cage so you can work on your swing," Eric replied. The strange part? He was completely serious. If a girl he was dating was showing an interest in sports, he'd definitely jump at the opportunity to help her out.
"Energetic, huh?" he asked rhetorically, a sly smile crossing his face, one that he quickly covered - or tried to - with a sip of soda. "Three weeks. I'll see if we've got a game. I'd like to see you all perform - I mean, y'know, if that's cool."
If she was being completely honest? The idea of them sharing a hobby/interest was something of a turn on, but she wasn't about to say that one out loud. At least not here. Instead, what she said was: "I'd really like that. Plus, learning from a seasoned pro would have its advantages." She grinned, sliding her ankle up his leg slightly.
"And yes. We've been very energetic," she teased him. "But if you're willing to teach me to play, then I'm willing to let you see us perform." Since that only seemed fair. "How does that sound?"
Eric saw that smile pull at her lips, reaching her eyes, and he shifted his leg, swallowing a little at the suggestive play of her ankle along his calf. Seasoned pro - they were talking about baseball, weren't they? "Good - I'd like it, too. I think it'd be a lot of fun for both of us. You'll like the batting cages. They're a good stress relief after your coach has been yelling at you all day," he explained, reaching for another slice of pizza and taking a bite.
The teen didn't bother hiding his smile as she teased him about the energy level of the cheerleading squad. "It sounds like a date to me, Payton," Eric replied. God, she's got the sexiest smile.
Ah, that was the wonderful thing about Payton. Sometimes, while she might have said something in an innocent tone of voice, it was far from innocent. It was just a matter of discovering the moments when she was being playful or serious. "I think you might be on to something there," she replied, as she lifted her drink and brought her full lips around the straw, sipping slowly. After a moment, she set her drink down and spoke again: "Of course, there are always other stress reliefs that work just as well." Oh, well, now she was just teasing him.
"But yeah... we'll figure it all out when the time comes, I promise," she added after a moment before picking up her second slice of pizza and taking a bite.
It was impossible to ignore the way that her lips wrapped around the straw, nor was it possible to ignore that glimmer in her eye. "I've become pretty familiar with your chosen method of stress relief, I think," Eric replied, smirking a little and feeling his cheeks turning ever so slightly red. He sipped from his soda again to cover it, eyes shifting briefly away from her. If she kept this up with the double entendres, bedroom eyes, and slow rubbing of shapely ankles against his pants, he would end up boxing the rest of the pizza and taking it to go, just to get her alone.
"Um... what time do I need to get you home, Payton?" he asked, reaching for a napkin to wipe his fingers.
"I should hope so, at this point." She couldn't help it but give him a sly grin then, since she hadn't been very subtle there, had she? Then again, she liked to tease him in public sometimes, just to see his reaction. That blush was just too cute, in her opinion. "Believe it or not, I have a late curfew," she replied. She reached across the table and grabbed hold of his wrist lightly, before turning it toward her, looking at his watch: "So, if this is accurate: I've got a few hours to kill. Which comes from being a straight A student who never does anything bad." Well, who never gets caught, anyway...
Oh, he was more than familiar at this point. Between baseball practice, cheerleading practice, and games and competitions, there wasn't a ton of time left over during the week. But, they'd made a point of spending as much time together as they could - which, in many cases, inevitably led to the two of them retreating to her bedroom for hours at a time.
"Right. Never," Eric replied, swallowing a little despite himself. His mind began racing with the possibilities for the rest of the evening. He didn't want to rush right out of the restaurant, though - that would be rude. "And what certain people - " namely, her parents " - don't know won't kill me," Eric added, showing her his own sly smile.
She couldn't help it but giggle then, glad that he'd caught on quickly. Funnily enough, she'd worried that he was a little on the slow side when she first met him. Luckily for her, that wasn't the case. He picked up a lot of things quickly. "That's right," she replied with a smirk as she set her slice of pizza down and picked up a napkin, wiping at her fingers. "So, what do you want to do, then?"
"Well, your folks are home, and Andrea's home. Mom's still out of town," Eric said, thinking through the alternatives. Usually, if they were going to go to her house, it was right after school, hours before her folks got home. But with it being a little later, that wasn't a possibility - assuming that Payton's thoughts as to what they could do to occupy their evening were running in the same direction as his. And if that sultry smile as any indication, they probably were.
"We could drive over to Griffith Park. It's open late, and it's a nice night out," he said.
Well, to be fair, most teenage couples would have had the same thoughts that they were having if they realized that they could do whatever they wanted without getting into any kind of trouble from their parents. Payton set her napkin down on her plate and continued smiling, her foot lifting slightly to rub along one of his thighs. Oh my. Fortunately no one was around to see that little action, hm? "That sounds like a good idea," she agreed with a nod. "You don't think that anyone's going to be around?"
Eric sighed softly as he felt her foot rubbing along his thigh, but he kept his hands above the table, still holding that second piece of pizza he'd been working on for the last couple of minutes. "No, I don't think so. It's pretty quiet ... ah... later at night," he said, having a hard time concentrating. "And... it isn't far. I can get you back before curfew, no problem."
Payton smirked lightly and picked up her drink again, sipping it lightly. She clearly enjoyed teasing him, didn't she? Then again, most guys wouldn't have been near as composed as he was at that point in time, so she'd have to give him credit for that. "You always have my best interest at heart, don't you, Mr. Kinkaid?"
Eric was a little surprised at himself that he was able to remain as composed as he had been, what with Payton practically feeling him up under the table with her foot. Fortunately, she hadn't gone so far as to actually put her foot between his legs, but considering how wild she could be, it would come as no great surprise if she did.
Reaching for his soda, he took a sip, then cleared his throat. "Well... I try. I mean, that's what guys are supposed to do, right?" he asked, his look a little wild. She was driving him crazy. "Look out for their girl's best interests?"
Oh, she'd certainly considered feeling him up then and there, but remarkably showed some restraint, since this was a family restaurant and all. Yep. She was totally thinking of the children here. "That hasn't been my experience," she admitted. While they hadn't gone into detail in terms of her... reputation, it wasn't much of a stretch of the imagination to know what she meant. Most guys were only interested in one thing. Then again, that's all she wanted from them most of the time as well. Luckily, she wanted more from Eric, hm?
"But I'm starting to like it," she purred, running her foot along his inner thigh teasingly for a moment, before setting it back down on the ground. "Shall we go, then?"
Despite the teasing touch of her foot along his thigh, he could hear the sincerity in her voice when she admitted that most guys didn't look out for their girlfriend's interests. Eric had always just figured that was part and parcel of the whole idea of dating - you try to take care of the person you're with, not take advantage of them. Words failed him as she briefly stroked the inner part of his thigh with her foot, and a simple nod was all she got in response for the moment.
Raising a hand, he flagged their waitress over to the table. "Uh... could we get the check and a to-go box for the rest?" he asked, glancing at Payton, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Her previous experience with dating was clearly worlds different from Eric's. While he'd taken care of his previous partners, she'd more or less taken advantage of hers... and occasionally was taken advantage of herself. So, dating him was a whole new experience for her and while she was sure that he had an angle at first (since that was her experience), she found herself pleasantly surprised by him. She smiled up at the waitress as she quickly boxed up their pizza for them and took it over to the register, setting it on the counter for them when they left.
"I can wait a minute if you need to," she lilted teasingly before getting up and smoothing down her short skirt, making sure she wasn't showing too much skin.
"No, we can go ahead and go," Eric replied, perhaps a little too quickly. Her fooling around under the table had gotten him a little worked up - he just hoped no one would notice. Standing from his chair, he waited for her, then headed over to the cashier where he paid for their meal with cash, going back to the table to leave their waitress a tip. "So, ready to go?" he asked, spying a quick glance at her legs and that short skirt she was parading around in.
"Completely," she replied as she shouldered her purse, moving over to hook her arm around his. Frankly, seeing him worked up (in this case, literally – which brought a cheeky smirk to her face when she noticed) got her going as well. She pressed up on her toes and kissed the tender spot just below his ear before tugging him eagerly towards the exit.