Playing The Hot Corner

Hot Corner: The left corner of the infield, or Third base.

Joe only needed to glance over my way, and I knew. The runner on third was going to be challenged by the best catcher/3rd baseman combo in the history of high school baseball. Joe would pop up out of his crouch and throw from a low, knees-bent position while I turned and came even with third base facing the chalk line, catching his always perfect throw and swiping a tag at the runner that was inevitably diving back to the base.

90% of the time, we got them out.

I had been playing baseball with Joe since we were six years old, back when they allowed girls in little league all the time. We both fell in love with the game. Once we got older, Joe played other sports too – football, which he loved almost as much as baseball, and basketball, but I devoted 9 months out of the year to training for and playing baseball. Since I was female, it was harder for me to keep up with the strength requirements of high school baseball, not to mention all the other preparations that I need to do.

I went to almost all of the football games, with Joe as the quarterback. After games we’d drive each other home, maybe stopping at Perkins on the way. We’d get home, and if he drove, he would drop me off at my house, even though it was just across the street from his own. He did everything he could for me, and I did everything I could for him. Nothing could have split the two of us apart – we were best friends, and it was going to stay that way.

Neither of us, though, saw the curveball that life threw us after our high school career ended.

My name is Jesse Parker, and I’m the best girl baseball ever saw.

This is me.
My best friend.
My old flame.
The roomies.
And my future confidant.

A/N: This story is gonna hit pretty close to home for me, since Joe Mauer played for a school that plays my high school all the time. He actually was quarterback in a playoff game against my school in 2000, throwing 7 touchdown passes for Cretin-Derham Hall. Set in Minnesota the whole way :)
I'll be chang a few things as far as the timeline goes, like the age and date at which Mauer debuted for the Twins. In this story, he'll be fresh out of high school at 18 years old. (in real life he was almost 21)
I also don't own Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, the Minnesota Twins, or any MLB-owned names. I do own the characters of Jesse, Kaitlyn, Courtney, and Charlie and the storyline.