Red Light

My tanned leg was perched on a small white table, all cleaned and bandaged up. I glanced around the room at all of the medical equipment, colorful bottles of pills and ointments to correct various ailments. I guessed that this was where the players got examined when they had minor physical issues. But that begged the question: how in the hell does this dude have access to this? He didn't look like a baseball player; As a matter of fact, he didn't look like an athlete at all. Maybe a batboy.

I flashed a friendly smile at the trainer, who's name I discovered to be Dave, and thanked him for the help. "No problem! Ice that shoulder, Tim!", he advised as we exited the room. We walked down the black carpeted hallway, past what I assumed to be the clubhouse, around the corner to a large concrete hall, and back up the ramp. "So, Tim", I began. "So, uh", He replied, a look of slight confusion on his face. "I don't know your name". I stopped and held out my hand with a closed-lipped smile. "Formal introduction?", he questioned, stopping as well. I nodded encouragingly and wiggled my fingers. "Well, I'm Tim, also known as Timmy, The Freak, The Franchise, and many other names given by obnoxious sports writers. Currently employed as a pitcher by the San Francisco Giants", he introduced smoothly, taking my outstretched hand and shaking it. I felt the calluses on his skin, his hand pressed against my smaller one, and it all made sense. I'd never met a professional athlete, but he seemed far from what i'd expected.

I was quiet for a second, but looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "Impressive resume. Maybe I'll take to calling you The Freak". He slapped a hand to his chest and let out a fake gasp of exasperation. "That hurts, it really does. How'd you like to be called a freak on a regular basis?" I laughed at his poor acting skills. "Been there, done that. High school's a bitch", I admitted. "However, nowadays, most people call me Alexandria. Not as impressive as "The Franchise", but it works", I explained with a shrug and a teasing grin. "Well, Alexandria, after knocking you down and making you scrape your ankle, the least I could do is take you out to dinner", he proposed, head tilted to the side and his hands tucked in the pocket of his black hoodie. I looked down at my shoes and blushed slightly. I was suddenly bombarded with thoughts. What about Jess? I probably had plenty of missed calls from her by now. We were scheduled to do things around San Francisco today, and I couldn't leave her in an unfamiliar city by herself because of a guy I just met- but wow, he's so kind and good looking and- no. Jess comes first. "Actually, I need to talk to my friend first. We've got some things planned, but I'll negotiate", I responded. "Take all the time you need", Tim encouraged, giving me a gentle smile.