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I was relieved that the fields were deserted, since it was still softball and baseball season and there could have been a game or late practice I stepped out onto the e ain It was the same place I’d stood dozens, hundreds, thousands of ti on the ball and closedmemory and reality collide

When I reopened them, I zeroed in on home plate and envisioned the ball’s trajectory, the point at which I wanted it to leave my hand, the way it should arc--just so--and where it would cross the plate I rolleda breath, I drove off themy shoulder, all the way around, and released my pitch

It was so natural, the rhythm so familiar, that it was utterly impossible to believe that five years had passed since the last time I’d thrown a ball And when I saw it--that very sa across its one, I knewI believed at last what Dr Dunn had told my parents: I was still sixteen years old Because there was no way, no possible way on earth I was any older than I had been just six days ago My body, le iota My body remembered the same way I did

"Holy shit" The voice behind me whispered in awe "I knew you could play, I mean, I’d heard stories, but damn, that was iht there, and I wondered how he’d rinned in response because I knehat I’d just done was i words likea killer dimple "You ever play?" I inquired overthere while I went to retrieveafter me when he spoke, his voice low and playful "Softball? Nah I tried out once, but they said the other girls felt uncomfortable withat the waist, I reached for the ball where it had landed near the backstop Gingerly, I brushed away the dirt as I stood again "I eneral, smart-ass Aren’t you ever serious?"

His hand shot out, covering the ball as if he meant to take it from me, but he didn’t, and his hand curled over s," he told aze intense He took a step closer, and without thinking orto, and because I suddenly couldn’t breathe with hi in o of the ball, and it dropped back to the ground with a solid thud It was soof round, but rew thick, and rees "There are aaze raked over me

I couldn’t tell if he waswithI hated even more that it was his fault I couldn’t catch my breath, and I felt suddenly unsteady

I shoved his chest, trying to give myself some space "Yeah, well, I’ether" It didn’t escape ers, and the solidness of hiain, but this ti the ball, so I couldn’t kid myself that he had some other motivation for his actions When his thumb moved over my palm, heat burst in the pit ofthe tips of s too"

I wanted to s, but ue felt like baked asphalt "Stop," I insisted

"Stop what?"

"Saying things like that"

His half s "Like what? That I’m serious? That I like you?" He moved a quarter of an inch closer, and involuntarilybecause it was easier and far less obvious than gaping at him "That’s exactly what I mean"

His thumb skated up to my wrist I was sure he had to kno he affected ive ain "Me? What did I do?"

He let go of my wrist and lifted his hand to htly it could have easily been a figination, I shivered

I saw a show on Anioats whose muscles froze up when they were startled, and they passed out Like, they literally fell over if you scared theht now

I was terrified and exhilarated and frozen all at once

If I passed out, too, I would surely die of eht heartbeats Our eyes reame of chicken His palht on my lip while I tried to findinsidestubborn," he said at last, and I had no idea what he was talking about, or when he’d even been talking at all He shook his head, breaking the spell, or whatever it was I was under--ere both under "You’re so damned stubborn If you’d just ad there’s nothing between us"