Straight Shot

Lily Rader and Lily Adams wait out back, tossing the ball between them. They need to see what Athena Palomino can actually do. She shows up late and they let her have it—every drill, every throw, every lap around the yard. She drops everything. Misses the cut-off. Trips over her own feet. Lily Adams watches one throw sail straight through the neighbor’s window and just shakes her head. Athena asks if she made it. The answer is short: she can’t field, can’t hit, can’t stay in a straight line. They’re cutting her. Her face falls. She says she’ll do anything. Anything. The two Lilys trade a look. Maybe they can still use her. They take her inside. Athena glances around, nervous, then blurts out the rumor she’s heard—that the whole team likes girls. Both Lilys smile and tell her it’s true. She swallows, says she’s never been with a girl, but she’s willing to try. The idea of popping her cherry is too sweet to pass up, and they waste no time peeling her out of her practice clothes.