The Athlete and the Genius

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The Athlete and the Genius By Chris

TK came into her dorm room feeling depressed and lost. She had come to the university on a softball scholarship and she felt like she was going to lose it before she could ever take the field of a real game. She was one of the best high school players from her home state of California and that was saying a lot as that was where some of the best players came from. She chose to come halfway across the country to play for Herman and Lagina Renner, who were married and served as co-head coaches. They had convinced her that they were in the process of making a championship team and TK wanted to be a part of that, however things weren't quite as she had imagined them would be.

Things started to go wrong when she first met with Herman and Lagina in their office and they handed her the workout schedule that they expected her to follow during the fall term. She had done some weight lifting in high school but they had her going to the workout center three times a week to lift weights under the watchful eye of Jenna, the physical trainer and then run the other days of the week. She thought that she was in good shape when she got there but after the first week of running and lifting weights, she found that muscles she never knew she had were sore. Then came her statistics class, and she found that she and the professor weren't on the same wavelength. She wasn't a great student but she did okay in high school and in her other classes she was passing with around a B average. In Statistics class, she had flunked every test. It was too late to drop the class and if she failed it then she wouldn't be eligible to play this spring when the season started. She had gone to the tutoring center which was set up to help the athletes and they were able to help her get her homework done. However as soon as the class started, she was lost again. She was about to the point of quitting and going home but she couldn't do that. She left home telling all her friends that she was going to win a championship and she couldn't return home with her tail tucked between her legs. She knew she had to do something but she didn't have a clue as to what it was.

"What's wrong?" Buffy, TK's roommate, asked as she came into the dorm room and she saw TK with her head in her hands.

"Oh it's this damn statistics class. I'll never get it and if I flunk I will lose my scholarship." TK said as she felt herself wanting to cry.

"I wish I could help you but anything having to with numbers just confuses the hell out of me." Buffy said as she put her books down by her computer.

"I thought that I was okay with them but this class just has me clueless." TK told her.

"I do have one idea, if you're desperate enough." Buffy told her.

"I reached desperate about a week ago; I'm now in frantic mode." TK told her.

"Maybe you should go see Carmen and see if she can help you." Buffy told her.

"Who's Carmen?" TK asked.

"She is the black haired girl that lives down at the end of the hall. You know, she always wears sweat pants and a sweat shirt with the sleeves cut off." Buffy said, "She supposed to be some type of genius or something. I know a couple of girls that went to her and she helped them."

"I don't know, she'll probably confuse me as much as my professor does. I need someone to talk at my level and not over my head." TK told her.

"Well these girls weren't known for their brains and they understood her." Buffy told her. "Anyway it's just a thought."

"I'll think about it." TK said as she opened her statistics book. She started to read but it was all Greek to her. The words just weren't making sense. She then began to reconsider seeking Carmen's help. She now sort of knew who Buffy was talking about now as she had seen her in the hallway a couple of times. She was always alone and she kept to herself. She thought that she was just weird or something and she had heard of a girl genius that lived on the floor and now she knew that they were one and the same girl. TK shut her statistics book and put it aside and she opened her English book. She began to do her English homework and soon had what she needed done. She glanced at her statistics book again and it seemed to be mocking her as it laid there on her desk. She put her English book on top of it and she went on to her American history book. She read for a couple of hours and then she did wrote the short essay that her professor wanted them to write. It was now going on seven in the evening and she still had her statistics to do. She reached for the book and opened it up. She looked at the words and she knew she was defeated. She slammed the book closed causing Buffy to jump. She mouthed a "Sorry" to her and she looked at the door. She knew that her back was against the wall so she got her notebook and started for the door.

"Good luck," Buffy called to her.

"Thanks," TK replied and she went out the door. TK found that her heart was beating ever faster as she went down the hallway. She didn't know why she was so nervous, it wasn't like she had anything to lose but then she knew that this was her last hope at passing this stupid course. She got to Carmen's door and after hesitating for a moment she knocked lightly. She half hoped that Carmen wouldn't be in and she half hoped that she was. She waited another moment and was about to walk away feeling relieved that Carmen wasn't in.

"Come on in." TK head a soft voice call from inside of the room.

TK turned the door knob with a nervous and shaky hand and she entered the room. She stepped just inside of the door and she looked around. It was a small room with just one bed. She didn't know that there were even single room available but obviously there was. She then looked to the right and she saw Carmen sitting at her desk pounding away at her keyboard. She was dressed in her usual sweat pants and sweat shirt with the sleeves cut off. Her hair was pinned up with a big hair clip that did nothing for her looks and only seemed to serve to hold her hair off her shoulders.

"Pull up a chair; I'll be with you in just a moment. I just have to work this out while it is fresh in my mind." Carmen told her never taking her eyes on the big screen of her computer monitor.

"Thanks, but I can come back later if you are busy." TK said as she started to take a step back and get out of the room of this strange girl.

"If you wait until I'm not busy then you'll never get any help with your statistics' class." Carmen said as she took her left hand and motioned to the chair that was to her left side. She did all of this without ever taking her eyes off of the monitor.

TK was amazed that Carmen even noticed that she had a statistics book and she felt compelled to do as Carmen told her. She went on over and sat down. She looked at what was on Carmen's screen and she saw a 3-D image of what looked like a DNA chain. At least that is what it looked like to her. She wasn't a science major but she had seen similar drawings in her high school biology book. However what was on Carmen's screen was much more detailed and much more complicated. TK then looked over at Carmen's computer or rather computers. There were two shells with all the components exposed and they seemed to be hooked together. TK knew that Carmen's setup was much more powerful than her little Dell laptop. TK's eyes then went to Carmen's face and she saw that Carmen had bright responsive eyes that darted around the screen. She had a small upturned button nose and her skin was blemish free and all so smooth. TK had never gotten past Carmen's clothes or the way that she kept her hair pinned up in a haphazard way. Now as she looked a little more closely, she could see that Carmen was cuter that she had ever imagined. TK got so caught up looking at Carmen that she didn't even realize that Carmen had finally stop typing and working her mouse and she was now facing her and was asking her a question.

"Excuse me." TK said as she got her mind back to the present.

"I asked how I can help you." Carmen said and she flashed TK a shy smile that seemed to penetrate her soul. It was like Carmen was speaking to something deep inside of her and all the fear and confusion went away. It was just she and Carmen and Carmen was connecting to her.

"I'm TK..." TK started to saw but then Carmen finished her sentence.

"You're TK Brooks from Redding California. You had a .763 batting average in High School. You led your High School team to four straight state championships and you were recruited by all the PAC 10 teams. You mainly play first and third base but have been known to play all the other positions including pitcher." Carmen said.

TK was amazed that Carmen knew who she was much less knew so much about her and she knew that her face was showing her shock at Carmen's vast knowledge. But before TK could say anything Carmen again spoke up.

"I'm kind of a woman's sports nut. I follow all the sports and that is part of why I decided to come here instead of MIT or any of the other schools of that type. I go to every basketball and softball game that I can and I try to catch the swimming and track teams too." Carmen said as she gave TK another shy smile and TK felt herself starting to like this strange girl and she was a strange girl.

"Well you know all about me, that's for sure." TK said and then she remembered why she came to this strange girl's room. "I need some help with my statistics class." TK told her.

"Do you need help with a problem or the whole class in general?" Carmen asked as she reached over and took the statistic's book from TK's arms.

"I guess the class in general." TK said quietly and feeling slightly embarrassed.

"What is your grade average?" Carmen probed a little deeper as she opened the statistics book.

"I... I've flunked every test so far." TK admitted and she felt her eyes start to tear up. She hated feeling this way but she was at the end of her rope and she knew it.

"Hey don't despair; I'll have you passing those stupid tests in no time." Carmen said as she placed her small soft hand on TK's right forearm.

TK felt the soft touch and it warmed her heart a little and she began to feel a little hope come to her. Then she asked Carmen, "Have you had statistics?"

"Nope." Carmen said and TK felt her heart drop as she knew Carmen couldn't help her if she had never had a statistics class. "Hey don't worry, I tested out of most of the classes that I have taken here. Don't you know I'm a genius?" Carmen said in a joking manner trying to make TK feel better.

"So I've heard but I'm not that smart, I'm afraid that you will just confuse me as much as my professor does." TK said as she went to take her statistics book from Carmen but Carmen kept a firm grasp on it.

"Hey give me a chance; I can't do any worse than your professor has done. When is your next statistics class?" She asked.

"I have a quiz on Tuesday." TK told her.

"Well today's Thursday so that gives me four days to get you up to snuff. Give me those four days and if you don't get at least a B on it then I'll find someone else to help you but let me warn you that you won't find a better teacher than me." Carmen told her.

TK thought that Carmen was thinking mighty high of herself but then again, she had nothing to lose. "Okay I'll give it a try."

"Good," Carmen said and TK could see a little gleam in Carmen's eyes like she had just won the lottery. "So what is your schedule for the next four days?"

"I have three classes tomorrow and then I have to work out for two hours. I will be done around five. Saturday I have to do my running so I usually sleep late and do it in the afternoon. Sunday I'm free until about five when all the team gets together for dinner at Francine's apartment. Then Monday I have classes and a work out until five." TK told her.

"Okay I think we can work around that schedule. I'm come and get you when I get back from my classes on Friday and Monday. I have some research to do on Saturday so you will need to get up early and do your running and we'll meet back here at eleven. Sunday I'm pretty much free so when you get up just come on down. We've got a lot of work to do so don't sleep too late." Carmen told her or rather ordered her.

TK didn't like having to get up early on Saturday and Sunday but it didn't look like Carmen was going to give her a choice so she agreed. She needed the help and she needed Carmen to help her. "Okay sounds good to me." TK said.

"Then let's get to work, we'll start at the beginning and work from there. Take this notebook and start to take notes. You will have two statistics notebooks now, one for your class and one for when you are with me. Once we have statistics down I'll help you with your other classes so you will need extra notebooks for those classes." Carmen said as she handed TK five new notebooks. TK had only wanted help in one class but Carmen seemed to have taken it upon herself to help her in all her classes. TK wanted to protest but Carmen had already started to delve into her statistics book. TK watched her as she read the first chapter in about three minutes and she only paused once or twice to read something again. She then put the book down and she pulled TK's chair toward her and she started to go over what she had read. TK started to take notes and she found that Carmen was actually talking at her level. And when she asked a question, Carmen was patient in answering it, ever if it took two or three tries before TK understood what she was telling her. When it came time for TK to do a problem, she felt herself tensing up and Carmen put her hand on her arm and told her to relax. Just the touch of Carmen's hand on her arm was enough to make her relax and she worked through the problem with only a little help from Carmen. When she got it done and found that it was correct, she wanted to hug Carmen but she stopped herself from going that far. They worked for three hours and by then they had gotten through the first chapter and when TK left Carmen's room and she felt like she had actually learned something. She knew that when she woke up the next morning, the things that Carmen had taught her would still be in her brain, unlike when she had asked for help from her professor or the tutors that the athletic department used.

TK had just gotten back into her room the next day and was talking to Buffy when she heard a soft knock on the door. She went to the door and opened it to find Carmen standing there in her usual sweat pants and shirt.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go get something to eat before we get started on statistics." Carmen said and she gave TK a shy smile that made the corners of her lips lift up and she blinked several times as her eyes looked downward.

"Sure," TK said and then she wondered what she was thinking. She liked Carmen and she appreciated what Carmen was doing for her but she didn't want to become friends with her. "Ah... let me get my dinning card." TK said as she ducked back into her room.

"I think you've made a new friend." Buffy whispered.

"Tell me about it." TK said but she wasn't smiling like Buffy was. But she did at least put a slight smile as she got back into the hallway where Carmen was waiting for her.

TK let Carmen do most of the talking as they walked to the dining hall and as they ate their dinner. TK found that she was soon engrossed in what Carmen was telling her as she talked about herself. She told TK about how she had grew up on a farm and she had to help her two brothers, one older and one younger, and her older sister in the fields in the morning before school and then after. Her parents wouldn't let her jump too far ahead of her classmates in elementary school so she read everything she could to keep her mind alert and thirsty for more. However she was able to convince her parents to let her finish high school in two years. Then she had her choice of Universities to attend as they all wanted her after she had made a perfect score on her college entrance exam. She then said, as she had the previous night, that she came here for their women sports teams plus she liked their cellular biology program. When she met the head of the department and they hit it right off, she knew this was the place for her. She went on to say that in the two years that she had been here, she had almost completed her Bachelor's of Science degree in biology and had started on her Masters.

"Just how old are you?" TK asked at this point.

Carmen face turned a little red as she said, "I'll be eighteen in November."

"That means you started here at the university when you were..." TK was saying when again Carmen interrupted her.

"Fifteen." Carmen said as her face turned ever redder.

"Weren't you scared? I know that I would have been." TK told her.

"Yea I was a little. Well actually I was really scared at first and being so much younger than everyone else has made it hard to make friends. But I have my classes to keep me busy so it hasn't been too bad. Plus I go to all the women's sporting events that I can. That makes it better." Carmen told her.

TK thought for a second about what Carmen told her as she took a bite of her food. She was beginning to understand her better and she became a little more human to her and not quite as weird. She could understand why Carmen had invited her to dinner and she told herself that she would be more understanding of her need but she also knew she didn't want her to latch onto her. She would just manage things better and it would work out for both of them.

"So how did you become so smart anyway?" TK asked her to get Carmen onto another subject.

"I don't know I just am. I guess mostly is because I got the right genes at the right time and I came out of my mother smart. Then my parents encouraged me to study and read so that helped too. It all plays a part in whom I have become. But then you are just like me." Carmen said.

"How so?" TK asked as she had no clue as to why Carmen would say that they were the same, she was about a far as you could get from being a genius.

"How many people in this world can hit a softball like you can and play all the positions on the field? I mean some can hit and some can pitch and some can play the infield or outfield but who can do them all as well as you can do?" Carmen asked and then she answered her own question. "I would say not many. And how did you get that way. I know you will say you practiced like I read but you were born with some natural talent just like I was born with the ability to used my brain. So both of our parents nurtured our abilities but they also gave us just the right genes to make us who we are. So we are more alike than you thought." Carmen told her.

TK was surprised that she followed everything that Carmen told her and even more surprised that she understood it. "I guess you are right, we are more alike than I thought." TK said and she regretted those very words when she saw Carmen giving her a little smile.

"But you know that everyone thinks that I'm weird so if we are alike that makes you weird too." Carmen said and she gave out a little giggle that TK had to join in on.

"Hey I been considered weird all my life from the time I played baseball on the little league teams until I turned down all the great west coast teams to come here." TK said and she smiled at Carmen who smiled back.

TK knew this dinner wasn't going the way that she had meant it too. She wanted to distance herself from Carmen and she ended up finding that they were coming closer to becoming friends. TK cursed herself as she changed the subject once again to try and get the subject that wouldn't serve to draw them closer. They talked for a while longer then they headed back to Carmen's room with a quick stop to get TK's statistics book and both notebooks, one with the notes that she took when Carmen was teaching her and one that she used during class. Then once they were in Carmen's room, it was all business. They reviewed the first chapter for a few minutes until Carmen was satisfied that TK had retained everything she had taught her the previous night. From there they went on to the second chapter. Here the problems got a little harder and TK had more questions but Carmen was very patient with her and kept going over the problems until TK could understand them. They worked until about eleven when TK felt like she had taken in as much as she could.

TK cursed Carmen when her alarm went off early Saturday morning. She loved to sleep in when she could and because Carmen had decided that she was to do her workout early so that they could work on Statistics after she got done with her work. TK was used to having her coaches tell her what to do and when to do it and she was chaffing at the thought that she was allowing Carmen to treat her the same way. She cussed and fussed as she got dressed and slipped out the door to do her workout. She imagined what she was going to do to Carmen when she saw her as she did her workout and the athletic trainer said that it was her best workout since she had been there. TK left the workout with yet another reason to cuss Carmen as it seem that she found a way to help her do well in yet another thing and this time without knowing that she had helped her. TK ran back to the dorm and there she took her shower and just as she sat down to do some of her other homework when she heard a soft knock on the door. TK knew that it could be only one person at this hour of the morning. As TK got up, she looked over at Buffy who turned over and pulled her covers over her head. TK threw Buffy a bird as she went to the door as she was the one who sent her to Carmen in the first place.

"I got done early and I thought that we could go ahead and get started." Carmen said as TK opened the door.

"Well I still have some other homework to get done first." TK told her as it was only ten and they weren't suppose to start on statistics until eleven or so.

"That's okay, just bring it all along and we can work on that too." Carmen said and she gave TK that shy smile of hers.

"Sure, just let me get my stuff." TK said and then she knew that Carmen had gotten her again. As she went over to her desk, TK wondered why she kept saying "yes" to Carmen's requests or suggestions when she really wanted to say "no".

They worked for a couple of hours and then they broke for lunch, this time bypassing the dining hall and going for a burger. The stopped at a fast food joint just off campus and since it was a warm fall day, they took their food and walked to quiet area on the campus and sat down in the grass to eat. This time Carmen got TK to talk about softball and TK found that Carmen was rather knowledgeable about the subject. They talked about the past few seasons since the new coaches had gotten there and how they had really improved the team. Carmen really wanted them to win a championship while she was still there and TK had to pop in that it was her intention to win one or two. They ended up talking for a couple of hours before Carmen decided that it was time to get back to work. TK groaned but she got up and she reached out her hard to help Carmen up. TK felt Carmen's small hand slip into her hand. To TK it was like nothing she had ever felt before. Carmen's fingers slipped around her palm and the hand seemed to be a perfect fit. It was like her hand was made to cover Carmen's hand and hold on to it. TK just left her hand there and she didn't move until she felt Carmen tug on it and then she slipped from her dreamlike state and she pulled Carmen's small and light body up. But she pulled a little too hard and Carmen ended up against her. Being five foot ten inches she found that she was looking down at Carmen who appeared to be about five foot seven inches. TK looked into Carmen's large brown eyes and she could see the life within those eyes. TK stared for a moment too long and then she stepped back trying to create some distance between them. TK tried to shake off the feeling that she was suddenly feeling and she got them headed back toward the dorm. She was never so glad to be back doing statistics in her life as it forced her to think about something other than Carman.

They stayed with statistics for most of the afternoon and then they took a short break for diner. This time they went back to the dining hall as TK only allowed herself one burger a week and then it was back to her well balanced diet. She knew the value of a well balance diet when it came to playing sports. After dinner, Carmen helped her some with her other subjects as she worked on some of her own work. Around nine, Carmen suggested that it was time to stop before their brains burst from all the knowledge that they were putting into them. TK knew that Carmen could probably study all day and night and not get tired but she was being nice and letting TK rest for a while for there was a limit of what she could put into her brain without it coming out the seams. Carmen then suggested that they go for a walk to clear their brains before bed and TK was about to say no when Carmen let one of her shy smiles creep across her face and again TK was forced to say yes instead of no.

The night air was still warm and it felt nice to be out in the open after spending most of the day cooped up in the dorm studying, TK thought as they began to walk. They stayed for the most part in the areas where all the students hung out and they just talked and at times they became silent with both lost in their own thoughts. It was during one of these silent moments when TK happened to look over at Carmen and she saw that Carmen was looking at her with a far off look in her eyes. It was only later that night when TK was in bed did she think about how she had caught Carmen looking at her. She knew that there was more to the look than what she had first thought. She knew that Carmen had been lonely to a certain extent since she had come here and she thought that maybe Carmen was looking at her as her first real friend but she doubted that was the reason for the look. She went on to sleep thinking about it but her mind never came to a reason that it would accept.

"Come on in TK." TK heard through the door after she had knocked on it a little after eight Sunday morning. TK wondered how Carmen knew it was her but then she realized that no one else would be knocking on Carmen's door.

"How you doing this morning?" TK asked as she came in and she put all her books down on Carmen's desk. She saw that Carmen was running that same gene program that she was running the other day when she came down to ask for Carmen's help.

"Pretty good, just need to finish mapping out the DNA chain for this little mice and then we can go grab a bite to eat. You can always study better after a good breakfast." Carman said as she typed and moved the mouse around.

"Since you have already started to study, that means that you already have had your breakfast." TK said as she sat back proud of herself and she watched as Carmen's fingers slowed to a stop as she thought about what TK had said.

"I thought I was the genius in this room." Carmen said as she smiled.

"That is what I thought too but I guess not." TK said smiling even bigger.

"Smart ass!"Carmen said as she hit the save button on her computer.

TK laughed as she got up and she waited for Carmen to get her dining card and join her at the door.

They finished the last of the chapters that TK needed help with and as Carmen worked on her stuff, TK went on to her other subjects and since Carmen was next to her she took advantage of her by asking few questions on those subjects when she was unsure of something. They finished an hour or so before TK had to meet up with the softball team at Francine's apartment, so they talked for a while and then TK left. However before she went out the door, Carman announced that she would be giving TK a test on statistics Monday evening just to make sure that she was prepared for her real quiz on Tuesday.

She breezed through Carmen's test on Monday and she left there feeling great about things. She knew that she had Statistics under control now. So when she went into class on Tuesday morning, she felt confident for once. The professor handed out the quiz and TK took a look at the first problem and the fear came back to her. She didn't know right off how to solve it and she almost panicked. Then she remembered something that Carmen had told her the night before.

"If you find a problem that you're unsure about then go on to the next one, then when you finish the test go back to that problem and see if you can figure it out." She had told her. So TK took a deep breath and she moved on to the second problem and she found that she could do it. She went on to the rest of the problems and she slowly worked her way through them. She found that Carmen was right; don't let one problem ruin the whole test. When she finished the rest of the test, she went back to that first problem. She started and stopped a few times before the solution came to her. It was such a simple problem but she was making it much harder than it was. She started to work on it when the professor announced that the time was up. TK was pissed at not being able to solve the problem completely but at least she passed the test. She left the class feeling like she had just hit the home run that won her team the national championship. She didn't think passing a test could feel that good but she felt that way now. Her feeling of euphoria and confidence went with her the whole day. She got back to the dorm room just as Buffy was coming in and she told her all about the test and how she had statistics licked now. TK didn't notice the look that Buffy was giving her and if she had she would have, she would know that Buffy was thinking that maybe she was getting a little too full of herself. But TK wasn't seeing anything that wasn't right in front of her nose. TK decided that she was feeling too good to study so she left the room to find some of her new teammates. She found a couple in the dorm next door to hers and she stayed there until late talking to them and generally having a good time. She only thought about Carmen once or twice but both times she was able to push her out of her thoughts. However those thoughts of Carmen didn't leave her without a tinge of guilt passing through her heart.

As she came to her room that evening, she glance down the hall towards Carmen's room, she felt that tinge of pain and guilt knowing the first place she should have gone after her class was to Carmen's room thanking her for what she had done for her. But she hadn't done that and now it was even harder to go there now, so she didn't and that just made the pain worse. The next morning she was out early before Carmen would be out. She went on to her classes and then on Thursday she was back in her Statistics class and she got her quiz back. She wanted to cry out when she saw that she got a ninety on it, even her professor smiled at her. Then he began his lecture and TK started to take notes. At first she was keeping up with what he was saying but then she felt like she was getting lost again. By the end of the class, she wasn't completely confused but she was getting there. She went to her other classes and then as she came to her door, she saw Carmen coming toward her. She saw Carmen smile at her and TK knew what she should have done but that wasn't what she did. She ducked into her room but not before she saw Carmen's smile turn downward and she could see how hurt Carmen was by her rejection.

TK went on into her room and she sat down on her bed. She kept seeing Carmen's face as she sat there. Then she turned her thoughts towards herself and she began to wonder why she was rejecting Carmen's friendship. She had never met anyone with a purer heart or a sweeter personality. She was just a good person and that was all there was to it. Sure she dressed weird and she wore that stupid hair clip that made her look so funny. Then TK began to think about the people that she hung out with in high school and the people that she shunned there. She was one of the popular kids and she acted that way, as she was the best softball player in her state much less her school. She then thought about where Carmen would have fit in at her school and she knew that Carmen would have been one of the kids that she would have shunned just like she was doing now. She had gone to her when she needed her but once she was done with her, she began to go back to her old ways. The more she thought about it the more she knew what she should do but when she tried to get up, her legs wouldn't cooperate. She sat there a while longer and then Buffy came in. She asked her if something was wrong but TK told her that everything was fine. She then got up and went to her desk and started to study. She tried hard to work the problems in her statistics book and she thought that she got them right but she wasn't so sure. She then went on to her other studies and tried not to think about Carmen.

The next couple of weeks went along fine for her except for her statistics class. She found that she was slowly becoming more confused. She went to her professor and to the tutor that was there for the athletes but neither could make her understand statistics like Carmen could. Then on Tuesday her statistics professor announced that there would be another quiz on Thursday. TK found a wave of panic wash over her. She knew she had no chance of passing the exam. She also knew that she couldn't afford to fail another exam in this class. She had to make a good grade on all her tests for the rest of the semester or risk failing the class. She came back to her dorm room and buckled down with her statistics book and she tried so hard to understand it. She worked until midnight and then when she got back to her dorm room on Wednesday, she started again but she was getting nowhere with it. It was just a bunch of numbers that made no sense to her.

"You know what you need to do don't you if you want to fail that test." Buffy told her when TK leaned back from her book.

"But I can't go to her now." TK told her as she knew that Buffy knew that she had shunned Carmen since she had passed her last test. They didn't talk about it but she knew that Buffy didn't approve of what she had done.

"Then you'll just have to fail the test. You know I can't help you, I worse with numbers than you are." Buffy told her.

"But what do I say to her?" TK asked.

"That you're a shit and you're sorry. Then get down on your knees and beg for her help." Buffy told her.

"You think that she'll help me?" TK asked.

"I don't know but if I was her I wouldn't." Buffy told her and TK knew that Buffy was telling her the truth.

"That makes me feel better." TK said as she closed her statistics book and she got her notebook and started out but not before remembering the notebook that Carmen had given to her. She got it and then she went out of the room, hearing Buffy telling her good luck.

TK walked down the hallway and she felt her heart beating a mile a minute. This was the hardest thing that she had even done. She slowly made her way down the hallway and when she got to Carmen's door she hesitated for a moment then she put her hand up and knocked on the door.

"It's open." She heard Carmen say through the door.

TK reached down and took the doorknob in her hand and slowly turned it. When she heard the click, she pushed inward and she stepped into Carmen's room. Carmen was typing on her computer and it looked like some type of report or paper. TK didn't say anything as she looked at Carmen, dressed as always in her sweat pants and shirt. She waited for Carmen to come to a stopping point and when she did, Carmen looked up at her but there wasn't that sparkle in her eyes that TK had seen before. TK knew she was in trouble here but then she knew that before she knocked on the door.

"I need your help again. I have a test tomorrow and I'm afraid that I'm going to fail." TK told her.

"So you thought that I would help you again." Carmen said without any emotion in her voice.

"I'm asking for your help." TK said and she remember what Buffy had told her earlier that she wouldn't help her if she was Carmen and right then she was very much afraid that Carmen was going to refuse her.

Carmen looked at her hard and as she sat there and TK began to squirm under her intense stare. TK just knew that Carmen was going to tell her to get the hell out of her room when she said, "Give me your book and let's get started." She said instead as she reached out for TK's book.

"I appreciate you doing this for me." TK told her as she went around Carmen and sat down beside of her.

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for this for the softball team. They need you on the field and not sitting up in the stands." Carmen said as she opened the statistics book.

"Ouch" TK thought to herself as she felt Carmen barb strike deep into her soul but she knew that she deserved it so she didn't say anything in return.

"Before we get started I want to set up some ground rules and you have to agree to them all or there will be no more tutoring. You can't just coming here at the last moment and expect me to jump up and help you." Carmen told her.

"Okay," TK replied not that she had much choice.

"You will come here each and every evening and I will help you and guide your studies. The same goes for the weekends, the only exceptions will be for your softball practice and we will work around those. I know that you have fall practice coming up in a couple of weeks and that will mean less time to study so we need to get you prepared for that. You can kiss your free time goodbye young lady." Carmen told her and she had this motherly look to her that dared you to say anything but "Yes madam."

TK then remember Carmen telling her about her mother. She was a loving mom but she was strict with her children and she made them mind her. Ever the boys didn't dare back talk her but they all loved her. She could tear the hide off your ass and then give you the love only a mom who loved her children to death could. TK then knew that Carmen had inherited this trait from her mother and she got all of those motherly genes from her. Normally TK would have told Carmen to shove it up her ass for talking to her that way but Carmen had a way about her that TK couldn't say no to. Maybe that was another reason that TK avoided her for so long but she could avoid her any longer and she didn't want to.

"I'll do whatever you want." TK told her as she lowered her eyes in submission.

"Let's get started then." Carmen said in a very businesslike manner and she started off where they had left off a couple of weeks before. Carmen taught her like before making sure she understood something before she went to the next item. However where before there was friendliness in her voice, there was none now. It was all work and they worked through the night studying.

"Would you like to go to breakfast?" TK asked as she got up to leave.

"You don't have to try and be friends with me, friendship isn't required or desired. Like I told you last night, I'm doing this for the softball team, not you." Carmen told her letting her eyes bore into TK's soul.

TK felt her heart sink and she said nothing else as she went out the door and closed it behind of her. It was only after she had gone halfway down the hallway to her room before she allowed the tears that were at her eyes to start to fall. Carmen's comments cut her to her soul but she knew that she deserved them. She slipped on into her room and was glad to see that Buffy was still asleep. She set her books down and she went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. When she stepped in, she let her tears go full blast. She cried and cried as she knew that she had lost the chance to be friends with a very nice girl. As she stepped from the shower, she felt drained instead of refreshed. She looked into the mirror and saw that there were dark areas under her eyes. She dried her body and her hair and she started to put a little makeup on but then she realized that there was no amount of makeup would make her look good today, so she didn't bother. She stumbled through her day and when she got to her statistics class, she knew she was ready for the exam. Even as tired as she was, she was able to solve the problems and she knew that was because of Carmen's help. From there she went to her work out and the trainer was all over her because she wasn't working hard enough to satisfy her. TK tried but her body was just running out of energy and she just let the trainer yell at her as she worked her muscles until they hurt. From there she came back to her room and she wanted to lie down but she knew if she did, then she wouldn't be able to get up when it was time to go to Carmen's room. She knew any other time, Carmen would let her pass on the tutoring session but if she didn't show up this evening then there would be no other sessions with Carmen. So she went and got something to eat and she was sitting beside of Carman's door when Carmen arrived.

"How did you do on your test?" Carmen asked as she took her key and opened her door.

"I believe that I did pretty well." TK replied noting that she didn't even get a "Hi" or a "How are you?" from Carmen but then she didn't expect one.

TK followed Carmen into her room and Carmen immediately got down to work. They first worked on statistics and then Carmen had her work on her other classes as she worked on her own stuff. TK saved her lit class for last and that was a mistake as the more she read the sleepier she got. However every time she began to nod off, she felt Carmen poking her leg waking her back up. TK didn't how Carmen was able to stay awake like she was. She appeared fresh and alert while TK was looking for tape to tape her eyelids open. Finally at about eleven, Carmen declared that TK had worked long enough and she let her go but not before reminding her to be back the next night.

As soon as TK left her room, Carmen felt the tears come once again as they did every night since TK had started to shun her. She got up and went to bed and fell to sleep with the tears still running down her cheeks. Meanwhile, TK went on back into her room and after setting her books down she fell upon her bed but she was too tired to go to sleep. She thought about Carmen and how Carmen obviously hated her now and that made her sad. The more she thought about that, the sadder she got until she had her own tears running down her cheeks and she too feel asleep with those tears running down her face.

The next morning she woke up and rolled over in the bed wanting a few more hours of sleep. But then her eyes caught sight of her alarm clock and she saw that it was ten till nine. She rolled over onto her back and she thought that she had another hour until her first class. As her eyes closed, her brain kicked in again and she realized that it was Friday and her first class was at nine and not ten as it was in Tuesday and Thursdays.

"Oh Fuck!" TK cried out as she jumped from the bed. The coaches didn't allow any of their players to be late for a class much less miss one. So she jumped up from the bed and she went to the bathroom to pee and run a brush through her hair, then she put on some clothes and was out the door in four minutes. She skipped the elevator and she hit the stairs taking two at a time down all ten flights. She about knocked two girls down as she burst through the door in a sprint and she ran across campus making to her class with about thirty seconds to spare. She was still tired when she arrived at Carmen's room Friday night but Carmen had no mercy on her as she made TK sit down and start to study.

The conversation was limited to what TK was studying that evening as it was for the rest of the weekend. It was all work and no play and that was getting on TK's nerves. TK so wanted to go back to the way it was when Carmen was first tutoring her but she had ruined that and she knew she had to wait Carmen out and hope that one day that Carmen would forgive her. However from the way Carmen was acting that forgiveness was a long way from coming.

A little over a week later, the softball team began fall practice. Their season didn't start until spring but they were allowed a limited practice during the fall semester. When TK walked out onto the field with the other players, she saw Carmen up in the stands. This made her happy and she thought that maybe Carmen was beginning to thaw out until she remember that Carmen had told her that she was allowed to go to all the open practices for all the women's sports teams. Carmen had gotten that concession when the school was recruiting her. So she knew that Carmen wasn't there to watch her but to see how good the team was going to be that year. The first day of practice was hard and the coaches were yelling at them all. When TK came up to bat against the team's best pitcher, she struck out on three pitches. She knew that she had gone up a level in completion and she was going to have to really buckle down. She knew that their pitcher Shannon was one of the best in the country but all the same she didn't like to be struck out by anybody. By the end of practice, TK was worn out and she felt more than a little frustrated. She was almost in tears from being yelled at so much during the practice but then Shannon sat down by her and told her to not let it get to her. She told her that she had been through these practices for four years now and the coaches always yelled the most on the first day. But after that, they got down to teaching the art of playing softball. TK felt better after the talk but not much. When she left the locker room, she was hoping that Carmen would be waiting for her but she wasn't there. She did find Carmen in her dorm room and she was ready to start tutoring her.

Saturday's practice was the longest practice and they went over all the basics like fielding and batting. TK was doing better in practice and she found that she was getting yelled at less and less. That is until she had to bunt. This was something that she had never had to do in high school. She came up to bunt and the Megan, the backup pitcher, gave her a rise ball to hit. This pitch started out low and it got higher as it approached the plate. TK squared up to bunt just like Lagina had taught her and she popped the ball straight up into the air and the catcher made the catch and then she threw the ball down to first and doubling off the runner. This was exactly opposite of what was supposed to happen which was for her to hit the ball down on the ground and getting the runner to second. Lagina then made TK run from home plate out to center field and back holding the bat in the proper bunting stance. Then when she got back, she went over to the hitting coach, Eddie and got more training. Then she got back into line to try again. When she time came up she was determined not to pop it up to the catcher and she didn't, instead she popped it up to the third baseman. TK cussed herself and then she started for the outfield holding the bat in the proper position. She never got the art of bunting down during the practice so she stayed over with Megan and their best bunter Tamika and they worked with her until she could lay down a bunt properly.

She was worn out when she got to Carmen's room. She knew she was late and she hoped that Carmen wouldn't mind. She told her that she had stayed over after practice and she worked on her bunting. And Carmen's only response was to say that she needed it. TK wanted to tell Carmen that she got enough chewing out from the coaches and she didn't need it from her. However, she didn't say anything and she opened up her statistics book. She worked for an hour or so but then she felt her head start to drop. She was just too tired to study.

"You tired?" Carmen asked her as her head dropped for the third time.

"Yea, practice was tough today." TK said.

"I could see. Why don't you lie down on my bed and rest for a few. Then we can start to study again. I need to run down to the cellular lab anyway." Carmen told her as she got up.

"Thanks, just give me a few minutes and I'll be fine." TK told her as she went over to Carmen's bed and she lay down.

TK watched Carmen gather up some of her books and then she left the room. TK curled up in Carmen's bed and she pulled Carmen's extra pillow into her body. It was then she caught a scent from the pillow and she inhaled deeply. She could smell the vanilla shampoo on the pillow and she could just catch a whiff of Carmen's natural scent. Her eyes popped open as she was suddenly awake. She inhaled again to catch more of Carmen's scent and she felt her body shiver. She had never noticed how nice Carmen had smelled before. She pulled the pillow in tighter to her body and she buried her head into the pillow that her head was on. She kept breathing in Carmen's scent until she fell asleep. She never heard Carmen come in a couple of hours later nor did she see the smile that came upon Carmen's face as she stood there and watched her sleep. Carmen let her sleep for a few hours and then she woke her back up. She then had TK get back to work on her studies. TK tried hard to study but her mind kept going back to the scent that was on Carmen's pillows and sheets. It was like the scent was locked firmly into her brain and she couldn't shake the smell from her brain.

That night as she went to sleep in her own bed, she tried to bring back to the smell of Carmen into her mind. She went to sleep thinking about Carmen and how much she meant to her. TK spent the rest of the weekend and the following week busy with her practices, her classes, and studying with Carmen. Her practices went better now that she could lay down a bunt most of the time and when they went back to regular hitting, TK did a lot better but not nearly as well as she did in high school. But she had by then come to the conclusion that she wasn't ever going to have a batting average that high, but she was wanting it over five hundred. Saturday they were having a practice game and it was decided it would be an upperclassmen against the lower classmen. TK was all for this as she was determined to kick some upperclassmen butt and thus earn her a starting position. She got the other players excited about this match-up and they quickly elected her their team caption. The coaches divided between the two teams and the underclassmen got Lagina with her husband Herman coaching the upperclassmen. They brought in real umpires to call the game and as they warmed up, TK noticed that Carmen was again sitting in the bleachers. There were more people there this day and it made it feel like a real game to TK. The upperclassmen got to be the home team so that meant that TK's team would bat first. The first batter struck out and the second batter drew a walk so that meant that when TK came up to bat there was a runner on first with one out. TK looked at Lagina who was signaling her to bunt. TK felt a nervous wave go through her just like she had when she went to take one of her statistics exams before Carmen came to her rescue. She knew that she could do it but she didn't have a lot of confidence in that ability. As she went to the batter's box, she happened to look up into the stands and she saw Carmen sitting there. Carmen chose that moment to give TK a smile as she motioned with her hands to bunt the ball. TK stepped into the batter's box feeling a lot more confident in her ability. TK turned her eyes to the pitcher and she got ready. The pitcher let the ball go and TK saw that it was going to be a rise ball but one she thought that she could handle. She got her bat up and she let the ball hit it taking her bat back at the point of impact to deaden it. The ball dropped down a few feet from the plate and it rolled toward the third basemen Monika, who ran in and picked up the ball as TK was running down the first base line. The ball got to the first baseman Vickie just as TK's foot hit the bag. It was a close call but the first base umpire called her safe. TK gave out a shout as she had done her job and done it well. Unfortunately the next two batters struck out so no one scored. The upperclassmen came to bat and they failed to get a run across either. The game was tight for three innings then the upperclassmen showed their experience and they put three runs across. TK's team got one back in the forth but then the upperclassmen put three more across in the fifth. The six was scoreless and then TK's team had their last chance and they made a go of it. The first three runners got on base and then TK came up. Shannon then got brave and went after her but she made too good of a pitch and TK got all of it sending it over the center field wall thus scoring four runs. The score was now six to five with the upperclassmen leading. TK knew they had a chance but then she saw the fire in the Shannon's eyes and she knew their chance just went out the window as the next three batters struck out. TK felt good about coming close but she really wanted to win. She hated losing even if the odds were stacked against them. Then the coaches got them all together and told them that for the first game it wasn't too bad but they all had a lot of work to do if they were going to complete for a championship. TK then went with the team to the locker room and they showered and got dressed. TK was one of the last ones out and when she opened the door she looked around just to see if Carmen was waiting for her not that she expected her to be. And when she first looked around she saw no one around and she felt disappointed as she really had hoped that Carmen would be there.

"You played a good game today." TK heard a familiar voice say from behind of her. She turned and looked up at the stands and she didn't see anyone at first but then she saw Carmen coming down.

"Thanks but we lost all the same." TK said and while she was depressed a moment before because that had lost but now she felt like they had won as Carmen had actually said something to her that didn't involve her schoolwork.

"And that homerun you hit, now that was a thing of beauty, I don't think anyone has hit one that far off of Shannon before." Carmen told her.

"She made a mistake and I took advantage of it. I bet she doesn't give me anything that sweet to hit again." TK said feeling good again; the lost was far from her mind now.

"Well you went a long way in securing a starting spot, I bet." Carmen told her.

"We'll see." TK said and she decided to take a chance by adding, "Would you like to go grab a bite to eat?"

"I might..." Carmen said and TK knew what Carmen was wanting from her and she knew that she was long overdue in giving it to her.

"I'm sorry about what I did after you did all that work to help me to understand statistics. I was being an inconsiderate asshole and I'm ashamed of how I acted toward you." TK told her.

"Just an inconsiderate asshole?" Carmen asked as she raised her right eyebrow.

"Ok I was an inconsiderate asshole of gigantic proportions." TK said and she saw that Carmen was unimpressed with her response, so she continued. "I was a big stupid inconsiderate asshole of gigantic proportions." TK said and still she hadn't impressed Carmen. "I was the biggest and stupidest inconsiderate asshole of gigantic proportions that this college has seen." And still no response from Carmen.

"I was the biggest and stupidest inconsiderate asshole of gigantic proportions that this city has ever seen." TK said trying again but again no response from Carmen.

"The biggest the state has seen?" TK asked wondering just how far Carmen would make her go and she saw that she hadn't gotten there yet.

"The biggest this side of the Mississippi?" TK said and still nothing from Carmen.

"You know you can stop me any time you want." TK told Carmen.

"You're getting close but you're not quite there yet." Carmen finally said and there was a hint of a smile behind her lips.

TK thought for a second and she put her hands on her hips and she said, "I was the biggest and stupidest inconsiderate asshole of gigantic proportions that this country has ever seen, no make that this world has ever seen."

"Bingo!" Carmen said and she finally gave TK that sly smile of her.

TK held out her arms and Carmen came to her and TK wrapped her arms around her. She hugged her tightly as she whispered into her ear, "I am sorry."

"I know and you're forgiven." Carmen told her.

TK held her a moment more and she could feel Carmen's body pressed against her and she could just barely smell Carmen's vanilla scented shampoo and the smell of her skin. Both of these scents seemed to make her heart skip a beat. TK wanted to hold her longer but she knew she needed to let her go. She had gotten Carmen back as a friend and she didn't want to do anything ruin it. She loosened her arms around Carmen but it seemed that Carmen was reluctant to let her go. Carmen held on a moment longer before releasing her. As TK stepped back, she looked into Carmen's eyes and she saw in those eyes a need that she had seen before but never paid any attention to until now. She knew that Carmen needed a friend in the worse way and now TK wanted to be that friend.

"So what about going and getting something to eat?" TK asked again as the silence had gone on long enough.

"Sure but can we just stop and get a burger or something." Carmen asked.

"That sounds good to me. I haven't had a nice juicy burger in a while and I'm definitely in the mood for one now, maybe even a shake to go with it." TK told her.

"Ooh that does sound good, I don't need a shake but I think you just talked me into it." Carmen told her.

"Then let's get our asses in gear girl." TK said as she turned with Carmen and began to walk from the ball field.

They walked for only a moment before Carmen began to talk and talk she did. She talked first about the game and how the team and how TK had played. She was very knowledgeable about how the game is played and TK listened carefully as to what Carmen thought. TK talked some but it was mostly Carmen talking. The conversation centered on softball as they got their burgers and shakes and then on though them eating them at a quiet place on campus. They then headed back toward their dorm or so TK thought. But as they got close, Carmen made a turn and TK was caught off guard and she had to turn quickly to keep up with Carmen who was now heading back toward the center of the campus. Carmen now switched the conversation to other things like hers and TK's childhood and she talked about how she grew up on the farm. TK had heard some about this before but now Carmen was going into much more detail. As they walked TK began to realize that Carmen had a need to talk and she let her. As evening drew on, Carmen began to talk about what it was like growing up as a genius. As Carmen talked about this, TK began to understand how hard it had been on Carmen as a child and even now. People shunned her because they feared her intelligence and TK now knew just how much she had hurt Carmen when she did the same thing. TK felt even worse about what she had done and her heart began to ache as Carmen talked. She wanted to tell Carmen to stop talking about how she was shunned by the other children and adults she came in contact to but she couldn't do that to her. Carmen needed to get this out of her system and TK knew that she needed to hear it. She also knew that Carmen wasn't telling her all this to make her feel bad. That wasn't in Carmen's nature to ever hurt anyone or make them feel bad. They walked and talked until long past nightfall had fallen but eventually Carmen ran out of words and she directed them toward the dorm.

"Oh god, I didn't realize how long we walked around talking. It seems that I have used up all our study time. I'm sorry." Carmen said as they got to her room.

"That's okay, I'm about caught up anyway and beside we have all of tomorrow to study since we won't have a team meeting." TK told her.

"That's good then, I don't feel so bad now. It's just that I felt a need to..." Carmen said.

"I know, it's cool and I didn't mind. I enjoyed listening to you and I guess I understand you better now and that is a good thing." TK told her as she smiled at her.

"Thanks, I appreciate it and I promise that I won't ever talk your ear off like that again." Carmen told her.

"To tell you the truth, I hope that is a promise that you won't keep. I want to think that the next time you find yourself needing to talk that I'll be there to listen." TK told her and she gave her what she hoped was the most genuine and sincere smile.

"You're too nice." Carmen said as she placed her hand on TK's forearm for a brief moment. The touch sent a shiver through TK's body.

"Well I guess I'll go back to my room and then we can go to breakfast early tomorrow morning.

"You could just..." Carmen started to say but then she stopped.

"I could what?" TK asked.

"Oh nothing, go on and get some sleep, I know that you must be tired after playing that game this afternoon and then walking all over the campus with me." Carmen told her but TK could see that Carmen really wanting to ask her something.

"I'm fine; playing a game isn't nearly as tiring as going through a practice." TK told her and she wondered if Carmen still needed to talk about something.

"It's cool, now go on and get some sleep and I'll do the same." Carmen told her but TK could see that Carmen was still holding something back from her.

"No, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is on your mind." TK said and then she added, "And I'm going to sit here until you tell me." TK then went over and sat down on Carmen's bed.

TK saw Carmen begin to smile just a wee bit and she saw that maybe she had done the right thing for once in her relationship with Carmen. TK saw that Carmen was thinking and then she saw that she was beginning to bite on her lower lip and TK knew that Carmen was unsure of her request but it was something that she needed to ask. TK kept quiet as Carmen made her decision as whether she should ask her question or not. Finally TK saw that Carmen had made her decision.

"Would you stay with me tonight, I just don't want to be alone." Carmen said and TK saw that Carmen's eyes were sheding tears. "I mean you could have my bed and I would sleep on the floor." Carmen quickly added.

"Oh Carmen you don't have to do that, we can both fit on your bed and I would be happy to stay with you." TK told her as she got up and came to Carmen and took her into her arms hugging her.

"It's just that I have been so alone for so long, I just need a friend for a while." Carmen whispered to her and TK could feel the tears coming from Carmen's eyes on her shoulder as they fell.

TK hugged her tighter and she whispered into Carmen's ear, "You got a friend in me for as long as you need me. But I must warn you that you may regret having an asshole as big as I am as your friend." TK then heard Carmen giggle and she knew that putting herself down was the right thing to do as it put some humor into such a serious situation. TK then pulled back and she tenderly wiped the tears from Carmen's eyes. "Now go take a shower and I'll go do the same. And when I come back I'll bring my books so that we can get back to studying first time in the morning. How does that sound?"

"It sounds good to me and thanks." Carmen said as she stepped from TK's arms.

"Oh yes, before I forget, I've been told that I snore so bad that the walls raddled." TK said as she went out the door and she heard Carmen laughing at her remark.

When TK got outside of the room, she walked down the hallway and she wondered if she should have told Carmen that she was a lesbian but she knew this wasn't the right time to do that. She knew that Carmen needed her and she would just have to be on her best behavior. She would wait for another time to tell Carmen about who and what she was. She went on into her room and she was thankful that Buffy was still out. She got her books together and she decided to go ahead and take her laptop with her. She then grabbed her clothes for tomorrow and a tee shirt to wear to bed. She went on into the bathroom and she turned on the shower. As she washed her hair, the scent of Carmen's shampoo came to her mind and then she remembered how Carmen's body felt against her when she had hugged her a few minutes before. TK felt her nipples begin to tighten and she felt a tingle in her pussy. She had grown up playing sports with girls and she had seen them all naked numerous times and she only felt anything sexual when she felt something for the person. She knew her body was only reacting to the thought of sleeping with Carmen in her bed because she felt something for her. She knew she was in dangerous territory here. She needed to be a friend to Carmen and she wanted to be but now she knew that she had become attracted to her. She began to wonder if that wasn't another reason that she shunned Carmen because she didn't want to fall in love with her. But it was too late to turn back now, she had to go down to Carmen's room and have her sleep next to her and there was no way they could sleep on that tiny bed without their bodies touching. TK told herself that this was a one night thing and she could handle it but what she didn't know was if she could keep her feelings from Carmen. TK knew when she fell for a girl, she fell hard and she knew that she was falling for her. And the fact that Carmen needed her just made her want Carmen more. She just wanted to hug her to her body and take care of her. "Oh god, what have I gotten myself into now." TK thought to herself as she went back to washing her hair and then her body careful not to spend too much time on her breasts or pussy. She didn't need to go to Carmen's room horny as hell. She got it all together before she got her stuff and headed toward Carmen's room.

She knocked lightly on Carmen's door and the door open and the sight of Carmen standing there in a long sleeve men's shirt that went down to Carmen's thighs. TK saw Carmen's legs for the first time and they were very nice looking. But what really caught TK's eyes was Carman's long black hair. TK had always seen it up in a clip but now it was down and it appeared to go all the way down to Carmen's butt.

"Oh god Carmen, your hair is beautiful." TK said without thinking.

"Thank you." Carmen said blushing as she took TK's books from her and put them down on the desk.

TK followed her inside and she put her laptop down as well as her clothes that she had brought along for the next day. Then she reached up and let her fingers glide through Carmen's hair and she found it soft and fine. "I can't believe how long it is, I would never have dreamed that all that hair was in that clip that you wear."

"It wouldn't if it wasn't so fine and that is really the only thing I can do with it is to put it up." Carmen said.

"Oh I'm sorry." TK said as she realized that she was still playing with Carmen's hair.

"That's okay, I don't mind." Carmen said and that left TK wondering what she was saying.

"When was the last time you have had it cut?" TK asked as she took her fingers away from Carmen's hair.

"Actually I've never had it cut, just trimmed. When I was little I saw a woman with her hair down to her feet and I wanted mine that long but my mother said once it got down to my butt, I had to start trimming it. So once a month, I get my scissors out and trim it." Carmen told her.

"You do it yourself?" TK asked not believing Carmen would dare to cut her own hair even if she was just trimming it.

"Actually, I'm afraid to go to a beauty salon for fear that they cut off too much." Carmen told her.

"Well it is beautiful." TK said as she sat down on Carmen's bed.

"Well thank you again." Carmen said blushing again then she changed the subject by saying. "Well I don't know about you but I think it is about time to hit the sack. "You can have the bed and I'll make myself a place here on the floor."

"Now I told you that we can both fit on this bed and I would never be able to sleep if I know you are on this hard floor. So get your butt into this bed and I'll get the lights." TK told her as she got up and went over to the light that was above Carmen's desk. When she got to the desk she turned and watched as Carmen bend over. Her shirt slipped up and TK saw more of Carmen's thighs. The shirt was big and long enough that it didn't reveal any of her ass but it was close to doing that. TK then began to undo her jeans and slip them off. She noticed that Carmen was watching her as she got into the bed. TK quickly removed her jeans and she pulled down on her sleep shirt so that it covered her panties. She was thankful that she worn one of her better pair and not the ragged one that she usually wore to bed. TK then turned off the light and felt her way around to the other side of the bed. The room was very dark and she had a little trouble getting around the bed but she got there and then she slipped into the bed. The bed was only a twin and there was no way for two people to lie in one without some part of their bodies touching. TK turned onto her left side and she could feel Carmen's breath close to her face.

"I do appreciate you doing this for me. I know I'm being a big baby but..." Carmen was saying until TK stopped her.

"It's cool and don't worry about it anymore." TK assured her.

"I still feel like a big baby." Carmen said.

"Well that's better than being the biggest asshole in the world." TK said and then she heard Carmen giggle.

"So you think that is funny do you. Well just wait until I start to snore tonight." TK told her and that just made Carmen giggle more.

"I think someone has gotten her giggle box going." TK said and then she reached over and she started to tickle Carmen's side.

"Nooo don't I'mmm vvvery ttticklish." Carmen sputtered out as she started to laugh and squirm. This only made TK tickle her more and Carmen was trying to push her hands away as she laughed. TK kept on tickling her until she saw that Carmen was about to lose her breath and then she stopped and she watched Carmen laugh for a few moments more. It made her feel good to see Carmen laugh and feel good about things.

"You know I'll get you back." Carmen said as she reached out to TK's side and tried to tickle her.

"Sorry, I'm not ticklish." TK said laughing in good fun at Carmen.

"Well I'll think of something don't you worry." Carmen declared as she settled back down.

"Well I'll let you sleep on it." TK said as she leaned over and kissed Carmen's forehead and then she turned onto her back to go to sleep. As she settled down she felt Carmen snuggle up against her and she felt her head on her shoulder. TK by reflex slipped her arm around Carmen's shoulders and pulled her in close. She turned her head toward Carmen and she could smell her freshly washed hair and she felt herself wanting Carmen even more. She fought that feeling but she feared that it was going to get the best of her in the end. She heard Carmen's breathing begin to change and she knew that she had fallen asleep. TK lay awake for a while thinking about the girl lying in her arms. She could feel Carmen's left breast pressed against her side and it felt nice. She could also see herself liking having Carmen beside of her. Slowly she fell asleep and her dreams were about a long blacked hair girl.

When she woke up the next morning she found that she was alone in the bed. She opened her eyes and saw that Carmen was back in her sweat suit and her long hair was put back up in a clip. She was sitting in her chair working on her computer.

"Good morning." TK said as she sat up.

"Morning to you, did you sleep okay?" Carmen asked as she turned in her seat and she gave TK a smile.

"Yea, just fine, how about you, did I snore too loud?" TK asked.

"I slept great and if you snored, I didn't hear it." Carmen said smiling. "Go ahead and get dressed and we'll go for breakfast."

"What if I want to just lie here all day and sleep?" TK asked wondering what Carmen would say.

"Hey I gave you yesterday off, today I plan on working your ass off to make up for it." Carmen said but she was smiling as she said it.

"A slave driver is what you are." TK told her with a little pout that she was faking.

"I told you that I would get you back for tickling me last night." Carmen said back to her.

"That you did but now I know your weak point." TK said as she got out of the bed and stretched which caused her sleep shirt to ride up exposing her panties and she saw that Carmen was looking at her very intensely. TK didn't bother to pull the shirt back down as she walked into the bathroom and she knew that Carmen was watching her every move.

After breakfast they went back to studying. TK did pretty well and she really didn't have many questions for Carmen this day. She began to wonder if just having Carmen there beside of her made her relax and she was able to take more of what she was reading in. She had a test in her English class the next day and she spent most of her time studying for it but that was one of her better subjects so she didn't have to study long for it. Around two, she closed her books amazed that she had gotten so much done is just a few hours.

"I'm done for the day; I think I'll go do some laundry before I run out of panties." TK told Carmen as Carmen took a break from her computer.

"That's cool, I need to run over to the lab and do some things for a couple of hours." Carmen said, "We can meet back here then and go get something to eat, if you like." She went on saying.

"Sure, that sounds fine. Hey, do you have any laundry that needs doing?" TK asked as she got up.

"I can't ask you to do my laundry, I can do it tomorrow." Carmen told her.

"Hey, I'm going to do mine anyway and it wouldn't be that much harder to add yours to mine. I mean it will just mean that I do a full load instead of a half load. So where do you keep your dirty clothes and I'll get then before I go." TK told her.

"You don't mind?" Carmen asked.

"If I minded then I wouldn't have asked. So where is it before I change my mind and make you do mine with yours tomorrow." TK told her.

Carmen giggled at the threat and then she said, "Thanks, I do appreciate you doing mine, I really hate to wash clothes." Carmen said smiling as she went to her closet and pulled out a laundry bag stuffed full of clothes and then a second bag full of clothes."

"You do hate to do laundry don't you?" TK said laughing at the two bags stuffed full of clothes.

"I have to admit that I put it off for as long as possible. You really don't mind do you?" Carmen said and then asked.

"I said I didn't mind didn't I?" TK said as she grabbed both bags of clothes. "Besides, it's the least I can do for all the help that you have given me." TK added as she left Carmen's room with the two bags hung over her shoulders and the extra key to Carmen's room that she had given her.

"See you in a couple of hours." TK heard Carmen call after her as she went down the hall.

She went on the her own room and grabbed her laundry which also included two bags as she didn't like to do laundry any more than Carmen did but she wasn't going to tell Carmen that. She got her laundry detergent and stuff and put them in another bag. Then she tried to figure out how she was going to get it all down to the basement where the washing machines were. She finally tied the bags together and she dragged them down the hallway to the elevator. She normally took the stairs so that she could work out her muscles but with all this laundry she knew that the elevator was the way to go. She muscled the clothes on down to the laundry and she was thankful that no one else was there. That meant that she could take as many washing machines as she wanted. She opened three of the washing machines, one for whites, one for colored clothes, and one for the permanent press clothes. She opened the first bag and it happened to be Carmen's clothes. She pulled out a pair of sweat pants and put it in the machine for colored clothes. She reached in and the next thing she pulled out was a pair of Carmen's white cotton panties. There was nothing special about them and she suspected that all of Carmen's underclothes would be like this pair of panties, plain, white cotton. She started to put then in the washer when she noticed a little stain in the crotch area. She also noticed that they were still a little damp so she knew that they much have been the pair that she wore last night. She started to pull them up to her nose and then she realized what she was doing and stopped. She couldn't believe that she was about to sniff Carmen's panties like some pervert. She started to throw them into the machine when she found she couldn't resist and she brought the panties to her nose. She inhaled and she could smell Carmen's womanly scent and she could tell that Carmen had been aroused when she had worn them last. She loved her smell and it reminded her of how long it had been since she last had her mouth on a women's pussy and how much she missed it. She then thought she heard someone outside of the entry to the laundry and she threw the panties into the washing machine before they walked in and saw her sniffing panties. Whoever it was, if there even someone, never came in but she stopped sniffing Carmen's panties. As she went through Carmen's clothes, she did notice that Carmen's bras were of white cotton material and made for comfort and not style. Another thing that she noticed was that Carmen's breasts were around a large B to small C cup. With the loose clothes that Carmen wore, she really had no idea as to what her body looked like. She had seen her legs last night and she knew that Carmen wasn't fat nor skinny but beyond that, she had no clue. But from the clues that TK was getting from Carmen's panties and bras, Carmen appeared to have a nice body to go with her beautiful hair. TK ended up having to go to a forth washer to wash all of Carmen's sweat suits. In fact all that Carmen had in her laundry were socks, panties, bras and sweat pants and sweat shirts with the sleeves cut out of all of them and the men's shirts that she slept in. TK had never seen her wear anything but these things and she wonders if Carmen owned any jeans or dress clothes. Once everything was in the washers, she sat down and pulled out her notebook that contained all the signals that their team used. The coaches used hand signals to signal in plays and she wanted to make sure that she didn't miss a sign from one of her coaches. As she studied them, she also practiced doing them to make her more familiar with them. And she also decided a little exercise was in order so when she got tired of going over the signals, she went to the stairway and she would run up four flights of stairs and then run back down. This really worked her leg muscles as well as gave her lungs a good workout. It took her about two hours to do the laundry and that included running back upstairs and pulling the sheets off both her bed and Carmen's bed and washing them along with the towels. Once all the clothes were dried and folded, she carefully placed them back into the clean laundry bags and she dragged them up the stairs. By the time that she got all four bags to Carmen's room, she was soaked in sweat from the strain and the fact that she had been running the stairs for the last hour or so. She placed the bags of hers and Carmen's clothes on Carmen's bed and then she decided that she needed a shower real bad. She really didn't want to go get something to eat with Carmen when she smelled bad. She got one of her towels and she started to go down the hall to her room and then she decided to just use Carmen's bathroom since it was right there. She grabbed some clean clothes and she went on into the bathroom. Just as she was finishing, she heard a little knock on the door and then the door opening a crack.

"Is that you TK?" She heard Carmen ask.

"No it's the shower monster and as soon as I'm clean, I'm coming out there to get you." TK called back to her and then she heard Carmen giggle. "I'll be out in a minute. I hope you don't mind me using your shower. I was too lazy to walk down to my room after running the stairs for the last hour."

"Why were you running the stairs?" Carmen asked through the door as TK was turning off the shower.

"Just to get some exercise and I figured it would be a good workout for my legs." TK said as she stepped from the shower and grabbed her towel to dry off.

"Oh okay, that would be good for your thigh muscles. Are you about ready to go get something to eat?" Carmen asked.

"Yea just let me get dried and dressed." TK told her.

When she came out, Carmen was back at her computer and she worked for just a moment more then she saved her work and they went to eat leaving both of their clothes on the bed. They took their time eating and Carmen got TK to talk about playing softball and made her describe over and over again what it felt like when she had hit the grand slam the previous day.

"You want to watch a movie?" Carmen asked as they entered her room.

"Sure, what movies do you have?" TK asked as she started to pull open one of Carmen's laundry bags to help her put her clothes up.

"Just leave that be, I'll do it later." Carmen said as she went to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer and TK could see that it was full of DVD's.

"Where did you get all those movies?" TK asked and then she saw that Carmen was smiling as she closed that drawer and pulled open the next one down and it was just as full of movies. "Damn girl, do you have every movie that has been made?"

"Pretty close," Carmen said as she giggled and then she got serious and she said, "When I first got here, I was pretty homesick and my mom sent me all of my favorite movies and then she kept sending more so that I would have something to do and to keep my mind occupied. She knew that I really get into movies and that I could lose myself in them and thus I wouldn't feel so alone. And since then, my family would keep sending me more movies, anything that they saw and liked, they would send me a copy."

TK felt for her all the more and she knew that Carmen had been so lonely but now she had a friend and that was her. "Well you pick one and we'll watch it." She told her as she pulled the laundry bags off the bed and she put the sheets on as Carmen went through the movies and TK could see that she was looking for the perfect one as she kept picking one up and then putting it down and going for another one. TK had the bed made and was about to just tell Carmen to pick one when she saw Carmen pick one up and she smiled. Carmen put the DVD into her player and she turned on the TV but she didn't start it.

"You want some popcorn; you can't watch a movie without popcorn." Carmen declared as she went to another drawer in her dresser and pulled out a bag and put it into her small microwave and started it.

"Sure, some popcorn would be great." TK replied even thought she really didn't have a choice since Carmen had already started to make it. Carmen then got them both a diet coke and once the popcorn was done, she put it at the foot of the bed and she laid down facing the TV and then she padded the bed. TK lay down beside of her and then Carmen picked up the remote and started the movie and it was only then that TK discovered what they were watching. It was a romantic comedy that TK had always wanted to see but with her softball schedule, she never got around to.

As they watched the movie, TK was very conscious of Carmen's body as they lay next to each other and when Carmen laughed, her whole body shook. TK could tell that Carmen ready did get into the movie and she could see her eyes light up when she laughed at the characters in the movie. The only time that Carmen seemed to come back to reality was when they both reached into the bag of popcorn and their hands would touch. She could see Carmen's eyes glance down at her hand and then she would take it away then she would pause for a second and look at her hand. It was very cute to watch but it also indicated something else to TK and TK herself wasn't completely unaffected by the touch. When that movie was over, Carmen decided that another movie was in order since it wasn't all that late and neither of them had to get up real early for class. She jumped up and searched for another movie and not taking as much time in choosing a movie, she then took the old movie out and put the new one in. This one was a movie that while not a horror movie, it did have a lot of suspense and it make you more than a little scared at times wondering what was happening and what was going to happen next.

"I guess I had better be going." TK said as the movie ended.

Carmen turned and looked at TK and she had this sad look in her eyes. It was like TK felt after a big win and she was back home and the excitement had died down. She wanted to go back to the game and relive those moments all over again. Carmen didn't say anything as she got up and she helped TK get her two bags of clothes but then as TK got to the door Carmen placed her hand on her shoulder turning her around.

"Could you... Could you stay one more night?" Carmen said and she looked into TK eyes.

TK hesitated for a second wondering what to say and then she saw Carmen's mouth turn up slightly giving her that shy smile of hers. "Sure." TK heard herself saying.

"Thanks, I know that I'm being a baby again but I just need..." Carmen was saying when TK put her finger to Carmen's lips.

"It's cool, I don't mind at all." TK said and she knew that she didn't mind at this moment in time. He put her bags of laundry down by the bed and she let Carmen go to the bathroom and get ready for bed first. She then sat down on the bed and wondered where this was all going and she wasn't sure herself. She just felt like Carmen really needed her and in a way she needed Carmen. And it was more than just Carmen helping her with her school work. Before she got too caught up in her thoughts, Carmen came out of the bathroom with her long shirt on and her hair down. It almost took TK's breath away; she just loved the way Carmen's hair looked on her. She was half afraid to say anything, so she just smiled and got her tee shirt and went into the bathroom. When she came out, Carmen was already in bed and she went over to the light and turned it off. She then felt her way to the other side of the bed and she slipped in beside of Carmen.

"Sweet dreams," TK told Carmen as she felt her snuggle in close to her like she did the night before. TK put her arm around Carmen's shoulders and pulled her in a little closer and she could feel Carmen's warm body pressed against her.

"Sweet dreams to you too." Carmen said as she laid her head down on TK's shoulder.

TK turned her head and she kissed Carmen's forehead and she heard Carmen let out a contented sigh. TK then laid her head back down on the pillow and slowly fell asleep with her friend lying against her. The next morning when TK woke up, she found that she was again in the bed alone. She opened her eyes and she wasn't surprised to see Carmen back at her computer typing away. She wondered just when she had gotten up.

"Morning," TK said to her sleepily as she stretched. She saw Carmen jump and then she turned around to face her.

"You scared me, when did you wake up?" Carmen asked as she swung her seat around to face TK.

"Just now but the question is, when did you get up?" TK asked her as she got out of bed.

"Not long ago, I was just doing some work. I hope that I didn't wake you." Carmen asked.

"No, it was time for me to get up. I'm not putting you behind in your work by asking for all your help, am I?" TK asked her.

"Oh no, you know me, I'm always working ahead on all my stuff. This is just some stuff that I'm working on my own and really doesn't have anything to do with my school work. It's just something that Dr. Langley and I are working on. We are hoping to publish our work some day.

"Well let me know if I'm taking too much of your time." TK told her as she went to the bathroom and she could almost feel Carmen's eyes upon her back. She also thought that she heard Carmen whisper, "You can never take up too much of my time." but TK wasn't sure that was what Carmen had said or not.

Once TK finished in the bathroom, she went with Carmen to breakfast and then they went their own ways to their classes. TK did well, she thought, with her English exam but then she wasn't too worried about it. Her other classes went pretty good too and then she went to practice. The coaches announced that the game on Saturday would pit the starters against the rest of the team but the work they did that week would determined just who would be a starter and who would be on the second team. If you worked hard, they said, then you could end up as a starter, if you didn't then you have to play them and try to earn your way to a starting position that way. TK was determined to be on the starting squad and she worked hard that day trying to prove that she was one of the best on the team but most of the team had been high school All Americans. So making the starting team wasn't going to be easy. The practice was two hours long and TK worked her ass off the whole time but so did everyone else and she wasn't sure she made much progress toward earning a spot on the starting team. When she got back to her room, she was glad to see that Buffy wasn't there. She didn't want to have to explain where she had been the last two nights. She just didn't know how to explain it to her about Carmen and their friendship. She then lay down in her bed for a short nap. But as she tried to go to sleep she found that she missed having Carmen lying against her and she missed smelling the vanilla shampoo that Carmen used. She had to lay there longer than necessary before she fell on off to sleep and when she woke up a couple of hours later she felt refreshed and ready to take on her statistics homework, plus what was added to her today from the classes that she just had. She ran a brush through her hair and she went on down to Carmen's room. She let herself in after knocking and getting no answer. She started to study and it wasn't long before Carmen came in with her laptop.

"How was your day?" Carmen asked as she put her laptop down and she peered over TK's shoulder to see what she was doing. "Need any help?"

"Not yet but I do need something to eat." TK told her.

"And what do you want me to do about that?" Carmen asked her as she arched her right eyebrow.

"I expect you to take me to a five star restaurant and then buy me the most expensive thing that they have on the menu." TK said smiling wondering what Carmen would come up with.

"I know just the place, come on." Carmen told her. And then she headed out the door and TK had to hurry to catch up with her but she grabbed her dinning card just to make sure.

TK talked to Carmen about how the coaches were going to play the starters against the rest of the team but the starters was going to be determined by how they practiced this week. She then told her that she was going to be a starter.

"You know you got Monika and Vickie playing third and first base ahead of you and their both seniors and they're good. They know what they are up against and they don't want to lose their starting spots to a freshman." Carmen told her as they walked.

"You don't think I'm good enough to play as a freshman?" TK said slightly hurt by what Carmen was telling her.

"I didn't say that." Carmen said as she stopped walking and turned to face her. "What I was trying to say was that you have an uphill battle. The coaches are going to go with experience until they know just how good you are. I just don't want you to be too disappointed if you don't make the starting team right now. You got all of this week to impress the coaches and when you start real practice starting in February. That is when the true starters will be picked. And if you don't start the first game, I do know that you will play. You're too good for them not to play you but you have to earn your stripes. I've been watching these coaches for two years now and I know how they think. They will put the best girls out on the field so that they can win. You will play; I promise you that but don't put all your eggs in this one basket. You see what I'm trying to tell you?"

"Yea, that you don't think I'm good enough." TK said and she put this big pout on her face.

"No...no, that's not what I'm saying." Carmen said in a rush and then TK started to laugh and she saw Carmen's face turn to confusion and then she realized what TK had done to her. "Oh you scared me to death there." Carmen said and then she punched TK on the upper arm.

"Ouch! That hurt!" TK cried out.

"Well you deserve it for doing that to me." Carmen said.

"I couldn't help myself." TK said as she gave Carmen a little hug.

"But you do understand what I'm trying to tell you." Carmen asked as she arched her eyebrows.

"Yea, I know it will be hard to crack the starting lineup but I want to try, if not in the beginning of the season then by the end. But I'm still going to try and out work them this week." TK told her.

"Yea, you want to impress the coaches, I just didn't want you to get hurt by not getting what you so desperately wanted." Carmen said and TK could see in Carmen's eyes that she knew from personal experience what she was talking about and then Carmen took her hand and started on down the path that they were going until they got to a building. Carmen led TK around the side and stopped before the sign in front, which had "Five Star Dining Room" written on it and then TK realized that it was located next to the astrophysics building.

"I should have known." TK said with a laugh as she looked at the five stars that were engraved on the sign surrounding the name of the dining room.

"You said that you wanted me to take you to a five star restaurant, well here we are." Carmen said smiling from ear to ear.

"One of these days, I'm going to find something you don't have an answer to." TK said as she laughed.

"Maybe..." Carmen said still smiling and then they went into the Five Star Dining room and had their dinner.

That evening they studied and talked as they took a few breaks. TK had gotten caught up with her studies and with Carmen's help in statistics; she didn't have to put in as much studying time. It made her life easier and she wasn't as worried about the next semester when she would be away from her classes when they had away games. They worked until about eleven, when TK closed her books.

"I'll guess I'll grab my things and head on off to bed." TK told Carmen and she saw Carmen look at her. She could see something in those eyes and she wondered if Carmen would ask her to stay another night but she didn't say anything for a moment.

"Okay," Carmen replied and TK could see the sadness in her eyes. TK knew that Carmen wanted to ask her to stay but couldn't bring herself to ask.

TK wanted to look away from Carmen's eyes but she couldn't. She knew what Carmen wanted her to do and she knew if she stayed tonight, she would never be able to leave. She also knew that if she continued to share Carmen's bed, she would start to feel more for her and that would lead to other things. TK began to really look at Carmen trying to decide what she wanted from her. She knew that Carmen had been hurt by a lot of people and that she was very lonely. She also knew the part of Carmen that no one else other than her family had bothered to see. Carmen was a very sweet girl and she did care for her but was she ready to make a commitment to Carmen and by staying tonight she would be doing just that. TK sat there looking into Carmen's eyes as neither of them spoke. Carmen wasn't going to push her into staying and TK knew that. But that didn't make it easier for her to decide. TK tried to look past the lonely girl that sat in front of her and look into her soul and there she saw a young woman that had the purest heart that she would ever encounter. TK then got up and she saw Carmen's mouth turn down and she could see that Carmen's eyes grow moist. She knew that she really didn't have a decision to make, that decision was made at the moment she knocked on Carmen's door for the first time.

TK walked toward the two laundry bags that held her clothes and she opened one. She reached down and pulled out a clean sleep shirt and a clean pair of panties and then without saying a word, she walked into Carmen's bathroom. She closed the door behind of her and she felt her knees go weak. She felt a wave of fear go through her. The fear wasn't from being seen as Carmen's girlfriend but from her own fear that she could do right by her. In all her relationships before, she was always in control and she knew that she had taken them lightly. She was just having fun and so were they but this was serious, this relationship was the real thing and she wasn't sure that she could do right by Carmen. "Oh god, don't let me fuck this up." TK said to herself and she went to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face. She then brushed her teeth and peed before changing into her sleep clothes.

She opened the door and she saw Carmen quickly turn back into her seat and started to type on her computer. TK didn't say anything but she knew that Carmen was watching the bathroom door and seeing what she would do. TK went on over to the bed and she glanced at Carmen's computer screen and she saw that she was just typing on a blank page and TK wanted to smile. She didn't let on that she knew that Carmen was faking what she was doing. TK went on to the bed and slipped under the covers.

"Night." TK said to Carmen as she turned away from Carmen but as she did that she noticed that Carmen was wiping her eyes so she knew that she was crying.

"Night," Carmen said and TK could just hear a break in her voice and she knew that she was doing the right thing.

TK had just fallen into a light sleep when she felt Carmen slipping into the bed beside of her. TK turned over onto her back and she put her arm around Carmen's shoulders and pulled her in close. Then just as she was slipping into sleep she felt something warm and moist briefly touch her lips. TK tried to wake back up but she was too far gone.

The next morning, she actually woke up before Carmen did and she looked at Carmen's peaceful face as she slept. The tension that she had always seen in Carmen's face was gone, she just seemed contented and at peace with her world. TK felt her bladder talking to her so she slipped out of the bed and went to the bathroom. She pulled her panties down and sat on the toilet and started to pee. She thought about the night before and she then she remembered what had happened when Carmen had came to the bed. She remembered feeling something moist on her lips and then it hit her. "That little minx kissed me!" TK realized and she had to smile. "I can't believe that she did that! I didn't think she had it in her." TK thought. TK couldn't stop smiling as she finished her business and she turned on the shower and washed.

"Morning," TK said as she came out of the bathroom and she saw Carmen sitting on the edge of the bed. She wanted to ask Carmen about the kiss but she decided to wait for another time and see just what Carmen would do.

"Morning," Carmen said as she smiled at TK. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yea..." TK said and started to say something else but about that time, Carmen got up and came to her. She gave her a quick hug and then she went on into the bathroom. TK was so surprised by the hug that whatever she was going to say was lost.

When Carmen came out of the bathroom, TK got her books and she with Carmen went on to breakfast. As they talked along the way TK couldn't help but to look at Carmen in a different way. She knew that her attraction to Carmen was becoming more real and now she knew for sure that Carmen was having those same feelings. Knowing that still didn't help her with knowing what to do next. Carmen wasn't someone that you could just push herself upon. She knew that she had to go easy and let Carmen take it where she wanted it to go when she wanted to go there. They talked about school and what Carmen was working on with her professor as they ate breakfast and then they went their separate ways.

Practice didn't go as well as TK would have liked, the coaches yelled at her but then they yelled at almost all the players. Then TK had to miss up on her bunt attempt and she took her bat and started to run toward the outfield carrying the bat in the bunting position. She hated doing this however she wasn't the only one to do that during the practice. The only good part of the practice was when she looked into the stands and she saw that Carmen had arrived. She only hoped at that point that Carmen didn't see her screw up her bunting attempt. Then later on when she was fielding a ball, it made a weird bounce and she missed it. One of the coaches yelled at her and knowing that Carmen had seen her mess up made her feel all the worse.

"How you doing?" Carmen asked her as she came out of the locker room.

"Terrible, I just want to go to bed and forget this day ever happened. I don't think that I've played any worse than I did today. I looked like a freshmen who didn't know what the fuck I was doing." TK told her.

"You didn't do all that bad, you just messed up on that ground ball and then you bunted it into the air again. Other than those two small errors, you did great." Carmen told her and TK cringed knowing that Carmen did indeed see her screw up her bunt attempt.

"I was hoping that you missed the bunt attempt." TK said referring to her bunt.

"Hey you're not perfect, no one is and I saw a lot of the other players mess up too, you weren't the only one. That is what practice is for, to get better. I'm the perfect one of the two of us." Carmen said and TK turned and saw that she was smiling.

"Oh you are, are you?" TK asked in mock surprise.

"Yea, didn't you know that?" Carmen said.

"I guess I do now." TK said as she reached over and pushed Carmen on the arm making her go off the walkway.

"I need to do some things, why don't you go to the room and take a nap and then when I get there, we'll go eat." Carmen told her as they got to a fork in the walkway.

TK noticed that Carmen said the room and not her room. "Okay, are you going to take me to another five star restaurant?" TK asked.

"I might." Carmen said giving TK her sly smile that made TK lose her whole train of thought and then she felt Carmen's hand on her shoulders and she pushed her hard making her fall backwards and she landed on her butt. Carmen then took off giggling, leaving TK sitting in the grass laughing at her friend.

"Time to get up." TK heard as she felt a hand shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Carmen looking down at her.

"Oh man what time is it?" TK said as she sat up.

"It's a little before six, you've been asleep for a couple of hours." Carmen said as she held out her hand to help her off the bed. TK took her hand and it felt right to be holding onto Carmen's small hand. She let Carmen pull her up and she went on to the bathroom.

TK studied until about eleven and then she got ready for bed. She lay down on the bed and listened to some music on her IPod until Carman was ready to hit the sack. When Carmen came out of the bathroom, TK held the covers up of her and she slid in beside of her. They talked for a while until they both got sleepy. TK was determined to stay awake to see if Carmen would kiss her again but Carmen just snuggled up against her. TK felt her eyes get heavy and then when she was almost asleep she felt that warm moist feeling on her lips. It wasn't until she was in the bathroom the next morning that she realized that Carmen had kissed her again and that made her feel good.

This day's practice was better than Tuesdays was but TK feared that her chance of making the starting team was already damaged beyond repair but she still tried her hardest. But when the practice was over and she was walking back to the dorm with Carmen, she kept going over what she had done wrong as Carmen kept pointing out what she did right. The fact that Carmen was trying her best to make her feel better helped a little but not much. That night again she tried to stay awake long enough to catch Carmen kissing her, waiting until she knew that Carmen was asleep before she let herself fall asleep but when she woke up that next morning, she knew that Carmen had gotten her again. She remembered in her half sleep state those sweet lips touching hers yet again. She didn't know just how Carmen knew just the exact right moment to kiss her but she did. The same thing happened Thursday and Friday night and TK gave up trying to catch Carmen in the act, she just enjoyed the feeling of waking up in the morning knowing that Carmen had kissed her.

Saturday morning came and TK was nervous about what her fate would be with the softball team. Carmen gave her what encouragement she could and then sent her on her way promising to be at the field before the game was to start. When she got to the locker room, most of the other players were already there and most seemed just as nervous as she was. There were only a few that seemed to be confident but then they were the players who had been starting for most of their time there and they knew their jobs and they did them well. They had been through this before and they worked the room keeping everyone up and ready to play. They were the leaders of the team and they took their role seriously. Then Herman came into the locker room once everyone was in their uniforms and they announced their decision. They first read off the list of names of the players on the starting team and they went pretty much as expected. TK kept her hopes up until she heard Monika and Vickie's names called and she knew that she was among the second teamers. She hid her disappointment and she tried to be positive about the situation. The only real surprise came when Megan and not Shannon was named to be on the starting team. Megan was a good pitcher but Shannon was set to break a bunch of records that year. TK looked over at Shannon and saw that she was neither surprised nor disappointed. This really puzzled TK as if that had happened to her, she would have been heartbroken. They all then went out on the field to warm up and she saw that Carmen was already in the stands and she gave her a big smile that made Carmen feel a little better. They all warmed up and then it was time to start the game. The starters were the home team so TK's team got to bat first. TK was set to bat third and the first two batters were struck out. TK came up and she looked to Herman, who was their coach for this game, and he gave the sign to swing away. TK then looked into the stands and found Carmen who flashed her a big smile, and only then did she step into the batter's box. Megan got her to swing at the first pitch and she missed it by a mile. She knew that Megan was hyped up of this game so she stepped out of the batter's box and took a practice swing or two. Then she got back into the box. Megan gave her two pitches that TK laid off of and she was up two balls to one strike. Megan then gave her a decent ball to hit and TK lined it into center field and she made it to second base. The next batter was able to get a single off of Megan and TK came home scoring the first run. But that was all they got off of Megan and then it was the starters turn to bat. Shannon came out to the pitching circle and she warmed up. She thought to herself that she was glad that she didn't have to bat against her as she was like Megan and she was hyped for the game. It was then she realized that there was a method to the coaches' madness. Shannon was on the second team not because she didn't practice hard enough but because the coaches wanted the starts to bat against the best pitcher. She then knew why Shannon wasn't upset as this made her pitch against the best hitters and Shannon was like her, she loved a challenge. The starters only managed one hit against Shannon in their half of the inning. The game went on and it was tight throughout the game. TK's team was tied with the starters until the seventh inning which was the last inning in softball. When TK came up to bat there was a runner at second with two outs, She looked to her coach and then to Carmen and she stepped into the batter's box. She got ready to hit when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the catcher had stood up. She knew that they had decided to walk her since they hadn't been able to get her out all day. It was at this time that Herman came onto the field and motioned for his wife to come over and the whole team watched as they argued about what was going on. TK wanted to laugh but she knew better. The argument went on for a while before it was finally settled. TK went back into the batter's box. TK glanced down and she noticed that the catcher was back in her normal squatting position. TK got ready for the pitch and Megan gave her a rise ball but she didn't get it high enough and TK sent it over the right field fence for a homerun. As she went around first base, she saw Herman pumping his fist and then she glanced over at his wife who was giving him the finger. TK did giggle this time as she ran around the bases. She knew that both of the coaches were very competitive so they both wanted to win this game. When the starters came to bat, TK was confident that they would win with Shannon pitching but then she made two bad pitches in the inning and they both went over the left field fence. The game ended in a tie and TK felt good about her day, she went five for five with a home run so all in all she had a great day. When they got to the locker room, she saw that Herman and Lagina had obviously made up and were no longer angry with each other, if they were ever angry to begin with. They announced that there would be a cookout at their house at seven and each player was allowed to bring one guest. This was something that the coaches did every year after the end of fall practice, TK later learned.

"Great game!" Carmen said excitedly as she came up and gave TK a hug that went on for a bit longer than was necessary but TK didn't mind as she hugged Carmen back.

"Thanks, it felt good. I had fun." TK told her.

"It looked liked it and that was a great home run you hit after they decided not to walk you." Carmen said with that excitement still in her voice and TK could see that Carmen was just as happy as she was about how she played.

"Yea, I thought Herman and Lagina were going to have a fight out there about that and then when I hit the home run, I knew for sure that I was going to be responsible for a divorce." TK said laughing.

"Oh that was nothing; you should have seen them last year. They got into a real big argument over this game. I knew for sure that they were going to go at it tooth and nail. I think they just like to beat each other so that they can rub it in for a year." Carmen said laughing.

"Probably so, oh that reminds me, they're having a cookout tonight and we can bring a guest. Do you want to go with me?" TK asked.

"You want me to go with you?" Carmen asked genuinely surprised by the offer.

"I just asked you didn't I?" TK told her.

"Well yes, I... I would love to go. What time is it?" Carmen asked.

"It's at seven." TK answered.

"Okay, I've got some things I got to do at the lab but I can be done at five at the latest. I'll meet you at the room then, okay?" Carmen said and TK could see that Carmen's face the biggest smile she had ever seen. She then gave TK another quick hug and then she started to run off toward the science building. But then she stopped suddenly and she turned back towards TK. "Thanks for asking me." Carmen said and then she turned and ran off before TK could say anything.

TK went on toward the dorm, thinking about the game and also the cookout. She was happy that she asked Carmen to go with her not that she would ask anyone other than Carmen to go with her. As she passed by her room, she remembered her good jeans that she wanted to wear that night so she got her key out and opened the door. She went in and then she saw Buffy sitting at her desk working on her computer.

"Well there you are, I thought that you had disappeared off the face of the earth." Buffy said smiling at her.

"No I'm still here. I was just spending some time with Carmen. She..." TK stopped in mid sentence as she didn't know what to tell Buffy. Did she go into details or just sort of brush her off, hoping Buffy wouldn't press for any more information.

"It's cool, I was just teasing you." Buffy said smiling; "Besides I like having the room to myself."

"Thanks, it's just that Carmen needed some company for a day or so and then for some reason I just sort of stayed." TK said and then she sat down by Buffy and the words began to flow out of her as she began to talk about what had happened. She knew that she could trust Buffy and she felt the need to talk. She told her about everything that had happened between them and how she was becoming more and more attracted Carmen thus more or less admitting to Carmen that she was into girls. Buffy listened to her intently and she didn't say anything till TK had the entire story out in the open.

"You know what I think?" Buffy asked.

"What? I really would like to know. I need some advice on what is happening and what I should do, am I doing the right thing, you know?" TK asked.

"First, yea, I think you're doing the right thing. I think you need her just as much as she needs you. And I'm not talking about how she is helping you with your schoolwork, it's more than that. You need someone to be there for you and she needs to be wanted. I wasn't so sure that I did the right thing by sending you to her but maybe I did after all." Buffy said as she put her hand on TK's arm and TK felt better about things and she felt right about talking to Buffy. It sort of cleared up her mind and she gave Buffy a hug before grabbing some more of her things to take to the room that she was now sharing with Carmen.

TK was just coming out of the bathroom when Carmen came into the room. "Your timing is perfect, the bathroom is all yours." She told her as she finished drying her hair. She was dressed in only her bra and panties and she noticed that Carmen gave her the once over before speaking.

"Are you sure that you want to take me, I'm sure that there are others that you could take." Carmen said as she bit her lower lip and TK could see that Carmen was getting a little nervous about going with her to the cookout.

"I'm taking you, now get your ass in the bathroom and take a shower." TK told her as she took Carmen by the shoulders and pushed her into the bathroom as Carmen tried to protest but TK just shut the door behind of her.

"I don't have anything to wear." Carmen said as she opened the bathroom back up.

"Do you have any jeans and blouses?" TK asked as she shut the door again.

"Yea, they're in the closet." Carmen told her as she opened the door a crack and TK could see a naked shoulder so she knew that Carmen was at least getting ready to shower.

"I'll pick you out something, now get into the shower before I come in and throw you in." TK told her as she was going through Carmen's closet.

"You wouldn't dare!" Carmen said and TK turned and ran toward the door. She heard Carmen scream and slam the door shut. She then listened at the door until she heard the shower coming on.

She went back to Carmen's closet and found some jeans that were hanging there. Most were old and worn, but as she went on back she found a couple of new jeans. She then went through her blouses and she didn't find anything that she liked but then she remembered a blouse that her mother had given her and it was a little small but she figured that it would be perfect for Carmen. She ran down to her room and quickly found the blouse that she was looking for and she knew that it would be perfect for Carmen. She talked a moment with Buffy and then ran back down to the room she now shared with Carmen. When she got there she heard a hair dryer going and she knew that Carmen was drying her long hair. It was another twenty minutes before she heard the hair dryer go off and then she saw the door being cracked open.

"Hand me some clothes, you pushed me in here and now I have nothing to wear." Carmen said through the door.

"I've decided that you could just go in your birthday suit, I bet you look real cute in that." TK said as she got up and started to the bathroom door with Carmen's clothes, including a pair of panties and a bra for her.

"Yea right, now give me some clothes." Carmen said louder.

"Here you go." TK told her as she opened the door a crack and she handed the clothes to Carmen.

"Thanks... Hey this isn't my blouse." Carmen said through the door.

"It is now, just put it on and let me see how you look in it." TK told her and a few minutes later Carmen walked out and the blouse fit her to a tee. The jeans also were a perfect fit and for the first time TK was able to see that Carmen did have a nice figure. Her hips flared out nicely and she had a nice little bum. "You do look great girl." TK told her and Carmen gave her a little smile. "But there is something that will make it perfect." TK told her and she saw that Carmen's smile turned into a bit of a frown and she knitted her eyebrows. "Sit down here for a moment." She told Carmen and then she went into the bathroom.

When she came out, she could tell that Carmen was just a little worried and she decided to put Carmen's mind at ease. "Your hair is too beautiful to hide." She told her and she saw Carmen's face turn back into a smile. She then pulled up a chair behind of Carmen and she sat down. She put Carmen's hair brush down on her lap and she took the hair clip from Carmen's hair and she let it fall. TK couldn't resist letting her fingers comb through Carmen's hair first but then she picked up the hairbrush and she began to brush Carmen's hair out. It was so soft and fine that the brush just went through it. It only took Carmen a few strokes to get it looking nice but she kept on brushing it and more than once she could have sworn that she heard Carmen let out a little moan. Neither talked as they both were lost in their own worlds which happen to be the same worlds. TK kept on brushing Carmen's hair until it was time to go downstairs and meet Megan who they were catching a ride with to the coaches house.

On the ride over, TK was talking to Megan and her date Frank, who were in the front seats, when she looked down and she saw that Carmen's hands were shaking and she realized just how nervous that Carmen was. So she reached over with her right hand and she placed it on top of Carmen's left hand. Carmen turned her head toward TK and she gave her that sly smile of hers. TK then felt Carman turn her hand over and she let her fingers intertwine with TK's fingers. TK closed her fingers onto Carmen's and she squeezed Carmen's hand. She quickly noticed that Carmen's hand stopped shaking and the nervous look on her face was beginning to dissipate however it never went completely away. When they got to the coaches house, TK saw that most of the other players were already there and she kept a hold of Carmen's hand as she led her into the house and then into the big back yard. There she introduced Carmen to everyone as her friend and she knew that by holding Carmen's had as she was that some if not all the people there would assume that Carmen was more than just a friend. For her that was no big deal as she was a lesbian and would come out eventually so now was as good a time as any. She wasn't so sure how Carmen would feel about that but by the way Carmen was gripping her hand, she wasn't going to let go of her hand any time soon. TK did most of the talking but she did manage to get Carmen to say something to most everyone. Soon Herman had all the hotdogs and hamburgers done and they all sat down to eat along a three picnic tables that were place end to end. It just happen that there was a space beside of Carmen and Tamika so that is where Lagina decided to sit. Lagina talked for a moment to Tamika and then she turned to Carmen and asked her how she had met TK. TK could feel Carmen stiffen for a instant and then Carmen told her that she TK had come to her needing help with Statistics. Lagina listened and then she asked Carmen another question and this time Carmen was a little more relaxed with her answer. TK listened carefully for a moment and saw that Carmen was getting into her conversation with her coach so she went back to talking to the other players sitting around her. They all ate and talked and soon they began to separate into different areas. Shannon made a bee line into the living room where Herman and Lagina's oldest son was waiting. They both loved video games so whenever there was a gathering of the players at the coaches house, you could always find Shannon at the TV playing video games. TK told Carmen that she had to go to the restroom and Carmen just nodded her head not bothering to stop her conversation with Lagina. TK just smiled and went on to the restroom. On the way back out of the house, she got caught by a few of the players and she stopped to talk with them. She only meant to stay a minute but they got off on the game that was player earlier and TK lost all sense of time. It was about an hour later that she happened to glance at her watch and she realized how long she had been gone. She quickly excused herself from the now heated discussion about the game and went to find Carmen. She looked at the picnic table and no Carmen. TK began to panic as she thought that she had fucked up again. She knew better than to leave Carmen alone when she didn't know anyone there but her. She looked all around and still no Carmen and she was really getting scared. She could just see Carmen walking home by herself and she knew she would never forgive her this time. TK's heart was beating a mile a minute and she was scared shitless but then she noticed Lagina and Carmen sitting on a bench at the near the house and she saw Herman standing next to his wife. TK began to breathe again as she saw that Carmen was talking away and her hands were moving a mile a minute as she did this when she was really engrossed in something that she was passionate about. When Carmen stopped talking, Herman and then his wife Lagina began to talk and she saw that they were just as animated as Carmen was. It was at this point that TK began to get scared again but for a completely different reason. She knew from talking to Carmen about softball that she had her own ideas as to how the game should be played and she was obviously imparting those ideas to TK's coaches. Personally she loved to hear Carmen talk passionately about anything but right now she was talking very passionately to TK's coaches and they were the ones who controlled her playing time. TK quickly covered the few yards to where Carmen was talking to her coaches.

"Carmen, I'm sorry that I took so long getting back." TK said as she came up to them and Carmen was telling TK's coaches that they should let the players hit more freely. TK knew she was in deep shit now; her coaches didn't like their players telling them how the team should be run. They were great at listening but TK had learned quickly that you made your point and then you shut up and let them decide what they wanted to do.

"She's doing fine. We're just having a nice discussion and Carmen was making a point about with all the big hitters we now have, we should open up the offence. What do you think we should do?" Lagina asked TK putting her on the spot.

"I think that whatever you all think is what we should do." TK said feeling stupid about her answer but she was so surprised with the question she didn't know what else to say.

Herman laughed real big and then he said, "Good answer."

"Okay that is your official answer and it's duly noted. Now tell me what you really think?" Lagina said with a smile and TK knew that whatever she said wouldn't be held against her.

TK looked over at Carmen and she smiled as she said, "I think Carmen is right, we got some of the best hitters in the country so why not let them do their thing." This answer got a big smile from Carmen.

"Do you include yourself in that category?" Herman asked her.

TK hated being put on the spot like this but she answered honestly, "Yes I do, that doesn't mean I don't have things to learn, I do but yes I think that I'm a great hitter."

"Well, you're right on both your answers, you are a great hitter but you can become a better one." Lagina told her and then she got up and said, "I think that we've taken enough of your friend's time and we need to go mingle with the rest of our guests."

"Carmen, it was nice meeting you and I do hope that we can have more discussions about softball. You have some interesting ideas." Lagina told Carmen and then she took her husband's arm and she led him away.

"Had you scared for a moment didn't I?" Carmen said as TK sat down beside of her on the bench.

"No, not at all." TK said lying through her teeth.

"Liar, you just knew that I was about to piss off your coaches and you would never get to play again." Carmen said and she looked straight into TK's eyes and TK felt those eyes bore into her.

"Okay, I was a little scared when I saw you talking so passionately to Herman and Lagina and I could see that they were just as passionate in their responses and I knew that it had to be about the softball team." TK confessed.

Carmen giggled as she said, "I knew it." And then she went on with, "Don't worry I told them that these were my opinions and not yours. They knew that I have been to all their practices and most of the home games for the past two years. They were cool and I think that they just wanted to make me comfortable here. So you're safe, you should know that I would never do anything to hurt your playing status."

"I know and I'm sorry that I thought the worst, will you forgive me?" TK asked.

"There's nothing to forgive. I would have felt the same way if I was in your shoes. So it's cool." Carmen said as she placed her hand on TK's hand.

"Thanks, so are you glad that you came with me?" TK asked as she turned her hand over and she intertwined her fingers with Carmen's and she felt Carmen squeeze her hand.

"Yea I am, I was scared at first but now it's cool." Carmen said.

"So do you want to sit here for a while or go back in?" TK asked her.

"Let's go on back in, it's getting a little cool out here." Carmen replied and TK suspected that Carmen would rather stay out here but she was going to go back in as she knew that TK needed to spend time with her team as this was why the coaches had them all together to make the team chemistry better.

"Okay but next Saturday night we'll do anything that you want." TK told her as she got up but she kept her hand tightly holding onto Carmen's hand.

"You promise?" Carmen asked.

"I promise." TK said as they started back inside.

"Cool!" Carmen said.

They went on back inside and everyone was watching Shannon get beat by the coaches' son. When it ended, the coaches each talked for a few minutes about the team and the goals that they all wanted to reach during the upcoming season. They talked about the type of goals that they wanted the team to decide on and also the individual goals the each player needed to make. They told them that the off season was the time to decide on these goals and also to start to come together as a team.

"So what are you going to want to do next Saturday night?" TK asked Carmen as the laid in the bed and they were facing each other.

"I don't know, I've got a whole week to think of something though." Carmen said and TK knew that she was smiling even though it was too dark in the room to really see.

"That you do, I was just wondering what you liked to do for fun." TK asked as she took a strand of Carmen's hair and began to twist it around her fingers and then letting it go only to pick up another strand.

Carmen was silent for a few moment and then she spoke, "I don't know, when I was home I was either helping out with the farm or studying. I always liked to read about things and learn so I never really did anything for fun, with the exception of watching movies. But I assume you were talking about going out and doing things right?" Carmen told her.

"Yea and I tell you what we're going to change that; we'll keep doing stuff until we find something that you love to do." TK told her.

"Cool," Carmen said and then she snuggled in close to TK and they fell asleep and TK woke up the next morning knowing that Carmen's lips had struck again.

The next week went by as about normal. TK got back into her routine of working out with weighs three days a week and then running the other three and taking Sunday off to rest up her muscles. So on the following Saturday, TK did her running early and then they both did some studying.

"So what are we going to do this evening?" TK asked as she closed her books and she turned to Carmen.

"Mmmm... I'm not sure." Carmen said however TK could see something behind those cute eyes of hers.

"I think you do have something in mind." TK said and she could see that Carmen wanted to tell her something. "Go ahead and tell me." TK insisted.

"You may not think it will be fun but it is something I really want to do." Carmen said.

"Then we'll do it." TK told her and then she asked, "Just what are we doing?"

"Don't laugh but I want you to teach me to play softball." Carmen said, "Though I'm not very athletic."

"If that's what you want then that's what we'll do." TK said as she got up and went to the closet and she pulled out her softball bag that carried her bats, gloves and several softballs. "I know just the place to go to start your lessons."

Carmen smiled real big and she followed TK out of the room talking a mile a minute about how she so wanted to learn to hit and catch a ball. There were several intramural fields just on the edge of campus and this being early November, there weren't anyone using them. So that is where TK took Carmen. Once there, she got out one of her extra gloves and showed Carmen how to put it on and then she showed her how to hold and then throw the softball. She then stepped several feet back and she softly threw the ball to Carmen who caught the ball in her glove and it stayed there for a second but she forgot to close her glove and it fell out. So TK showed her that part again and she tried again and this time the ball stayed in Carmen's glove. Like everything in Carmen's life, she learned quickly and soon TK was taking several more steps back and throwing a little harder however not anywhere near as hard as she would if she was throwing the ball to one of her teammates. When they had done this for a while, TK had Carmen stand just past the infield and she got her bat out. She started to hit some balls in the air and see if Carmen could catch them. The first one went a little higher than she mean for it to and TK almost laughed as she saw Carmen trying to run up under it but to ball landed beside of her and TK contained her laughter as she could see how disappointed Carmen was that she didn't even come close to catching it. TK assured her that it wasn't easy to catch a high pop up like that one. TK got the ball back and she tried again and this wasn't nearly as high and Carmen ran to it but she went a little too far and she had to reach back to try and catch it. The ball nipped her glove and she fell onto her ass. TK ran to her but Carmen got up and dusted her ass off and she told TK to try again. TK could see the determination in Carmen's face and she knew they would be out there until Carmen could catch the ball. It took three more tries but then Carmen finally caught one and held onto it.

"I caught it! I caught it!" Carmen said as she came running to TK with the ball still in her glove as if she wanted to prove to TK that she had really caught the ball.

"I see! You caught that one like you have been doing it all your life." TK told her and then she was about bowled over as Carmen rushed to her and hugged her tightly.

TK hugged her back tightly and they stood there like that for a moment. TK was just getting into the hug and it was making her feel good when Carmen broke away and told her, "Hit me some more!" and then she ran back out to where she was standing before. TK laughed to herself as Carmen was acting like a little child who had just learned something new and wanted to do it over and over again. TK went back to hitting her pop ups and Carmen caught five in a roll before she missed one and that was when TK heard Carmen say a cuss word for the first time as she heard a "Shit!" come from Carmen as she sat on the grass where she fell when she misjudged the ball. TK did laugh this time but not because Carmen missed the ball and fell on her ass again but because she said "Shit." TK had to hit a bunch of balls to Carmen before dusk began to come and it was getting harder to see the ball. Carmen wanted to keep catching them but TK was afraid that she would lose one in the sky and it would hit her. So Carmen decided she wanted to learn to be a catcher. TK wasn't so sure that this was a good idea as it had been a while since she had pitched and she wasn't sure of her control but Carmen insisted. So TK got a catcher's mitt from her bag and gave it to Carmen who crouched down behind the plate. TK warmed up her arm and then she pitched a slow ball toward Carmen who caught it easily and then Carmen told her to pitch it harder. TK let the next pitch go and it was harder, yet not nearly as hard as she could. The ball was a little high but Carmen was able to get her glove up and to TK's surprise, she caught it. Then when she threw the ball back, TK noticed that Carmen took off her glove and she rubbed her hand on her thigh. Then Carmen indicated with her glove to throw it again. TK did and this was a little better pitch and Carmen caught it but then fall back on her ass as she wasn't balanced properly and this time TK did laugh. Carmen stuck her tongue out at her but then she laughed too. TK continued to pitch to Carmen and soon the rust was gone from her pitching motion and she began to move the ball around trying different pitches. Carmen did pretty well at catching her pitches and Carmen's pride seemed to grow with each and every catch she made. Unfortunately the fall sun began to set and it was getting too dark to see and TK made Carmen give it up. However Carmen then declared that the following Saturday, TK would be teaching her to hit. TK wasn't sure how she was going to pull that off but she had a week to figure something out.

On the way back to the dorm, they stopped by a little pizza place and they got a pizza. From there they headed back to the dorm where they took a shower getting the sweat off their bodies. Then as TK warmed up the pizza in Carmen's small microwave, Carmen picked out a movie to watch. They were both dressed for bed with TK in her tee shirt and panties and Carmen in her long sleeve men's shirt and her white cotton panties. She had her hair down and TK thought that she looked beautiful. The movie was another comedy and they laughed as they ate their pizza. Then when that movie ended Carmen jumped up to find another movie to put on. As she bent over to find a good movie, her shirt rode up and TK got her first real good view of her butt. TK felt giddy inside as her eyes bored into that cute ass and strong legs. When Carmen turned around, TK knew that she was caught and she could only smile. Carmen put the DVD in and she hopped up on the bed. She moved in real close to TK as the movie started. TK put her arm around her and she pulled her in close. Carmen turned her head toward TK and TK could almost see into her soul. The movie started to play but neither of them was watching it.

TK felt drawn to Carmen and she looked at Carmen's pale lips and she wanted to kiss those lips. Her heart started to beat wildly inside her chest and she was scared shitless. She knew that this was real and she had no right to play with Carmen's heart, it was too pure and innocent. She decided then that she would do whatever it took to please Carmen, she would spend the rest of her life trying to do that. TK then eased her head forward slowly giving Carmen plenty of time to turn away. TK got closer and she could feel Carmen's breath on her face and she then she closed her eyes as her lips pressed against Carmen's lips. She felt Carmen press back and they kissed with their lips closed. The touch of Carmen's lips on hers sent her mind reeling and she felt something she had never felt before kissing a girl. It was like Carmen's lips were made to kiss her lips. After a moment or two, TK began to pull back and their lips parted. TK watched as Carmen's eyes fluttered open and she saw that her face was flush. Carmen's lips slowly turned into a smile and TK knew that Carmen was cool with what she had done. TK brought her hand up and she stroked Carmen's cheek with the back of her fingers. Carmen pushed her head up against TK's fingers and saw tears come to Carmen's eyes and she wiped them away. TK then put her hand on Carmen's shoulder and she gently pushed so that Carmen turned over onto her back and TK went with her so that her head was over Carmen's head. She looked down into Carmen's eyes and she saw how nervous Carmen was and she was unsure about going to much further, then she felt Carmen's hand on the back of her neck and she allowed Carmen to pull her head down. She closed her eyes and she felt Carmen's lips touch hers. This time TK kissed her harder and after a moment, she opened her lips just a hair. Carmen hesitated for just a second and then she opened up her lips too. TK moved her fingers to Carmen's face and she caressed her cheeks as they kissed. TK felt more tears come down Carmen's face as they kissed and that caused her own tears to start to flow. They cried as they kissed and TK opened her lips more and then she eased her tongue into Carmen's mouth. Carmen hesitated for only a second before TK felt Carmen's tongue tentatively touch hers. TK moved her tongue gently against Carmen's and she felt Carmen's breathing start to quicken just as hers was doing. The kiss lingered for what seemed to be hours but was much closer to a minute or two then TK had to take a breath. She raised her head and their lips broke contact leaving only the tips of their tongues touching. TK stopped for an instant not wanting the contact to be broken but she did eventually break it. TK looked into Carmen's eyes again to be sure that Carmen was okay with what was happening. She appeared to be but she had to be sure before this went much further.

"Carmen, are you sure this is what you want? I don't want to mess anything up between us." TK asked.

"You won't mess anything up unless you stop kissing me. This is what I want." Carmen told her as she gave TK another one of her shy smiles. TK melted then and there and she wanted nothing more than to kiss Carmen for the rest of the night. Carmen felt around for a second and found the remote to her TV and she switched to volume to mute and then she turned her attention back to TK.

TK looked back into Carmen's eyes and she saw her long black hair spread out on the bed and TK felt her heart skip more than a few beats. She put her hands to the sides of Carmen's face and she lowered her head down for another kiss. She kissed Carmen lightly on the lips and then brought her head back up and she saw Carmen frown at such a short kiss then she went down for another short kiss and she repeated this for a series of short kisses and Carmen quickly got into this type of kissing and she returned the kisses with passion. They kissed and kissed just using their lips until TK had to have a long kiss and she lowered her lips to Carmen's lips and kept them there. Soon she opened her mouth and their tongues touched again. This time Carmen was a little more aggressive and she pushed back with her tongue and the kiss went on and on. TK felt Carmen's hands on her shoulders gripping them as the kiss lingered on. When they needed to breath, they would stop for a moment and just stare into each other's eyes and then it was back to kissing. TK could feel her body getting aroused but she didn't want to push Carmen too fast so she was content to just keep this night for kissing. And that was what they did until they were finally out of breath.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful I think you are?" TK asked Carmen. TK saw Carmen blushing from the light of the TV which was no longer playing anything as the movie had long since ended. Carmen shook her head back and forth indicating no to TK's question.

"Well you are. You're the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen." TK told her making Carmen blush even more. "I'm really sorry that I shun you like I did." TK told her.

"Why did you do that? I thought that we were friends and then you acted like I had the plague. That hurt me you know." Carmen said and TK could see the tears forming in her eyes.

TK wasn't sure why the conversation turned so serious but she knew she had to be honest with Carmen right now or she wouldn't ever have a chance to get to know her any better, much less kiss her again. "I didn't think it would look cool to be hanging out with you, I mean a jock and a genius just don't hang out together."

"Why not? I don't care that you're a jock, why should you care if I'm a genius. Those are just labels that people apply to other people that they don't understand or are different. That's like being called a lesbian, that's just a label. So I'm a genius and a lesbian so does that make it super uncool to be seen with me?" Carmen asked and TK wanted to hide from Carmen's questions but she couldn't.

"I was wrong, I thought that I was grown up and mature when I got here but you showed me that I haven't grown much past high school but you are changing that for me. I'm seeing things a little more clearly now and it is because of you. I want to change my ways because of you. I want this to work between us. I really do." TK told her and she reached up and caressed Carmen's cheek that was now flush with more than a little anger.

"You had better not; I won't give you another chance!" Carmen said and then she jumped up off of TK and ran into the bathroom.

"Carmen!" TK called after her as she sat up on the bed but she got no response from the other side of the bathroom door.

End of part one.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think of my story. I welcome all comments good or bad. You can email me at numlfl@hotmail.com