"Let's grab our gear and head to practice." Ken said, ushering Steve towards the dorms. The guy was forced to eat on the way since they didn't want to be late.
"Oh hey neighbors."
Just as they were about to enter their dorm room, two girls were leaving their own. It was Tara, the attractive woman Ken had seen doing her makeup while wearing only a towel in their shared bathroom on the first night.
Next to her was another woman he hadn't seen before, but she was equally as good looking with olive skin and her brown hair tied up.
"Hey, we're just about to head to practice." Ken stated, unsure of why he felt the need to reveal such information.
"Oh cool, so are we. Judging by your height, are you on the basketball team?" The girl asked, her gaze moving from Ken to Steve. Her eyes looked up and down when it came to Steve, as if she was sizing him up.
"No, we're on the baseball team. Are you guys on the cheer team?"
"Bingo." She replied, giving him a wink. "This is Kate by the way."
Feeling a little uncomfortable, but not wanting to be rude, Ken introduced Steve, hoping for the conversation to be over with shortly.
"Okay Ken, Steve. I'm sure we'll see you guys around~" Tara said, a hint of something else in her tone. But to Ken, it sounded ominous, causing his heart to drop.
Steve frowned as the two women walked away. "Why were they looking at me weird…" He asked no one in particular.
"Ah… Well you see. When you passed out in the shower, Tara may or may not have come to investigate." Ken explained, already opening the door of the dorm.
"HUH!? You're saying she saw me naked on the floor of the shower?" His face turned bright red as shame painted his features. It was one thing his best friend seeing him in such a state, but his neighbor who also happened to be a hot girl saw it?
"Yeah, but I don't think she saw anything… I think."
Steve felt his world crumble all of a sudden. He would never be able to look at his neighbors the same after experiencing such embarrassment.
"Oh, I forgot to ask. What did Steph have to say about you deciding to attend Columbia?" Ken asked. The last thing he remembered was the two attending prom together when he'd also brought Ai with him.
At this, Steve's face paled even more. "Let's just say it could have gone better." He replied, not wanting to stay on the subject.
"Alright, we'll leave it at that." Ken let out a small chuckle and grabbed his bag before slinging it over his shoulder. "You ready for our first team practice?"
"Yeah, I'm ready. They can't be as bad as your torturous training anyway."
With that, the two left the dorms and went to Dodger Fitness Center, arriving 20 minutes early. They got changed, seeing a few familiar faces also getting ready.
The twins Ayden and Kaden were busy chatting away with someone Ken didn't recognize. The guy was average height, but if Ken were to describe him in one word, it would be: Thick. His wide shoulders and large core made him look like a power lifter.
"Oh hey, you guys made it." Kaden spoke up, looking at the new arrivals.
"What did you expect? The coach said he'd take our scholarship if we skipped practice." Ken said with a wry smile.
"Who the hell are these guys?" The thick guy asked, pointing to Ken and Steve as if they weren't right next to him.
Ken frowned at the rude behavior and instantly felt his nerves get rubbed the wrong way. Being from Japan where politeness was expected, something like this was even more jarring.
However, before he could respond, the guy lifted his head back and let out a hearty laugh. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Man, you shoulda seen your face." The guy said, sending Ken a wink.
"I'm Levi, I play at 3rd base. Nice to meet you Ken." He said, holding out his large hand towards Ken.
Ken's eye twitched a few times before he accepted the handshake. It seemed that his new team was filled with all sorts of different characters, some that would take more getting used to than others.
Steve held out his hand, "Good to meet you too Levi." He said, entering his extroverted mode.
However, Levi's face turned serious in the next moment. "Who the hell are you?" He asked, looking the guy up and down, his eyes dismissive.
"Ah, that's the walk-on… Adam or something." Kaden said, though he didn't seem too sure.
"I—Err. I'm Steve." He said, feeling rather awkward. His extended hand remained like so for a few moments before realizing that he would not receive the same level of respect Ken would.
However, Ken's eyes narrowed as he looked at Levi. He was all for a joke, but blatant disrespect like this was not something he would tolerate.
But once again, as he was about to speak up, Levi grasped Steve's hand and sent him a wild grin. "I'm only messin' with ya man, just chill. Sheesh, Mr. Golden Arm has a real temper on him." He said, letting out an amused chuckle.
Both Ken and Steve had no idea how to react. It seemed like the guy loved messing with people, even if it wasn't exactly funny. They could only accept this and move on, deciding it was time to get changed.
By the time they arrived on the field, there was still 10 minutes until the start of the practice.
Ken saw the flamboyant figure of Tristan, the captain. The man looked like he'd just woken up from a long nap, yet his hair seemed perfectly styled.
'Did this guy even attend classes today?' Ken thought, judging his new Captain.
Before long, the whole team had arrived on the field and were only awaiting one more person, the coach.