I never understood my name.

 

“Slow down Stella!”

 

I never understood why my baseball team always notifies me at the last moment when the pre-season begins.

 

“Oh god, I’m gonna be late!”

 

She called out again, “Wait! You know you shouldn’t run!” Irritated with my slow rushing, she started to jog after me.

At times, I never understand why I, Stella, decided to join the boys’ baseball team. I’m not a ‘star athlete’ by any means. I was lucky enough to get on the team as the umpire, being 50 pounds overweight and all.

 

“I can’t or I’ll be late! You know Coach will make me sit--”  I stopped hard in my tracks. “On the bench” -- huff -- “for the next game if I don’t” -- huff -- “make it!”

 

What was I thinking? I went all summer with little endurance training. I mean… if you call running after the ice cream truck endurance training… Obviously this is why I’m the umpire.

 

“Yeah? Well it’s not like you’re fit to play anyway!” she caught up to me within seconds. “This is why you don’t splurge on caramel milkshakes and fries for 2 straight weeks!”

 

---As if telling me that now would have made a difference this very moment.

 

Jesse is supposed to be my friend… I guess. But she often is insensitive as to how she speaks to me. When it comes health and endurance...and boys...and looks, she always finds a way to try to make me feel insecure. At least it seems like it.

I’m not gonna lie though: The girl is a total babe, which makes everything she says have the potential to hurt 10 times worse. She can make any guy who glances at her weak. She slays any model you see in those high fashion magazines. She can smile her self out of a phone call home to her parents.---And she can smile and get a personal phone call home from her teacher.

 

If that makes sense.

 

She’s like Aphrodite's child. She’s everything I’m ‘not’: outgoing, talented, beautiful, likable, loved,  etc. etc. Cliche cliche.You see, the thing is, I’m pretty confident in myself to not let her features ruin my esteem. To be quite honest, she’s kind of just...there more or less. I hardly consider her a friend really. But since she does cling to me, I think I do deserve an ounce of respect while she’s here.

 

She stopped next to me and proceeded to pat my back, purposely hard. “Come on Ms. Star Athlete. You didn’t even run that far.”

 

“Do you have to always be so condescending? I didn’t even ask you to come, yet here you are. Here. Being annoying.” I wiped the sweat from my brow, “You really are no help you know that?”

 

She shot me that victimized look she’s so equipped at using. “I’m just trying to help you. You’re obviously outta shape,” tell me something I don’t know.  “And you need to hurry up if you wanna see Daesung’s-”

 

 I shot up, eyes wide: she just said my kryptonite.

Turning slowly to her in suspicion. “How does telling me I’m