*Clank
*Arghhh…
*Clank
*Arghhh..
*Clank
*Arghh!
The sound of a baseball bat hitting a ball alternately with a lady groaning was heard throughout the batting cages.
Phoenix and Mia were currently at the batting cages at the rooftop of Le Graff Shopping Mall. Mia was seen holding a baseball bat and hitting the baseball balls that were projected from the machine inside one of the cages.
It seems that Phoenix's way of venting, was working on Mia, as Mia was seen to hit the ball as hard as she could, like she was about to plummet a person.
When Mia was crying her heart out in the park, Phoenix saw that other than sadness, there were other emotions swirling in Mia's eyes. Mia looked pained, angry, sad and overall disoriented.
Instead of something to cheer Mia up because she wasn't really crying because of sadness, Phoenix thought what Mia really needed was to vent out her feelings, and what was the best way to do that?
Of course with whacking things!
But she couldn't possibly whack things mindlessly at the park or in the mall, luckily there were batting cages at the rooftop. So hitting a baseball with a bat was the best solution Phoenix could come up with at that moment. It was almost the same as whacking things to express whatever Mia felt in her heart.
How did Phoenix know about the batting cages?
Earlier that day, Phoenix had been walking around in the shopping mall after she went to check the Intan Jewellery store, so she noticed advertisements promoting facilities that were available inside the mall. In one of the advertisements, she found out that there were batting cages at the mall rooftop, among other activities that the mall had, so she brought Mia here.
And that was how Mia and Phoenix end up at Let's Hit! Batting Cages.
While Mia was in the cage hitting balls, Phoenix was sitting on a bench outside the cage, watching Mia attentively while sipping on yogurt drinks.
'It seems like this helps her a bit. That hit is a strong one. Whatever happened to her must really make her devastated. What could possibly happen?'
Minus the first time that Phoenix met Mia, the second and the third times they met, she could see that Mia was a cheerful and friendly person who always had a smile on her face. And the way her brother treated her, she knew Mia was well protected by her brothers.
'Well, who am I to judge, isn't she in a difficult position when I met her the first time?'
After around 30 minutes, Mia finally stopped. Her hand was already sore, her clothes were drenched in sweat, making it stick to her skin. Her hair was disheveled, and she was tired, but there was a smile on her face. It looked like other than venting her feelings; she was also enjoying herself by hitting the baseball balls.
Mia went out of the cage and sat next to Phoenix. Phoenix handed a towel and an energy drink to Mia. After wiping her sweats off and pulling her clothes that were sticking on her body and airing it, Mia gulped on the drink till the bottle was empty.
"Fuuuh... that feels great. Thank you, Ms Li."
Mia really felt grateful to Phoenix. Well… it seems like she always feels grateful to Phoenix.
Mia didn't say anything when she was bawling her eyes out, and Phoenix also didn't ask anything, but even in those silent, Phoenix seemed to understand what she needed at that time.
Other than saying 'everything will be alright' to soothe her, Phoenix brought her here to vent her frustration, and she was thankful for it. Really thankful.
"You're welcome, Ms Qin."
Phoenix didn't know what else to say. Human interaction was hard for her, okay?
Thankfully, Mia was an expert in interacting with people, "I feel so much better now. Do you want to have a go for it?"
"No. It's okay. I am fine."
"Do you usually go to batting cages or play baseball?" asked Mia.
"Sometimes. I do like to try all sorts of sports and outdoor activities just to sweat and keep a healthy lifestyle."
"Do you like hiking or climbing?"
"Like? I don't know, but I have done both."
Mia nodded in understanding. Mia didn't really play sports, but she did like to go hiking and picnic with her brothers and friends.
After catching her breath and having some rest, Mia felt much more refreshed.
"So… Should we go? Do you want to have dinner together, Ms Li?"
Phoenix heard Mia's question and looked at Mia's current state. She raised her eyebrow and gave Mia a sceptical look.
"You want to get dinner in that condition? Are you sure? Besides, it's still early for dinner," Phoenix said while looking at the watch on her wrist.
Mia looked at herself and smiled sheepishly at Phoenix.
"Ha ha ha. You're right. I should go back home and…. clean myself up."
'I can't go back looking like this! I just cried like a baby and my eyes must be swollen! I look like a mess! Everybody at home will get worried and ask a million questions. I don't want to deal with that right now. And Ashton will make a fuss about it. '
Phoenix noticed the complicated look on Mia's face and she understood Mia's current dilemma.
"You can come with me to the hotel and clean up if you want. We can have dinner and then you can go back. What do you think, Ms Qin?" Phoenix suggested.
Mia's eyes lit up, and she enthusiastically nodded her head.
"Yes. That would be wonderful.Thank you Ms Li."
Without further ado, they left the batting cages together and headed towards the park again. Mia's car was at the park parking lot, since Phoenix came with Lilian and planned to go back with a taxi, she didn't have to do that anymore. She took a ride in Mia's car to go back to the Camellia Hotel.
And that was the best solution, since Mia had the company of Phoenix with her, she wasn't as distracted in driving as she was before. She chatted with Phoenix, asking her about her day and what she was doing at the mall, and this took her mind off things for a little while.
Phoenix answered Mia's questions, but she didn't tell Mia about her encounter with Ethan at the store. She didn't feel it was right for her to snitch on Ethan to others. That was his personal agenda, and it was not her place to expose it, even if Mia was his beloved sister.
The evening rush hour made the journey longer, but both of them didn't mind it.
Phoenix didn't realize it, but little by little, she started to get comfortable in Mia's presence. The wall that she built around her was slowly taken down by Mia, and the arm's distance that she usually put toward others, were slowly inch closer. It was great progress for Phoenix.
A friendship started to bloom, but both of them hadn't acknowledged it yet.
Usually Mia will jump first when there was an opportunity to make friends, but with what she just experienced with Lola and Katie, she was hesitant. She didn't even know if what she had with Katie and Lola was really a friendship or not because,
'A friendship that can end, never really began.' - Publilius Syrus
For Phoenix, she was as clueless as ever about this relationship people label as 'friendship'.
It would not be long before both of them would get closer and call each other as friends, they both would support each other and be there for each other through thick or thin.