Grand-Slam

∞Chapter 29∞

Song: Symptoms Of You- Lindsay Lohan 

"I know everything happens for a reason, but sometimes, I wish I knew what the reason was." -Anonymous

I had always expected the aftermath of a relationship to be bad, but I never knew just how bad it could be. A part of me had always assumed the first week after the break up would be the worst, but little had I known, the pain only grew more immense as time went on-- it didn't help that my ex lived in my house. Just saying that word hurt me. Ex. We had everything, and then, in a split-second, we were nothing.

So, two weeks after our fall out, I was still aching. Still longing for the feeling of happiness, but it never came. I hadn't left my room at all, simply because I was scared if I saw him, my heart would break more until there was nothing left. With that being said, I also hadn't eaten or drank since I stayed in my room, and the effects were slowly rolling in. All I could be then was sadness, every other emotion pushed away from my being. Where there was the love became an aching hollowness, a void that could only be filled by one person-- him.

After two weeks, I finally decided to get out of my room, only because I had a softball game. Luckily, Nate had already left, so I didn't have to face him or the awkward tension looming between us. I met my dad in the driveway, and we headed to the field. Most of the girls were already there, so after I hung my bag on the fence, I gathered them around me.

"Alright, girls. Today is a major game." I announced, crossing my arms over my chest. "We're playing Alexandria High, and y'all know they are our rival school. We've beat them every year, and I have no doubt we'll be able to do it again. Let's keep our streak going. Bama on three!"

The girls put their hands in the middle of us, and after we cheered, I grabbed my glove and mouth guard. When I turned back around, the girls shot me a worried look. I supposed my pep talk wasn't good enough.

We headed out to the field, warming up. Since we were at our field, we were on the field for the beginning of the game. I stood on the pitcher's mound and warmed up with our catcher, while the other girls stretched. Once the other team was ready, we all got into our positions and prepared for the first batter. I took a deep breath as she stepped into the batter's box, holding up her bat. Swinging my arm back, I released the ball.

I didn't expect her bat to slam into it.

The girl hit the ball, and it flew past the girls in the outfield, all the way out to the fence. She was at second by the time someone reached the ball, and had already slid into home when someone threw it into our short stop.

That was the first time I didn't strike a girl out.

The next girl walked up, and I prepared more. I pitched the ball, and once again, she hit it. Another to the fence, another point for the opposite team. The roars of their crowd filled my ears, and my heart dropped, my teeth grinding together. I had never pitched a bad pitch, and now, I couldn't even pitch a strike.

The third girl stepped into the batter's box, and while she was preparing herself, my eyes roamed our crowd. They wandered until they caught sight of familiar brown eyes. The one person I hadn't expected to see that day.

He was there.

Pain tore through my chest as our eyes locked on each other, and for a second, time slowed. His smile flashed into my mind, and even though he was blank in that moment, my eyes became watery from just thinking about that smile. I missed him with the kind of sadness that sunk my bones into the earth while I was still living and breathing. With him, I became half of something greater. Without him, I was merely half of heart, trying to find a way to fix the damage embedded in every shattered piece. As I stared at him, my eyes blurry from the tears, I swallowed the lump in my throat and finally managed to rip my eyes away from his soul-searching gaze.

I was failing because of him. Everything I did, he affected majorly. He broke me. He ruined me.

I pitched the ball, and the girl's bat slammed against it. My heart sunk to my stomach as I watched her run around all the bases and onto home. One she scored, we switched positions, and it was our turn to hit. I was the first hitter, so I grabbed my bat, helmet, and gloves before running out to the batter's box. I swung my bat once, and then prepared for the pitch. She threw it, and I swung.

"Strike one!" The umpire yelled from behind me, and I stepped out of the box. A strike. I hadn't missed a pitch since little leagues. Blowing out a breath, I practiced swinging once more, and then stepped back into the box. My eyes located the ball, locking on it, and when she threw it, I swung again. When I didn't hear the ping of the bat hitting the ball, my heart dropped. I stepped out of the box one more time, twirled my bat in my hands, and stepped back in. The pitcher released the ball, and I swung. "Strike three! You're out!"

The whole field grew silent. Slowly lowering my bat, I walked off of the field, and into the dugout. I knew what everyone was thinking. What happened to Brooke?

And honestly, I didn't have an answer. I couldn't even recognize myself.

When I reached the dugout, I threw my bat, causing the metal to ring as it clattered on the ground, and then once I reached my bag, I ripped my helmet and gloves off. After grabbing my water, I sat on the bench, angrily running my hand through my hair. The girls stayed silent, but I could see their glances out of the corner of their eyes. I could see that same look from everyone on the field and in the stands.

The rest of the game was rough, and we barely won. I was glad we at least won, because that meant we were still undefeated, but for the first time, I didn't even benefit to the win. For the first time, I was useless.

"Good game, girls." I mumbled, standing up in front of them, and they remained quiet.

"Maybe if you had your head in the game, we would have won by more." Jamie bit, glaring, and I whipped around towards her. She had her arms crossed over her chest, and she looked angry. If anyone had the right to be angry, it was me. She was the girl my boyfriend cheated on me with. She was the one carrying his baby. Yet, here she was, mad at me. Ironic, wasn't it?

"Excuse me?" I tilted my head to the side, glaring. "You can't talk to your captain like that."

Jamie bitterly laughed. "What type of captain strikes out and lets the other team steal four home runs!?"

I wanted to explode. I wanted to grab her by the collar of her jersey and tell her off, but I couldn't force myself to do it. So, I closed my eyes, breathing slowly to calm myself, and then I grabbed my bag and water, walking out of the dugout. As I reached the entry, she sarcastically chuckled.

"Pathetic." Jamie hissed, and I turned towards her, anger boiling in my veins.

"Shut the hell up. This is your fault. If you wouldn't have messed around with my boyfriend, we wouldn't be in this situation right now." I growled, walking closer until I was in her face, and her glare intensified. "I hope you're happy, Jamie. You got exactly what you wanted."

I ran out of the dugout, towards my dad's truck. Throwing my bag into the back, I let out a frustrated sigh, running my hands through my hair. I glanced to my left, and there he was, standing by his car. His eyes burned into me, and I could see the curiosity lying within them, but it was all too much. Ripping my eyes away, I looked the other way.

Dad walked off the field, and we drove home. When I walked through the front door, the floor swayed beneath my feet as a big wave of dizziness hit me, and I had to grab hold of the table by the door. Dad looked at me, worry etched in his face, and then Nate walked through the door. He looked extremely confused, and when I looked at him, it was suddenly just him and I. We were the only two in the world, and as my knees buckled, his name was the last thing that left my lips before my vision grew black as I collapsed on the floor. 

************************************
Hey guys!

The attached song because she gets sick in the end, hence, the symptoms, and she sick because of Nate... Make sense? Good. I thought so as well. (:

Teaser: A #Brate moment just for you, but then you guys will either loathe Nate entirely, or you'll start coming after me with pitch forks and fire. Both acceptable. 

Make sure to comment, vote, and spread the word!

Thanks for reading!

Much love, 

-Abby