Caught (completed) - brance

12

It was now Wednesday but everything felt off. Billy, Finney, Robin, and Griffin were acting all cold towards me like I did something bad, but any time I'd ask about it they'd just brush me off. It made me feel sort of bad. Not knowing what I could've done. Not knowing if they were actually upset with me or not.

It was like that from the moment I sat down at our group table in the morning before the school to the moment when I was getting fed up with it. After school I stopped them at the back of the school, not letting them leave. "What the hell's up with you guys?" I huffed, furrowing my eyebrows.

At first they all scoffed, rolling their eyes. I could see some worry and hurt in Griffin and Finney's eyes, but anger was just in Billy and Robin's. It took a few more tries to finally get one of them to speak. Robin snapped at me, "because you have been shit talking us! Don't act all dumb, Bruce."

I froze. "What?" I asked, not knowing what they meant. I wasn't shit talking them. I would never do that. And who would even lie about that? Was someone out to get me? Luke? Moose? My friends had no reason to believe those two, so who was it?

"We heard you went to some party and were shit talking all of us!" Robin snapped, slapping me across the face.

I stared at him, wide eyed. The group just walked past me as I stood there. As Finney walked past me he did whisper me a good luck, since we had a baseball game against each other in a few hours.

In the moment I just let out a sigh and headed home, cause I did need to go get ready. While getting ready though I started to feel sad. I could feel as tears welled up in my eyes as I was combing my hair. Why would they believe whoever told them that? Who hated me that much to tell them something that wasn't true? Why wouldn't they listen to my side?

Though as I was walking to the park where it was being held I could feel anger rushing through me. I couldn't understand why it had happened and it was frustrating me, and my face still hurt from Robin's slap. I gripped the strap of my bag tight as I walked down into the dugout where my teammates were waiting for me.

From where I stood I could see the crowd, which was slowly getting bigger. I could see Robin, who was of course there for Finney, and I could see Vance sitting next to him. Robin looked like he was whispering something to Vance, but I think he failed to realise Vance had his earbuds in. My parents were nowhere to be seen, of course I expected that, since they had informed me and Amy that they were going to be gone in another town for work.

Luke walked up to me, with a stupid smirk on his face, but as he opened his mouth I punched him. "If you try to mess me up this game I'm going to fucking kill you," I said—more of shouted. I wasn't going to have to deal with him, and since I was already pissed off it didn't help that he was trying to worsen it.

Luke just scoffed, and headed to his seat. I grabbed my bat, squeezing it tight in my hand as the game started. I was the third batter, behind player 2 and player 6. I glared at Finney, who stood on his hill getting ready to pitch. When he looked over at me I could see nervousness rush over him. I just scoffed, and tried to focus on the game.

But my anger was evident with every swing of my bat. I swung hard, and embarrassingly I had to admit I was sort of aiming to hit it right back at Finney. Not to hurt him or anything, but I was just mad, you know? I swung hard, and the ball went flying but as I was running Luke tripped me.

I fell, obviously, but this time I got up and I tackled him to the ground. The once cheering crowd was now deathly silent as I punched him. "I told you not to pull anything!" I yelled at him, my shout being drowned out by his wails.

This time around my coach was quicker to pull me off of him. "Luke, go to the bathroom and clean up," he instructed Luke, who ran off. Then, he turned to me with an angry look in his eyes. "Bruce, you're seriously about to be kicked from this team if you don't quit it! Instead of resorting to violence try and talk with Luke. Next time something happens between you guys I'm kicking you off."

I huffed, rolling my eyes. I tried to make it seem like that didn't scare and worry me, but it really did. I loved my other teammates, and I loved baseball. It'd be the third worst thing to lose in life—after my friends, which I already did, and of course Vance— and I don't know what I'd do without it. "Now, go home. We'll have a chat at practice this weekend," Coach told me.

Quietly, I nodded my head and went to the dugout. My teammates had an odd look on their faces. Some looked mad with me, but some had a congratulatory expression. "Don't make this your last game, Brucey, okay?" One of my teammates said with a small smile. He patted my back and helped me pack all my stuff into my bag.

"I won't ever leave this team, I promise," I said to him, but also everyone else on my team. This all felt too fake to be real. Losing my friends, getting into a fight, and have a sort of farewell with my team all in one day.

While I was walking back to my house, which I now had to awkwardly explain to the babysitter why I was home so early, I heard someone call out my name. I glanced back and saw Vance jogging towards me. I stopped in my steps and waited for him. "What's up?" I asked him.

"Good job on kickin' that dudes ass back there," Vance congratulated with a slap on the back and a wide grin. "I'm guessing your coach sent you home since you're leaving early?"

I nodded my head and hit my cheek. I didn't like the fact I had to leave early, and it was probably clear on my face. "Ah," he nodded his head, awkwardly looking away, "wanna go to my mom's place..or do you gotta be home?"

I hesitated for a second—not that I didn't want to go with Vance, but that I didn't know if it was a bad idea or not. My parents weren't home to care, so what would be the issue anyways? "Why not," I shrugged my shoulders.

As we walked to his place we got to talking and I let it slip out about what Robin had told me after school. "The fuck? Who'd they heard that from?" Vance asked, a semi-serious tone.

"I don't know," I sighed, "I can't think of a single person they'd actually believe it from."

Vance nodded his head as an angry sigh, and as we continued to walk it got quiet. It wasn't an awkward silence; it was like we were both just thinking quietly. Right now, I was fine with the silence. I was tired and couldn't wait to go to sleep.

I don't really like this chapter and I might rewrite it so yay