to live for the hope of it all.

Chapter 49

February 9th, 2024

"Goodbye to my haters, I'm wishin' you well,
This is my aim and if you couldn't tell,
This is our life and we livin' it well..."

Beckett

"And finally... Aria Fall's very own number 13 and captain of the hawks, Beckett Davis!"

Dramatic much?

Breathe, Beckett.

Jogging out to center field where the rest of my team stands lined up, I take my place in front of my cousin, trying to drown out the anxiety clawing its way up my throat.

"Yeah, breathe man," Caleb said, smiling softly and clapping my shoulder.

"I am, I'm good, we're good," I reassured.

Fake it till you make it, right?

I hear the announcer say something over the speaker, but I'm too far gone to really listen to him as my eyes scan the crowd. Finding the familiar head of brunette hair, I watch as she whispers something in Wren's ear that has the blonde laughing. Wren's eyes meet mine, and then she's pointing me out to Bailey.

When blue eyes meet my gray, I'm struck back into the moment. Bailey's smile stretches wide as she waves shyly at me, and I grin back at her from where I stand.

Since we got back from Colorado, Bailey and I have seen each other even less than we did during the regular season. Playoffs have had my ass on a constant loop of film, practice, more practice, and traveling to study our opponents in person. Her grandfather has been driving her to school in the mornings, because I have had to be there way earlier to watch film.

But look where that sacrifice has gotten you.

State championships.

I've exhausted myself to the bone for this moment, and I can't believe that it's here.

Bailey's smile softens as she holds my eye contact, and I itch to press my lips to hers. That's what the last month has been, catching up whenever we both have a chance to breathe.

I'd see her in between classes, in english, and then if I wasn't dead on my feet by the time I got home at the end of the day I would stop by for a quick visit. She'd kiss me in the mornings when I met her at her locker, and she'd kiss me goodnight whenever I stopped by. Or if I was too drained to make it to her doorstep, I'd call her before I went to bed just to hear her voice.

That was the thing about Bailey, she never pushed for more. She knew I was busy, and that I wanted state so badly. Through every long day, she met me with a smile. One that made my heart skip a beat every time.

New Year's Eve played in my head often, that whole day in general. I sat there and watched Bailey help that man, and I saw how her heart was breaking while doing it. But she had pushed it aside to help that baby, even as she hurt herself in the process. I'd been worried she would hide out the rest of the day in her grandfather's room.

But I should have known better.

When Bailey came out with Wren later that night, in new clothes, and a smile on her face, my heart soared in admiration.

She looked happy.

She looked free.

Whatever was bothering her, had clearly been wiped clean from her slate after the talk with her grandfather. So I wouldn't push her to talk about it, because I would never dream of dimming the smile that graced her. Instead, like every day I knew the man, I gained a new level of respect for Grandpa Matt.