Broken Heart/Broken Mind

-Chapter Thirty-one-

Sophie sat at Keefe's baseball game. The high-school coach was giving him the opportunity to play with the varsity. It was to train to be a pitcher for next year.

It was scorching hot. Over one hundred degrees. She went to buy another water bottle. She already knew that the concession stands were making bank off everybody. She sat back into the shade. When she burned her thighs on the mettle bench, she knew it probably wasn't the best idea to wear shorts.

She continued to watch the game. They were at a stand still. Balls were thrown. Strikes were hit. The other team kept making bases.

The other team's score continued going up. The players in the outfield were agitated with all the balls flying over their heads. The infield was annoyed with the ball never making it back to them. The coach was frustrated that they weren't getting any outs. And Keefe looked... tired.

Sophie squinted to get a better look at him. As the inning continued on, she saw the way his shoulders were dropping. How he threw fewer strikes.

With him being in the middle of the field, the sun was beating straight down at him. He was breathing heavier than before as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

She knew he didn't do too well in the heat. And weren't they required, by law, to stop playing when the heat got over a certain temperature?

After ten more minutes of the cycle continuing, Keefe finally turned to the coach and made a time-out sign. It seemed they were arguing for a moment. She could tell he was about ready to cry. She wasn't sure if it was from frustration of not being listened to or the heat.

The arguing continued until Fitz made his way out of the dug out. He joined the bickering against the coach.

Finally, they reached a consensus. The coach rolled his eyes and stalked back to the side lines. Fitz took place at the mound, and Keefe trudged over to the dug out.

Sophie quickly got a couple bottles of water from the concession and made her way to the back of the dugout. She peeked through the gate.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked him.

He nodded and gratefully took the waters she passed him. He used one as an ice pack for his neck and drank the other.

"What happened out there."

"It got way too hot," Keefe muttered. "Felt like I was going to puke. Coach tried to tell me to tough it through, but it's only one out. I wouldn't have been able to do it."

He whined and tugged at the collar of the uniform.

"Unbutton the first few buttons," Sophie tried to tell him.

He adamantly shook his head. "No. They don't know."

"Don't know what?" She realized as soon as she said it.

"They probably won't even notice the scar," she tried to assure him. "Please, you're overheating," she begged.

"But they'll sure as heck notice the monitor," he argued.

Sophie sighed, "Ok. Just keep this here." She took the second bottle he was about to drink and placed it back at his neck. "I'll get you another water."

Keefe nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course."

At the end of the game, Fitz caught up with them.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much do you think he'll make my life misery next year," Keefe complained.

Fitz shrugged. "If I tell Coach to leave you alone, he'll leave you be."

"No offense," Sophie started, "but why would he listen to you."

He snorted. "I have dirt on him."

Both Sophie and Keefe's eyes widened.

"What'd he do," Keefe demanded.

"I walked in on him and the math teacher making out in the supply closet."

Sophie snorted. "No, you did not!"

"I did. It was traumatizing."

Fitz explained the rest of his story. By the time he was done, the majority of the parents had arrived. Keefe kept checking the time.

"Need a ride?" Fitz asked. "My parents can take you home."

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Keefe tried. "If anything, Ro is probably on the way."

Sophie hated to have to call him out, but, "Didn't you say she worked night shift tonight?"

He shuffled his feet, confirming her suspicions.

"It's fine," Fitz assured him. "Come on, it'll be fun. We can bug the crap out of Biana!"

Keefe had to laugh at that. "Alright, I'll grab my stuff and text my parents."

As they parted ways, Sophie pulled Keefe into a hug. "Be careful," she murmured to him.

"I will. You too."

"Bye," she whispered before kissing his cheek. She leaned to the side and waved goodbye to Fitz, then started the walk to where her parents were waiting.