Brother's Teammate (Andrew Benintendi)

Chapter 20

APRIL 3RD, 2017 

Happy Opening Day everyone! Baseball is back and everyone couldn't be happier. This past month has been amazing with the Marlins and I couldn't be anymore thankful for Christian for letting me stay with him and for Don doing a lot of things for me.

Today was the Sox home opener as well and to be honest, I miss my brother a lot. It's too bad that Miami and them don't play each other in the regular season. 

We were in D.C. playing the Nationals and the Sox were playing the Pirates back in Boston. I got up around 7 and Facetimed Xander because I missed him and I wanted to wish him good luck before I got busy for the day. 

"I miss you a lot sis, when am I going to see you again?" Xander asked and I sighed. "I honestly don't know. You know how busy the schedule gets and we don't play each other this season so who knows. How's everything going with Andrew?" I asked. 

"All he does is mope around and the guys keep trying to make him happy and I'm just over it, can you come back and make him happy?" He asked. I looked around the room and saw Christian standing at my bedroom door and I gave him a smile. 

"I can't you know that X. You know how much he hurt me. I don't know if I could ever forgive him, I might one day, but I want to take this new experience in, I get to complete the baseball stadium tour, that's what I'm most excited about." I said and he laughed at the last part. 

"I know you do, that's always been your goal in life for some odd reason, but just like your older brother though, I'm proud of you and I love you okay? Never forget that." He said and I started to tear up. 

"Hey now don't cry. Stop that." He said and I wiped my tears and Christian sat on the bed and Xander noticed his presence. "It's just been a hard journey, you know that. I'm just glad your family took me in and made me feel at home because I never had that. I love you so much Xander." I said in a full on bawl now. 

"Christian, comfort her and never let her go until she's fine, maybe she'll open up to you like she never has to anyone but me and my family, cherish her fragile state and give her anything and I promise you she'll be okay in the end. She's a fighter. I love you Kristen, I'll see you soon." Xander said and everything he said to Christian was true. 

"I-I-I love you too Xander." I said and then he hung up and Christian put my phone down and I just clung to him for dear life. "I've got you babe, I promise. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you, but we can't stay here forever like we both want cause we have a game to get to, but for now, we can stay here." He said and we both laid under the covers. 

I stayed against his chest for the longest time it felt like and then I felt like telling him everything. "Do you want to know what happened and why I'm with Xander's family?" I said looking up at him. He looked down at me and wiped my tears. "Only if you want to tell me princess." He said and I smiled for the first time this morning. 

I took in a breath and decided to tell him. "I got put into a foster home and up for adoption when I was 3. My mom was a drug addict and an alcoholic. My dad, well how do I put this lightly, well there is no way. He abused my mom heavily and then he uhm, he raped me. The neighbors heard it and called the cops and that's the only reason why I got put into the foster system. Otherwise I don't know where I would be right now, probably dead to be honest. I bounced around for about 10 years because I was a rebel and nobody wanted me until the Bogaerts Family came in and was looking to adopt an older child, so I was brought up and they wanted to meet me and they helped me and I couldn't thank them enough you know. It's like when they came to get me, I changed a lot. I wasn't that child who got raped by her dad, I was a child who was now loved by a family for the first time in my life. It's just been a long road and now I'm in D.C. working for a great organization and it's all thanks to them, mostly Xander but them because they changed my life around and I see life in a whole different perspective. That's the reason why I don't trust a lot of guys, because I feel like they'll rape me and leave me to die. That's why when Andrew cheated, I just left, cause I couldn't tell him what happened to me, I wasn't ready to yet and that's the backstory to me." I said and I looked at him and he had tears in his eyes.