Pitcher (Aaron Nola Phillies)

Betrayal

An extremely large group of reporters and media had gathered around the exit. I clutched Austin harder he clutched me tightly to his side like I was a crazy dog he didn't want to let loose. Yet again cameras were flashing in my face and it was giving me an awful headache. 

"Why are they here?" I asked Austin quietly. 

"I don't know, ace. But just stay by my side and don't let go." I nodded and together, we pushed through the wild and crazy media. 

"Is it true you two are dating?" "Did or do you have a crush on Aaron Nola?" "Are the rumors that you and Aaron got into a fight true?" "Did you and Aaron Nola actually sleep with each other over the break in New Orleans?" 

"Who told you people this stuff? This is all private information that you should not know?" I inquired, suddenly worried that the rest of the world was about to find this stuff out. Who on earth betrayed me. I bet that it was stupid Aaron, that stupid idiot must have told them this bullshit when I was with Austin. 

"Does that mean that these rumors are all true?" 

"I won't answer my question till you answer mine." They all looked at one another as though they were decided whether or not to tell me. 

"You heard her! Just answer the damn girl!" Austin yelled angrily which definitely caught me off guard.  

"Your teammates did miss." The words were harsh and cold and they turned my whole body to ice inside and out. My teammates, but I thought they were my friends, I trusted them. 

"What?" Was all I could get out, my body went limp in Austin's arms and my eyes stung with tears that were preparing to fall.

"C'mon Ab, let's go," Austin said pulling me lightly.

"No. "

"What did you say?"

"I said no. I want to know who told them specifically." Surely it was just Aaron, not any of the boys I really trusted.

"Rupp, Asche and Herrera." I felt my heart sink and this time it was my turn to pull Austin.

"I must not have heard you right. Austin, you didn't hear that, did you? They didn't say, Rupp, Asche, and Herrera, right?" Austin shook his head. 

"I'm sorry, Ab." 

"No! It can't be! That is a lie, all of it!" 

"We have to go now," Austin said as he carried me away, crying now. He carried me to the car and sat me down. I began crying even harder now. 

"How could they Austin? They were my teammates, my friends, my brothers! I was always nothing but sweet to them, I can't believe they would do this!" Tears were pouring down my cheeks and Austin wrapped a hand around me comfortingly. 

"I REALLY like you and I would never ever betray you like they did. You are far too perfect to betray and they are just downright stupid." I smiled up at him and he kissed my forehead. Maybe this wasn't too bad. But it was. It didn't matter that I had Austin Nola on my side, my teammates and not just any of my teammates, my best friends, had turned against me. And what for? I always knew I could trust no one. 

Austin drove me to the place and tried his very absolute hardest to make me forget. But it was nearly impossible, nearly. The second we got home Austin and I were lost in our own minds again. To me, everything mattered so much at that moment, the sweet, calm, soothing sound of the beat of his heart. The feeling of his skin against mine, of our lips together. The feeling of his lips against my skin and my lips against his skin. He held me close as though if he let me go then I would fall to my death. There was no way to some up how I had felt that night, with Austin Nola's arms surrounding every inch of me. 

There were some tears involved, though few, they were there and they were mine. There was an emptiness inside of me that I could not replace. My best friends are gone, the ones I counted and relied on. How on earth could I let this happen?  How am I supposed to fix this, I can't fix everything, you know?

No matter how hard Austin tried, he would never be able to fill this void. He couldn't fix me like he could my pitches. I mean, I knew I didn't deserve those guys, I didn't deserve any of the people that were so kind to me. For I was tough mean and rude, why should I even be this surprised, I will never deserve their kindness? Then it hit me, I didn't  deserve Austin's kindness either, I  didn't deserve him. Without control, I pushed him, I pushed him off of me and he stared at me, shocked. 

"Ab, what the hell? I'm being nice to you, remember?" He asked me, clearly extremely confused. 

"I'm sorry, I just don't deserve this. You shouldn't be acting so sweet to me. I deserve to be treated terribly." I was beginning to break down now, he looked at me with those kind blue eyes and he rubbed circles on my shoulder. "Sometimes I wonder. I wonder why I play baseball. Why can't I just quit and be a normal girl why can't I just blend in? What is my problem? I will never fit in anywhere, except New Orleans. Austin, I just want to go to New Orleans right now, that is the only thing I want, that is the absolute only thing that'll help me." 

"Abigail, do not quit, never quit never even consider that. You inspire me so much and I don't know if I'd ever be able to play without knowing that you were playing too. Ab, do you have any idea how many people you inspire? You change people, Abigail. There are people out there who thought and believed that girls can't do anything but because of you, because you can throw a 97 MPH fastball and an unhittable curve, those people know that girls can beat boys. So what if your team doesn't understand, why should they affect your career, besides, they're probably just jealous that you are so much better than them.  You don't deserve them because friends should not bring you down like this. They are so pathetic, to bring down such an amazing person."