Rivals - L.S.

Thirty One - A Change of Scenery

I can't believe Rivals is at 2.6 K, that's incredible! Thank you so much for reading and supporting me! I've rewritten this chapter at least three times so I hope you enjoy it. It's kind of a filler but it's long and it's important so tell me what you think! I love you all!

Baseball was back. Thanks to their much needed time off, the whole team was in with a brand new attitude. They were playing better than they ever had in Louis' eyes, it was finally as if they were perfectly in sync. The Great Britain team was becoming a well oiled machine and they were certainly going to be a force to be reckoned with this upcoming season.

Louis loved seeing everyone working together and playing well. Not to mention, due to his captain position, it made him look good when his team looked good. He could always use a little help with his reputation. It was nice to be back, especially when things were starting to look up surrounding the team dynamic.

But on a different note, being back really sucked.

Paperwork was burying Louis, he was being hounded by Nick Grimshaw, and the British Baseball Federation was practically blowing up his phone at all hours of the day. The decision had been made to move forward in the process of trading Louis to the New York Mets, despite the fact that Louis never actually agreed to any of it.

Sure, he adored the Mets. And while he was in New York, he really came to like the big city atmosphere. But that didn't matter at all.

Harry was what mattered.

Louis hadn't even told Harry yet. He was too afraid. It was all pretty much out of Louis' hands at this point and the deal was being made, whether he liked it or not. Louis knew he would be leaving London. And he also knew that Harry was going to be mad and upset and he would definitely try to come with Louis- which the blue eyed boy knew was completely impossible due to Harry's unbreakable contract.

It was obvious, no matter how he acted or played, that the stress was wearing on him. He could only hide it so well.

They were scrimmaging, the whole team currently squaring off around the diamond field. Cowell suddenly called for a time out, Louis flipping his hat around and taking a long breath. Relieved, he jogged for the dugout, hoping a short break would help give him a minute to shake all the thoughts from his head.

"Hey, that doesn't include you, Tomlinson. Come over here," Simon's gravelly voice chorused as he gestured for Louis to come his way.

Avoiding eye contact with Harry the whole way, Louis scurried over to Simon. "Yes Coach?" he asked.

"Something on your mind, son?" the older man asked, sounding concerned as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Louis forced a chuckle. "That obvious huh?" he mused, "Um, well, I guess I'm just worried about the trade and New York and all that. But trust me, I'm fine. I'll be fine." He fidgeted with the glove in his hands, doing his best to reassure his dear coach.

"I'm really sorry Louis," Simon sighed, "I tried to get Grimshaw and Howard to keep you here but they went over my head. Guess I don't quite have as much influence as I thought. Have you told the team yet? Or Harry?"

Louis shook his head, embarrassed. "I haven't told anybody. Not Zayn or Harry or anyone else. I don't know what to say," he replied truthfully.

Simon sighed. "I know it isn't really my place, Tomlinson, but you need to speak up. Your team relies on you and with you leaving, they need as best of a head start as they can get to find someone to fill those shoes of yours. And Harry... Harry'll be more upset if you don't tell him," the man advised, using his kindest voice (of which was really only reserved for Louis).