COOLER THAN ME ✸ adley rutschman

prologue.

prologue. be prepared for anything

rhoads stadium was eerily still. horror was etched across the faces of both dugouts, some hiding in the palms of their hand as they observed taylor. her nose was crinkled and her lip was caught between her teeth. she laid flat across the dirt in the lined circle, her circle.

"you're gonna be okay, tay. it's gonna be okay," ally shipman repeatedly mumbled, gently rubbing her pitchers bicep. she was clad in her bulky catchers gear, however her helmet was discarded a few feet away from them.

taylor's eyes screwed shut, focusing on ally's words and not the panicked murmurs surrounding her. her hand gripped the back of her knee, her other hand still grasping the white face-mask she ripped off after her body went weak and dropped to the ground.

"looks like her foot got caught on the mound. maybe the dirt," patrick murphy said through a shielding clipboard, still unable to process the past few moments of alarm he endured.

"she doesn't look stable enough to walk out of here herself, we called for someone to get her," the medical assistant explained, eyeing the girl being asked questions by the other paramedics as they squatted close to her.

murphy adjusted the cap on his head, a large breath falling from his lips as he paced back and forth. distraught had taken over his features and everyone wearing crimson red, what was next?

a reassuring hand reached his shoulder, stopping his frantic movement, "this isn't good at all, pat. not at all," an associate head coach whispered, anxiety lacing her voice.

he hummed, taking a step towards taylor's weeping body. ally looked up at her coach with a worrisome look then back to her teammate, mumbling gentle words.

another paramedic slightly pushed past his shoulder, crouching down to the girl. "hey, taylor. we're gonna take you back to do some x-rays, okay?" she spoke in a sweet tone, nodding towards the medical ATV that just arrived.

taylor let out a shaky breath, "okay," she croaked.

"we gotta get you on there, you wanna try getting up for me?" the medic held her arm in a supportive manner. taylor locked eyes with the woman, sincerity flashing in her eyes, before nodding in agreement.

she grunted, putting her body weight onto her other leg as ally quickly hopped from the ground to assist her friend.

taylor's state was unfamiliar to everyone, including herself. the lucky red ribbon she wore in her hair was discarded on the ground and her sweat induced her eye black to run down her puffy cheeks. her tears almost seemed rusty, she hadn't seen them in a while along with everyone else.

murphy stood near the medical ATV with a sympathetic look etched on his face as he caught taylor's gaze.

"i'm sorry," she whimpered, hobbling to the back of the vehicle. her eyes drooped, and her lips as her coach repeatedly shook his head, walking to the side of her.

"no, no. do not ever be sorry for something like this, taylor," he reassured her in a stern tone as she got lifted into the back, her legs dangling off the edge.

"i don't want to let them down," she sniffled, wiping her under eye as she stared at the girls in the dugout with despair spread across their faces.

murphy almost scoffed, "you could never and will never let any one of us or them down."

ally nodded in agreement, moving to his side, "everything is gonna be okay, we're gonna be fine. i promise," she told her, patting taylor's pinstriped clad thigh.

she turned her head away from the two as the vehicle underneath her started rumbling, it slightly jolted forward as the wheels started spinning across the dirt into the perfectly cut green grass.

taylor observed the field becoming farther and farther as she and the medics rolled away. the woman was explaining something as they went through the large gate to exit the field but her words meant nothing to the girl, no matter how important they were at the moment.

yet her ears perked at the round of applause echoing throughout rhoads, her eyes catching a glimpse of a small girl with the opposing teams colors on her shirt leaning over the fence in left field before the gate was closed.

"we love you, taylor!" her gentle voice shouted.

from kendall,
i'm actually so excited for this book, idk about u guys. i've been in my adley era (who's not tho) so i plan on writing a lot more for this in my free time. i hope u all enjoyed, stay tuned. i love u all.

love, kendall