you belong with me | c.w. ✓

sixteen [open hearts]

____________________

s i x t e e n

open hearts

____________________

I tossed and turned all night, trying but failing to fall asleep. I kept replaying Cole and I's encounter at the elevator in my head. His face filled my mind; the hurt and betrayal and anger all conveyed in one expression.

I hated the way he looked at me now. I hated the way he felt about me.

But I didn't hate him. I never could.

I hated myself for hurting him.

____________________

The next day was Red Land's first game in Williamsport, since it had been rained out the day before. The weather finally cleared up overnight, and now the sun was shining without a cloud in sight.

I slowly got out of bed, letting out a yawn. I'd barely gotten any sleep last night - I just couldn't stop thinking about Cole. I hated how much of an effect he had on me, and the fact that he didn't even know it.

I reached over beside me and shook Raegan awake, ignoring her groans and annoyed remarks. After grabbing a change of clothes and my bathroom bag, I went into the bathroom to get a shower. I had washed my hair the day before, so I spent less than five minutes in the shower. Then I pulled on my Red Land t-shirt and jean shorts, brushed my hair, and did my makeup.

Once I was done, I stepped out of the bathroom and sat down on my bed to put on my white high-top Converse. Raegan and Zoe both went into the bathroom to do their hair and makeup while Maggie did hers in the mirror on the front of the closet door.

I scrolled through my phone while I was waiting for them to finish getting ready. Like always, I ended up on Instagram. I looked at some of the older pictures I had posted: one in particular caught my eye. It was of me and Mason, the guy I'd met in Bristol. We had hung out a couple times, but I had never felt anything other than friendship for him. Not surprisingly, the picture had over 300 likes. All of my brother's fangirls followed me, and all their comments were the same: "I ship it," or "relationship goals!"

Looking at the picture made me realize something. Like Raegan said, I was wasting time obsessing over Cole. I knew there was no way we could ever be together, so what I really needed to do was move on. I might not have had feelings for Mason, but at least it was a start: the first step in getting my heart to open again.

My thoughts drifted to Walker, the West player I'd met the night before. We barely even knew each other, but maybe there was a chance for something to happen between us.

When the girls were finally ready, I stood up and suggested we go to the West game, since we had plenty of time before the Red Land game.

Raegan raised her eyebrows, a smug expression on her face. "You know, Ry, you should really work on being more subtle."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I defended, looking away.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. A super cute guy literally falls for you, and you don't want to try to see him again. About as believable as you not being obsessed with Shawn Mendes."

I put my hands up. "Okay, okay, maybe I want to see him again. But you can either stand here teasing me about it and miss the game, or you can leave me alone and we can actually have fun while we're here."

They all rolled their eyes but followed me out of the hotel room and into the hallway. It was empty, since all the players were either at practice or a game.

Lamade Stadium was nearly full, but we managed to find pretty good seats by first base. As soon as the game started, I was immediately drawn to Walker - and not just because he hit a home run in the first inning. Maybe it was the way he carried himself - full of confidence, but not cockiness - or how cute he was (I am still a teenage girl, after all), either way, I knew I should try talking to him sometime. He was staying in the same hall as us, so I figured it wouldn't be too hard to find him.

After the game, we had about an hour before Red Land's game against the Midwest team. We decided not to go back to the Grove, and spent the time walking around outside the stadium, looking at all the different merch stands.

"So, Riley," Maggie said as we looked at the Mid-Atlantic shirts. "See anything you like out there?"

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up. I don't even know him."

"Sure you do. His name is Walker, he's from California, and he's hot. What more do you need to know?" Zoe said.

"Come on, you guys. Can we please just focus on the Red Land game? I'm nervous enough as it is without you guys talking about Walker every five seconds." Despite how much I was trying to hide it, I was really nervous. Jaden was my brother and best friend, and I knew how much this meant to him. It had been his dream ever since he was little, and now it was finally here. And if I was nervous, I couldn't imagine how he was feeling.

We found our seats ten minutes before they announced the players, settling in next to my mom and some of the family members of the boys.

By the end of the first inning, I was feeling much more confident. We were already up 5-0, and Jaden was playing better than ever.

After nine more runs, Cole hit a grand slam, sealing the win. I couldn't help feeling proud of him, despite everything that happened. He deserved this moment. He deserved to be happy.

Even if I couldn't be the reason why.

_________________________