reasons - louis tomlinson

i. angels

i. angels 

"You got this Shayden. One more strike, c'mon girl."

"Have confidence in yourself."

"Believe, that's all it takes."

The constant chatter sounded like little whispers in Shayden Dermot's head. It was the bottom of the seventh inning and they were up by one run. The runner on second base was the tying run and the batter was the winning one. They had two outs and she had two strikes. All Shayden had to do was pitch one more strike and Hyatt College Prep would be going to the state finals.

Sweat dripped from her head as it was a hot day in Heyen, California. Of course hot days were normal in central California, but this one was exceptionally hot.

Slowly she wiped the drips of sweat from her forehead and found the correct grip on the ball. Her catcher, Molly Herew was calling for a knuckle change up on the outside corner, but she knew a better pitch would be another high rise ball. She shook off Molly and motioned for her to call the same pitch she had been calling the time against this batter. The batter would not expect the same pitch again, especially with two strikes.

Shayden took a deep breath and started her wind up. If this girl stuck out, the Hyatt Rams would be going to the state finals. That pitch would determine the fate of her and her team.

As soon as she let go of the ball, the crowd held their breath, patiently waiting for the outcome of the pitch. They heard the loud smack of the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt, but the batter didn’t swing.

Everyone instantly looked at the umpire, anxious to hear what he was going to call.

“Strike three, you’re out.”

The crowd and the bench stormed the field and crowded Shayden around the mound. The Hyatt Rams were going to the state championships.

Softball was a huge deal in Heyen, California. Most small towns bonded with football or basketball, but since there weren’t a lot of male athletes, they depended on softball. Their pride and joy was in the success of the thirteen girls on the team.

“We did it Shay! Everything we’ve ever worked for, it’s finally happening.” Molly exclaimed and pulled Shayden in for a hug.

The team went through a three year slump and fought hard to finally get out of it. The extra hours of practice and constant sacrifices paid off and the team was going to finally break the slump.

When Molly broke away from her and walked off to go talk to another teammate, Shayden was left alone. She did a complete turn and just took it all in. All the hard work she put into playing actually meant something and for some odd reason, she couldn’t get that smile off of her face.

The amount of handshakes and interviews she had was insane and by the time she got home, her hands were sweaty and her voice was hoarse. All she wanted to do was lay down and let it sink in because she still wasn’t used to the idea of her pitching in the state championships a week later.

“Shay, we heard about the win!” Her twin little brother’s greeted her when she walked into the door. Their small little apartment was barely big enough for all of them to sleep there.

“How’d you hear about that?” She questioned them, not in a scolding way but a loving way.

“Daddy was there and he told us about it all. How else do you think we would find out?” Ricky giggled at his brother’s response, which Jerrod was really puzzled about.

“Wait, Daddy’s here?” She asked once they stopped laughing at Jerrod.

“He’s taking a shower but he should be done soon.” Ricky told her.

Shayden picked up both of her brothers, one in each arm, and carried them into the kitchen. She figured she would start their dinner before her father got out of the shower. Ever since their mother died, their father worked as a long distance truck driver and would only be home for a couple days a month.

“What do you two devils want for dinner?”

“Pizza!”

“Ice cream!”

She laughed at their responses and decided on making spaghetti. It was their father’s favorite meal and he always loved it when he could have a home cooked meal. She made a secret sauce that she created when she was younger with her mother and it was the last thing that she had that reminded her of her mom.

“Is that smell what I think it is?” An oh so familiar voice booms through the kitchen.

Shayden turned around from the boiling pot and saw her father standing behind her. This would be the second time that they saw each other this month, but every time they see each other, it gets even better.

“Daddy, I heard you came to my game.”

“Of course, I would never miss it. Besides, I traded with another driver and now I’m going to be doing a route that’s shorter, but farther away.” The news was bittersweet, but all that mattered was that he would be coming home sooner.

“You had a mean rise ball today. The spin was tight and your stride was perfect, just like we practiced before I left.” Her dad continued.

“Coach and I put extra hours into practicing that, but I was worried about pitching it again. What would happen if she picked up the spin and hit it?”

“Don’t worry about that anymore sweetheart. You and your team are going to the state championship and nothing else can change that. I’m so proud of you and how far you have come as a player.” He praised her.

Cameron Dermot was a star baseball pitcher back when he was in college. Everything that Shayden knew was from her father and she couldn’t have been happier. Unlike other players, she accepted her father’s help and together they bonded over softball.

He made the switch a couple years before Shayden was born and he didn’t regret anything. No matter how much crap he got from his old teammates for playing a “girl’s” sport, he wouldn’t give it up. It was a way for him to connect with his daughter, just like his father did with him.

The main lesson that his father taught him was to never disrespect the game of baseball. Cameron Dermot taught his daughter the same thing and he knew that her love of the game was too big.

Shayden Dermot was an angel; she was his angel.