I'm a sucky person, I know. But I've been really busy lately, and I've been trying to fix the train wreck of where this story is headed. So if you actually read this, please disregard the previous version of chapter eighteen, please and thank you. I'm sorry for skipping out on this for a while.

Stay: Chapter Eighteen – Connelly's POV

"I really like her, Connelly. You need a girl like this." My mom was completely ecstatic that not only did I have a girlfriend that was for all intents and purposes perfect, but she was nice too.

My mom left me to my thoughts, and our large kitchen was suddenly impossibly tiny. There was too much going on inside my head. I had a team to think about, and a town that I couldn't afford to let down. Scouts from colleges had also been frequenting my games for the past two seasons. I'd gotten letters from a few, all saying that they would like to discuss a baseball scholarship. I had three schools to choose from. Then of course there's Olivia. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade her for anything, but it was very poor timing for me to decide to get into a serious relationship. The past few weeks have been the best of my life- I was graduating, had a girlfriend I adored, and my team was in line to win the state title.

Focusing was difficult. It was a Friday night, and I had a game to win tomorrow.

"Come on, you got this." I chanted over and over, trying to calm my nerves. Here I was, acting like a total fucking pussy. We were winning tomorrow, and that was final.

The lights were already burning when we stepped onto the field. We were playing at the Florida Missions stadium, which belonged to the local AAA baseball team. And boy had they gone all out. The white chalked lines were perfect, and the smell of the freshly cut grass was enough to drive me. Baseball is the love of my life, and I have never wanted something so badly.

"You okay, man?" Nick asked, tossing a ball in my direction. Right; time to zone in.

"Yeah, I'm good. Are you ready?" Nick's grin stretched across his face, and he clapped me on the back.

"We're going to kick some major fucking ass tonight. These shitheads don't have anything on us." This was how we pumped up. We used curse words that would've made a sailor blush with embarrassment. But hey, it worked, and I was way too superstitious to think about changing to routine Nick and I had had since freshman year.

The muscles in my right arm began to ache in the familiar throwing pattern I had come to love over the years, and the three-fingered-grip on the ball was second nature. Before long, we were trudging into the bullpen to start pitching. Nick and I are a unique pair as a pitcher and catcher; we had the best field dynamics out of any of the teams we'd faced. Maybe it was because we'd been pitching together since t-ball, but the level of trust between us on the field was unmatched. So much so, that Nick refused to wear a helmet while catching for me. He trusted me that much. And in return, I was driven to pitch my best- after all- no one wants to hit their best friend in the face with a 90 mile per hour fastball.

Catching Nick's throw back at me, I turned back to walk to the mound, but the sight of flame red curls in the stands caught my eye- Olivia. She must have been trying to torture me tonight. I could see her clad in a pair of hip-hugging jeans, and even given her tiny frame, made her look soft and curvy. But it was the Kelley baseball cap on her head that really made me look at her. I was by far the luckiest asshole ever.

Hey, Davis, you done checking out my girl Olivia yet?" Nick's lopsided grin taunted me.

"Shut up." I brought my hands together and ripped my arm down, flicking my fingertips over the seams before releasing. The fastball I'd just thrown sailed into Nick's waiting glove, too fast for the imaginary batter to even take a swing.

"You pitch like that tonight, and we're going to state by morning."

"Are you girls done gossiping in there? We have a game to win if you want to play." Coach Martin's sarcasm was famous throughout Kelley- he didn't take shit from anyone. We jogged out to the field, and joined the rest of the team in the traditional huddle before the game.

"Alright guys. With the exception of a couple of you, all of us are seniors. And we want to win state before leaving this hell hole. So light it up out there, will ya?" Nick's "pep-talks" never ceased to match his personality flawlessly. We broke out, and Nick and I shared the same handshake we'd had since t-ball.

As I walked up to the mound, all the noise form the crowd faded away. Cheesy, but I couldn't see anything but the bright lights shining down on us and Nick crouched behind the plate. Nick would've called me a pussy if he knew, but I was actually worried about this game. This was a team from Miami- and they were good. At Kelley it was hard work, constant hard work. But that team was solid talent. Hands dusted on the dirt, I was ready. The stadium fell away, leaving only our two teams. It was time for the game to start.

Batter number one was their intimidator. He had to be bigger than I was- which was saying something. I watched his practice swings carefully, trying to get a feel of his style. He swung solely with his arms, and after adjusting my hat, I flipped the sign for a two seamer to Nick. He returned it, and I got ready to pitch. As soon as my arm whipped down, Big Boy started his swing, missing by inches.

"Steeeeeee-rike one!" Nick threw the ball back at me, and I started planning. I was too fast for Big Boy, but he was going to adjust. I could get one more fastball in before he caught on, and I wanted to show him the heat. Rubbing my left eye (the sing for an inside pitch), and then toeing the rubber, I was ready to humiliate the first batter on that team. The inside fastball came screaming in just like the last one, and just above the strike zone, making it what my batting coaches called chin music. And he fell for it. Swinging so hard that his legs tangled and he nearly tripped, I could barely contain my laughter, and from what I could see behind the plate, Nick was having a hard time too.

"Strike two!" After, I purposely threw a low sinker, just to get him comfortable. I was going to unleash my curveball. My curveball was legendary. Really, it was just fucking amazing. And the only thing that rivaled that perfectly thrown curve, was the pissed off look on Big Boy's face. By tomorrow morning, we would be on the way to Miami for state.

Three batters later, The entire team was clapping me on the back, but I didn't hear anything; I was too far gone to tune out.

"Where the hell did that come from?"

"I dunno, man, I'm just feeling really good tonight." Nick was the only person I could respond to right now without breaking my focus.

"Well whatever it is, keep doing it; and those scouts in the stands will have us signing on the dotted line by the end of the week." My attention snapped to the stands briefly, and sure enough, in the seat closest to our dugout, were three college scouts. I couldn't see where they were from, but judging from their colors, I was looking at UT, LSU, and USC. Oh my god. Those were good schools. Maybe not the best in baseball, but they were really good Division I schools. They weren't somewhere that if I was offered a scholarship, I would even dream of turning down.

The second inning passed by on the field, and the third and fourth. With each minute passing by I could feel my arm straining to through harder, faster, and more accurate. My legs were pushing and stretching out harder, and every muscle on my body felt like it was on fire. Yet somehow, I wasn't feeling any of it. I didn't feel the pain in my back or legs when I pitched. All I felt was the heat of the three scouts stares, and when I checked, they were staring right back at both Nick and I. Nick secured the last out for the fifth inning, picking off a runner trying to steal third base.

"Nick, I think the scouts are looking at both of us." I muttered to him. Coach had a strict no talking policy in the dugout, unless it was critical to the game. We doubted he'd actually do anything to us, but that had been instilled in us since freshman year- it'd bad luck to change things now.

"You think so?" He questioned, looking around the fences. For the first time, I allowed myself to take a glance at the bleachers, and I was glad I did. From my place in the dugout, I could spot Olivia- my Olivia- sitting with her siblings with my family. Her perpetually pink cheeks were stretched in a wide smile as she threw her head back and laughed; and I let myself appreciate her beauty. I had to be the luckiest guy around. Olivia was one of the types of girls that is a total knockout, but she's shy, and doesn't talk to many people, so she goes unnoticed (and to be honest I was just fine with that- I didn't want to be sharing her with anyone) and ignored.

"Were you planning on finishing out the game? Or should I call Connor over, and have him take all the glory for bringing us to state?" Hell no. The only people that were going to finish out this game were Nick and I, and I was going to start right now. I was leading off, and Nick would be right after me. All I had to do was at least get on base and then let Nick bring me in. The score was 4-6 right now, and we were winning. All we needed was a few more runs to shut these boys down.

"You've got this Connelly!" Olivia's sugar voice rang through all the noise of the crowd, and I was glad that I had her. Who wouldn't be? Okay, focus, I told myself. This wasn't anytime to be thinking about your girl. I had work to do. Their pitcher was short and slim, his movements agile and fast, barely even allowing you time to check his grip on the ball. That's the one perk about being a pitcher. You can check out the pitcher's grip on the ball, and you can think like a pitcher. That was one of the greatest assets I had, and I took full advantage of it over the years. I spent hours over the past four years working at my batting, determined not to be the pitcher who's a terrible batter. And it was all about to play off.

The first pitch was watched all the way into the catcher's glove. About five inches away from hitting me in the ribs, it was called a strike. Calm down, I told myself, praying that my temper wouldn't get the best of me, it's just one bad call. But it wasn't just one. The next three pitches came, and I'd long realized the pitcher's intent. He was trying to hit me and take me out of the game. Really cheap move, but then again, they were the Miami High School Mules, and they lived up to their name- assholes. In near slow motion, the fourth pitch danced it'd way out of Number Six's outstretched hand, and came barreling towards me. So I did something that I knew would piss him off- I leaned my left shoulder in, just enough to tip the ball.

"Dead ball; batter take your base." The umpire didn't seem too thrilled with the call, but I gladly ran to first base, shooting a wink at the pitcher as I passed by. For some reason, I always took pleasure in rattling other teams. Getting under their skin- to the point where they couldn't even play normally- was a classic sport of ours. Now we didn't do like mean things, but we liked to trash talk just a little.

Nick walked up to the plate, and he shot me a meaningful look. Just looking at him, I could pick up on his unsaid words; he wanted me to take a giant lead off, and then try for third if it was a well-placed ball. In his usual fashion, Nick watched every single ball until the pitcher proved that he could actually throw a good strike. As soon as the first strike came screaming in, perfectly placed down the center of the plate, Nick swung and connected- hard. He took off like a shot, and given the lead I already had, I was halfway to third when they turned to try and pick me off. Sliding head first, arms straightened in front of me, I was safe by a landslide. Even the biased umpires couldn't call me out. The play was so clear that I jumped up and readied myself for the next play.

"Safe." muttered the field umpire. You could tell that they were most likely from Miami, and definitely deemed us small town rich white trash, to be perfectly honest. A lot of people did, and I don't understand it. Granted Kelley was among the wealthier small towns in Florida, but ninety percent of us weren't snobby about it.

After Nick's hit, we hit a plateau. None of the guys were getting any, and I was getting restless. There was no way in hell that I was going to be left on base. We needed these runs if we wanted to secure a lead. So I decided to play hero. Coach Martin stared at me for a couple of long moments, and after some silence, gave me a quick, hard nod. We had one out, and I was hoping that Liam could battle the pitcher long enough to give me a chance to play with the pitcher first. Prayers holding out, Liam began to start fouling balls off left and right, and each time one came, I was more or less, halfway down the base path when the umpire announced it foul. After four or so foul balls, I could see my tactics taking affect on Mr. Pitcher. His throwing was erratic, and all it took was a poorly positioned hopper to make its way straight through the catcher, and allow me a chance to make it home on another slide.

Rising up, I could definitely see that he was rattled. All we needed was Nick to come in, and we would be possible state champions by morning.

The final inning was coming to a close. We were still up by three; the runs we scored two innings ago couldn't be recovered from. The only thing left was three outs. Three outs were all that was standing between the 2013 Kelley Varsity Baseball Team and the state championship. That's it. Over the course of my baseball career, I'd have to guess that my teams had made nearly a thousand out or more, including practice. But it couldn't have been more stressful. All of us were tired; my whole arm was on fire from having to throw fastball after fastball not at my normal speed. Coach was clocking me in at ninety at the beginning of the game, and I'd somehow progressed up to the ninety three and ninety five range. My entire body was screaming in fatigue, and I willed myself to finish out at better than I'd started. The pressure of the college scouts were still there, and all of them were watching intently. What would they think if I started at ninety, a perfectly good speed, and finished at less than that? I wanted to prove to them that they needed me. I motioned everyone in as soon as I threw the last pitch, not even knowing what to say. What was there left to say? Every single one of us was playing in our top shape, and there wasn't one person who wasn't trying their absolute hardest.

"Not to be sappy or anything, but I love this team. And we're so close. Just three outs guys. All this is just practice. Let's give em' something to remember." I held Nick back briefly after we broke out.

"Ready to win?"

"Born."

The first pitch burned as soon as I snapped my arm back. It was a weak throw, given how well I'd been pitching. The batter fouled it off, and I shook my head in disappointment. I needed to finish this out. I stole one last glance at the stands, and I caught sight of her- Olivia, on her feet at the edge of the fence, screaming and cheering for us. And I'd never seen anything more beautiful.

I whipped my arm down as hard as I could, and all the batter could manage was a slow rolling grounder straight to me. Everything came rolling in slow motion, and I took a small breath before turning around and throwing to Kalen- one down, two to go.

Five more pitches I threw, only two of them not hitting exactly where I'd wanted. The other three were probably my fastest pitches of the game, and I was ready for it to be over. We had one more out to make. Maybe I relaxed too much one the first itch, or maybe I wanted the batter to hit it, but either way, the ball soared off the bat, and the batter took off running. The only thing I could do is watch in horror as the ball flew to Liam in left field. Liam is a great outfielder, but he struggles with going backwards at times, especially in high-pressure situations- hence my horror. Liam back-peddled, and at the last second turned to sprint the last few meters to the fence. He stuck his arm out, feeling along the fence, and then sticking his glove into the air for the catch. And from my place on the pitcher's mound, I could see him flinching and closing his eyes for the catch.

The ball landed squarely in his glove, and I was reminded of little league. Liam's entire face lit up with delight and shock and amazement all rolled into one, and the cheers following were deafening.

"That's ball game." Liam sprinted into us, and I nearly felt bad for the small kid. We were pounding and beating on his back, and I thought his face would break from the size of his smile. We had done it. In that moment, we were invincible. We were everything. We became forever.

For once, Coach Martin was smiling. "Alright, alright, calm down. You guys did great tonight, but don't think that the state tournament is going to be easy. Every single team there is going to be just as good as you are. One a happier note, go out and have fun tonight, because after tonight, anyone found out partying or getting drunk is going to be benched for the duration of the tournament. Got it?" We all nodded solemnly, and the second that Coach turned around we resumed our celebration. We were going to the fucking state tournament, and we were going to win. There was no question about it.

"Hey dude, I think you have a visitor." Calvin nudged me and pointed behind me.

"I know you're a superstar now and all…" Olivia trailed off as I swept her into my arms. God, she smelled amazing. Olivia smelled like flowers and other girly things, and I couldn't get enough of it.

"You were amazing out there, Con. I'm so proud of you." Everything fell away. I didn't care that there were still parents and students and judgmental people in the stands. I didn't care that I was five feet away from my team, and that none of them knew about Olivia. I didn't care that she wasn't the popular choice. I wrapped my arms around her slim hips, picking her up slightly, and kissed her. All the stress and anger and frustration of the game came out while I was kissing her. As soon as our lips touched, I ran my tongue across her perfect lower lip, and she allowed me entrance right away. Olivia's small hands wound their way through my hair, and I groaned into her mouth. She had me wrapped around her finger when it came to kissing her, and I'm damn sure she knew it. I'd never been with anyone who was so good, and I'm not just talking about sexual stuff either. Olivia was good through and through, and every time I was with her, I didn't feel quite so pressured. All I felt was her. Olivia's voice was music- I had never met anyone like her. She saw magic in everything, and I wanted to stay with her forever when we were together.

The remainder of the team started hooting and hollering, and our maybe make out session was cut short. Olivia started giggling and buried herself into my chest, and I was perfectly okay with having her closer to me.

"Party at Ethan's house! You in?" Nick shouted at us.

"Course! Meet y'all there at 10." Joining my hand with Olivia's I led us off the fields.

"Oh! I'm supposed to tell you that your parents brought your car up, and they'll take my brother and sisters home."

"So did you want to come to the party? There's probably going to be all the people from school there too." Her smile was blinding, and I was more than happy to do whatever she wanted. I had one more night before going into the bubble for a week, and I wanted to spend it with Olivia.

"I've never been to a party before, you know." She replied shyly, handing me the keys to my car.

"Then I believe that tonight would be an excellent time to start. The year's almost over, you are in for a lot of wild parties m'lady." I held Olivia's door open for her, and then threw my stuff in the back seat. The roar of the engine was a welcome sound, and we wordlessly got on the road back to Kelley.

Olivia started fiddling with the radio, before she pulled a CD out of her purse and shoved it in my player. Who uses CD's anymore?

"What're you doing babe?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the road and trying not to smile.

"It's called a mix CD, nerd. You never play music in this car, and we need to fix that."

"Hey, don't insult my car choices," I said defensively, "plus I don't know. I'm just not much of a music-in-the-car type of guy."

"Wait until you hear this." Olivia cranked the volume up and adjusted my bass until the sides of the car vibrated with the beat of the music. Even the beginning of the keyboard solo at the start of the song was loud. Then the intensity skyrocketed. Drums and guitar filled the sound, followed by the lead singer (who if you ask me sounded pretty badass). It was the type of music that could be classified as faggy emo music by my peers, but it was nothing like that. I glanced at Olivia, completely in shock that a girl as delicate looking as her, could listen to such heavy music.

"What? Do you not like it?" She asked, catching me staring at her.

"No, no it's good. I'm just in shock that a girl like you listens to stuff like this."

"And what's that supposed to mean," Olivia's face heated up again, and I prepared myself for the digging I'd have to do to get myself out of this, "am I not cool enough or something?"

"No, not at all. It's just you're super cute and pint-size and I didn't expect you to listen to this stuff. I'm surprised by how much I like it." She turned back in her seat and uncrossed her arms, thank god.

"I thought you would. Prepare your ears, 'cause we're going to have a personal concert."

Needless to say, we arrived almost an hour late to the party. I opted to take an extra lap around Kelley to prolong the auditory orgasm I was experiencing, and then we had to stop at my house so I could change and catch a shower, and then drive all the way across town to Ethan's house. On the bright side, things were in full swing by the time we got there.

"Hey man! Glad you could make it!" Ethan slurred in my ear, already nearing drunk. He thrust a beer into both Olivia and my hands' and left to god knows where. The whole time, Olivia's eyes took in the house party in both wonder and horror.

"So this is what the rich and popular do for fun, huh?" This was just a little embarrassing. I ran a nervous hand through my hair and let it rest on the back of my neck.

"If you're uncomfortable, we can leave baby." I mumbled.

"You're kidding right? There's no way I'm skipping out on my first high school party." Was this my girlfriend? Olivia was shy, painfully shy. She just wasn't the type to be a social butterfly.

"Are you serious?" My shock was furthered as she took a large swig of her beer. What creature had taken over her?

"Let's go dance." She whispered, grabbing my hand and leading me over to where everyone was dancing to some electro song. She slowly put my hands around her hips as she swayed to the music. I followed her lead, and before I knew it, we were pressed close enough that I could feel every beat of her heart, and the warmth of her chest against mine. Both of us were on our second or third, or maybe even fourth, beer. I wasn't feeling much more than a little tipsy, but judging by Olivia's slurs and uncoordinated movements, she wasn't too sober.

The party was packed. There had to be at least a hundred people here; and everyone was drunk. More people poured in by the minute, and the alcohol kept being poured. I could even smell weed and see what I guessed to be ecstasy tablets being passed around. I knew I shouldn't be letting Olivia drink this much, given that I was pretty sure this was her first time drinking, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her to stop. She wanted to experience this, and I wasn't going to deprive her of that.

"I'm going to go grab another beer. Stay here, okay?" I shouted in her ear, the music thumping in the background. She nodded, and I left to the kitchen. Every available surface had become basically a site for sex, and I tried to ignore the couple making out quite heavily in the corner. I opened one of the ice chests on the table and reached in to get a beer and pop the top off.

"Hey sexy," tanned arms slid around me and spun me around, "what are you doing here all alone, baby?"

"Sierra, you're drunk." I said, peeling her octopus-like arms off me. She gave me the creeps- big time.

"Don't be so mean, Connelly," she pouted, running a hand up my chest, "I've been looking all night for you."

"Look I have to go." My mind was suddenly drawing up blank, and my thoughts were all too muddled and cloudy. I turned away from her, but Sierra wasn't letting go. She grabbed the back of my tee-shirt and spun me around, her lips connecting with mine. As quickly as she could, she jumped on me, wrapping her lips around my waist and sinking her fingernails into my arms. I pulled away as fast as I could given my slightly drunken state, and yanked her off me.

"What the fuck, man?" Nick's angered gaze burned a hole through me from the doorway.

"Nick, it's so nice to see you. Connelly and I were just, you know, re-familiarizing ourselves with each other." Sierra answered him with a conniving smile and a wink. Her death grip on me remained.

"Go to hell, Connelly." Nick said, disgusted. I tore away from her finally, and chased after him. When I got to him, it was just slightly too late. Hick was violently whisper-shouting in Olivia's ears, and given her heartbroken look, he was telling her what had just unraveled in the kitchen. She snatched a leftover bottle of what looked like either tequila or whisky from its place on a shelf and downed a large swallow. Fuck this, I needed to set this straight. My mind was now desperately trying to clear itself, but as I tried to make my way to my girlfriend, Nick stopped me.

"We're taking this outside man." He dragged me out of the house, and I let him. Olivia probably hated me, and I hated myself for even bringing her to this party.

"I told you not to hurt her." Nick's fist connected with me, and the force threw me to the ground.

"I fucking told you! She's the closest thing I've ever had to a sister, and you hurt her! God dammit, you're supposed to love her!" Each sentence was punctuated with another blow somewhere on my body, and I welcomed the pain each time, not even trying to get in a punch. He suddenly stood up, landing a kick to my sides.

"Now sober the fuck up and go fix this, before you lose the best thing that's ever happened to you." I nodded dumbly, and wiped the trail of blood from my nose before stumbling back inside like the drunken fool I was.

"Olivia!" I called out. The thumping bass drowned out everything, and the whole room was spinning. I'd drank too much, too soon, and now the alcohol was hitting me like a brick wall. Olivia was nowhere to be seen, and I'd circled the entirety of the downstairs of Ethan's house. The only place I hadn't checked was upstairs, and I felt bile rising in my throat at the thought of what happened upstairs- sex, and lots of it. And not all of the girls who went up there wanted it either. My stomach heaved all at once, and I practically flew though the bathroom down, spilling the empty contents of my stomach into the toilet. This is what I hated about drinking. It was all okay until I drank too much and spent the night with my head over the toilet. I didn't have time for this bullshit, and the longer I took to find Olivia, the angrier she would become. I ducked out of the bathroom and walked into the first bedroom I saw.

The only thing in there was a couple too drunk to notice that I had just walked in on them, and I shut the door to open the next one. I could hear the screams when I laid my ear up to the door. And they weren't sex screams either. They were the type of screams that made the hair on your arms rise up because you knew that there was something desperately wrong. If I didn't go in there, I knew I'd regret it, but I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted to see what was behind the door either.

The door was open, and the screaming kept going.

"Fuck." I swore, throwing the door open, and nearly had a heart attack when I saw what was inside.

"Connelly!" Olivia screamed, and my heart stopped.