Ch 9: Crash Course

A/N: Hello, hello there! Long time, no see! And that is our fault and we apologize to you all for the huge delay. School is winding down and hopefully the updates will be more frequent. Thank you all so much for all the favorite stories/authors, story/author alerts, and reviews! And a huge, ginormous thank you to hgbkwrm for betaing this chapter and getting it back so quickly!

BPOV

Anger. That was the first emotion I felt when I started driving back towards home. The fact that I almost fell for his act pissed me off. He seemed really sincere at first, and then he just had to go be the arrogant asshole everyone loved to hate.

I was able to calm myself down shortly after because excitement set in. I loved pitching and the fact that I would finally be able to show him what I could do gave me a rush. I have been pitching my entire life, so this hit off would be nothing because I would do anything to prevent him from getting inside my head.

As I walked in the door, I heard music coming from the kitchen and made my way over there to see both Alice and Rose working on homework. "Guess who I ran into at the store."

Alice put her pen down and looked up first, "Um I don't know! Who?"

"Edward Cullen."

Rose, who hadn't stopped working on her homework, dropped her pen. "No you didn't."

"Yes I did. And to make matters worse, I literally ran into him." They turned in their chairs to hear the rest of the story. I replayed the entire conversation for them and finished with the news about the hit off on Thursday.

They both just stared at me, mouths agape, until Rose spoke up first. "So he acted like his usual self and now there's a hit off?"

"Yes. Twenty pitches from one of us to the other and whoever hits the most, wins."

"Well," Alice said, "what's the prize for the winner? And what does the loser have to do? I know you two aren't just playing for kicks and giggles so there has to be something at stake here. What is it?"

"I don't know exactly. We never talked about that. We just agreed to it and went our separate ways. I left and called Nicole to schedule some extra lessons before Thursday and he went God knows where."

Rose took the opportunity to speak up, "I can tell you where he went, he went to go see if he still had his balls because he doesn't understand what he just got himself into. There's no way in hell he's going to win this, especially with the history between you two."

Ali and I laughed at her remark. "Thanks Rose." With that, I got up and started making dinner with a smile on my face. Rose was right; there was no reason why I couldn't win. So long as he stayed out of my head, I'd be okay. And after I won, he wouldn't have that stupid smirk on his face twenty-four freaking hours a day. But it was a sexy smirk, Bella. A smirk that makes a light shine in his eyes. And the smirk pillowed by those amazing lips….STOP IT! He cannot get inside your head. Right then and there, I promised myself that I would not think about Edward Cullen until Thursday came around and I could watch that smartass smirk fall right from his glorious face.

I had a little over a week to practice as much as I could, with and without Nicole. She and I worked together during practice and then stayed after for a little just for good measure. The first few practices were reviewing mechanics for each pitch and just making sure I had those down pat. Then we moved on to the pitches I needed the most help with. Everything was review for me, but I was okay with that. Practice makes perfect, right?

"Get this last pitch in and we'll be done for today." It was my fourth day of extra practices and I had been at this for a while and the last few pitches hadn't been the best, so I really wanted to make this last one perfect. I took a deep breath, hit the ball against my hip and went into my motion. It was a fastball on the outside, not a hard pitch at all. Yet I missed the mark. It went to the extreme right of the plate and hit the side of the cage. I put my hands on my hip and threw my head back. "Ugh!"

"All right Bells, you're done for the day. Ducky, you can go ahead and leave."

"What? No, not yet, just one more try." I looked at Nicole with pleading eyes as she patted Genessa on the back and told her to grab her gear. She complied and headed towards the parking lot as Nicole came over to me. "What's the matter?"

I looked away, avoiding her knowing gaze. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Come on, Bella. You can't really expect me to believe that."

"I honestly don't know what's wrong. I was doing fine up until the end and then it just went downhill. I wouldn't have been able to pitch my way out of a wet paper bag with the crap I was throwing."

"Hey, look at me," I did and listened to what she had to say, "you did just fine today. You're having an off night, so what? Everyone does. We've been at this for hours so you're probably tired, probably haven't had much to eat or drink either, which makes you crabby. We'll start new tomorrow."

"I know, I just, I just want to show him that I'm not a sucky pitcher and that I'm actually really good and that game was just a fluke."

"And you will. He won't be able to hit off you so you'll win and it will cancel out the game he came to."

I grabbed my water and we both started for the parking lot. I knew I had to stop being so hard on myself. I also knew that my greatest competitor was myself, not him. If I could get myself in the right state of mind to focus and keep him out of my head, I'd be good.

I drove home and, once I was in my room, tried to get myself in said state of mind. It was harder to find than I thought it would've been. I was constantly worrying about him, his hitting, and my pitching. And the hitting. Shit. I had been so worried about the pitching that I forgot all about the hitting aspect of the deal. Sure I knew how to hit, but as a pitcher in college, we didn't generally bat during games. As a result, I didn't get a lot of batting time in at practice. There were only five more days until the competition on Thursday, so I had to work something in that would ensure my win over Edward.

I woke up the next day feeling good. My mind was at ease knowing I just needed to work on myself for the hit off. I went down to the kitchen and was shocked to see Alice and Rose already sitting down at the island. "Morning, you two."

"Morning, Bells!" They said simultaneously.

"What are you guys doing just sitting here?"

They both turned to me and smiled sweetly. "We were waiting for you to come make us yummy food!" Alice said.

I laughed, turned on some music and pulled out the ingredients out for French Toast Casserole. I began putting everything in the pan as we talked about our past weeks. They asked about my extra lessons and how they were going. I told them about yesterday's practice and how I knew I was my own worst enemy and I wouldn't be thinking about Edward or anything or anyone having to do with him until Thursday. Talking about it didn't make me so worked up anymore. I was pleased to know that I had found the state of mind I had been searching for. Once the casserole was in the oven I turned to them, "So what are you guys planning on doing today?"

Rose sounded kind of excited when she answered, "Well, Emmett and Jasper wanted to come over today to hang out."

"Oh that sounds like fun. When are they coming by?"

"Like early afternoon, probably."

Alice was silent the entire time but finally spoke up, "But if you just want to have a day to relax, then they don't have to come over." I knew she was trying to support me in my 'No thinking of anything or anyone associated with Edward' state of mind, but I could see that both she and Rose really wanted to see the boys. And I actually liked Emmett and Jasper, they were nothing like Him.

"No, it's fine. I was actually going to call Jake to see if he would catch for me and help with my hitting." I wanted to get as much practice in as I could.

"Oh! What if Emmett and Jasper help you? They're his best friends on the team so they know what his weaknesses are. Granted, neither of them are pitchers, but neither is Edward, so they could tell you what he's most likely going to throw."

"No, I don't want to take your time away from them. I'll just call Jake, it's fine."

Rose got the phone off the hook, "Too late! We're calling and asking them!" Before I could object again, she had already dialed Emmett's number and was counting the rings till he picked up. On the fourth ring he picked up, "Hey, Emmett, it's Rose."

"Yes, you guys can still come over, but I have a question. Apparently Edward and Bella are having a hit off this Thursday and," she looked at me and emphasized, "we were wondering if you and Jasper could help Bella out."

A moment passed in which Emmett spoke and only Rose heard. "You know, just catching for her as she pitches to one of you and then helping perfect her hitting. She knows how to, obviously, she just wants to brush up on it."

Only a second passed until we saw a grin creep across Rose's face. "Great, see you soon! Bye!"

She put the phone back on the receiver and looked at me. "You're welcome."

"Thanks, but that was very unnecessary. Jake would've been more than willing to help."

"True, but Emmett and Jasper know how he plays. They'll give you the upper hand in the situation and that's just what you need to beat him."

I didn't really have anything to say to that because it made perfect sense. They've been playing with him for years, they know his strengths and weaknesses.

Alice hopped off the barstool she had been sitting on, "Well! As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I must go get ready for the day!" and walked to her room with Rose following.

"Yup, I'm with Ali, and you better get dressed too, Bella."

There was still some left over casserole but I decided to leave it out just in case Emmett or Jasper would want any, and it would most likely be Emmett who wanted some. Who am I kidding? He'd probably inhale that thing. After putting the dishes in the dishwasher I went up to my room to put on some shorts and a shirt and checked to make sure I had all my gear ready to go for when the guys got here. As I was grabbing my cleats, I heard the doorbell ring and Alice running down the stairs, screaming, "I've got it!"

Emmett's voice echoed through the entire house as they walked in, "Hey, Pixie! How goes it? Oh man! It smells good in here! What is that?"

Alice laughed her tinkling laugh, "It goes, Gigantor. And that wonderful aroma assaulting your sniffer would be Bella's French toast casserole. I think there's still some on the stove if you want some."

"You bet I want some!" Rose and I came out of our rooms at the exact same time and walked down the stairs together. Rose rolled her eyes at this comment but smiled and said, "Trust me; you're going to love it."

He turned around at the sound of her voice and his smile got impossibly bigger, "Oh, hey Rosie! Hi, Bella!"

"Hey, Emmett. There's plenty of casserole left over so help yourself."

He marched his way towards the kitchen, "Thanks! I will!"

Rose followed him into the kitchen, "I swear, he's like a Hoover."

I laughed and looked towards the doorway where Alice and Jasper were standing, just looking at each other and they seemed to be saying everything and nothing at all with just that one look. Jasper finally unlocked his gaze from Alice's and turned towards me, "Hello, Bella."

"Hey, how are you?"

He spoke with that Southern drawl that visibly made Alice's knees go weak, "I am doing very well, thank you. How 'bout yourself?"

"Great! Thanks! If you want some casserole, go in and help yourself, there's plenty there."

He laughed a deep laugh, "Ah, that may have been true before we arrived, but Emmett is here now, so I'll be lucky to get a sliver of food but I'm going to go try my luck." With that, he walked into the kitchen as well. Alice was staring lovingly at him, "You okay, Al?"

She had a dreamy look in her eye as she stared after him, "Huh? What? Oh, yeah, I'm great, just great."

I chuckled at the effect Jasper had on her and grabbed her hand to join the others in the kitchen. We walked in to see Rose putting the pan in the sink. "Well, that went quick."

I looked over to Emmett whose entire plate was covered in the casserole. "This tastes AMAZING! My compliments go to the chef!"

"Thanks, Em. Glad you like it." I laughed at how quickly he was stuffing his mouth.

"I have to agree with Emmett on this one Bella. This casserole tastes really, really good. Thank you for sharing."

"Don't mention it, it's the least I could do to thank you guys for helping me out today."

Emmett, who had just finished his plate, glanced up and laughed, "Psht! Are you kidding? I'm psyched to help you out!"

"Thanks, I'm excited you guys agreed to this."

Jasper laid his plate in the sink, "Emmett and I both agree that if you beat Edward…"

"No!" Alice looked insulted, "It's not if she beats him, it's when she beats him."

"Oh, pardon me Bella, we both agree that when you beat him, it will be a good experience for him and maybe he won't be so cocky anymore. At least, that's what we hope will happen."

I sighed, "Yeah, me too."

Rose clapped her hands, "Okay! Well, enough with these theories, let's make it happen. Are you guys ready to go?"

"Hell yeah we are! I was born ready!"

She patted Emmett on the shoulder, "Of course you were. Bella, grab your gear, and we'll take your car?"

"Yeah, sounds good. You guys can just follow us down to the park."

"Cool. We'll be waiting out front." They walked out of the house and hopped into Emmett's Jeep.

I went upstairs to grab my gear and keys then made my way to the garage to grab the bucket of balls that I had. Alice and Rose were waiting in the driveway, so we all jumped in my car and drove to Travis Ranch Park. It wasn't too far away, so we made it there in about ten minutes and were, luckily, able to find an open field.

The boys climbed out of the Jeep, grabbed their gear and joined us on the field. Alice and Rose took their designated spots in the dugout to observe.

I was lacing up my cleats when Emmett approached me, "Alright, Bells. How're we doing this?"

"Um, I'm not quite sure. Someone needs to catch for me and I'm going to need one or both of you to help me brush up on my hitting."

"Okay. How 'bout I catch for you and Jasper can act like a batter for a little bit so you can get the feel for it?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

Jasper came over and said, "Then when it gets to the hitting, Emmett will pitch to you. Since he works infield with Edward, he may have a better idea of what he would throw, and I'll help you with your stance and all that. Sound good?"

"Yup, that'll work."

I grabbed my glove and Emmett followed me out on the field, bucket in hand, to warm up throwing a little bit beforehand. After my arm was warm, he got behind home and sat on the bucket, ready to go. "Alright, I'm just going to do some warm ups and I'll call everything before I pitch so you're aware of what's coming."

"Got it! What's first?"

"Wrist flicks, then I'll go a little farther back and do a windmill, then I'll go to the mound and throw a few warm up pitches and then we'll get going for real."

"Excellent! Bring it, Bells!"

I started off with standing about a foot away from the plate and just flicked my wrist at my release point. Once I was comfortable with the location, I walked halfway between home and the pitcher's mound and did a simple windmill. I stood facing the front of the home team dugout, pointed my glove at Em, and brought my arm around, releasing the ball. I was doing really well during these warm ups, so I had high hopes for the entire pitching portion of the day. After I felt good and warm with the windmill, I went to the mound and got in my position. "Fastballs," I called. I just threw a few of those as a warm up and once I was satisfied, yelled to Em that we were going to start for real now.

"Yes! Let's go Bella! Burn it in here!"

I pitched and it went right down the middle. I continued throwing those until I felt I had it down completely, and then switched to my next pitch. "Rise," I called.

Emmett's glove moved slightly up in the strike zone and the first pitch was right on target. I could hear Jasper, Alice, and Rose cheering for me in the dugout and couldn't help but smile. I woke up having a good feeling about today and, so far, that feeling was proving right.

After several of those I changed again, "Change up." His glove moved back to his original position. I continued on to my other pitches and was able to hit all my targets without messing up too bad. After I went through all my pitches, I decided to finish up with the basic fastball for good measure. Sometimes, after pitching so many other pitches, it was difficult to get back into the basics of it all. "Five good fastballs and then we're done."

"Alright, time to bring Jasper in. Jasper! You're up dude!"

Jasper came out on the field with a bat in hand, "Don't worry, I'm not going to swing, this is purely for your benefit. Edward and I are about the same height and have almost the same stance so I'm just standing in for the time being."

I nodded and threw the first one, and it landed right down the middle. Jasper would get into the batting stance and act like he was going to hit it, yet the bat never came around. Starting off good I thought. It continued through to the very last fastball. After I threw the last one and Emmett caught it, he held it there for a second longer than usual; "That one was b-e-a-utimous" I walked towards them and thanked him. We went over to the dugout to cool off a little bit before beginning the hitting. I sat next to Ali and started drinking my water. Emmett's booming voice made us all look in his direction, "Holy shit! Dude!"

I was perplexed but curious, "What?"

He held up his hand and there was a big purple bruise already starting to form on his palm. "I think something's wrong here…"

Jasper got up to take a closer look at it and started laughing, "Chill, Man. She just popped a blood vessel, or two, or three. I don't know, that's a pretty big bruise forming."

He looked at me in awe, "Do you always pitch like that?"

I started to feel embarrassed, "Um sometimes, I mean, I try to give it my all. My dad's blood vessels would pop sometimes when he caught for me when I was younger but it hasn't really happened since then."

"Wow. You must have some rage built up or something cause this is intense dude. My entire palm is turning a different color."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's cool, don't sweat it," there was a mischievous smile starting to form on his face, "in fact, I may just have to show this to Edward so he knows what he's getting himself into."

I couldn't help but laugh, imagining Edward's face when he heard I was able to bruise Emmett's monstrous paw of a hand. It would be priceless. We sat and talked a little longer before we got up to start on the hitting. I grabbed my Synergy, batting gloves, and helmet and followed Emmett out to the field. Jasper followed me towards the plate and Emmett went to the mound. "Alright Bella, Emmett and I figured Edward would most likely rely on his speed than anything else. So be prepared for a lot of fastballs, or his attempt at them anyway."

I nodded, "Do you think he'll throw anything else?"

"He might, but you have the advantage with the pitching seeing as how you are a pitcher and you've been doing it for years. He just throws, really. He may try to throw you off with an off-speed like a drop or change up but they may go astray. So just be aware." He looked over at Emmett who was waiting patiently at the mound, "Ready, Em?"

"You know it! Are you ready Bella?"

"Yeah." The first few pitches were okay, they weren't too fast and I was able to hit pretty much all of them and keep them fair. I was feeling pretty confident I could hit off Edward and then Emmett really started pitching. I didn't even realize the pitch went by until Jasper was at my side. I knew these guys could throw fast but geez, I didn't know it'd be that fast.

Jasper had this contemplative look on his face, "Are you alright, Bella? You look a little, um, scared."

"I'm fine. I just, I didn't think it would be that fast."

"Most likely, it'll be the same speed with Edward, maybe a little faster, like I said, he'll rely on his speed."

"Okay. So I've just got to have quick hands. Quick hands equal quick bat, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much. But be sure to extend your arms and don't lock them. Stay loose. You did really well with the first pitches, just keep that same mentality with a quicker bat and you'll be good. You can do this." He gave me an encouraging smile that made me relax almost instantly.

I nodded and looked at Em, "Okay, I'm ready."

He nodded and Jasper moved off to the side and I got in my stance. I prepared myself for the next one and, when I saw it coming, started to go into the motion. And I tipped it. It went to the right of first base and I was a little disheartened but knew it was better than the previous pitch. Jasper clapped from behind me, "Good Job, Bells. Now just finish the swing and go all around your body, finish the motion."

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, and we continued on for a while and eventually I got the hang of it. Rose and Alice were cheering me on the entire time so that gave me some motivation. Towards the end of the session I was only missing minimal amounts of balls and I kept a decent number of them fair. I had just hit one over Emmett's head when Jasper came over. "That was great! How are you feeling now?"

I took off my helmet and smiled, "I'm actually feeling really good about all this. It took me a while to get used to it but once I did, I think I did decent."

Emmett came over and joined us, "Decent? Bells, you did more than decent! You did spectacular!"

"Thanks! Are you guys ready to be done?"

"Only if you are. If you want to work more we can or if you want to end it on a good note, we can do that, too."

"I think we're done. I don't want to push my luck anymore and I'm tired." We started walking to the dugout and started packing up all our gear. I was greeted with cheers from Ali and Rose. Alice came over and hugged me, "Oh my gosh, Bella! You did fantastic! That was amazing to watch!"

I laughed, "Thanks. It wasn't too boring for you?"

"Are you kidding? I kept picturing Edward the entire time and his face was priceless!"

Rose was smiling too, "She's right, Bells. You were amazing to watch. He isn't going to know what hit him on Thursday."

I smiled what felt like was the biggest smile I had formed in a long time, "I hope so. I'm excited"

"And I'm hungry! All this practicing made me hungry. Let's grab some grub, Jazz," Em said.

"You guys should come back to the house and join us for dinner."

Emmett looked excited but Jasper spoke up first, "Thanks, but we don't want to intrude on your meal."

Alice grabbed both their arms and started dragging them towards the parking lot, "Are you crazy? The more the merrier! And Bella makes amazing food. We are not taking 'no' for an answer!" We started towards my car, "See you guys there!"

When we got back home, I put my gear away and started getting dinner ready. Both Jasper and Emmett offered to help me in the kitchen, but I shooed them away. Cooking was comforting for me, something I liked to do on my own. While I was cooking, they were all seated at the table talking animatedly about the latest movies and music. Eventually, Rose and Jasper started talking about their cars and Emmett and Alice were absorbed in a conversation all their own.

I looked on and couldn't help but smile. I was so happy for Ali and Rose. Emmett and Jasper were great guys and they were good matches for each other. Jasper was calm and laid back while Alice was a big ball of energy so they balanced each other out really well. Rose and Emmett, of course, had the physical connection down, but Rose was different with him. It wasn't like the typical situation where Rose got the guy, dated him, and then moved on. She was in it for the long haul and I knew that meant this thing with Emmett was something special to her.

Eventually, dinner was done, so I set it on the table and the conversation flowed naturally between all of us. It was like we had been friends for years rather than mere months. It was nice and relaxing. After everyone was done, Alice and Jasper offered to do the dishes and Emmett and Rose wanted to go for a walk. I took this as my cue to leave them be and went upstairs to shower and catch up on some homework for the week. In the middle of a problem, I heard my name being called from downstairs. I was pretty sure the entire neighborhood could hear Emmett. They were getting ready to leave, so I gave them each a hug and thanked them for all their help today. Rose and Alice walked them out and I let Mo go outside one last time, then continued with my homework until I went to sleep.

The next few days passed by fairly quickly and ,before I knew it, D-Day was here. I woke up early that Thursday with a good feeling. I just hoped it would carry on throughout the day. We had the hit off in a couple of hours and I didn't want to be waiting around forever, so I took my time getting ready for the day. I dressed in black shorts and threw on my gray CSUF shirt. I took Mo out and started getting breakfast ready. Alice and Rose joined me in the kitchen shortly after I began cooking, already dressed and ready to go as well. "Morning, guys."

Rose went to the fridge for some juice while Alice took a seat at the bar, "Morning, Bells. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling good, really good. You?"

"I'm excited! You're going to win! I can feel it!"

"Thanks, Al." I didn't want to get too ahead of myself, so I just agreed with her and carried on. Breakfast was ready, so I served them and then myself. We talked about nonsense while we ate and before we knew it, it was time to leave for the hit off.

They helped me grab all my gear and, before I knew it, we were off. When we got to the park, we saw that Edward wasn't there yet, for which I was kind of grateful. I was starting to get nervous and seeing him first definitely wouldn't help. We walked to the field and, after setting my stuff down, I started getting ready and they kept my mind off him by talking. I heard the roar of a motorcycle and felt a knot start to form in the pit of my stomach. I looked up only to watch a bike go by on the main road and relief set in with an audible sigh. We heard a couple engines roll into the parking lot and I saw Jasper's prized Mustang, along with Emmett's Jeep. Emmett hopped down with a huge grin on his face and threw his arms up in the air, "Woo! Today's the day history shall be made!"

Jasper continued towards us and left Emmett behind in the parking lot. "Hey, Jazz! Wait up dude!" He caught up and they greeted us at the dugout. Emmett came over and engulfed me in a big bear hug. "Today's your day Bella!"

"….Can't….breathe…" I choked out.

"Oh," he set me back down on the ground gently, "sorry about that."

I laughed it off. Over the months, Emmett had become that protective older brother for me, so it was easy to forgive him. Jasper gave me a nice, strong hug after almost being crushed by Emmett. We stood around and talked for a little bit and Emmett threw the ball around with me until it was five minutes to nine. Then we saw him walking towards the field.

Emmett and I stopped throwing the ball and we walked back towards where the others were. He came up to the dugout with that cocky smile on his face, "Hey, guys," then turned to me, "Bella."

"Edward," I greeted coldly.

"So have you thought of what we're playing for yet? Or are we just going to say 'good game' and that's that?"

I walked towards him, so I was practically right up against him, "No, because when I win, I want something good."

He looked down at me with that stupid smirk, "Good, I couldn't agree more."

I turned around to get out of his face, "Okay, if I win," he smiled and nodded, "you have to leave me alone. For good. No phone calls, no texts, no emails, nothing."

"Got it. And if I win—" I held my hand up. "I'm not finished Cullen."

He held his arms out, "Then by all means, please continue."

"That also means you cannot ask Emmett or Jasper anything about me. And you cannot contact Rose or Alice and ask about anything having to do with me either. I want it to be as if we never met at all. Got it?"

"Are you finished, Princess?"

That little mark infuriated me to no end, but I held my tongue, "Yes."

"Thank God. Okay, if I win, you have to go out with me." I just stared at him, clearly shocked. I felt Emmett tense up beside me.

"Um, excuse me?"

"You heard me. If I win, you have to go out with me. On a date. By yourself."

My throat felt dry. "Like a date, date?"

"Like a date, date. Meaning you have to get all gussied up or what have you and come with me for a night on the town. Just the two of us."

I looked around and saw everyone just staring at me. I really, really, really did not want to go out with him, but I couldn't back out of this, not now. I had worked too hard and too long to weasel out now. I extended my hand towards him, "You've got yourself a deal."

He took my hand and shook. We were ready to begin. Once he and I were ready to go, Jasper pulled out a coin to determine who was going to go first, "Bella, you call it." I nodded and he started to flip the coin. "Tails." We all watched it go up in the air and fly back down into Jasper's awaiting hand, where he flipped it onto the top of his other hand. He looked at the coin, then us, "Heads."

I walked towards the mound and messed with the dirt right in front of the mound to cover up the hole in the ground. While I was waiting for his majesty, I started pitching the ball into my glove. Finally, he was ready. Before I went into my first pitch he called out to me, "Oh, Bella?"

"What?"

"Try not cry when I beat you, there's no crying in baseball." That remark did me in. I was going to beat Edward Cullen if it was the last thing I ever did in my entire life.

My best pitches were my change up and rise ball, but I didn't want to use those right away, so I decided to throw an inside fastball. He missed. I heard cheering from the dugout and saw out of the corner of my eye that Alice was jumping up and down already. But that was just the first pitch. There were still at least nineteen more that had to be thrown. I decided to try a drop ball, and hopefully that would help psych him out enough so he wouldn't regain his composure. I was wrong. "Whoa! Look at that one go. It was a nice try, Bella."

He popped that ball up into center field and it felt like a little part of me died inside. "Don't worry Bella! That was a fluke!" I was surprised to hear Rose yell that, and not Alice.

I got back into my position on the mound and twirled the ball in my hands until I was ready to throw a pitch. I decided to go with an inside fastball again. He still missed that one. And I couldn't help but smile, "Whoa. Look at that one go. It was a nice try, Edward."That got him going and I loved every second of it.

I continued to throw pitch after pitch and when I had thrown fifteen good pitches, he had hit twelve of them. It was a little disheartening to know that, so far, I'd have to hit at least thirteen to win. But I still had five more chances to make him miss. I continued pitching as Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and Alice cheered me on from the sides. I had thrown four more and he didn't hit them fair so his number was still at twelve. I had one more pitch to ensure he wouldn't hit another. I had done a good job and thrown every pitch I knew, except the slider. I was still really hesitant to use it because I haven't hit my target since I practiced it with Jake weeks ago. But it was my last shot and I wanted it to be a surprise. What the hell? Just go for it. I got my grip on the ball and pitched it, wishing that it'd be in the strike zone and he'd swing and miss. As much as I wanted to turn around after I pitched the ball, I knew I couldn't, so I watched as he went to swing the bat as the ball sailed towards the middle of the plate. If it didn't break left, it was a meatball and he would surely hit that out of the park. I watched as his bat came around the plate and connected with nothing but air. The ball had gone to the left at the batter's knees, just like I had wanted. I jumped up and down screaming and pointing, "Yes! I did it! That was the slider! Yes!"

Ali and Rose ran out and we all jumped around hugging one another until we heard Emmett speak, "Wow, not going to lie, that was hot to watch."

We disconnected from our circle and walked towards Emmett and Jasper as Rose walked over to Em and smacked him on his arm, "Oh, shut up."

He put his arm around her shoulders, "It's a compliment Rosie, just go with it."

Jasper was next to congratulate me, "Excellent job Bella that was amazing."

I hugged him as hard as I could, "Thank you, Jasper." And then I was off the ground.

"Good job, Bells! I knew my awesome cheering would help you win. I tend to have that effect on people."

I was laughing so hard, "Em, can I be put down now, please?"

"Sure can!"

By this time, Edward had walked over to us, "Not bad Bella. But don't get your hopes up just yet. You have to hit thirteen fair balls."

"That won't be a problem for me; I don't have an ego in the way."

He raised his eyebrows and said, "Whenever you're ready."

I took some long swigs of water and sat down just to relish in the moment. I had pitched the slider and it was perfect. I wish Nicole could've been here to see it, or Jake. Although, I knew it was better not to have Jake here now, there was too much going on between him and Edward. I got up and grabbed my batting gloves and helmet. Emmett hit my helmet as I walked out, "No pressure, you've got this in the bag, Kid."

I smiled, "Thanks, Em."

I marched out to home plate as Edward took the mound. He was getting set to pitch until Emmett cut in, "Hey, Edward!"

He sighed, dropped his head but looked up anyway, "What Emmett?"

"You might want to throw a fielder up in those mountains, in case," he made a swinging motion with his hands, "KABANG!" Every one of us laughed, except party pooper Edward Cullen, who decided to mumble a string of profanities instead.

I was mentally prepared for the speed Edward would lay on his pitches, which is why I was surprised when the first ball came in slow. I hit it because it was in the strike zone but I was caught off guard, and mad, "What the hell was that, Cullen?"

"I thought I'd give you a free one, you know, that way you can say you hit at least one off me."

"Pitch it like the man we all know you aren't!" I screamed.

He bowed, "Your wish is my command, Princess." The next pitch was fast, just as fast as Emmett's was the other day and I only tipped that one.

Jasper was normally the quiet one but I heard him the loudest this time, "It's okay Bella, just like we practiced, remember."

I nodded and took a deep breath before I stepped back in the batter's box. You can do this Bells, pretend it's Emily pitching to you. Emily always pitched to me in batting lessons, but never like this. I was prepared for it, I knew I was. I didn't feel my bat hit anything except my back when I finished my swing. And they were silent in the dugout. I looked towards the mound and saw Edward with that stupid little smirk on his face, "Good thing I gave you that one pitch, huh?"

"Fuck you. Keep pitching." I still needed to hit at least twelve more pitches to win and there were only going to be seventeen more pitches. I had to get my head in the game and focus.

The pitches continued to be thrown my way and eventually I found my groove. It was the fifteenth pitch and I had only hit ten. I needed to hit three out of the next five in order to win and I was praying that I could do it! I missed the next one, four more chances… Then he threw the next couple and I hit those two. I just needed to hit one more and then I would do it and I can be done with him for the rest of my life. The next pitch was thrown and all I heard was the ball whizz past me and hit the backstop. At this point, they were quiet in the dugout and the only sound I heard was my breathing and Edward throwing the ball in his glove. This was it, the last pitch. If I didn't hit this, he stayed in my life and I had to go out with him. If I did hit it, he was gone forever. And I wanted nothing more than that. I stepped out of the box and gathered my thoughts. Come on, you can do this. They told you he would rely on his speed and he has. You know what's coming; just make it a good one. I put my front foot in the box, adjusted my sleeves and my gloves then put my back foot in the box. I was ready.

It all happened so fast. I saw his wind up and I saw the ball sailing towards me and then I felt an immense amount of pain in my rib cage. I dropped to the ground grabbing my ribs and shut my eyes. I bit my bottom lip to distract myself from the pain I was feeling and willing myself not to cry. "Oh my God. Shit. Ow."

I heard what seemed like a stampede of people coming towards me but I didn't want to open my eyes. I felt my helmet being taken off and then Alice's small hands moving the stray hairs out of my face. "Bella, are you alright?"

"I, I'm, I can't….it hurts Al." And at this point, I couldn't stop the tears from coming and everyone else seemed so blurry.

I heard Rose speak up next, "How fast do you think it was thrown?"

Jasper leaned down next to me, "Jesus, probably at least sixty miles an hour, maybe more. We practice to throw hard and accurate."

"Al, should I call Carlisle? Maybe she should go to the hospital for x-rays or something."

I saw Alice nod and turn towards Rose, "Yeah, call him, just in case."

She turned back to me and started smoothing my hair again, "It'll be alright Bella. I swear."

In the background I could hear Rose already on the phone with Carlisle. Crying was making my ribs hurt so bad, it was beginning to become unbearable. "It hurts," I said to no one in particular, "so bad."

Jasper's voice was right above me, "Hey Bella, you did amazing out there."

I mumbled my thanks to him and heard Rose speak to us again. "He said she doesn't need to go, it's most likely just going to be a big bruise. But if the pain persists, she should go for x-rays. Em, can you pick her up and carry her to the car, please?"

"Yeah, sure." I felt Emmett's hands go underneath my back and legs but I pushed him away. "No, I'm not going home, not yet."

Alice spoke softly, "Bells, you're hurt there's no point in continuing. It was almost over anyway."

"That's the point, it's almost over. I have to finish this."

"I don't know-"

"It's twenty fair pitches. I still get one more pitch thrown and I only have to hit it fair to win." The tears had stopped and I could see them all clearly now. And they all looked at one another, skeptical. I decided to sit up and it hurt like nothing else but I had to prove I was okay. "I'm going to do it whether you like it or not. I can do it and I feel good about this."

Emmett was smiling at me and then looked at the others, "I'm with her on this one, if she says she can do it, I believe she can."

I smiled back at him, "Thanks, Em."

"No prob, Bells." He helped, well practically lifted me, off the ground so I was standing upright and that's when I saw Edward. He was standing by himself just behind everyone else, just enough to see if I was okay, yet far enough away so he didn't seem too interested.

I glared at him and grabbed my helmet and bat, "Get back on the mound Cullen."

There was something in his eye when he began to speak, like he was genuinely upset I was hurt, I wasn't going to fall for that. "Bella, I'm-"

"Save it. Just get back there and pitch."

"Fine," he stalked back to the mound and everyone else went back to their respective spots in the dugout. I walked off to the side to take a few practice swings and that was killer. But every time I swung the bat, the pain lessened. I figured I was as good as I'd ever be and stepped back into the box. This was it, my last shot. You can do it, have a quick bat, stay loose, and finish the motion. It was a replay of what had just happened a few minutes ago, the windup, the ball coming towards me, everything. Except this time, the ball didn't hit me, it hit my bat. I watched Edward turn around to follow the ball with his eye, along with everyone else. It landed in the grass of center field and I couldn't stop the huge grin that spread across my face.

I heard everyone cheering for me and then they were all in front of me patting me on my back for fear of hurting me anymore. "Bella! That was amazing! A come from behind win! It was perfect!" Alice said.

"Thanks, Al." Everyone else congratulated me and then I made my way over to Edward, who was still standing on the mound, looking out towards center. He turned towards me when I stopped right behind him. "So, Edward, we had a deal."

He put on a poker face and crossed his arms, "Yes, Bella, we did."

"Then this is goodbye for us." I held my hand out to him, "It was nice meeting you, Edward."

He grabbed my hand, brought it to his lips and kissed my knuckles, "You too, Bella."

I watched after him as he grabbed his gear and headed towards the parking lot to his car. Then I watched the Volvo pull away for the very last time.

EPOV

I thought nothing of the hit off in the week or so following my encounter with Bella at the store. But, I did think of Bella. And I still couldn't figure out why I was such an asshole to her. I liked her, genuinely liked her, yet every time I'm around her I don't change my ways, I'm still the womanizer. I want to change though. I want that normal relationship with her where I can see her often, bring her flowers, take her out and that entire romantic shit. I have to change and soon, otherwise, I'm going to lose out on my time with her and some other lucky bastard is going to swoop in and take her away from me.

I tried not to think of Bella too much when we had practices and games because then I couldn't focus on the plays at hand. And I refused to have a repeat of Arizona, I was better than that; I just had to prove it to the coaches. So far, so good, I was getting pretty good at blocking Bella out of my mind when necessary. The rest of the time, she was there, invading pretty much every thought I had.

I kept to myself pretty much. Jasper was talking to me again, I think it was more to keep the peace between Emmett and me, but I accepted that. Emmett and I still had some tension between us but it was getting better as the days went on. Practice had just ended and we were heading towards the showers. "Hey, Edward, Em and I are going to grab a drink at Friday's if you want to join us."

I thought about it like I had something else that might conflict with it. Who are you kidding? You have nothing going on anymore. "Yeah, sure, I could use a drink."

We finished our showers and walked back to our lockers and Emmett was quiet up until now, "Forget the drinks! I just want some grub!"

Jasper and I rolled our eyes and I spoke up, "Of course you do."

"Damn straight! What I really want right now is some French toast casserole! That stuff is amazing!"

"French toast casserole? Who are you, fucking Marty Stewart or something?"

He looked at me with a sly smile, "No, I'm not Marty Stewart; I'm Bella's taste tester. And let me tell you man, that girl can cook!"

I stopped short of putting my shirt on, Bella's taste tester? My Bella? I tried to make sure I covered up my fumble, "Um yeah, I'm sure she is."

I turned to grab my bag at the same time Emmett did and I saw the palm of his hand, it was a mix of dark colors: purple, black, blue, and a tinge of green. "Jesus Christ, Em! What the hell happened to your hand?"

He looked down, "Oh, that, nothing. Just playing catch."

"Were you playing catch with a Strongman or what? There seems to be some serious damage there." He laughed his hearty laugh.

"A Strongman? No. However, I did play catch with a five foot four inch, one hundred and fifteen pound girl."

I was confused, "What?"

"Jasper and I went out there the other day and I caught for Bella." He had his bag in hand and was starting to walk to the parking lot, Jasper following him. I ran to catch up with them, "You…caught? For Bella?"

He looked at me as if I was deaf, "Yes, Edward. That is what I said."

"Why did you catch for her?"

Jasper took his place as mediator and answered for him, "Bella just wanted some practice in before Thursday and we were already going over there and they asked for our help and we gave it to her."

"Wait, hold on, Bella did that to Em's hand?"

Jasper nodded his head, "Yeah, from the looks of it, she popped a few blood vessels but nothing that won't heal itself with time." And with that, they both hopped in their cars and started driving towards The Block. I got in my car and followed them in shock. Bella, who seemed like she was nice, broke all those blood vessels in Emmett's hand. Emmett, who was at least twice her size, was hurt by her. This means she's getting ready for Thursday and she's serious about it. Well, it didn't matter how serious she was, I would still beat her.

The next few days passed much like any others and before I knew it, I was waking up Thursday morning. This was it, today was the day everything was at stake. I had thought long and hard about what I wanted my prize to be when I won and I came up with the perfect solution. I got up and grabbed a bowl of cereal before heading out towards Yorba Linda.

I made it to the park with five minutes to spare and I spotted her as soon as I looked towards the field. She looked beautiful in simple black shorts, a gray Cal State Fullerton shirt and her long mahogany locks pulled back in a ponytail. I grabbed my gear and headed down there. I greeted all of them and then asked Bella if she had thought about what she was putting up for stakes. And at first, I thought nothing of it. I didn't even have a proper way of contacting her and then she told me the second part and I'll admit I was sad when I heard it. That's how I've been getting all my information about her, through Jazz and Em. If I wasn't allowed to ask them, and she won, then I would have lost all contact with her, for good. I was sad, but wasn't going to let it show so I said what I wanted if I won. And she was shocked but agreed to it nonetheless.

Once we were ready and flipped the coin, I was at the batter's box and I don't know what came over me, but like always, I pissed her off with a rude comment and then it was my turn to hit. I missed the first one but was able to come back from that and ended up hitting twelve out of the twenty, not bad if you ask me. And Bella wasn't as horrible a pitcher as I had expected, she was actually really good. Now I understood why Emmett's hand looked the way it did.

After taking a little bit of a rest, it was my turn to pitch to her. Again, I played the role of arrogant asshole and gave her a slow pitch right down the middle, and that made her even madder if that was even possible at that point. I threw pitch after pitch, some she hit, and some she didn't and then it was down to the last pitch. We were tied and I knew if she didn't hit this, I would win the hit off and I would get to take Bella out and treat her properly. I wanted to throw something that would kind of throw her off. I figured I had thrown plenty on the outside of the plate so why not go for an inside fastball. She got in her stance and I went through my motion and it was like slow motion for me. I saw the ball traveling towards the plate, except it didn't breeze past her, it hit her in the rib cage and before I even really understood what had happened, she was on the ground in pain. Fuck.

We all rushed over to her to see if she was okay. The pixie had her helmet off and the sight before me was heartbreaking. Bella was curled in pain, holding her ribs, and there were tears streaming down her face. I wanted so badly to go over and kiss those tears away from her face and tell her that everything was going to be okay and that nothing would ever hurt her. Except, this time, I was the one who ended up hurting her, and bad. Blondie had gone off to call some guy, Carlton, or whatever to ask about taking Bella to the hospital. I didn't want her to go, I was so hoping she wouldn't have to go, luckily, she didn't.

I backed off a little after realizing she would be okay for now. I was fully prepared to get my stuff and leave so this could be over and we could just forget about it, only thing, Bella wouldn't give in. Shit. I couldn't pitch against her anymore; I was scared of hurting her again. I never wanted her in pain and I sure as hell didn't want to be the cause of that pain. They agreed that she would continue since we only had one pitch left and as soon as everyone was headed back towards the dugout I walked over to her to apologize but she didn't give me a chance. She just wanted this to be over so I went back to the mound.

I saw her wincing as she took a few practice swings and felt horrible but still didn't want her to win. I would throw the same exact pitch and just pray to God that it didn't hit her again. Once she was ready to go I did my motion and pitched it. The ball went towards the inside of the plate and I thought it was past her until I heard the sound of the bat hitting the ball. I watched the ball go over my head and land in the grass of centerfield. Shit. I lost. That was it. This would be the last time I ever saw Bella and I didn't like it. I heard everyone congratulating her and I didn't turn around until I heard footsteps stop right behind me and I was face-to-face with a goddess. "So, Edward, we had a deal."

I crossed my arms and made my face indifferent to her so she couldn't tell what I was feeling, "Yes, Bella, we did."

She held out her hand for me to shake and said it was nice meeting me; I was going to shake it until I had an idea. I grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles much like the first time we met, "You too, Bella."

I walked from the mound to get my gear and, without looking back, went to the Volvo and drove away. I couldn't explain what I was feeling as I was driving away, but it felt like sadness and hurt mostly. My goddess was gone forever.

A/N: Okay guys! That was by far the longest chapter we've ever written for either of our stories so hopefully you'll take that as an apology for the long delay in updates. The song used for this chapter was "Crash Course" by The Spill Canvas. So can you guys do us a favor and leave us some reviews, please? We take comments, questions, criticism, anything. It doesn't have to be long, just a line or two.