list.”
Shocked I said, “Noted.”
There was another silence on the
other end and I hoped that he was realizing that he wasn't winning any points
with me at that point. His behavior needed to change immediately because I
wasn't the enemy and he didn't need to talk angrily with me. I wasn't the one
who did anything to him.
I knew he was under a lot of
stress, but all I had wanted to do was help him. I was in a difficult position,
but at the end of the day, I was still there for him and he was pushing me
away. It wasn't right. Just because he was under stress didn't mean he could
treat me poorly.
“Are you going to tell me what
happened, Bennett? If not for the story, at least for me? That is, if you even
care about us anymore.”
He sighed, “What's the point? I
already feel like I'm dead in the water. This was my whole life and now I'm
suspended. I can't even concentrate on life, I'm so depressed.”
“Bennett, please just tell me.”
“I didn't do it, Emmi,” he said
sadly.
“I never said you did. In fact, I
told my editor that I thought you cheating were impossible. I believe in you,
but I need to know what happened.”
“The ball wasn't mine.”
“What do you mean?”
I have no idea how the ball ended
up with tar on it, all I know is that I wasn't the one that did it. If someone
put tar on that ball, it wasn't me.”
“Who could it has been? And why
would they do that?”
“Seriously? I have no idea! But
it wasn't me, okay!”
He was getting defensive, so I
said, “Bennett, please, I believe you. I'm just asking questions.”
“Yeah...I get it. I have to go.”
I heard a click on the other end
and Bennett was gone. It didn't seem to matter to him that I believed him. I
had my quote, but not much else. I would have to finish the article with what
he gave me and hope for the best.
I wasn't sure what he meant by
the tar not being on his ball. Whose ball was he using and why? Who would put
tar on a baseball to begin with? Was there a chance that someone was trying to
frame Bennett? Did someone purposely put tar on the baseball to get Bennett
suspended? If so, who would do such a thing?
Chapter Thirteen
The next week was brutal on my
mind and spirit. Things just seemed to get progressively worse when it came to
Bennett's allegations. When I had completed the article and submitted it, I instantly
received a call from my editor asking me why I put in a quote from Bennett
about his innocence. I laughed it off and told her that was part of the story
and that it better be printed in full.
From there, things only got
worse. For the entire week, I had been in a constant battle with my editor in
regards to Bennett. She seemed to have suddenly developed blood lust for him.
One minute she had been hoping we would work out our relationship and then the
next she wanted all the blood and gore. She literally wanted me to rip out his
guts with prose – I just couldn't do it.
All the while, Bennett was
claiming his innocence for good reason. My heart bled for him and all that he
was going through. Even though he claimed his innocence throughout, no one seemed
to care about it. Just like my editor, they assumed the worst about him and
already figured he was guilty of the allegations. It was heartbreaking to
watch, especially as someone who was trying to defend him. They had watched
Bennett rise up in his career in awe, trying to figure out how someone was so
talented. Now they figured they had their answer for it and the city was
furious.
I believed Bennett
wholeheartedly, but he was right when he said no one cared about his innocence.
They already had their minds made up about Bennett and it didn't matter what he
said to defend himself, they weren't going to believe him. He was already
guilty of the crime in their eyes and he would have to prove his innocence if
he expected anyone to believe a word he said. I felt helpless in the situation,
especially since I was trying to write about his side of
Shocked I said, “Noted.”
There was another silence on the
other end and I hoped that he was realizing that he wasn't winning any points
with me at that point. His behavior needed to change immediately because I
wasn't the enemy and he didn't need to talk angrily with me. I wasn't the one
who did anything to him.
I knew he was under a lot of
stress, but all I had wanted to do was help him. I was in a difficult position,
but at the end of the day, I was still there for him and he was pushing me
away. It wasn't right. Just because he was under stress didn't mean he could
treat me poorly.
“Are you going to tell me what
happened, Bennett? If not for the story, at least for me? That is, if you even
care about us anymore.”
He sighed, “What's the point? I
already feel like I'm dead in the water. This was my whole life and now I'm
suspended. I can't even concentrate on life, I'm so depressed.”
“Bennett, please just tell me.”
“I didn't do it, Emmi,” he said
sadly.
“I never said you did. In fact, I
told my editor that I thought you cheating were impossible. I believe in you,
but I need to know what happened.”
“The ball wasn't mine.”
“What do you mean?”
I have no idea how the ball ended
up with tar on it, all I know is that I wasn't the one that did it. If someone
put tar on that ball, it wasn't me.”
“Who could it has been? And why
would they do that?”
“Seriously? I have no idea! But
it wasn't me, okay!”
He was getting defensive, so I
said, “Bennett, please, I believe you. I'm just asking questions.”
“Yeah...I get it. I have to go.”
I heard a click on the other end
and Bennett was gone. It didn't seem to matter to him that I believed him. I
had my quote, but not much else. I would have to finish the article with what
he gave me and hope for the best.
I wasn't sure what he meant by
the tar not being on his ball. Whose ball was he using and why? Who would put
tar on a baseball to begin with? Was there a chance that someone was trying to
frame Bennett? Did someone purposely put tar on the baseball to get Bennett
suspended? If so, who would do such a thing?
Chapter Thirteen
The next week was brutal on my
mind and spirit. Things just seemed to get progressively worse when it came to
Bennett's allegations. When I had completed the article and submitted it, I instantly
received a call from my editor asking me why I put in a quote from Bennett
about his innocence. I laughed it off and told her that was part of the story
and that it better be printed in full.
From there, things only got
worse. For the entire week, I had been in a constant battle with my editor in
regards to Bennett. She seemed to have suddenly developed blood lust for him.
One minute she had been hoping we would work out our relationship and then the
next she wanted all the blood and gore. She literally wanted me to rip out his
guts with prose – I just couldn't do it.
All the while, Bennett was
claiming his innocence for good reason. My heart bled for him and all that he
was going through. Even though he claimed his innocence throughout, no one seemed
to care about it. Just like my editor, they assumed the worst about him and
already figured he was guilty of the allegations. It was heartbreaking to
watch, especially as someone who was trying to defend him. They had watched
Bennett rise up in his career in awe, trying to figure out how someone was so
talented. Now they figured they had their answer for it and the city was
furious.
I believed Bennett
wholeheartedly, but he was right when he said no one cared about his innocence.
They already had their minds made up about Bennett and it didn't matter what he
said to defend himself, they weren't going to believe him. He was already
guilty of the crime in their eyes and he would have to prove his innocence if
he expected anyone to believe a word he said. I felt helpless in the situation,
especially since I was trying to write about his side of
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