*Jane*“Uh, Jane, are you okay?” I need to respond, but I’m stunned. “Hmm-mm. All good,” I finally say, trying hard for brevity, but I don’t even manage to convince myself. Noah gives me a look that makes me feel embarrassed that I even thought I could try and fool him. My shoulders sag, the facade slipping off my face as I give him a defeated smile. “I just wasn’t expecting that.” I shake my head. “Potentially meeting your parents.”“Why does the thought of it make you so nervous?”“I don’t know, maybe because it’s a pretty big step? There’s pressure to make a decent first impression,” I tell him, not sure if I’m explaining it properly or even why I feel as anxious as I do about the idea. Noah gives me a reassuring kiss on the cheek. “Look, I get it. But I promise you, there’s nothing to be nervous about. If they’re even vaguely good judges of character, they’ll adore you. And if it helps you to feel a bit better about the whole thing, it’ll probably only be o

*Noah*I’d never let Jane know it, but I want to be here about just as much as she does—as in, not at all. But she looks beautiful, the night is young and the scouting event is tomorrow, so hopefully Dad isn’t willing to sabotage that with his regular personality. I can feel how stiff Jane’s body is with her arm tucked in mine, and I do my best to try and ease her nerves as much as I can without making it too obvious. But Mom looks pleasant enough, and after I introduce Jane, she immediately stands up to give her a hug.“So, this is the famous Jane Thomas,” she says, giving a surprised-looking Jane a friendly hug. I resist the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. Mom’s always been alright, if too accepting of Dad’s shitty behavior for the sake of our lifestyle. But from the get-go, I can tell that she genuinely likes Jane. It takes her all of five seconds to form an impression of someone that will last for life.“Um, it’s good to meet you, Mrs. Baringer,” Jane says formal

*Jane*The hours can’t pass fast enough and when I finally see Noah walking back toward the car, I can just about manage to restrain myself from jumping outside to hear the news. But then he gets in beside me, and the downcast look on his face halts all of the excitement I’d just been feeling. I try to keep a happy face though, determined to be there for him despite the sinking feeling in my stomach. “How did it go?” I ask, wondering whether or not this is a stupid question given his expression right now. His head hangs in shame and he slides a hand over his face. “Terrible.”The driver starts up the car and begins to drive us back to the hotel. I put a hand on Noah’s shoulder, wracking my brain to think of anything to say to make him feel better. “Babe, it’s going to be okay. I know it doesn’t feel like that right now, but I promise that we’re gonna get through it and things are—”I break off when I notice his shoulders slightly shaking. I don’t know what’s going

*Jane*While Oli and Noah go off to shower after the game, Rachel and I wait for them, still riding out the post-victory high.I’m sure that if you’d told us six months ago that we would be this hype about a baseball game, both of us would probably have laughed. But it’s funny how being with Oli and Noah and wanting to support them makes us genuinely want to be a part of this world. And it’s actually kind of fun.“I can’t believe you’re voluntarily going to this party,” Rachel says, looking at me as though I’ve grown three heads. “This isn’t like you at all. I’m debating whether or not I should be worrying.”“I go to parties without being forced, and you go camping now. I’d say life’s taken a very interesting turn for both of us,” I joke, and Rachel laughs.“Should we go back to the dorm first and change or are you happy just wearing the jerseys?”Rachel seems to think about it for a moment. I know that she never usually wastes the opportunity for an outfit change. But sh

*Noah*Three days. That’s how long it’s been since I last spoke to Jane, and every single one of the ninety-eight messages I’ve sent since then have gone read but unanswered. Which I suppose is only fair since I was the dumbass who told her I wanted to be alone. I groan, tossing my phone onto the couch. Not only did I mess up with the suspension, but I probably made Jane feel as though she was responsible for it. I threw her attempt to make me feel better back in her face. The Yankee tickets … She went through all that effort and I know that those seats were not cheap. But even worse than the wasted money were the things I said to her. The way I just shut her out after all that talk about us having each other’s backs. What the hell was I thinking? I knew better than that. I was better than that, or at least I should’ve tried to be. The time on my own did nothing but make me realize what a big mistake I made, and now I am paying for it. Two of the three-game s