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“So were you in on the Crowley prank last night?” he asked.

Ah, there it was. The real and oldest reason why a Fulton would ever want to sit down with a Crowley. It always came back to blame.

And I stupidly thought Reed was actually interested in catching up on lost time.

“No. Sounds like something TJ would do though.” I picked at some dirt under my fingernail. “Besides, I was busy.”

“Ha. I’m sure you were.” He harrumphed.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Nothing.” He drew one of his knees up to his chest. “I just never would’ve guessed the Eliza I knew, who used to spend days reading in her room, would want to spend all of her time out shopping.”

“Who said I liked shopping?” I scoffed. I hated shopping. “And anyways, who are you to talk? At least I don’t spend every waking moment with all the other pathetic Diamond Boys.”

“What are Diamond Boys?”

Oh, please. Like he didn’t know. “Ballplayers like you who swoop into town hoping to get noticed by scouts. You guys waltz in here and act like you own the place, getting everyone all spun up, but it’s all an act. You don’t know Fairfield.”

He gawked. “I know Fairfield, Crowley. My family knows it a hell of a lot better than yours.”

“Being born here doesn’t make you an expert.” I spun to face him, crossing my legs. “You left, remember?”

“I didn’t want to leave. We had no choice.” He scooted closer to me, shaking the car as he moved. “Dad and Granddad’s deal with the stadium went under, thanks to your family—”

“My family bought it fair—”

“—and then Dad decided it would be easier if we lived closer to the base. You think I wanted to move? I moved three times before second grade, before we came here.”

I opened my mouth to say something, to argue, but I couldn’t.

I’d never moved, never dealt with being the new kid. And while part of me always wished I could be, wished to get away and start over, a much bigger part of me would be terrified to do so.

“So you’re here only to help your granddad? No other reason?” I pressed my hands against my bouncing knees.

Reed raised his eyebrows. “Should I have another reason?”

“Never mind.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure why I asked it.

Reed pulled off his hat, making his hair stick out in every direction. “My granddad’s farm is going under, so he agreed to a ridiculous bet and needed my help. Families help one another. That’s what they do.”

Once again, I couldn’t think of anything to say.

I didn’t know his family was having money trouble.

But I did know about families helping one another. Or at least I used to know what that was like. We didn’t help one another anymore though. Not really. Not like we used to when Grandma was still alive.

She was the thread that bound us all together.

Now we were all a bunch of knots too tangled up in ourselves to notice anyone else.

“So were you in on the prank against my team or not?” he asked, his voice sharp and low.

“Not.” How pathetic did he think I was? “What’d they do?”

“Your team—”

“They’re not my team.”