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“See you guys at the field.”
They all stare at us as we walk into the hallway and out the front door.
“I guess you don’t have a lot of girls spend the night?” I tease.
Caleb gives me my favorite grin. “Just you, Matthews.” He tosses me one of the bars, and I manage a catch. His smirk turns to an overdone look of surprise.
I laugh as we climb into his truck. “Shut up.”
He turns the key in the ignition and then looks over at me. “What?” I ask through a mouthful of granola bar. It’s a small miracle crumbs don’t spray everywhere.
“It’s just weird that you’re here, going to practice with me. Good weird,” he clarifies, catching my raised brows. “Really good weird. The best weird.”
“The best weird? No wonder I beat you out for valedictorian based on your English grade.”
Caleb grins. “What can I say? You make me less articulate, Matthews.”
I smile, then sober. “I’m sorry, Caleb. I…” My eyes drop to the footwell, embarrassed by the sting in my eyes. “I’m a mess right now, and I didn’t want you to see me like this. Because it’sscary, how much I love you and how much I want to rely on you. The fact that you stayed… I talked to Tom and he said you risked your whole season to stay, and I’m worried you’ll hate me for—”
I stop talking when Caleb’s lips hit mine. He kisses me twice. Fiercely. “I couldneverhate you, Lennon. Never.” His voice softens. “Do I wish you’d talked to me instead of yanking paintings off the walls? Yeah, that was a little concerning. But you could have decided to go sky-diving and I would have strapped in right next to you.”
“Now you tell me,” I joke.
Caleb smiles. He shifts the car into reverse, then looks over at me again. “I’ve experienced scarier things.”
He turns to back out of the driveway before I have a chance to study his expression, but I’m pretty sure that was his way of telling me that his feelings for me might be just as terrifying as mine for him are.
* * *
I thought Landry’s athletic complex was impressive. I suppose it is, for a high school. But Clarkson’s ismassive. A series of bulky buildings surrounded by a lot more activity than the rest of the campus we drove by.
Caleb parks next to the baseball field. Bleachers surround it, unlike the couple sprinkled around Landry’s.
“Wow. How many people does the stadium hold?” I ask. Caleb looks over at me and starts laughing. “What?” It’s not like I can count the number of seats.
“This is our practice field. The baseball stadium is on the opposite side of the pool.”
“Your practice—”
Caleb’s already out of the truck. I open my door, sliding down onto the asphalt. The looming buildings look even taller now. I stare up at them as Caleb unloads his gear from the back. A couple of guys wearing football jerseys walk past on the sidewalk. They both call out greetings to Caleb.
“I’m going to go get changed,” Caleb tells me, coming back around with a duffel slung over one shoulder. “You good?”
“Yeah,” I reply quickly, not wanting to be an imposition. “I’ll just…look around.” I wave a hand vaguely through the air.
Caleb chuckles. “Sure. I’ll meet you at the bleachers after and we can get breakfast.”
“Okay,” I agree.
He leans forward and kisses me before heading off toward one of the many brick buildings. I quickly lose sight of him. Baseball isn’t the only sports team already back on campus. There seem to be people wearingClarkson Athleticsapparel everywhere I look.
I head toward the tennis courts, looping around a running track and past a lacrosse field. This place is huge. I gain a new appreciation for why people gush about how Caleb received a full athletic scholarship here.
When I reach the tennis courts there are two girls hitting balls back from a machine that’s spitting them out at an alarmingly rapid velocity. I turn around, heading toward the football stadium instead. Guys in jerseys begin spilling out of one side of it. A few give me looks as they pass by.
I hurry back toward the baseball field. There aren’t any players out on the diamond yet, but the stands have started to fill. With a few guys, but mostly with girls.
I take a seat on the far edge of the bleachers, slouching and tilting my head back so I can stare up at the sky. It’s a perfect, cloudless blue. A shade that is nice to look at but bodes for another hot, merciless day of heat.
