Fridays were jersey days. The first Friday before they got their new uniforms, they wore old team gear. Every sport did this at their school, not just baseball.

The cutest team gear Bee had was a baseball tee that their team bought two years ago. The baseball tee had their last names spread across the backs of their shoulders and right underneath was their number.

Bee was always number 24. Always. She had always been that number since t-ball. When she pulled on the shirt, she paired with white scalloped shorts and cute white converse. Yes, it was technically too cold to wear shorts, but Bee didn't care. She would be inside all day anyway.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail and then slid on her team baseball cap. It was white with their school logo in the center in navy blue. Fridays during sport seasons were the only days students could wear hats.

She swiped lip gloss over her lips and put on some mascara and called it good as she grabbed her backpack. She was going to miss the bus if she waited any longer.

Her mom kissed her goodbye as they both rushed out of the house. Some days, her mom left before her. Other times, she left after Bee caught the bus. This morning, they were leaving at the same time.

Her mom worked at a publishing house in Portland, and she was often running off early to deal with issues that arose. Her job also meant Bee got to read a lot of books, all the time. As a child, it was magical. Now, Bee spent a lot of time reading YA novels during her only free time: late at night. Usually, it meant she lacked a lot of sleep. During baseball season at school, she rarely ever read.

Bee caught the bus, sad that Larkin wasn't on it that morning, and rushed off to the locker room immediately. She didn't have tutoring that morning - Thursdays were for Jefferson - but she did want to head to auditorium and see if she could finish painting her background, since she wasn't staying after school that afternoon.

She dropped off her bag then rushed towards the auditorium, frowning when she saw Fauna and Oakland at a set of lockers. He had his hands on her hips, but they weren't kissing. Fauna looked like she was trying to coax one out of him, but he held her at a distance.

Not wanting to dip into that can of worms so early, Bee ducked by, hoping to go unspotted. It probably could have worked if Larkin didn't call for her, wrapping his arm around her neck. "Bee, we're matching!"

He was right - Larkin was wearing the same baseball tee with baggy white shorts. He was all grin, happy to see her, and Bee's stomach plimated. What about Greg? That was what Marnie had suggested, and Bee couldn't fathom using Larkin to make Oakland jealous.

"Hey, Lark. Glad we're on the same wavelength."

Lark tugged at her ponytail. "Where are running to?"

Bee wanted to see if Oakland was listening, and she was hoping he wasn't. She didn't want him dropping by. "I need to finish my set painting. Due to Benji's party tonight, I knew I wasn't gonna be able to paint after practice, so I'm trying to fit it in now."

Larkin pressed his hand to the top of her head, resting it there. "I hope Benji's brother is there tonight with the goods."

Bee rolled her eyes stepping away from Larkin. "I'm not. The last thing I need is my mom finding out the parties I go to have alcohol."

Bee didn't drink. That was the number one thing she didn't do, and it had everything to do with her dad.

Larkin just laughed, not saying anything as Bee turned to head to the auditorium. He followed her, laughing about something Benji had texted him last night, but Bee wasn't paying attention. She felt tight with the thought that Oakland was going to chase her down after last night.

Just as she had that thought, her phone chimed. She looked at it, her eyes rolling as she grabbed her paint. Larkin sat with her, rolling his shoulders back, grinning. "Do you want me to pick you up for the party tonight?"

"Yeah, that would be great actually." Bee was distracted, thinking of the text on her phone. Jerseys on Fridays huh? How do I get you into mine?

What did that even mean? And why would Oakland want her in his jersey? Bee couldn't figure it out as she swiped her paint over the set design. Was it because he was telling her she wasn't going to get her own jersey? Was it because he wanted to dominate her even more than he was currently trying to do?

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Larkin sounded worried, and when Larkin was worried, Bee thought of him as a mama bear. She waved off his question, covering the wood in blue. "Nothing, Lark. I'm just tired. Practice last night was brutal, and tonight Coach is telling us who made the cut. I just, I can't. If I'm kicked off..." She didn't want to think about it.

"If you're kicked off, we all walk Bee. I'm serious. You're our captain."

She met Larkin's eyes, touched at the fierceness in his tone of voice. He cared about her - they all did - and he wasn't going to let her get tossed to the side because she was a girl. He believed in her, 100 percent.

"Not so fast. I think we both know who captain will be." The lump in her throat was growing, and she blinked back tears. This time last year, she was so happy. After their season ended, she was so confident she would be captain this year, because that was the way it was supposed to be. Last year, she wasn't worried about her position, and she wasn't worried about being on the team.

Now, she wasn't sure she would be playing ball this year.

"Oakland fucking Stone will never be our captain, Bee. I don't care if Coach gives it to him. You're our captain, always." Larkin's voice was so sharp, Bee was shocked. She never heard him so angry, only when Oakland was involved.

"I don't want you guys to walk. This is your senior year too."

Larkin shook his head. "Bee, the team doesn't want to play without you. All of us have played together since t-ball. It wouldn't be right without you."

She tried to swallow the lump, but instead it made the first tear fall and hit her cheek. She went to rub it away, but she smeared blue paint across her cheek, and Larkin laughed. "You're dumb."

She laughed with him. She was dumb. Dumb to think that Oakland could take this away from her. She wouldn't let him, no matter how nice he was over text, no matter how good he was at kissing, and now matter how much meddling he did.

* * *

Practice was outside for the last day. Coach split the team into two groups, and on purpose, he put Oakland against her. Bee's team was mostly her boys, with the exception of Benji, who was put with Oakland. He was angry, and you could tell by the deep set scowl on his lips.

He always played with Stephen. The two were inseparable. Stephen never caught for anyone but Benji.

Bee's team was in the field first. She stood confidently between first and second base, crouched low, her mouth curved into a grin. A freshman was throwing the ball at his glove again and again, staring at the Stephan, who looked like he wanted to fight the freshman who was standing in for Benji.

Bee made eye contact with Larkin on first base, and Larkin nodded his head. Then, she found John, who was on third, and he grinned at her. A freshman was playing shortstop, but she didn't let that stop her from feeling like they were going to defeat Oakland's team. The five of them - Stephen, Benji, Larkin, John, and her - had always been in-field. They were a power team all on their own, and they moved that way. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, and they knew each other's throwing patterns and movements. It just worked.

Coach would be stupid to disrupt their flow.

First to bat was Grueller. He looked confident on base, rubbing his hands on the bat, stretching his neck. The freshman pitcher rocked back on his heels and blew out a breath. Then, he pitched, and Grueller hit the ball.

It was a grounder, and it went right to Bee, who scooped it up and threw it to Larkin, who caught it and immediately tossed it to the pitcher. There was no hesitation, no fumbles, no nothing. It was a perfect play, and Grueller tossed his helmet to the sit, grumbling under his breath.

Larkin gave Bee a fist bump. "There we go."

She grinned back. "There we fucking go."

Another Park School boy went up to bat, and the freshman threw two balls that were not in the strike zone. Then, he threw a strike, which the park school kid hit. It went to third, and John scooped it up, throwing it to Larkin, who caught it and threw it to the pitcher, all before the kid could get on first base.

Bee knew just how good they were doing. She was all grins, giving John two finger guns, laughing when he returned the gesture. This is what felt good. This felt right, playing with her team, making perfect plays. She never felt more at home.

She watched Oakland step to the plate, his face serious. She watched as he stepped into the batter box, his helmet low, but she could see his feral grin, aimed right at her.

The freshman threw the ball, and even though it was off, Oakland hit it anyway, sending it sailing to the outfield. Bee ran to second base, watching as the kid in the outfield let it drop. She felt her chest tighten as the kid fumbled to grab it, then he stepped and sent it to Bee on second base.

She caught it right as Oakland stepped on the plate, and she knew he wasn't out. He was safe. She spun, glowering at him, watching the way his eyes lit up with mischief.

"Watch out, buzz. I play dirty."

She threw the ball back, her face tense. She ignored him, walking back to her position between first and second base, and she glowered.

The freshman threw the ball outside of the strike zone again, but now that Oakland was on second base, she had to keep running to the base, just in case he tried to steal. Every time she ran to him, he made a dirty comment, trying to throw her.

On the third pitch, the kid finally hit the ball and it bounced to Bee. She scooped it up and even though the smart play would be to throw out the kid on first, she threw it to John, who caught it and then tagged Oakland immediately.

Oakland turned to her, ripping off his helmet, his mouth open. "Are you kidding me? That was a fucking risky move."

She grinned sweetly but said nothing as she joined her team on the bench. It was their turn to bat, and she was going to send the ball home, Oakland be damned.

Her coach was grumbling. "Bee, I wouldn't want to see that in a live game."

She shrugged. "Why not? We got him out and honestly, if that hadn't been the last out, then it would have been smart. I'd rather have a player on first, not third."

Coach said nothing, and she was glad. She didn't want to be mouthy, but after yesterday, she didn't trust him. He didn't care about her, and he'd made that obvious. Now she had to show him just what he'd be missing if he didn't keep her on the team.

She pulled on a helmet. The order was Stephen, Larkin, then her. She was hoping to send the runners home.

She watched as Oakland took second base, stretching, looking right at home in her position. He looked good in his workout clothes, stretching enough to show a sliver of his stomach. A sliver that she had touched yesterday.

The thought made her cheeks burn. Then, Stephen stepped up to bat, looking Grueller in the eyes. She knew he was glad it wasn't Benji up there pitching, but at the same time, Bee wished Benji had been up there.

She watched as Stephen hit the ball, sending it into left field, shallow enough that the outfielder missed. He got onto first, not pushing it, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He grinned at Larkin, silently telling him to send him to second.

Larkin swung then stepped up, hitting the ball into center field. Again, it was too shallow to earn him second base, but the outfielder missed it. Stephen ran to second, giving Larkin a thumbs up.

Then, Bee swung and took a deep breath. She stepped into the batter's box, rolling her shoulders. She had a lot riding on this hit. Oakland had hit it far enough to earn him second, and Bee wanted to go home. She needed to do better than him.

Grueller looked her in the eye and grinned. Then, he wound and threw the ball, which was a curve ball. Bee was prepared though and she hit the ball, sending it sailing into center-left field. She didn't watch it as she pumped her arms and ran to first, rounding towards second. She watched it, still airborne, totally behind the outfielders. She watched both of them, left and center, run for the ball.

She watched Benji run home, her team cheering. She still ran, going hard to third, watching as the ball landed. She heard another wave of cheers, this time welcoming Larkin home, and then it was all her.

She watched the outfielder throw the ball in, right as she rounded third, but she was going all the way home. She powered through, and then she watched her team stand. "Slide!" She heard John yell, and she listened.

She slid into homebase, looking a lot like a softball player, because even if she was playing baseball, sliding in chest first didn't feel good.

She stood up, grinning as she yanked off her helmet. The ball was in the pitchers hands, telling her she didn't even have to slide; her team was being dramatic.

She gave a bow, laughing at Grueller and his team, not even looking at Oakland. Ignore, ignore, ignore. She was good at it too, turning her back on them and high fiving her team, even the Park School boys who had every reason to not want to support her.

Larkin grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Bee, thank fuck you're on our team. You're such a fucking powerhouse!"

She grinned, playfully pushing him away. "First hit of the season and it's a homerun. God, that feels good." She mimicked batting, and then cheering, and then running the bases, busting up in laughter when John slung his arm around her neck and gave her a noogie.

The rest of the afternoon felt like she was floating on a cloud. Her team won, and she batted two more homeruns after that, knocking them out like it was the easiest thing someone could achieve.

Once they were all back in the gym, coach held jerseys. The JV coach held some as well, his mouth pulled into a reassuring smile. The you're just as valuable as varsity, only you're playing JV.

Bee didn't want to peak at jersey numbers, because if she saw that coach didn't have a magic 24, she knew it was over.

She stood beside Larkin and Stephen, her arms linked with both of them, and they waited on baited breath. This was the first year, other than freshman year, that she was genuinely worried. After today's practice, nothing should have worried her, but there was more than good gameplay on the line.

Coach rolled his shoulders then looked at his clipboard. "Okay, so here goes nothing. Come up when I call your name and pick a jersey."

Bee rolled on the balls of her feet. She listened as he called up Benji and Stephen, then Larkin and John, then a few Park School boys. She listened as he called up eight players, and then he stared hard at Oakland and Bee.

Bee's heart was beating so hard in her chest. So hard. She could barely breathe. Coach still held plenty of jerseys, but that didn't tell Bee anything.

"Oakland." He said, and Oakland grinned at Bee, going up and ruffling through the jersey numbers. He said something to coach in a hushed whisper, then he pulled out a jersey, showing it to Bee.

It was her jersey. Number 24. "No. No. That's my number."

Oakland grinned and it looked absolutely evil, like he knew this and planned it all along. "Whoops."

"Coach, that's my number. You know that. It's always been my number." She was having a panic attack and she wasn't even sure she was on varsity yet. Oakland pulled off his grey shirt, showing off his glorious hey I work out body, and then he tugged on 24. It was small on him, which made sense since Bee had the smallest jersey on the team - specially ordered for her - and he grinned again. "Perfect."

"Bee, come up and get your jersey," Coach grumbled, but Bee was absolutely furious. "But he's wearing mine!"

Coach tossed her a random jersey. "Just take it and go so that JV can get their jerseys."

She caught the jersey, her body flashing red. She wanted to rip it right off of Oakland and then tell him to fuck right off. But, she remembered what Marnie said. Ignore him. And she was going to do just that as she grumbled her way towards her friends.

"Ignore him," Larkin said, tossing an arm around her shoulders, "and let's get ready for this party."