Bee took out her school planner and flipped it open to her to-do list for today. Every student got little planners at the beginning of the year that were the size of a library book, but Bee had gone out and purchased a full planner the size of a large notebook because she was busy and she loved office supplies.

Her mother had always called her Busy Bee, which was an accurate depiction of her. She was busy busy busy, and her to-do list was long.

- Jefferson mentoring (7am)

- Band rehearsal (10:30am, auditorium)

- Table for May Day (12:00)

- Student council meeting (12:45)

- Baseball practice (2:30)

- Set design (4:00)

- Interact meeting (6:00)

She shoveled a mouthful of cereal as she reread her list. Her eyes caught the time on the stove clock, which read 6:30am. Her bus would be there in 15 minutes, and she couldn't be late for her mentoring session. Jefferson had skipped last Thursday morning, and she wasn't about to let her tardiness be an excuse for him to skip again.

"Mom, don't forget, I have interact tonight. Meeting ends at 7:30."

Her mom was packing a lunch for her workday, her back to Bee. She gave a distracted nod, stuffing a sandwich in the pack. "Okie dokie honey."

"I'll text you," Bee prompted again, waiting for her mom to look at her, but she was still fussing over the lunchbox. Bee loved her mother, but sometimes, she wasn't always fully paying attention. When she turned towards Bee, she smiled. "Alright, sweetheart."

Her mom dropped a kiss on Bee's head, then headed out the door. "Have a lovely day, and good luck at practice! Show those boys you're rough n' tough."

After her mom left, Bee put her breakfast in the sink then grabbed her backpack and her planner. She stuffed tutoring work in her backpack for Jefferson, then she headed out the door. She was in full end-of-the-year mode, but she was still busy. Still pushing herself to stay on top of all of her extracurriculars.

When she got on the bus, she sat in front of Larkin again. He had his headphones in, bobbing along to some sort of song, but he smiled when he made eye contact with Bee. "Good morning!"

Bee wasn't feeling nearly as chipper as Larkin was. "Morning. Do you think Mr. Crawley's going to have a pop quiz today? He was kinda hinting at it yesterday..." Bee ruffled through her backpack, producing her history notes. "If so, I'm not prepared."

Larkin took off his headphones. "Honestly, I'm coasting in APUSH. You're the one who takes it seriously. If Crawley wants to fail me..." he shrugged. "I already got into a college. What're they gonna do, retract my acceptance letter?"

Bee gave him a flat look. "Harvard would."

"Harvard is lucky you wanted to go to their dumb school in the first place, Busy Bee."

She rolled her eyes as she thumbed through her notes, her anxiety high over the possibility of a test she wasn't ready for. "Harvard will have plenty of others just like me to close the gap if they don't want me anymore."

Larkin groaned. "Bee, that's the issue with Ivy leagues. They want robots. You are anything but a robot. If they don't want you, Boston College also has D1 baseball."

The name Boston College made her mouth twist. She knew of a certain asshole who had gotten into Boston College, who would most likely be playing second base on their team. She didn't care about Boston College at all. Maybe if she was just going to play ball, but she was going to college for so much more than that. Just in case her dreams of going pro didn't work out.

"Lark, you're not helping. I'll just study during lunch." But, she realized that wasn't possible, because she was tabling for May Day. She groaned as she shoved her notes back in her backpack, just as the bus rolled up to school. She slung on both backpacks and stood up, waiting for the bus to stop.

Larkin put a hand on Bee's head, grinning at her as he stood up as well. Bee didn't have time to stay and talk, so she rushed off of the bus, nearly running to the locker rooms so that she could make it to her tutoring session with Jefferson, who so far hadn't cancelled. She checked her cellphone, just to make sure.

"Watch it," a voice said, right as she collided with a body. She knew exactly who it was, too, and that made it worse. She looked up into the offenders face, glaring at Oakland like it was his fault she wasn't looking where she was walking.

Normally, she would have time to banter, but it was a minute to 7, and she had to run. "Sorry." She swerved right around him, ducking into the locker room, not letting him get a word in as she dumped her baseball bag in her locker. She didn't stay to talk to the other girls putting their bags away. Instead, she ran out of the locker room, groaning when she saw Oakland waiting.

"Not now, Oakland. I have to be somewhere." She rushed down the hall, letting her school bag hit her back from the force of her fast walk. She checked her watch, panicking when it was now 7.

"Where are you running to? Afraid you won't be able to stand it if I corner you again? Afraid you'll finally bite the bullet and kiss me?"

She ignored his taunts, which was what they were. Oakland Stone did not like her. He didn't have a crush on her, didn't want to be her boyfriend, didn't want to play nice. No, he wanted to make her so flustered that she gave up her spot to him.

She knew his game.

She rounded the corner, finally seeing the tutoring room, and she wrenched open the door. "Bye, Oakland."

He didn't take the goodbye. As she stepped into the tutoring room, she blew out a sigh of relief as she saw Jefferson sitting there, leaning back in the chair, his hands folded behind his head. He grinned when he saw her. "Hey, Bee. Thought you weren't gonna show up."

Oakland stepped in after her, his gaze narrowing on Jefferson. Jefferson spotted him and gave a head nod. "Sup, dude."

Bee set her things down at the table, yanking out her planner and her tutoring notes. She ignored Oakland completely. "Hey, Jeff. Sorry, bus ran late. You know how it is." She gave a shrug as she flipped open her folder. "Wanna start with math?"

Oakland stood there, arms crossed against his chest. "You two are homework buddies?"

Bee looked up at Oakland with a nasty look. "Can you leave?"

Oakland's face split into a grin, but it wasn't kind. "My my, little Beatrice needs homework help. This is hilarious. I thought you were such a little know-it-all, but turns out, you aren't."

Her mouth flattened, but she said nothing as she turned towards Jefferson, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She reached for a pen, ready to start, even if Oakland was watching. Jefferson, however, had other plans.

"Dude, what? Bee is tutoring me. You do know she's top of our class... as in, she's going to be valedictorian. As in, she's going to Harvard in the fall..."

She watched Oakland's mouth open, then close, then open again. He looked like he wanted to say something, but his phone rang, and he answered it reluctantly. His conversation was bored and hushed, and when he hung up, he turned towards the door and left.

Bee and Jefferson stared at the door, then he looked towards her. "Are you two a thing?"

She rolled her eyes. "If you think Oakland and I are a thing then you need more than tutoring help. He's trying to get me kicked off the team. He probably thought if he could expose me as being dumb, then maybe my grades would slip enough to get me kicked off. Who knows his motives."

Jefferson scratched his head. "Okay. Uh yeah, let's start with math."

* * *

Bee crossed off tutoring from her list of to-dos as she headed towards band rehearsal. She hadn't had much time to breathe; first block had been english, then math, and now she had band. The school concert was next week, and the wind ensemble felt like a hot mess.

As she entered the band room, she took out her trumpet and just blew air throw it without playing a single note. She loved her instrument, loved the feel of it in her hands, loved the sound of it. She loved playing an instrument because it gave her control. Control over the notes, over the volume, over the emotion.

When she sat in her chair, she snatched her music and placed it on the stand. Benji sat beside her, blowing out the spit from his own trumpet. "Hey, Bee. Did you get any practice last night? This trumpet 1 part is killer."

He wasn't lying; the notes were higher than she liked. Some days, she could hit them perfectly. Other days, she couldn't even get close. It all depended on how warm her instrument was, and how firm her mouth was.

"Nah. I went to the gym after baseball. I cannot afford to relax until coach tells me I'm second and until I'm captain. If Oakland gets it..." she shuddered, because she knew it was him or her. Larkin, Benji, Stephen, and John didn't stand a chance against Oakland when it came to captain. Not because they wouldn't be good, but because coach had taken a sudden liking to Oakland that made Bee nervous.

Benji gave her a pitying look. "Bee, everything will be fine."

"Now you sound like Larkin."

Benji rolled his eyes. "Greg only tells you what you want to hear because you're his best friend. But I speak the truth, and nothing but the truth. Got it? So when I say things will be fine..."

She blew out a sigh. "Yeah, yeah. You are honest. Too honest sometimes."

Benji let out a loud laugh. "Sometimes, you just gotta hear how sharp you sound when you're trying to hit a high E."

As soon as the band director called everyone to attention, class flew by. She was more confident in herself that she wasn't going to ruin the concert by the end of band, and she put away her trumpet with a sense of confidence. She was going to crush the concert, and she was going to crush her solo during jazz band, too.

She waited for Benji to put his trumpet away, then the two of them headed towards the cafeteria. Benji was telling her about a funny movie he watched the night before when she caught sight of a certain brunette heading her way, her face upset.

Bee tightened her grip on her bag, watching, trapped. She turned to Benji, about to send him off without her, when the girl caught up to them. "I need to speak with you."

Bee turned, looking at the girl with wide eyes. It the was brunette that ate lunch with Oakland, and the first thing Bee noticed was the birthmark that covered the bridge of her nose. It was something she was sure the girl was self conscious about, but it was beautiful, just like the rest of her.

She was taller than Bee, with waves of dark hair that was long, reaching down to her waist. She had long legs and pretty eyes, and Bee was hit with a wave of jealousy. She was jealous at how pretty this girl looked.

You're being ridiculous, is what she told herself. "Okay," is what she told the girl.

The girl gestured towards the bathroom, and Bee allowed herself to be pushed towards that location, wondering if the girl was going to yell at her, or if this was about to be a fight. Bee hoped not, but the girl didn't look happy.

When they were both in the bathroom, Bee adjusted the straps of her backpack, fiddling with them. She hated confrontation more than anything.

The girl leaned against the sinks. "You're Beatrice, right?"

Bee snapped her eyes to the girl. "Yeah. And you are...?"

The girl snapped her gum. "Fauna."

For a moment, there was nothing but tense silence. Bee began to wonder if the girl was trying to make her panic, and if this was her plan. She shifted her weight, looked at her watch, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, all while the girl watched with unblinking eyes.

"Okay, well Fauna, it was nice to meet you, but I gotta-"

"No."

That was all Fauna said, her arms crossed. Bee looked at the door, then back to Fauna, uneasy. "Okay. Then what did you want to talk about? If you asking me to stay away from Oakland, then let me be the first to tell you that I'm trying but he won't leave me alone. And quite honestly, I'm sick of him bullying me."

Fauna snapped her gum loudly. "I'm not here to talk about that. I want to know why you aren't on the softball team."

Bee's eyes grew wide. "Oh. That's easy. I've just always played with the boys. I grew up playing t-ball, and then I played baseball in elementary school, y'know, as a natural transition. When it came time to play in middle school, I played baseball because my brother was on the team and I was kinda scared to play softball. And then in high school, I just uh, followed suit."

Fauna shifted against the sinks, letting her head roll back so she could look at the ceiling tiles. She blew out a long sigh, then leveled a stare at Bee. "I think you'd really be a good fit on the softball team."

Bee let out a strangled laugh, taking a step back. "What? I'm sorry, but that's not... that's not my dream. I want to play pro baseball."

Fauna let out a pitying laugh. "Beatrice, they aren't gonna let a girl play pro baseball."

Okay, yes, that was a fear of hers. That she would work so hard to get on Harvard's team, and they wouldn't take her. Or, that she would play for Harvard, but when she graduated, no one would draft her. Yes, it kept her awake at night, but she wasn't going to let her fear control her.

"Fauna, it's my dream. Regardless of whether or not you think it's stupid. I can't play softball, sorry."

Fauna rolled her eyes, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Listen, Park School had made it to the state championships last year and won. This year, our team sucks, and we need you. To get to states. I mean, c'mon. The baseball team will win states with Oakland on the team. You're needed elsewhere."

She prickled at Oakland's name and wondered if he'd put Fauna up to this, to try and lure her away from baseball. "I missed two days of tryouts."

Fauna waved her hand. "Coach said he would heavily consider you if you came today and tomorrow."

"Heavily consider?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but baseball is my dream. It's not a hobby for me. Interact is a hobby. Playing the trumpet is a hobby. Event planning with student council is a hobby. But baseball? Baseball's my life."

She took a step towards the door, putting her hand on it to push it open, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry about your team. And my declining has nothing to do with you. Softball just isn't what will get me to the pro level. And no matter what Oakland says, I deserve to play with my team."

Fauna said nothing as Bee walked out of the bathroom, letting the door slam close. She leaned against it, suddenly feeling like she was going to cry, all because she was becoming a laughing stock of the school. She had never before dealt with this; her playing baseball was normal. It had been in elementary school, and in middle school, and was expected in high school.

But Park School kids don't see it that way, she told herself, gripping her bag tightly.

She entered the cafeteria and hurried towards Jane and the May Day poster. She sat down heavily, swiping away at her face, hoping no one was watching. "Hey," she offered, swallowing her tears.

"Hey! You just missed a big wave of sign ups!"

Bee looked down at the clipboard, reading the names. A few kids she knew, and then, her stomach bottomed out as she read the name Oak Stone.

She immediately looked up, searching for him, and her eyes collided with his. He was staring at her, grinning, but it was feral and dangerous. He was messing with her again, but instead of subscribing to his childish ways, she tilting her chin up and then turned to Jane. "So it's looking like it'll be a great turnout then."
Jane was pretty happy with the turn out. "Yeah! Thank goodness, because I was beginning to worry, y'know? But we'll have good news for the meeting tonight, which you're going to, right?"

Bee nodded, pulling out her APUSH notes. "Yeah, I'll be there." Right after working on the set design tonight. She flipped through her notes, pushing her tongue to the roof of her mouth, trying to memorize the notes. Just in case Mr. Crawley wanted to test them, which he wasn't opposed to doing.

"Sweet. Oh look, that Park School boy is coming over. Ryan Grueller, I think his name is."

Bee looked up to see Grueller heading towards them, his hands in his pockets casually. When he approached the table, he smiled at Jane, then slid his gaze to Bee, his smile sliding from his face. "Oak wants to talk with you."

"Oakland can come here." She countered, picking at her nails like she was bored with the conversation, which she was. Bored of talking about Oakland, of thinking about Oakland, of dealing with Oakland.

"He wants you to come to the table. Apparently you've made Fauna very upset."

Bee looked at their table again, watching Fauna rub her eyes, leaning her head on Oakland's shoulder in solace.

"Bull. Fauna cornered me in the bathroom and told me I had to join the softball team because my dreams were unrealistic. I'm not going to deal with whatever that is." She waved her hand towards the table.

Grueller looked back at the table, suddenly uneasy. "Fauna cornered you in the bathroom?"

She narrowed her eyes at Fauna and Oakland. "Listen, Grueller. I'm done with you Park School kids. Leave me alone, okay? Yes, I play baseball. Yes, I've always played baseball. No, I won't play softball and no, I don't think my dreams are dumb. So let's call a truce so our season won't suck this year, since we're only 3 days in and it seems like the longest week of tryouts in my life."

Grueller crossed his arms, not quite liking Bee's tone, but then he blew out a sigh. "Fauna is telling everyone you cornered her in the bathroom and told her she was a slut."

Bee shot up, standing. "I did not."

Jane bit her lip. "Yeah... that doesn't sound like Bee."

Bee looked at Jane, then sat back down. "You can tell your friends that I don't care what Fauna says about me. I'm not going to stoop to Park School's level of bitchiness and start rumors and lies. Now, we're tabling, and you're scaring people away from signing up."

Grueller looked at the sign up sheet, then at Bee. For a moment, he looked like he would stay and talk, but then he turned around and headed back to his table, head low and hands in his pockets.

Jane looked over at Bee, clearly upset. "I'm sorry they're giving you so much trouble, Bee. Just keep doing your thing; you're better than them, anyway, and they're jealous because of it. You're involved in basically everything, and you're great at sports, and you're super pretty. Don't let them bother you."

Bee smiled in thanks, but their words did bother her. Enough to make her simmer with anger. Oakland was going to pay for this, for putting Fauna up to that task, to making her look like the bad guy.