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Matt: Be charming.

Parker: I’d like to see that.

Owen: Lots of eye contact.

Parker: That doesn’t sound at all creepy.

Reed: Just be yourself. Show her what it would be like to be with you for real.

Owen: Reed’s right.

Matt: Yeah, man. Just be yourself. You got this.

Parker: I feel like this goes against everything I’ve been suggesting for the last two weeks, but actually, I think they’re right. Be more Grayson.

“Matt and Grayson, phones away during class!”

I glanced up to see the teacher glaring at the two of us from the front of the room. It was rare for a teacher to come down on me so hard—they’d heard the rumors about the Darling brothers too after all. Still, I quickly did as I was told and shoved my phone back in my pocket, relieved to escape the group chat.

Paige giggled quietly as the teacher turned his attention to the whiteboard again. “What was so important?” she whispered.

“Nothing. Just checking some player stats.” The lie slipped easily from my lips. I couldn’t exactly let her know I had a whole group chat dedicated to my feelings for her.

As I listened to the teacher and stared up at the whiteboard, the guys’ advice repeated over and over in my head. Everything rested on this practice date. It was my final chance to show my best friend how much more we could become. Being Grayson hadn’t worked for me over the last ten years, so what difference was one more night going to make?

But I had no other options left. I just had to hope I would be enough.

Chapter 24

Paige

Bonnie dragged me to Hug in a Mug after school. We were planning to go over my Ransom Devils player interviews, but she was exhausted and insisted she needed a decent latte if she was expected to work. It was hardly surprising; she was seriously addicted to coffee, and this had only been exacerbated since Tabitha’s sleepless nights had begun. The coffee shop was in the town across the river from Ransom, but it was one of the few places that stayed open late on weeknights.

Sunshine Hills was like a different world compared to our hometown. It was wealthier and filled with upmarket shops and fancy restaurants. Even the streets appeared cleaner and everything seemed to sparkle, despite today’s overcast weather. While Sunshine was only a five-minute drive from Ransom, I never really felt welcome. The people seemed to look down their noses at us and hold their purses a little tighter whenever we passed. I knew our town wasn’t as affluent, but just because people in Ransom weren’t rich didn’t mean we were thieves. Violet lived in Sunshine Hills, and she was one of the few exceptions. I was happy to see her working behind the counter when we arrived at Hug in a Mug.

When we walked through the door and the bell above it chimed, Violet looked up and a smile spread across her face. “Hey, Paige. This is a nice surprise.”

The coffee shop was mostly empty, probably because it was the end of the day and the weather outside was getting worse.

“Hey, Violet.” I returned her smile. “I was hoping you might be working today. Bonnie is in desperate need of a caffeine hit. Apparently, she can’t survive the evening without one.”

“I really can’t,” Bonnie replied. “Right now, I need a latte more than I need air to breathe.”

“Well, you guys are in the right place,” Violet said with a warm laugh. “How about you, Paige?”

“Uh, just a cookie would be great,” I replied. “Nobody wants to see what caffeine does to me.”

“It’s bad,” Bonnie agreed. “She had a Red Bull last year, and I had to keep reminding her she hadn’t actually grown wings. She lost it.”

Violet laughed. “Okay, a cookie and a latte. You guys find a table and I’ll bring them right out.”

We made our way over to one of the booths by the window, and Bonnie collapsed onto the seat. “I don’t know why we don’t come here more often,” she said. “Sunshine Hills is so pleasant.”

“Only when there’s no one around,” I said. “Don’t the people here make you feel a little uncomfortable?”

“Screw them.” Bonnie shrugged. “Besides, not everyone here has a problem with Ransom. Reed’s girlfriend seems nice.”

“Yeah, Violet’s great. But she’s also not originally from here.”