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“What’s the big deal?”

“You’re hovering again.”

“What if I can’t get ahold of you?”

“Then you’ll know I’m busy and I’ll call you back when I have time, but I’m not giving you her number. That’s just embarrassing.”

Welcome back, overbearing mom.

Ever since I told her I had to go out of town to shoot the lacrosse state championship, she’s been up my butt. I didn’t bother mentioning this trip when it was assigned to me because our team has never been good enough to make it to state. So, when they qualified, I had no choice.

Truth be told, I don’t even want to go, knowing I’ll be riding on the bus and staying at the same hotel as the team. When I tried bailing, Annie got annoyed, so I made her promise to tag along. Luckily, she agreed. It isn’t as if people at school are blind to the fact that several of the guys on the lacrosse team are jerks to me.

“Okay, fine,” she concedes. “But I expect you to check in.”

“You’re doing it again.” I walk over to my desk and grab my phone charger. “I’m not about to fall off the edge of a cliff. I’m fine.”

“I can’t help it. I’m your mother; I worry.”

A honk sounds from the street below, and when I peer out of my window, I see Annie parked along the curb.

“That’s her. I have to go.”

Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I head out, but she stops me to give me a hug. I tense in her arms, but she doesn’t care. She acts this way to makeherselffeel better, not to make me feel better.

“Okay, Mom.” I sigh when I pull away.

Another honk has me hurrying down the stairs and out the door. Annie pops her trunk, and I toss my bag in before slipping into the passenger seat.

“Thanks again for coming with me.”

“It actually turned into a lifesaver,” she says as she drives to the school.

“Why?”

“I kind of went behind my parents’ backs and accepted a scholarship from UCLA when they thought I would be staying in state. They found out last night.”

“What did they say?”

“They flipped. I couldn’t get out of the house fast enough this morning.”

Annie’s a senior and lucky to be graduating in a couple of months while I’m stuck here for another year.

“It isn’tthatfar. I mean, it could be worse.”

“That’s what I said.”

We arrive at the school to find the guys standing in the parking lot next to the charter bus, so we toss our bags into the luggage bay and settle into one of the front seats. My earbuds are already in when the team boards, so if there are any comments coming my way, they’re muffled behind the music blasting in my ears.

When the bus pulls out, Annie opens her physics book and studies during the two-hour drive down to Olympia. The trip is uneventful, which I’m not upset about, and I go unnoticed as we file into the hotel. Coach passes out the keys, and then Annie and I head up to our room. We only have a handful of hours before we have to be back on the bus for the four o’clock semifinals, so we decide to order lunch and watch an old movie. I’m soon distracted when I receive a text from Noah.

Noah: You want to catch a movie when you get back?

Since the record shop last week, I’ve been ditching lunch to hide out in the library. I’m nervous he’s going to want to talk about what he saw, so I’ve been avoiding him. But I like Noah; he’s a cool guy, and I like having him as a friend. Unless I want to lose that, I know eventually I’m going to have to face him. At least at a movie, we won’t be talking.

Me: Sure. I’ll be home on Sunday around lunchtime.

For the first time ever, our high school takes the state championships. I want to bail on the celebratory dinner, but Annie makes me go. Fortunately, the boys are too amped up to even sense my presence. It’s only when we return to the hotel that someone finally notices me.