Hana and Ken grouped with her friends. The friends were surprised that Ken was with Hana.

“The fourth inning’s ending soon,” said Seth, updating Hana. “Logan’s team will be batting next.”

“Oh, yeah. Almost forgot.” Jake stood up and shouted Logan’s name to get his attention.

“Jake, what are you doing?” asked Hana.

“He told me to let him know when you’re back.”

Hana rolled her eyes. “Why? Is it so I can get him water? That lazy bum.”

“No, it’s something ‘bout a cap.”

“A cap? Oh! The cap I got for him!”

“You got him a cap? When?”

“For Christmas.” She ran to the front and tried to grab her friend’s attention too. Unlike Jake, it took her one shout to get his attention.

Logan saw Hana, smiled, waved back, and removed something from his back. It was the cap. He had straddled it on his pants. He waved the cap in the air for Hana to see and then gracefully dropped it on his head.

She had a big and satisfied grin. “You look great, Logan!”

*

“It’s break time already?” whined Hana.

“You saw him wear it. Isn’t that enough?” asked Hailey.

“But he was supposed to wear it when he bats.” She took a deep breath. “I got excited for no reason.” She walked to the table and started separating the packed lunches. “Oh, where’s Victor’s? I’m sure I made everyone’s. I confirmed it this morning.”

“Oh, yeah, about that.” Hailey pursed her lips together. “His kinda fell.”

“Fell? So, everyone’s gonna have their own but him?” An idea came to her. “He’ll have mine.” She grabbed hers and went to find Victor.

Hailey followed Hana.

The girls explained and apologized to him.

“No, it’s fine,” he said. “To be honest, I’m on a diet before the actual game.”

“You still gotta eat,” said Hana.

“Well, if you insist, but can I ask for something else instead?”

“Sure. Something’s not to your liking?”

“I can share today’s with Wallace, but can you make me lunch tomorrow instead?”

Hailey squirmed and moved away, letting the two handle the date themselves.

“I-I would like to...to have lunch with you,” he confessed.

“What you guys doing?” interrupted a jolly Logan. He put his hands over their shoulders.

Victor smiled at Hana. “I’ll be looking forward to tomorrow.” He fist-bumped Logan and went to Wallace.

Logan was left confused but didn’t question. Instead, he hugged Hana. “Where’s mine? I’m starving.”

She pinched his arm. “Your girlfriend has yours.”

He blinked. He had forgotten. “Oh, yeah. I knew that. Glad I’m not eating your poisonous food.”

She didn’t bicker back because she was still in shock by the request she received. Instincts told her that it was because he wanted to spend time with her, but she threw that assumption out the window. She didn’t want false assumptions to give her butterflies. What she didn’t want even more was to know what Victor’s words really meant.

Logan nudged her forehead with a finger.

“What?”

“You okay?”

She nodded and walked away.

*

Logan was surprised to see Ken join them. He figured Hana had invited him, and it bugged him. “Came to watch the game?”

“I actually came to check up on her,” answered Ken.

“Okay, let’s eat,” said Hana, coming over with a tray of snacks. She sat between Hailey and Ken. She had just finished with handing out the packed foods to every member of the team, so she could now join her friends too. As soon as she placed the tray down, almost everyone dug in as if they’d been starved. She watched them with joy until her eyes came upon Crystal and remembered the conversation she had with Ken.

“Hana, you cooked everything?” asked Sylvia.

“It tastes awful, doesn’t it?” joked Logan.

Hana neither answered Sylvia nor fought back with Logan.

The friends looked at Hana as they chewed.

Logan repeated himself, this time louder.

Still nothing from her.

Ken looked at her and gently placed a hand on her.

She finally budged.

“You okay?”

She let out a smile. “I was thinking about something. Sorry.” She reached for a cookie. “Let’s eat, let’s eat.”

“We’ve been,” said Hailey, blankly.

“Oh.” She didn’t want to make the scene weirder than it was, so she picked another cookie and handed it to Ken. “Try one.”

Crystal stood up. “I’ve had it.”

Everyone looking up at her and paused.

“If you’re trying to get back at me, you’ve succeeded!” She ran out of the stands and out of the field.

Ken got on his feet and ran after her.

Hana did the same.

Then Logan followed suit.

*

Ken caught up to Crystal. He grabbed her by the wrist and forced her to look at him. “Me? Getting back at you? What are you talking about?”

“If you hated me so much, why did you date me?” She sniffled. “You were dating her first! You didn’t have time for me! You kept going to places you won’t tell me! You—”

“He did everything for you!” It was Hana, barely turning at a corner. She finally caught up to them. She was gasping for air. She made a mental note to exercise more. “We're only good friends, and if you really did love him, you would’ve trusted him instead of doubting him all the time.”

“You...know?” whispered Crystal.

“Just today. He told me everything. Well, I questioned him.” She took a deep breath and came to them. “I can accept you messing around with Logan’s feelings ‘cause, well, he’s Logan, but I can’t accept you lying to yourself. In the end, it’s gonna be you who’ll get hurt. Like now.”

“Hey!” It was Logan. He showed himself from where Hana came from too. He dashed to the group. “What’s going on?”

The group ignored him.

Hana continued. “I’m going to make myself clear for the last time. I’m friends with Logan, and I’m friends with Ken. Yes, Ken and I met way before you two dated, but we’re strictly friends. And if you had dated him, that means you know how he was back then and his relationship with his father, right?”

Logan furrowed his brows and looked at the group in front of him.

“He got into an argument with his dad,” continued Hana, “and it escalated into a fight. I somehow became involved and helped watched his little sister while he got an under-the-table job from his uncle. And do you wanna know why he did all that?”

Crystal didn’t want to answer, but tears formed in her eyes.

“He did it for you. He wanted to be someone who has a future. He wanted to prepare a—”

“You don’t have to say anymore,” butted Ken. “If she didn’t understand that back then, what’s the point of telling her now?”

“Ken, you have to—”

“Our relationship was done and over with.” He let go of Crystal’s wrist and started to walk away. “See you, Hana.”

“Wait!” exclaimed Crystal.

Hana and Logan looked at the younger girl.

Ken stopped but didn’t look back.

Crystal fidgeted with her hands. She pursed her lips and guiltily looked at Logan. “Logan, I’m sorry for lying. I wanted to go out with you because I thought Hana was two-timing Ken. I didn’t want her to hurt him and you, so I thought I can somehow get you to dump her so that Ken wouldn’t be made a fool of.” She looked away, ashamed. “When I found you two aren’t dating, I was going to tell you the truth, but I saw them together again, and-and I—”

“It’s okay,” said Logan, softly. He came to stand beside Hana. “You were hurt because of him, and he was hurt because of you. I think if you two clear things up, you guys would make a great couple. You cared for each other to the point where you’re insecure.” He shifted his eyes to look at Ken, although Ken had yet to look back. “Wouldn’t you want to try again if you had believed so much that she was going to be in your future?”

A momentary silence, but they could tell Ken took Ken’s words to heart.

Logan grabbed Hana by the hand. “Sorry to say this, but we’ve got a game to finish, so we’ll be leaving first.” He dragged her with him, but she didn’t want to leave until things were resolved. He stopped and then turned around. To Rena, “You were a great girlfriend.”

“Were?” repeated Hana.

Ken finally turned and looked back.

Crystal had a look of shock.

“That’s right,” said Logan. He raised a thumb and pointed at himself. “I was dumped. I’m getting too old to appeal to the younger kids now, huh?”

Everyone laughed.

Hana and Logan knew it was the perfect time to leave the younger couple to themselves, so they walked away, hand in hand. Once they were far from the couple, Hana had to say one thing.

“I’m sorry that your relationship ended like this.”

“Don’t worry. I was expecting it. I was already in doubt when she asked me out. We hardly knew each other and all of a sudden, a confession?” He shook his head. “A person like me doesn’t fall in love that easily.”

“You went out with her without any feelings for her?” She lightly kicked him. “You’re the worst!”

“It wasn’t like that, really. I wanted to show her that I’m not the one for her.”

She was confused.

“I doubted her confession and her feelings, but I didn’t want to jump into conclusion since confessing uses a lot of courage, so I agreed to date her to have her see that she doesn’t like me. I thought she must’ve fallen for the rumored me back in middle school or something, but I’m not like that anymore.” He grinned and pulled Hana in close. He leaned inward and whispered for them to hear. “I’m a man with a wife and a son already. No one can come between us.”

Hana blushed and shoved him away.

He laughed. “I learned from only the best that sincerity is the purest form of love, respect, and unity.” He winked at her. “Didn’t your husband do a good job?”

“You’re stupid.”

“Oh, you’re blushing. You’re blushing!”

She flung her hand away from him. “Shut up!” She ran away without him.

He ran after her. “Don’t leave me!”

*

“Did they make up?” asked Hailey once Hana and Logan were back.

“Who?”

“Ken and Crystal. We know everything now. We got the truth from her.” They pointed to Sylvia.

Sylvia shyly stepped forward. “I went along with her idea because I thought I could stop her, but I couldn’t.”

“It’s fine,” said Hana. “No one was hurt.” She paused. “Well, I can’t say the same for Logan.”

“You liked her?” shouted everyone but Hana and Sylvia.

Logan made a face. “Not gonna lie, she’s a cutie, but nah.”

“As expected,” said the friends.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I can’t get a girl or something?”

“It’s not that you can’t,” said Hana, “It’s that you won’t.” She picked up a cupcake and took a bite. She walked to him. “We’re waiting for you to get a girlfriend so we can bet how long you two would last.”

“I’ll last longer than you and your boyfriend.” He put a hand to his mouth. “Oops, forgot. You gonna be with cats.”

Hana shoved the cupcake into his mouth. “Shut up!”

Soon, their bickering became playful as Logan chased Hana to plant a sticky kiss.

Coach Tang appeared again. “Seeing you two lovey-dovey makes me miss my girl.”

Logan and Hana stopped, not wanting to give the coach any more misunderstanding. She dragged Logan by the hand to the nearby table to wipe his mouth.

Hailey asked, “Why didn’t you invite her today? We haven’t seen her in a while.”

“She’s been busy with work. She ain’t got time for me too.” He furrowed his brows. “Hey, Logan. Where’s your girl, or am I miscounting heads here?”

A clean Logan put his hand over Hana’s shoulders, and they walked back to the group. “She dumped me.”

“What? Today? Just now?”

“Is it that shocking?”

“It’s ‘bout time someone makes you hurt instead of the other way around.” Coach Tang teased.

Logan made a face at his coach.

Coach Tang saw Sylvia and said, “Since you’re still here, you dating Jake? Seth has Hailey, so...”

Sylvia became shy again. “I’m not dating anyone.”

“Good. You’re too good to date any of these guys. Especially Jake.”

Jake scowled. “Coach, I’m gonna tell my cousin on you.”

“Your cousin?” asked Sylvia.

“Coach’s girlfriend’s my cousin. They’ve been dating for quite some time, unfortunately.”

“Four years,” said Coach Tang.

“Don’t know what she finds in him,” added Jake.

“Jake, you’re not on the team, but I can make you run more than a thousand laps around the school.” He sent a playful glare at Jake. “Without shoes too.”

Jake saluted the older man. “Your man deeply regrets what he’s said. You are a wonderful man. The best among the best. No! The only best!”

Everyone laughed.

“Since it’s been that long,” said Hailey, “are we expecting any wedding bells soon?”

“Maybe not ‘til five years from now,” answered the coach.

“Why that long?”

“Unlike you younger generations who rush into things, we’re still old-fashioned. We want to know more about each other first.”

Jake pretended to glare at the older guy. “You don’t trust my cousin?”

“It’s not about trust. It’s about being stable and ready. Every relationship—every marriage—needs a stable foundation.”

Hana heard the ‘m’ word and immediately looked at Logan, and he looked at her. She smiled, knowing fully well that he had the same thought as her. They were both happy that in their virtual marriage—even though not stable nor ready—they had each other. Logan slid his hand down from her shoulders to hold her hand. He squeezed her hand, and she smiled back as she hugged him and rested her head on his chest, and they stayed like that.

“And speaking of a foundation,” continued Coach Tang, “you kids have been specially chosen to help provide our foundation. Nicole and I are moving in together this weekend, so you brats are invited to come over and help us with the move.”

The young crowd moved closer to the man, almost suffocating his personal space.

“What happened to being old-fashioned?” questioned Jake.

“You didn’t know about this?” asked Hailey to Jake.

Jake shook his head. “I don’t think anybody at home does.”

Coach Tang explained, “This is the only way for us to know each other on a personal level. You guys are all coming, hear me?”

“You said we were invited, so technically, it’s a choice.”

“I was being nice. Besides, this is Logan’s training. He’d be doing weights by picking and lifting things up. You brats tag along.”

“Why do I have to do this training?” whined Logan. “It’s not even training. You’re using us for labor.”

“Well, my two best players—Victor and Wallace—are graduating this year, so that means you’re gonna be our only ace when they’re gone, so I should start training you on a harder and more personal level.”

Logan took the bait. “Gotcha.”

Hana laughed at his friend’s simple thinking.

“See y’all this weekend. I’ll have Nicole text you the address.” Coach Tang walked down the stands and back to the field.

The group talked amongst themselves, planning for their weekend trip.

“Go with us, Sylvia,” said Jake. “You can meet my cousin. She’s a real beauty, so you’ll understand why we’re against our coach dating her.”

The friends laughed.

Sylvia turned awkward. “But what about...”

“Don’t worry. No one was hurt, and we hold nothing against you.”

Everyone nodded.

“Shoot, game’s starting now!” panicked Logan. He searched for his special cap and fixed it on his head.

Hana stopped him and flicked the cap. “Go win, loser.”

He pinched her cheek. “You know I will.” He ran down the stands to the field.

Hana watched him and saw him bump fists with Victor and was reminded of Victor’s request. She recoiled and sat down. She didn’t know what to do.