Baseball was about as boring as I remembered, but Thad was into it, so I didn’t mind sitting through it. Bless his heart, he even tried to explain to me the statistics behind the game and why mathematicians got so hot and heavy for it. I smiled and nodded and pretended I understood. He may have noticed at some point that he was rambling, because he flushed a little and apologized.

“It’s fine,” I insisted. “It’s good to be passionate about something.”

“I hope you’re kinda enjoyin’ yourself right now.”

“I am. I mean, I could probably take or leave baseball, but it’s nice to hang out.”

“Yeah.” Thad squished his forearms between his legs and looked back to the ball field. “It is nice.”

“Did you hang out with your friends much in Alabama?”

“Not really. I’ve always been a bit of a homebody, but I’m tryin’ to be more outgoin’.”

“Calling up the drunk guy you met at a bus stop makes you both outgoing and crazy.”

Thad flashed me a small smile. “It worked out though.”

“I’m sure you’ll make tons of friends at your new school, and you won’t have to resort to desperate measures.” I perched a foot up on the seat in front of me. “You might even get a girlfriend or something.”

“That isn’t really my first priority.”

“No? Huh. Fucking was one of my main priorities in high school.”

Thad shook his head. “Not somethin’ I worry about much.”

Weird. I thought all teens are horny as fuck. However, Thad didn’t strike me as a player or an angry, sexually frustrated virgin like a lot of other kids his age. Maybe that’s why I kept forgetting how young he was. He seemed so at ease with who he was and what he wanted from life, something you usually only saw in people twice his age. I felt a stab of envy. Who knew what would have become of my life if I’d been so confident and self-assured at seventeen.

The Dodgers ended up winning, which resulted in some fireworks and an uplifted mood throughout the crowd as we headed to the exit. Thad wanted to talk about some of the best plays, and I let him because I found him a little adorable when he was so unabashedly excited about something. I didn’t know why his chatter didn’t bore me like it usually did when I hung out with sports fans. Perhaps there was a little magic to this kid I had yet to fully understand.

By the time we got into the car and navigated through the terrible traffic, it was eleven, probably past Thad’s bedtime. He tried his best to distract me from my frustration over idiots who weren’t paying attention to traffic lights, and the conversation remained steady and enjoyable until I pulled up in front of his house.

“Thank you for the tickets, and for comin’ with me even though you hate baseball,” Thad said, unbuckling his seat belt.

“I don’t hate baseball. I’m indifferent.”

“Well, either way, it was nice of you to come and listen to me ramble on about it. I try not to do that to people who I know don’t care.”

“It’s fine, really.” I offered him a small encouraging smile. “I’ve spent some time around people who are too cool to care about anything,” – Duncan— “so it’s refreshing.”

“Alright, well, next time I see you I’ll probably have started school. But hey, maybe we can do somethin’ for my birthday.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“September 4th.”

“Oh. Wow. So soon? Shit, you’re going to be eighteen. You know what that means?”

“Not lyin’ when I click on a website that asks me to confirm I’m an adult?”

“I was thinking of something a bit edgier like buying cigarettes, but sure, whatever makes you feel like a rebel.”

Thad laughed. “I have no intention of ever smokin’, but if you wanna make it into some kind of initiation ceremony, I’ll buy them and give them to you.”

“I quit years ago.”

“You probably have a cool friend that smokes, right?”

I thought of Duncan again “Yeah.”

“We just can’t let my nana know cuz she’ll think you’re a bad influence.”

“I will make sure you don’t smoke the cigarettes, or drink, or do anything that I did at your age. Boy Scout promise.” I held up a hand as a salute, like one would when swearing upon the Bible.

“That’s not a Boy Scout salute.”

“What’s a Boy Scout salute?”

Thad reached out and grabbed my hand, trying to maneuver it so that my fingers were pressed against my forehead. But he was a bit too forceful, so he ended up whacking me in the face with my own hand.

I burst out laughing as Thad apologized profusely around a few giggles. I pretended it hurt more than it did, at least until I realized that Thad looked more guilty for it than the accident warranted.

“I’m fine,” I chuckled, rubbing my forehead. “Seriously, it’s fine. I’m just messing with you. I still don’t know the Boy Scout salute though.”

Thad put two fingers to his forehead.

“You could have just shown me,” I said with a smile.

“Sorry.”

“Go inside before you hurt someone else,” I chided playfully. “Text me about your birthday plans.”

“Alright.” He nearly backed out of the car, paused, then said, “I am sorry.”

“Go!” I insisted with another laugh. “If you apologize again, I’m going to hit you in the head with your own hand.”

Thad flashed me one small embarrassed smile before finally sliding out of the seat and heading up the front walkway to the house. He offered me a wave before vanishing into his house.

My phone chirped from its place in the center console. When I checked it, it was a text from Duncan.

Where tf are u?

I sighed, tossed the phone into the passenger seat that Thad had vacated, and pulled away from the curb.