Page 148 of Left on Base

He shrugs again, like it’s both ancient history and baggage he can’t put down. “Anyway, I loved everything about baseball. I always had a bat or a ball in my hand. I didn’t know until later why he struggled watching me play.”

And all I can think is, has he told Callie this?

“How long ago was it?”

“I don’t know. Long time. They’re coming to the game next week.”

“Really? Can I meet them?”

He looks at me, surprised. “If you want. Jaxon will be there though.”

“Oh.” I shrug, trying to play it cool while my stomach does somersaults. “It’s fine.”

“Still haven’t talked?”

“Um, well, I sent him sixty messages and bee emojis….”

Dr. Yu’s voice slices through our bubble: “Camdyn, maybe you can explain for the class what happens if a bee sting triggers an anaphylactic reaction?”

Jameson grins. “Perfect timing.”

I roll my eyes. She probably read it in the game highlights, since me jumping around after the bee sting got some laughs. I can’t help smiling—I’m living proof the lymphatic system isn’t to be messed with.

Jameson taps his pen on the desk, eyes drifting to the PowerPoint where Dr. Yu is now hyping up “the fascinating secrets of connective tissue,” which, judging by the room, isn’t as fascinating as she thinks.

I lean in, lowering my voice. “Does he talk to you about it?”

“About what?”

“Jaxon. About me and him.”

Jameson pauses, his face giving away that maybe Jaxon has said something. “Nah. He doesn’t. I don’t think he wants to hear what I have to say.”

“What do you mean? You’re his best friend.”

“Yeah, but he gets moody if you ask about relationships. Like, try to crack open the Jaxon vault and he’s suddenly all, ‘Yo, did you see the Mariners lost again?’”

I snort. Classic Jaxon, but now I’m curious. “Has he saidanythingto you about it?”

“No. Changes the subject faster than an Olympic sprinter.”

Weird. I wouldn’t have expected that, but then again, it’s Jaxon—king of gatekeeping. “Oh.”

Jameson glances at the diagram of a lymph node. “You’ve always been there for him. He’s got it easy compared to most guys—he’s my boy, but he doesn’t see it.”

“Yeah, I guess not. Think I should move on?”

He grins, waggling his eyebrows. “To me? Yeah, I do.”

I slap his shoulder and get a glare from Dr. Yu. “Jameson.”

He laughs, raising his hands. “Kidding! But no, I don’t. Well, let me put it this way. You can try to move on, but he’s not gonna let you.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Wait, what? Why?”

“He’d lose his shit if you weren’t there for him. He acts all cool but if you started dating someone else, he’d spiral—full soap opera breakdown. He’s fragile.”

I sigh, tracing the edge of my notebook. “We haven’t talked in a week.”

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