Jessi knocked on the Greys' front door, cheering when thirteen year old Nate answered it with a baseball mitt and a grin. He called through the house saying they were going to the park, and his mom told him to be back for dinner.

"Going to play baseball?" Shane seemed to appear from no where, "Can I come?"

"No!" Jessi said frantically before clearing her throat, "Shane, you may be seventeen but you can not play ball well." Shane's jaw fell open at her blunt observance.

"We'll be at the park!" Nate said cheerfully, shutting the door behind them. They walked down the street in silence.

"So, you're going on tour soon, huh?" Jessi asked with no expression as she tossed the baseball in the air and caught it easily.

"Yeah." Nate said softly.

"I'll have no one to play baseball with." Jessi observed thoughtfully.

"Randy?"

"Moving."

"Emily?"

"Gave up baseball. Turned cheerleader." Jessi commented to which they both made sickened faces.

"Carl?"

"Carl?" Jessi stopped short when they reached the park, "He can't play. Are you crazy?"

"He's a fair player." Nate shrugged.

"He stinks." Jessi disagreed with a shake of her head, "No one is as good as you and me."

"He can bat just as good as me." Nate disagreed.

"No one bats as good as you." Jessi rolled her eyes, "You're the best in the whole neighborhood!"

"Thanks." Nate said, "I guess I won't be playing baseball anymore while we're on tour…"

"Yeah, you'll be too busy singing and junk." Jessi scoffed.

"Junk?" Nate raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry. I didn't mean that." Jessi said quietly, turning to baseball over and over in her hand, "I just won't have any friends once you're gone."

"Aw, come on, there's tons of kids around." Nate stated.

"None of them are real friends." Jessi protested, "They're just…there."

"And I'm more than just 'there'?" Nate asked with a grin.

"Yeah…you're always…" Jessi began, wondering why they were being so serious. They rarely were. "You always know if I'm mad, happy, annoyed…no one else knows me like that."

"I'll get you a free cd." Nate said with a grin, as though that would solve everything.

"You'll forget about me with all those famous people around." Jessi said with a frown.

"No I won't." Nate argued, "I'll never just forget about you."

"You'll be on stage with fans singing along with you and I'll just be left behind." Jessi said shortly.

"I'll dedicate a song to you." Nate offered.

"I don't want a song." Jessi rolled her eyes, "I just want you to stay my friend."

"I will."

"How do I know?" Jessi asked quietly, "We've known each other for ever and now you're leaving. I'll be all by myself. We'll forget each other."

"We won't." Nate shook his head.

"I like you, Nate." Jessi stated, looking at him seriously, "I want us to be friends forever."

"I want us to be friends forever too. I like you a lot too." Nate agreed, "Let's promise to stay friends no matter what." He suggested, "Shake on it." Jessi eyed his outstretched hand.

"Promise. No matter what." She nodded, putting her hand into his soft one.

"Does that make you feel better?" Nate asked, embarrassing her by squeezing her hand. Jessi bit her lip and nodded slightly.

"I guess so." She whispered.

"We leave in about five minutes." Nate said excitedly, making Jessi scowl at his excitement.

"I'm happy for you." She stated. He looked at her carefully and shook his head.

"You don't look like it." Nate observed.

"I don't feel it right now either." She agreed, glancing around the front yard. Spotting a baseball at her feet she picked it up with a grin, and Nate grabbed his glove from the porch and tossed it to her as he picked up the baseball bat.

"Here comes the pitch!" Jessi announced before winding up and throwing it to him. Nate swung the bat and it made hard contact with the ball, shooting the ball through the air, "I only know one person who can hit the ball like that! Nate Grey!"

It started pouring down rain then and they scrambled for the porch laughing and cheering. Jessi stood looking out at the rain with Nate, wishing he didn't have to leave. They had been best friends for years and never been apart for more then a couple weeks before.

"I'll miss you, Jessi." Nate commented with a half smile at her.

"Yeah, I'll miss you too." Jessi nodded, wiping the rain from her cheek with the back of her hand, leaving a small smear of dirt. She stared out into the rain again, and Jessi bit the inside of her cheek when Nate's hand wrapped around hers for a moment.

A glance at him showed that his face was pink. Jessi sighed and forced a smile at him looked at her. For some reason, this felt like the end of the story-the end of them and their friendship.

"Hey, Jessi?" Nate said softly.

"Yep?" she sighed. She watched as he leaned down and pecked her on the lips just before the front door opened and Shane came prancing out and into the rain.

"Let's go!" he cheered. Jessi looked at the ground before running out into the rain with Shane, pretending not to notice the awkwardness between her and Nate.

Jessi pulled into the parking lot and turned the car off before getting out with a sigh. Her dad had sent her out to stop by and pick up some demo cds from his friend. Her dad was a music producer-no one big.

She smiled to herself at the sound of guys' cheering from across the large parking lot. Jessi smiled wider when she saw one of them with a bat. It made her think of Nate. Thirteen year old Nate who had shared her first kiss on the front porch in the rain after promising they'd stay friends. He hadn't kept the promise though.

Jessi was thankful she had parked far away from the building so the guys could continue their wiffle ball game instead of worrying about hitting her car. Sports must be important to them if they were playing in a parking lot. She noticed the big bus not far from them. She scowled.

Celebrities…I bet they keep up with their friends too. Unlike Nate.

She looked up in curiosity at one of them calling to the other, "All these years and you still can't pitch!" Jessi laughed to herself at the comment. Typical boys. As she approached closer to the building she noticed the three boys more and something seemed to nag at the back of her mind. She watched as one of the boys with dark, curly hair hit the ball.

"I only know one person who can hit the ball like that! Nate Grey!" he cheered, making Jessi's smile fade quickly. Did she just hear him right? Nate Grey? Was that really what he just said?

She looked at the boy carefully, noticing now that he did resemble the thirteen year old she knew. He was a lot taller, wearing skinny jeans, and his voice had changed but other than that…she realized she could tell it was him.

Jessi only stood a moment, having a hard time taking it in. She hesitated only a moment before approaching Shane-who was attempting to pitch. He was a bit taller too and also clad in skinny jeans and his hair was much longer than she remembered. Grabbing the wiffle ball from him, ignoring his stunned expression, she threw a good pitch to Nate.

He hit it easily, but looked confusedly at the seeming stranger rudely joining the game without invitation. Jessi only stared at him, waiting for him to figure things out-assuming he could. It had been three years; after all, she must look different. Not to mention she'd tossed the casual jean shorts and baggy t-shirts for her own skinny jeans and leather vests…

"I'm sorry…do we know you?" Nate asked politely. She smiled genuinely at him, a sort of sad, smile as a few raindrops fell from the sky.

"No." Jessi said as he approached her, glancing at Shane standing next to her and Jason a little ways off-looking so much different than she remembered, "But you can hit better than anyone I know."

"Thanks…" Nate looked confused, "You aren't a fan…are you?"

"Not your definition of fan, no." she said flatly, "I'll see you guys around." Jessi started toward the building, leaving them in silence. Once she had turned from them, she frowned to herself a little disappointed that they hadn't figured out who she was even though she could recognize them…

I guess that's it then…

"Hey, Jessi!" Nate called from behind, catching up with her.

"Yeah?" she stopped in her tracks, noticing instantly that he had said her name. His voice sounded so different now.

"I…didn't recognize you." He said softly.

"Go figure." She whispered with a small smile. They stood there in awkward silence for a few moments.

"I'm sorry." Nate said softly.

"We shook hands on it." Jessi stated, knowing the comment would sound ridiculous, but the two always shook hands on serious promises.

"I know."

"Got any reason-or should I say, excuses?" she asked softly as he stared at the ground. Rain started falling around them and Jason and Shane walked past them with blank expressions before going inside the building.

"Nope…" he admitted.

"Okay." Jessi started toward the door, but his hand on her arm stopped her.

"Do you forgive me?" he asked with hope visible in his face.

"I always do." She shrugged. Nothing seemed to have changed much over the years. Except her feelings for him-they had intensified by a billion, "We'll always be friends. Even though you're not the cute, little thirteen year old boy I remember I shared my first kiss with in the rain."

"I'm sixteen." Nate commented with a blank expression.

"I know. Me too."

"I'm the same boy that gave you his first kiss." Nate said softly.

"Doesn't seem like it to me." Jessi said, "Are you really the same Nate that I remember?" she was hoping he was.

"Yes…" Nate he assured her, looking into her blue eyes. Rain rolled down their faces and soaked through their clothes, but neither of them took any notice. They were being pulled into their own little world.

"Prove it." She whispered.

"What?" he looked plainly confused, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." She muttered, aware of her blushing cheeks, "Nevermind."

"Were you just asking me to kiss you?" he whispered, beginning to blush also.

"I said never mind." She snapped.

"Answer me." Nate requested, "Is that what you were asking?"

"Yes. Now leave it alone. It was stupid. I shouldn't have said that." Jessi said sharply, "Forget it."

"You want me to kiss you." Nate whispered. Jessi opened her mouth to argue against his comment, but remained silent. She didn't know what to say…she couldn't lie, "Right here, in the rain. Like three years ago."

"Shut up." She mumbled, embarrassed by him dwelling on the thought too long, "Let's just go inside." Nate shook his head and smiled slightly before briskly wrapping his arms around her and giving her a shy kiss. Jessi didn't fight, and after regaining herself from shock she kissed him back.

"You've changed." She whispered to him, his face millimeters from hers.

"Have I really?" he looked hurt by the words.

"A good change." She said softly with a small smile, "You've grown up."

"You have too." He pointed out.

"First kiss at thirteen, second kiss at sixteen. Both in the rain…" Jessi said thoughtfully.

"My story's the same." He spoke softly, "Sounds like we were always meant to be."

"I think you're right." Jessi whispered.