Josh checked his watch as he left the business building after dropping off some paperwork. It felt good to be back on campus. Alternating semesters at NYU with time in Philly working at his Dad's store, he would be on campus in the fall. He had high hopes for the following winter back in Philly before graduating at the end of the summer.
He had time to catch the last part of the city championships on the baseball field. Being in the City, he had grown closer to his niece and her friends. Game nights and coffee breaks from studying had been a great escape from the grind of college. Josh would never tell his brother, but there had been a few nights that the gang had joined him at parties, testing their limits as young adults. He was as close to them as he was to any of his college friends.
Maya leaned back in the stands, enjoying the warm sun on her shoulders. Riley, Smackle, Winnie and she were watching their boyfriends play for the City Championship. It was the perfect way to start Senior Prom Weekend. Everyone had been so busy it was great to spend the afternoon catching up.
Winnie and Maya had been putting the final touches are their projects for the Art Fair. Winnie had moved to New York from Savannah during their sophomore year. Their shared love of art had led to her quickly becoming friends with Maya. Maya had watched Zay instantly be taken with the new girl. Their undefined friends plus "whatever" had disappeared in an instant. Some girls might have been jealous, but Maya knew Zay wasn't a permanent choice for her. She did wonder what would happen to them in the fall. Winnie was going to Paris to study art, and Zay had been signed to a minor league baseball contract. It would be difficult to be on different continents.
Smackle was running some calculations from the last inning. Farkle was the team statistician and would often send Smackle numbers to run their own metrics during the game. The boys swore it was a big reason they were in the city championship. Smackle was going to be at M.I.T. while Farkle had decided to go to Harvard a mile down the road. They both had enough AP and dual enrollment credits to start college as sophomores. Boston wasn't going to know what hit it. Maya had a good feeling that different schools wouldn't change them at all.
Riley clomped up the bleachers in her pink cowgirl boots with lemonade for the girls. Who would have known Ranger Rick's family was loaded? Maybe not in the "Would you like to see my new helicopter?" way of Mr. Minkus, but in the "Lucas and his girlfriend want to attend University of Texas in Austin, and the chancellor said of course while he was golfing with granddaddy" way. Ever since the acceptance letter had arrived, Riley had been dressing as if she was a cowgirl and planning how to join the Texas chapter of Gamma Gamma Nu. Maya hoped the Texas girls would see Riley's sweet, open heart and love her rather than think she was making fun of them. Anyway, Howdy would be there to protect her. It did terrify Maya that they were going to different schools, and she knew she was using sarcasm as a cover.
And lastly, there was Maya herself, who would have guessed where she would end up? She had accepted Charlie Gardner's invitation to Homecoming last fall, and they had been a steady two-some since then. He was fun and cute – and probably more into her than she was to him. Charlie had been offered a baseball scholarship to NYU. He had been angry to find out she wouldn't be joining him. Maya had refused Shawn's offer to pay her college tuition. She loved him as her father; and they had both cried when the judge declared her to be a Hunter. She enjoyed being spoiled by him as the prom dress hanging in her closet would attest, but a college education was going too far. Maya had thought he had accepted it quite nicely - until she found out how sneaking he and Matthews could be. They gave Mr. Feeny her portfolio. He and his wife, Dean Feeny, had arranged for her to have a full ride scholarship to Pembroke. Maya was a New Yorker and skeptical of life outside the city. When she realized it was the place that had helped shape Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, Shawn and her Uncle Jack (she had an uncle), and even Eric to the people they were today. How could she turn down the same opportunity?
Snapping out of her thoughts, Maya watched Josh walk up the bleachers towards them and gave a small wave. Riley clambered down to give him a hug.
"Hey! What's the score?" Josh sat down in their circle.
"We're down 0-3 in the eighth inning, but baseball doesn't have a time limit so who know what will happen?" Smackle recited the rules.
"That's true," Josh agreed. He looked straight at Maya before finishing, "But sometimes the long games can be the best games."
Maya smiled and rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the small shiver that went up and down her spine.
I know this first chapter is mainly exposition. The rest won't be. I hope you like it.