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Kori’s cheering me on too. Even if she’s doing it silently. After all, she’s not really the loud or exuberant type. She’s here, though, and that means a lot to me.
    It doesn’t escape Jaden’s notice, as he gives me a little ribbing during one of the time outs. “You’re pitching well today, Grayson,” he says. “I guess it helps having your girlfriend here.”
    “I guess,” I say with a shrug, then can’t resist teasing him back a little. “Maybe you need to find yourself a girl so your play can improve.”
    “Oh, funny man. I guess if the majors don’t call, you can always try for a career in stand up,” Jaden says. As usual, he takes the teasing in stride, which is one of the reasons why I’m happy to call him my best friend.
    It’s not until I’m walking back to the mound that I realize what just happened.
    Jaden referred to Kori as my girlfriend, and unlike the other day, I didn’t correct him or try to deny it. As far as my buddy is concerned, I’ve just confirmed that she is my girlfriend, which is pretty silly considering we’ve never even been on a date and every time I start to feel a little more comfortable around Kori and think she’s feeling that way around me, she clams up again. Girlfriend? Yeah, right. Hardly.
    Still, as I take my place on the mound and look out at the bleachers, it’s Kori that I’m focused on. We make eye contact for a second, and then she smiles. At least it looks like a smile, anyway, and gives me confidence. She’s rooting for me, and I can strike this batter out.
    Jaden’s in his catcher’s stance and he gives me the pitch signal. It’s a safe one, and I shake my head. I don’t feel like playing it safe right now. I feel like going for it. He signals a different pitch, a split-finger fastball, and I nod. That’s more like it.
    Strike one!
    Two more follow and that batter’s gone, then a couple more join him as I close out the inning. I’m definitely feeling my mojo now.
    We take the game five to two, and I get a lot of congratulations from my teammates and also our coach. It’s always nice to get a win, especially in front of our own fans, including my family and now Kori.
    After coach is done with his post-game talk, I head over to the stands.
    “Great game, Slugger,” my dad says, using his favorite nickname for me as he gives me a good-natured slap on the back. He’s smiling, and I think about how nice it is to see him happy again.
    “Your fastball is looking really good,” Liz says.
    “Thanks. I’ve been working on it.” The first time I met her, when my dad decided she should come to a Red Sox game with us, I thought she was faking her interest in baseball to try to get in good with my dad and me, but I quickly realized she knows her stuff.
    “Are you hungry?” my dad asks. “We thought we’d take you out to dinner before we head back home.”
    “Are you kidding? I’m always hungry,” I say with a laugh. “I just need to get cleaned up. Oh, and there’s someone I want you to meet,” I add, turning around. “Hey, Kori. Come here for a sec.”
    As soon as I say it, I realize I’ve put her on the spot, which she may not like too much. She doesn’t look angry, though, as she makes her way down three rows to join us.
    “I’m glad you made it,” I say. “I want you to meet my parents. Dad, Mom, this is Kori.”
    ~Kori~
    I figured those were Landon’s parents before he went over to talk to them. They yelled louder than anyone else every time he threw a good pitch, and judging from the crowd response, there were quite a few of those.
    When he immediately headed in their direction after the game, I probably should’ve used that as my excuse to slip away unnoticed. Instead, I hung around, curious to see their interaction. Then when Landon called me down there, I found myself stuck. I couldn’t leave without being rude.
    The first thing I notice when he introduces us is that Landon calls his stepmother ‘Mom.’ I can’t