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"Just ask," she says. "People always come back. But.. " She shrugs, her eyes soft. "It's nicer when they stay."

I swallow hard, chuckling to force the tears away. "Yeah." I ruffle her hair. "It is, isn't it?"

Vienna nods, then hugs me again. And when she steps back, it's like she has no idea she just mended me completely. "I'm gonna go find Mom."

I laugh, watching as she darts away, shaking my head and dragging my hand down my face.

Then I turn toward the dug out.

The crowd is just now starting to fade as the other team makes their way to the field. The rest of the Gators head into the dugout as the final pre-game song starts playing through the speakers.

But I go to her.

Lenny's still standing at the fence, and when I get close she parts her lips.

"Give me one minute," I rush to say.

They slam shut.

"Please."

She smiles, and I huff out a heavy breath.

"Lenny," I start. "If Alaska is what you want, I will be here through it all. I meant it when I said that before. FaceTimes, red-eyes when I can, nudies—"

She laughs softly, and I can't help but smile back.

"All the long-distance shit we failed at before."

Her face softens.

"But…"

Lenny's whole body seems to brace, her eyes wide, shoulders forward.

I take her hands in mine. "If there's any chance you'd want to stay—"

"Jace," she cuts in.

I shake my head. "I'm almost done, I promise."

She swallows, and I work back up to the honesty I need.

I step even closer. "I never asked you outright when we were younger," I say. "To come with me to CMU. I just… assumed. But if I had asked and you told me you couldn't—told me why—I would have made us work either way."

She lets out a sharp breath, and I squeeze tighter.

"It was the assumption that broke us, Lenny. Because it made you not coming feel like—like betrayal."

Her lips snap together, and I reach up to brush my thumb past the tension in her jaw.

"It didn't feel like you trying to survive it all—your family, your town. Your fears. It felt like you were choosing Mage over me when I never really gave you the choice to begin with."

Her eyes gloss over as her throat moves quickly up and down. Lenny stares at me like so much is ready to come spilling from her mouth, but she's holding back her words to hear the rest of mine.

"So I'm not asking you to change your plans for me," I say. "But I am telling you that I want you to stay. And this time—I'm not just going to stand there and let us fall apart. I'll fight for us. No matter what you choose." I swipe a tear away that slowly falls past her cheek. "I'll never stop fighting."

Lenny stands up straighter.