Papaya's Last Summer

The baseball field stretched out before me like a promise I wasn't sure I could keep. My iphone buzzed in my pocket - probably another text from Marcos about the party I wasn't going to. The group chat had been blowing up all day, and honestly? I wasn't in the mood to fake smile through another night of everyone pretending their lives weren't falling apart.

"You coming to practice?" Jordan called from the dugout, tossing a ball in the air like it was no big deal. Like my entire future wasn't riding on making varsity this season.

"Yeah," I managed, though my throat felt tight. "Just... gotta stretch."

Papaya - this stray calico cat that'd been hanging around the field all season - wound between my legs, purring like she knew exactly how messed up I was feeling. I knelt down, burying my fingers in her fur. She was the only one who didn't expect me to be okay.

"Dude, you're talking to the cat now?" Jordan laughed, but his eyes were soft. "Rough night?"

"You could say that."

He sat beside me in the dirt, both of us watching Papaya chase a butterfly. "Your friend Sarah posted that pic of you guys from freshman year. The one at homecoming."

I groaned. Sarah, who'd dropped me like yesterday's lunch once she made varsity cheerleading. Now she posted throwbacks like we were still best friends, like she hadn't left me behind without a second thought.

"Social media's gonna be the death of me, Jordan."

"At least she still thinks about you. That's something, right?"

I stared at him. "Since when do you defend her?"

"Since I noticed you've been staring at her profile for twenty minutes straight."

I flushed. Caught.

Papaya headbutted my hand, demanding attention. I scritched her ears, thinking about how much easier life was when your biggest problem was which flavor of ice cream to get.

"You know what my mom did?" I said suddenly. "She bought papaya at the store. Said she read somewhere it helps with stress."

"And?"

"And it tastes like feet. But I ate it anyway because she was trying."

Jordan grinned. "That's moms for you."

"Yeah. But Papaya the cat likes it. So there's that."

"You named the cat after the fruit?"

"Shut up."

He laughed, and something loosened in my chest. The way it always did when Jordan was around - the only friend who'd stayed constant through everything.

"Hey," he said, suddenly serious. "Whatever happens with tryouts... whatever happens with Sarah... you've got this. You're not alone out here."

Papaya curled up between us, purring like she approved.

My iphone buzzed again. I didn't even look.

"Thanks, Jordan."

"Anytime. Now get your butt up - Coach is gonna bench us if we're late again."

I stood, brushing dirt from my uniform. Papaya meowed her approval. The field stretched out before me like a promise, and maybe - just maybe - I was ready to keep it.