She had spent the last three weeks mastering the art of going unnoticed. New school, new town, new people—it was easier to stay quiet, to blend in. No unnecessary attention, no awkward introductions.

And then, in the worst way possible, Jaden Walton made sure everyone noticed her.

One second, she was walking near the baseball field, keeping her head down like always. The next—

Crack!

Something slammed into the side of her head. Pain exploded, her vision tilted, and then—nothing.

She came to with the world spinning and a shadow hovering over her.

"Oh, thank God," a voice muttered. "Thought I actually killed you for a second."

She blinked, trying to focus. The sun was too bright, her head throbbed, and when her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was dark curls, sharp eyes, and a dirt-streaked baseball jersey.

Jaden Walton.

She didn't know him personally—she barely knew anyone—but his name was impossible to miss. Star baseball player, cocky as hell, always surrounded by people. The kind of guy who filled a room just by walking into it.

And now, apparently, he was the guy who hit her in the head with a baseball.

"What the hell..." she groaned, trying to sit up.

Jaden reached out like he might steady her, then hesitated, shoving his hands into his pockets instead. "Yeah, so. That was me. My bad."

She blinked at him. "You hit me?"

"In my defense, I was aiming for a home run," he said, not exactly helping his case. "Didn't think your head was gonna be in the way."

Her head was pounding, but somehow, she still managed to glare. "You think?"

Jaden rubbed the back of his neck, looking—annoyed? No, not quite. More like guilty, but in a way that suggested he wasn't used to feeling guilty. "Look, I should probably make it up to you."

She frowned. "You should make it up to me?"

"Yeah," Jaden said, dead serious. "I feel like an ass about it, and I hate feeling like an ass. So, now you gotta fix it."

She narrowed her eyes. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

Jaden smirked. "Come to my next game."

She stared at him. "What?"

"If I don't see you there, I'll think you actually died from a concussion," he said, like it was the most logical thing in the world. "And that's gonna weigh on me."

She huffed. "Pretty sure me not dying is enough closure for you."

"Nah," he said casually, crossing his arms. "I need to know for sure you're still alive. Plus, might be fun."

Fun. Right. Because getting nailed in the head by a baseball was such a great time.

She should've said no. Walked away. Gone back to being invisible.

But Jaden was still watching her, waiting, like he actually cared about her answer. And maybe it was the fact that no one else in this school had even noticed her in the past three weeks, but for some reason, she found herself sighing.

"Fine. One game."

Jaden grinned, stepping back. "Cool. Now let's get you to the nurse before people think I actually murdered the new girl."

As he walked beside her, drawing more attention than she'd ever wanted, she had a sinking feeling her days of going unnoticed were officially over.