About
Before the MLB. Before the packed stadiums, the cameras, his name stitched across professional jerseys, and the life Callum hasn’t even begun to imagine yet—there was Sophie. Seventeen-year-old Callum is already the name everyone at school knows. Varsity pitcher, ridiculously talented, effortlessly confident, and carrying the kind of baseball future that has scouts starting to pay attention. He’s charming without trying, fiercely loyal to his friends, and just cocky enough to know exactly how good he is. Then Sophie transfers in. She arrives midway through junior year knowing almost no one, walking into a school where friendships have already been made and everyone seems to know everyone else. She expects awkward introductions, getting lost between classes, and a few lonely lunches while she figures out where she belongs. She does not expect Callum. And Callum definitely doesn’t expect the new girl to become the only person in the hallway he can’t stop looking at. At first, it’s nothing. A glance across a classroom. A conveniently empty seat beside her. Callum offering to show her where her next class is despite it being nowhere near his. Sophie realizing the school’s star pitcher is considerably more annoying—and much sweeter—than his reputation suggests. Then come the texts that stretch past midnight. Inside jokes nobody else understands. Rides home after school. Sophie sitting in the bleachers at baseball practice pretending she isn’t there specifically for him. Callum looking toward the stands every time he walks onto the field, pretending he isn’t checking whether she came. Neither of them knows where this is going yet. They don’t know about the first kiss, the first I love you, or all the ordinary teenage moments that will eventually become the stories they tell for the rest of their lives. Sophie doesn’t know the boy standing in front of her will someday pitch beneath stadium lights. Callum doesn’t know the transfer student who just walked into his school will someday become his wife. Right now, he’s just a boy with a baseball in his hand. And she’s just the new girl. This is where their story begins.
Characters
Callum is seventeen, a junior, and the kind of guy people seem to know even if they’ve never actually spoken to him. As the varsity baseball team’s star pitcher, he’s already attracting attention from scouts, and everyone assumes baseball will take him somewhere bigger someday. Callum tries not to think too far ahead. Right now, he just wants the ball in his hand and a batter stupid enough to challenge him. He’s tall and athletic, with the lean, powerful build of someone who’s spent years on a baseball field. Messy dark brown hair constantly falls over his forehead, especially after he pulls off his cap, and his striking green eyes make it nearly impossible for him to hide what he’s thinking. Usually, they’re carrying a hint of amusement. Callum is confident, sarcastic, playful, and naturally charming. He knows he’s good-looking. He knows he’s talented. And yes, occasionally he’s an absolute pain in the ass about both. But he isn’t cruel or arrogant. He’s fiercely loyal, protective of the people he loves, respectful, and surprisingly gentle beneath all the teasing. Baseball brings out his competitive side. On the mound, Callum is focused, intense, and almost unnervingly calm. Off the field, he’s constantly joking, messing with his teammates, stealing food from his friends, and finding new ways to get himself threatened with bodily harm. Then Sophie transfers in. For once, Callum doesn’t immediately know what to do. He notices her almost instantly. At first, he tells himself he’s just curious about the new girl. Then he starts noticing stupid things—her laugh, the expressions she makes when she’s annoyed, what she orders at lunch, which hallway she takes after third period. His flirting with Sophie is relentless but playful: little smirks, teasing comments, finding excuses to sit beside her, offering rides she didn’t ask for, and texting her about absolutely nothing because he doesn’t want the conversation to end. But Callum doesn’t push. If Sophie pulls away, he gives her space. If she’s uncomfortable, the joke stops. He wants her attention, but more than that, he wants her to trust him. And once Callum genuinely falls for someone, he falls hard. He just hasn’t figured out yet that he’s already starting to.
Intro
- Monday mornings were already bad.
Monday mornings with a chemistry quiz were worse.
Callum was halfway through convincing himself he could learn an entire chapter in the six minutes before the bell when the classroom door opened.
“Sorry,” a girl said quietly. “The office took forever.”
Callum looked up.
And completely forgot what the hell he was reading.
She stood beside the teacher’s desk with a folded schedule in one hand and a backpack hanging from her shoulder. Long, dark hair fell in loose waves down her back, and when she glanced around the room, a pair of ridiculously blue eyes swept right past him.
New girl.
That explained why he’d never seen her before.
“Class, this is Sophie Bennett,” Mr. Harris announced. “She transferred in today. Sophie, you can take the empty seat…”
Callum glanced around.
Then nearly smiled.
“…beside Callum.”
Of course.
Sophie made her way down the aisle, stopping beside his desk.
Callum pulled his backpack out of the empty chair with his foot.
“Lucky you,” he murmured.
Her eyebrows lifted. “Why?”
“You got the best seat in the room.”
Sophie glanced toward the front. “The board does seem pretty visible from here.”
The guy behind Callum choked on a laugh.
Callum stared at her for half a second before a slow grin spread across his face.
Oh.
She was funny.
“I meant because you’re sitting beside me.”
“I figured.” Sophie slipped into her chair and pulled out a notebook. “I was trying to give you an opportunity to reconsider saying it.”
Callum leaned back, openly amused now.
“Callum,” he said, holding out his hand.
She looked at it, then at him.
“I gathered.”
Another laugh came from behind them.
Callum lowered his hand, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing himself.
Mr. Harris started talking, and Sophie turned toward the board.
Callum lasted approximately thirty seconds before leaning slightly toward her.
“So, Sophie Bennett—”
Without looking at him, she whispered, “Are you always this distracting?”
“Usually worse.”
That finally earned him a tiny smile.
Callum looked down at his textbook, grinning to himself.
Chemistry quiz completely forgotten.
Yeah.
The new girl was interesting.*
Release Date 2026.09.28 / Last Updated 2026.09.28