The Hitting Zone

After Zeke left with the Bradley guy, the twins started talking almost immediately.

"That was The Bradley Thompson right?"

"Of course it is! How many Bradley Thompson's do you think play baseball for Stanford??"

"I just can't believe they sent him to pick up Zeke!"

"Yea, no kidding. Does this mean they really want him?"

"Definitely! You don't just send a star player to pick up a recruit. Usually you would send a freshman or someone that doesn't normally start."

Dave and Kyle went back and forth so quickly, it was hard to tell who was who. I looked over to Noah for help, but surprisingly he looked as lost as I did. I nudged his foot to get his attention.

He snapped out it with my prompting. He stood up and waved his hands between the twins. "Wait. Wait just a minute. Who was that? And why is he such a big deal to you two?" I nodded. That's exactly what I wanted to know as well. Good work Noah.

Dave and Kyle looked up at the standing Noah.

"And you call yourself a baseball fan..?" Dave shook his head in disgust.

"Typical brat. Only cares about the stars and not the newcomers." Kyle said with disdain.

"Boys." Mr. Atkins warned. "Let me remind you that I also haven't heard of this Bradley Thompson. Why don't you enlighten all of us here."

Mrs. Atkins nodded in agreement. "I also don't know this boy. Is there something I should be worried about?"

"No, Mom, of course not." Kyle replied. "Bradley Thompson is one of the top draft picks this year. If anything, he could probably convince Zeke to come here for college if he doesn't go in the draft."

"He's in his junior year." Dave added. "He won honors for both his freshman and sophomore years. He was even drafted in the first round last year, but decided not to go."

"Oh, I've heard about him then." Mr. Atkins eyes sparkled with recognition. "A talented kid no doubt. Hopefully Zeke will chase after him and come here for school."

"I'm positive he'll stay to finish college." Dave told his dad. "He's only got a year left after this so he might as well get his degree, right?"

Mrs. Atkins also looked excited by those words. "That'd be perfect! Let's hope Bradley can convince him. Seeing someone near the same level as you staying for college would be great."

"A level above, Mom." Kyle corrected. "Bradley was the number one baseball player in the whole state of Texas before committing to Stanford. He was number two in the nation his senior year of high school. Zeke is a ways off..."

"Zeke's close!" Noah cut in with a frown on his face. "He's #25 in the nation. He's getting close. Give him a few more weeks and I'm sure he'll dominate the scene." He smirked. "Otherwise, why would they send such a highly rated player to pick up a recruit?"

The twins broke out in identical grins. "Exactly." They said simultaneously.

"If Stanford and a soon-to-be pro really want Zeke here, then I'm sure multiple professional teams want him too." Dave wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe first round pick."

"Or he'll go to college, get a degree, and go to the College World Series here." Mrs. Atkins said with hope in her eyes. She really didn't want her son to give up on college so soon I guess.

"Okay, that's enough speculating." Mr. Atkins stood up with a sigh. "After all, it'll be Zeke's decision so we shouldn't have too many expectations. Let's get the bags and find our room. Then we can drive around town and find some lunch on our own before going to the school."

And with that, the conversation came to an end. We went to the car and grabbed our bags that had the clothes in it, but left the baseball bags in the car.

Mrs. Atkins had checked us into a two bedroom suite. Her and her husband shared one room to themselves, while Noah and I shared one with the twins. Both rooms were connected by double doors so it wasn't like we were on our own. The twins picked their bed, the closest to the door, leaving Noah and I the one by the window. We unpacked a little before going out with the parents.

We had more than just a few hours to kill until the afternoon, but we couldn't go very far since Zeke needed his parents at the meetings after lunch. Mrs. Atkins decided on taking us to a huge outdoor mall that was within walking distance of the university. At first, it was slightly boring as we walked through clothing stores, but then we came across a sporting goods store as big as O'Conners back in Watsonville.

The twins were the first to split off from the group, claiming a need to look at running shoes since theirs were falling apart. Mrs. Atkins moved to the women's athletic wear, leaving me and Noah with her husband.

"Well?" He asked. "Anything you two want to look at while we're here?"

Noah smiled. "Depends. How much are you willing to give?"

His dad raised an eyebrow. "You plan on buying something?"

"Only if it's with your money." Noah snorted. I let out a laugh. Noah jerked his thumb at me. "Even Jake thinks it's funny that we're in a store with no money. C'mon Dad, help us out!"

His dad sighed and pulled out his wallet. "Forty dollars each. That's it. I'm sure your brothers will want some money when they find out I gave you two some." He handed us both two twenty dollar bills. "Noah, you have your phone on you, correct?"

Noah nodded as he stuffed the money in his pocket.

"Good. I'll let you two go off on your own as well, but don't leave without me or your mother. Keep your ringer on in case I need to reach you. And call me if you need anything." His dad started to inch away. "I'm going to find your mom first. Be good. Be safe."

"We know, Dad." Noah rolled his eyes, but was still smiling. "See ya around!" He turned to me. "Let's go see what they have for baseball equipment first!" And off we went.