The Hitting Zone

The library plan was a good one, up until Mrs. Atkins handed me a lunch bag.

"Here ya go." She gave one to not only me, but to all her boys. "I made everyone's favorites. I know you'll be eating on the bus, so be careful not to spill or make a mess."

"Eating on the bus?" I asked, feeling like my idea was already a dud. If we have to eat on the bus, then I can't sneak to the library during lunch. The plan would have to be shelved until Monday.

"Yea, Trinity High School is another three hour ride." Noah sighed. "We won't get back until ten or eleven tonight."

"Are we riding with the girls today?" Dave asked.

"No." Kyle sulked. "It's the three boy's teams. It's going to be crammed." He pouted towards his mom. "Please drive us home?"

Mrs. Atkins laughed. "No way, young man. You'll be sticking with your team." She paused. "Plus, we won't be coming to today's game."

"What?!" Noah asked.

"Why not?" Dave said at the same time.

"Your father and I have some work to do this afternoon." She gave a tight smile.

"Work is more important than us?" Kyle moaned.

"Boys." Mr. Atkins said with a warning tone. "Are you giving your mother a hard time?" He walked in, sat at the head of the table, and picked up a slice of toast. "If you must know, we have to meet with Jake's social worker in the San Francisco office."

"Mr. Duncan?" I asked, feeling slightly nervous. "Why?" Did I do something wrong? Did they find my dad? Which is it?

"Just a normal check-in on our part." He explained. "You've been with us for about two months now. We just have to go in and answer some questions about you and about ourselves."

"What-What about me?" I asked, my anxiety climbing.

"Just normal questions about your behavior and everyday life."

"Like a performance review?" Dave asked.

Mr. Atkins laughed. "Yea, something like that. We're normally an emergency foster family that takes in a kid that's younger and that only stays for a few weeks at best. But with Jake, we might me long term." He smiled at me. "You're okay with that right?"

I nodded. Definitely.

"This is just social services making sure that we're taking care of you. That we know how you're performing in school. They'll also check-in with Dr. Moore."

"There'll be a home visit soon too." Mrs. Atkins added. "You boys have nothing to worry about so just play your game. Do well!"

The boys calmed down with their explanations, and so did I. As long it's just routine then there's nothing to worry. I can just look the guy up on Monday. If I force it, and try and use Noah's laptop or something, I'm more likely to get caught. If there's a home visit coming soon, it's best to pretend everything's normal.

With our lunches in our bags, and bags in the car, we headed for school. Like always, Mr. Miller gave me and Noah a ride up to the school. Unlike our normal routine, Noah took me around to turn in our homework for our later classes, health and math. I waited for him to dump his math homework at his class, then we went to mine that I shared with the twins.

The old old man almost looked like he was dozing off when I walked in. I quietly sat it on his desk and made my escape.

"Jake, a minute of your time please?" The old man 'woke up' and froze me in my tracks.

I turned around and gulped. "Yes?"

"Come back, I won't bite." He waved me over, slowly rising from his chair.

I inched to his desk, not really willing. What if he found out that the twins copy my work? Am I going to get in trouble?

"I know about the game today. Good luck out there. The team really missed you yesterday."

Missed me? That's not the first time I heard that. "You watch our games..?"

"When I can." The old man heaved a sigh. "I'm not able to travel to the away games. And only if the home games are in the afternoon. But I keep an eye on the team with the league sports page online. You're very impressive on the offense."

I turned shy at the compliment. "Thanks." I whispered.

"You're also wonderful in math. You make me proud to be a teacher."

I turned really shy and looked down at the floor. How embarrassing. "Thanks again."

"I say this, not to embarrass you, but to reassure you." He continued. "I remember the memo the administration sent out when you came. It warned us that you wouldn't speak and probably will be antisocial. But I knew better."

I looked up at him, confused on why he was saying this.

"I used to be in the system myself." He laughed-coughed. "A long time ago. But it still sits with me." He looked me in the eye. "Sometimes you need to hear how well you're doing. How much you've improved."

I know that I've come a long way. A few months ago I was locked in the hospital, just trying to live again. "Thank you." I told him sincerely. It was good for me to hear how well I'm doing from a near stranger. When you hear it from someone you know, it feels a little fake. Like they're just trying to cheer you up.

"Okay, it's best if you get going. Class will start soon." He went back to his desk and sat down. "Good luck today."

I waved and walked out, feeling pretty happy.

"What took you so long?" Noah asked, exasperated. He was leaning against the building. "Are you in trouble? Did he bust you?"

I shook my head. "We just talked." Okay, maybe he just talked and all I did was say 'thanks'.

Noah looked at me with skepticism, but seeing that I wasn't upset, he let it drop. We had to get to class.

The game at Trinity was a blowout. We took them on with yesterday's pep talk still fresh on our minds. We crushed them 13-0 in five innings. Kyle missed the perfect game by giving up a walk and a pair of hits, but he was happy with the shutout. Noah was also in a better mood after tacking on three hits.

The only one that wasn't satisfied was Dave. He wasn't allowed to throw in the bullpen during the game so he was stuck just watching us have fun. It wasn't until the end of the game, when Coach announced that he would get to start against OLU on Monday.

He jumped up with excitement. "Yes! Thanks Coach! I won't let you and the team down!" He clenched his fist, excited.

"Don't get ahead of yourself kid." Coach warned him. "This is your first game back. We'll be monitoring you closely. AND, there'll be a pitch count."

Dave kept his smile. "No problem Coach! I won't take it for granted! I'm just happy to play again! In a game! Against a real opponent!" He bounced around like the energizer bunny.

Coach shook his head at Dave's excitement. "As for the rest of you," He looked around. "I shouldn't have to tell you how important Monday's game is. I won't be forcing practice tomorrow. You're on your own this weekend. Do what you see fit."