The Hitting Zone

"Jeremy Patterson..." Mr. Cameron mumbled. He looked down at me. "Are you guys now on good terms? I haven't heard of any developments in a few weeks."

I shrugged, not sure myself. "We had a talk. We aren't close."

"But, he's here. You didn't invite him?" He lit up. "Wait. He has a game himself tonight. He skipped work to be here."

Noah laughed. "You sound a little too excited, Mr. Cameron."

Mr. Cameron blushed. "Well...it's news. Related to a pro baseball player. And I'm a sports reporter."

"Come on, Jake, let's go introduce him to Jeremy." Noah wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe let Mr. Cameron give him a few tough questions."

"Can I?" Mr. Cameron perked up like a toddler in a candy store. He looked at me, trying to tone down his excitement. "It's up to you Jake. I don't want to say anything that will make you uncomfortable."

"The only one that should feel uncomfortable is Jeremy. Jake, come on." He grabbed my arm, taking me outside the dugout where his parents were. And...where the Patterson's stood nearby.

I took solace in the fact that they looked as awkward as I felt. Somehow...it made me want to laugh.

"Mom! Dad! We won!" Noah said excitedly. "Jake is just a monster at the plate! I can't wait until-" He stopped mid sentence. Then looked up at his dad. "Do you think they'll let us play summer ball now..?"

"Let's save that conversation for another day." Mr. Atkins patted his son head. "Congrats on your big win. We're so proud of you." He looked at me. "Both of you. All my boys became state champions on the same day. Not too many parents can say that." He smiled proudly.

"Mr. Cameron." Mrs. Atkins greeted politely. "I hope we didn't interrupt. You went easy on Jake, right?"

"Of course." Mr. Cameron nodded. "I've never heard him speak so much. I got enough to write my review of the game. It's been great following your boys all season long. There's no other team I like watching more."

Mr. and Mrs. Atkins laughed. "I never knew you were a suck-up."

"I'm still trying to get that invite for Zeke's draft day party." He joked.

"Of course you'll be invited!" Mrs. Atkins agreed. "You've done a lot for us over the years. I'm sure Zeke will agree to even let you interview him afterwards. You'll be the first to know if he decides to go pro or not."

"He won't." Noah spoke up. "You don't know, but before the game, he got Rhys to talk to that Stanford coach. I think if Rhys decides to go here, Zeke will put the pros off for a chance to play in the College World Series."

Both parents blinked in surprise. Mr. Cameron was just as shocked as he looked down at his phone, still recording. "Do you guys mind if I go interview Zeke right now?"

"By all means.." Mr. Atkins gave him permission.

"Don't you want to meet the Patterson's first?" Noah halted Mr. Cameron. "After all, you know where to find Zeke. It would be harder to see these two guys again." He tilted his head at them, making me and Mr. Cameron glance their way.

Jeremy and Jack noticed the looks coming their way. We made eye contact. I guess they took that as an invite to come over.

"Hey." Jeremy said in a gruff voice.

I nodded at him, staying distant.

"It was a great game, Jake." Jack spoke up. "You did well. You definitely have the Patterson blood in you."

"Sure, you say that now." Noah snorted. "After the blood test."

"Noah." Mr. Atkins said in a warning tone. "Let's try to be more civil."

Noah nodded slowly. "Sure. Sure. Whatever you say, Dad." He looked at Mr. Cameron. "This is Jeremy and Jack Patterson, Mr. Cameron. Confirmed blood relatives of Jake."

Jack looked at Mr. Cameron wearily. "You're a reporter?"

Mr. Cameron nodded excitedly. "I mostly cover high school sports, but specifically baseball."

Jeremy looked uncomfortable. "Do you mind giving us some space?"

"Oh." Mr. Cameron's excitement deflated. "Okay. Sure." He looked at the Atkins. "I guess I'll go look for Zeke."

I glanced at Noah. Was he just going to let them scare Mr. Cameron away like that?

Noah caught my look and understood. He held up his hand to stop Mr. Cameron. "You don't have to listen to him. If you have anymore questions for me and Jake, we'll happily answer them."

Mr. Cameron looked surprised. He held back. "Well, just a few more, of you don't mind." He looked at me and I nodded. He lifted his phone. "Can you recap what happened when your bat broke in the sixth inning? How did you feel? I ask because I know you specifically use a wooden bat in all games and practices."

"I don't actually know what happened." I shrugged, feeling depressed. "I was so focused on getting a hit, that I didn't even realize it was broken until I was standing on second, looking at the broken piece in my hand. As to what I was feeling...I think I was on the edge of having a breakdown." I gulped. "I can't play with an aluminum bat."

"Do you mind if I mention why in my article?" Mr. Cameron asked.

"We would prefer that you didn't." Mr. Atkins interjected. "I don't want anyone poking at Jake's weakness until he feels more comfortable with it."

"Understandable." Mr. Cameron nodded, then faced me again. "So you were scared that you couldn't play in the game anymore. At that point, did you think you were going to have another chance to bat?"

"The whole team knew that if we wanted a chance to win, it would most likely come down to Jake." Zeke said, joining the group. "So I sent Noah to find our parents to try and get a new bat."

"No spares?" Mr. Cameron asked.

"We didn't think Jake would need one." Mrs. Atkins answered. "He broke one before, but we thought it might be do to misuse. So when we bought him one to use, Noah looked up how to care for the bat. We never had a problem since. I'm just happy that-" She looked at Jeremy, stunning us.

Jeremy shrugged, putting his hands in his sweatshirt. "I had an old bat in the car. Once I saw that his broke, I went to go get it."

"It was yours?" Noah and I asked at the same time, but with different kinds of feelings.