The Hitting Zone

Tuesday morning everyone was sluggish, running on minimum sleep. Zeke drove us to school quietly with all of us resting our eyes until we got to the school parking lot.

"Wow." I muttered at the sight as we pulled in.

"What is it..?" Noah mumbled, not willing to open his eyes.

"You've got to see it, to believe it." I told him.

Noah struggled to open his eyes. By the time we parked, he saw what I was talking about. He hurried to get out of the car.

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

"Woo-hoo!!"

"Atkins! Atkins! Atkins!"

There was a good size crowd right next to our baseball fields. They were all students chanting as we got out of the car. The kids in the front held a paper banner with the phrase 'State Champs' on it. Some held smaller signs with more personalized messages like: 'Way to pitch, Garret!' and 'Zeke the Freak'.

Noah laughed excitedly, running to the group. He was no longer the least bit drowsy. He whipped out his phone and started to take pictures to his hearts content. He got a group shot, a selfie, and even found a personalized poster that had his name on it. Some of our classmates happily took the picture for him as he held the poster up with pride.

Zeke and the twins also went over, greeting the friends that they knew along the way.

I slowly made my way over, still wary of such a large group.

"Jake! Hurry up!" Noah called out. "Look! This one has your name on it!" He waved a bright, neon-colored, poster that said 'Jake is MVP'.

I blushed and put my head down, focusing on my steps.

"Jake! Jake! Jake!" The crowd started to chant again at Noah's encouragement. I could hear him lead, being the loudest out there. My face couldn't possibly get any more red.

I reached the edge of the crowd and Noah was quick to tug me a bit closer. "Alisha, take some more pictures for me!" He handed his phone to a girl I recognized from some of our classes.

"Sure! Come on, Jake, you gotta look up." She told me.

I did as I was told and she started to click. Noah had us take all kinds of pictures. Some of just us. Some with the handmade signs with our names on it. Some more with our classmates.

This went on as the other guys from the team showed up. As soon as the crowd saw one, they started to chant their name. No matter if they played a little or a lot, or even not at all. Noah dragged me around as he went, getting Alisha to act like our personal photographer.

Finally the warning bell rang, making all of us trudge up the hill to get to class on time. I was surprised that Mr. Miller didn't come to give me and Noah a ride up, but Noah didn't mind at all. He and Alisha talked the entire time, going to class, about which pictures looked good and which had to be deleted.

When we got to class and started to sit in our own seats, I thought the excitement died down, but it was just the beginning.The bell rung throughout school for classes to start, but our English teacher didn't get up yet. Instead, the intercom system turned on.

"Hello, students of Watsonville High, this is your principal, Dr. Bodon. We have a very special announcement today. The boys varsity baseball team had won their CIF Championship last night in an exciting extra innings game. If you see any of these young men, let them know the honor that they have brought to our school."

The classroom abruptly started to clap, drowning out the rest of the announcement. Our teacher gave the class five minutes before cutting them off. "Okay, okay, that's enough. You all have plenty of time to congratulate them during your breaks. For now, let's discuss Romeo & Juliet. I'm going to want an essay, due Friday, on why they're star-cross lovers and what that means." The class that was clapping and cheering one minute, quickly turned into a collective groan. "Alright, no complaints. Only 500 words."

Class was back to normal. Up until we got dismissed and headed for our shared locker to switch books. Along the way, classmates and other students started to reach out and congratulated us. Luckily I had Noah, who responded graciously to every person that we came across. Even to the kids who directed their comments my way, Noah would answer for me.

I felt a bit overwhelmed, but with Noah taking charge, I could almost imagine it was just a normal day. Except...right as every class began, there would be nonstop clapping. By the third class, Noah started to bow as the clapping went on. I just turned red.

I thought I would get a break during lunch, but nope. Impossible. We sat at our usual bench, but classmates would stop by and ask questions about the game and what it was like to be the only freshmen on the varsity team. Noah was practically born for this, treating them like reporters and answered with ease.

It was until some guy asked me directly about my experience.

I scratched my cheek, feeling a little insecure. I thought about what I had said to Mr. Cameron. "Well, I don't know anything different so all I can say is that it was fun playing with them."

The guy was confused, along with the ten others surrounding us. "What does that mean? Have you never played on a team before?"

I shook my head, embarrassed.

"Wow!"

"Amazing!"

"Maybe I should try out for the team next year too."

"Impossible." Some guy in the back raised his voice. "Isn't your brother Jeremy Patterson? How can you never play on a team before?"

"That's right!"

"His brother is Jeremy Patterson??"

"Why don't they have the same last name?"

"I think I remember hearing something about that before! Last month it was in the news."

Noah noticed the group getting rowdy. He stood up on the bench, becoming taller than all of them. "That's enough. Jake is my brother! Don't be so nosey!" He shooed them away, waving his hands. "Let us eat. Go. Scram."

He successfully sent them away; however I could still hear them talking about me.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, feeling a little sick.

"Don't mind them." Noah sat back down. "They just like to gossip. Especially now that we're big news. It'll blow over soon like before."

I could only hope.