The Hitting Zone

We made it safely back to our room with Landon in tow. Noah made sure to lock the door behind us and then sat on one of the beds. I sat on the other.

Landon awkwardly stood in the center of the room, unsure of where to sit.

Noah gestured to the end of his bed. "Go ahead and sit on mine. Jake doesn't like being too close to strangers." Landon sat down at his appointed spot. Noah kept the conversation from stalling. "Has your roommate showed up yet?"

He shook his head. "Not yet, that's why I was just roaming. Looking for some approachable people. It'd be kind of weird if I just went to bed before the other guy showed up."

Noah waved his candy. "I appreciate nice people like you. You really have no idea what you saved us from."

I nodded in agreement.

The guy laughed. "I'm starting to think your brother is a killjoy."

"He is." Noah deadpanned. "The guy doesn't know what fun is."

I made a face at Noah. "That's not true. He had fun pranking you on Friday."

"Correction then. He has fun torturing others. Beware." Noah said.

I couldn't argue against that.

Landon laughed. "What's his name? That way I know which counselor to avoid."

"Zeke." Noah told him. "He's going to be a freshman in the fall."

Landon's jaw dropped. "Zeke? As in, Zeke Atkins? The dude that turned down the Minnesota Twins? That's your brother??" The guy looked stunned.

Noah grinned, looking slightly proud. "Yep. That's our brother."

I sat up straighter. That's right, Zeke's my brother too.

Landon looked back and forth between us. "Do you guys even realize how famous your brother is among baseball players?"

I shrugged.

Noah chuckled. "I reckon a few people might know his name after he chose college over the MLB."

"A few? No." He corrected. "Almost all high school players know his name. Heck, a few of the guys that chose to come here for this camp, came for Zeke. Zeke Atkins and Bradley Thompson at the same college. Just amazing. I think a lot of players want to see what Stanford has to offer to be able to steal such great players from the Majors."

"A good education." Noah answered.

"No duh." He rolled his eyes. "But what else? Are they paying him on the side? If it was just education, then he would have been able to afford that himself after signing with the Twins as a first round pick."

"For the experience then." Noah shrugged. "Zeke isn't one to follow the norm. He probably wants to win a championship at the college level too."

"He plans to stay for only two years." I added. "He took some summer classes already."

Landon looked at me. "Two years. Wow. He's insane. What happens if he flops for both years. He'll drop in the draft, if he even gets drafted again. What a gamble."

"Meh." Noah wasn't worried. "I'd bet on him. Zeke isn't normal."

"Should you be saying that about him?" Landon asked. "He's your brother."

Someone tried opening the door, but couldn't get in because it was locked. A knock came at the door. "Noah, Jake, I know you're awake. The light is on."

It was Zeke!

I pushed my candy under my pillow while Noah stuffed his trash in his pocket. Noah got up and opened the door, revealing Zeke. "Hey Zeke, we were just about to go to bed. I swear. We were just getting to know one of the guys we ran into."

Zeke nodded at Landon as he walked into the room. He glanced at the small trash can by the desk. Then he looked at me. I quickly looked away.

Zeke took a step towards me and held his hand out.

I sighed, caving in immediately. I lifted my pillow and gave him my half-eaten candy.

Zeke turned to Noah next.

Noah pulled his trash out of his pocket and handed it over without an argument.

Zeke glanced at Landon. "It's almost time for lights out. You should get back to your own room and prepare for bed. Day one is always the hardest."

Landon was only a year younger than Zeke, yet he gave him the same respect you would give any coach. He got up and headed for the door. "See you guys at breakfast. Bye." He left.

Zeke looked at us, folding his arms across his chest. "Do I have to babysit you two every minute we're here?"

"It was just a snack." Noah shrugged. "Technically the camp hasn't even started yet."

"It started the moment you checked in." Zeke told him. "And it's not just a snack. I also told you to go to bed early."

"So we're allowed snacks?" Noah squinted.

Zeke paused. Waited. Then caved in. "One candy a day. That's it. If I find out you broke that rule, then don't be surprised if I tell Mom that you wasted your money on junk food."

Noah pumped his fist. "Deal!"

Zeke shook his head. "Alright. Get to bed now. Just because lights out isn't until 11pm, doesn't mean you should wait until then to go to bed. This camp is a good opportunity to exercise your self-control. Good sleep is necessary. Don't you want to show off tomorrow?"

Noah grinned. "Yes! Scouts and coaches!"

Zeke headed for the door. "Don't forget time set your alarms. If you're late, they won't allow you on the field."

"Harsh." Noah mumbled.

"Goodnight." Zeke closed the door behind him.

Noah and I prepared for bed and got tucked in after turning off the light. We had both put our phones on the chargers and set a few alarms. Even with sugar before bed, Noah didn't struggle to fall asleep. He knocked out in mere minutes.

I couldn't do the same. I stared up at the ceiling and felt myself getting tired. I yawned continuously, trying to get to sleep. I thought I wouldn't have this much trouble since I fell asleep at Jeremy's so easily. Plus, Noah is here. Still in the same room.

I got up and checked my phone. Past midnight. I sighed. So much for getting a good sleep. Moving quietly, I left the room and headed for the bathroom. The lights stayed on in the hallway and bathroom so I didn't have to worry about being in the dark in a new place.

As I entered the bathroom, I could hear sniffling and some soft sobs. Someone was crying? In the boys bathroom? And it wasn't me.

Whoever it was must have heard my footsteps because the room got quiet as I approached the sink. I turned the sink on as loud as possible. I splashed my face and wiped it dry with a paper towel. Then I turned off the water and headed for the exit.

I glanced towards the stalls and hesitated. Someone was clearly upset. If I was the one crying, what would Noah say to me? I paused before leaving and cleared my throat. "Hey...are you okay in there?"

The person started to cough. "Uh, yea...I just-"

I waited patiently.

"I'm just a little homesick." He sighed. "Don't tell anyone. I'm fine. I'll go back to bed in a little bit."

"Okay." I gave him my room number. "You can come to this room if you need help. My brother and I...are nice."

He let out a laugh. "Thanks."

"Bye." I left, turning red from embarrassment. Nice? Who tells people that they're nice? So lame. I despaired the whole way back to my room. I crawled back into bed and thought a lot about that small interaction. It felt like I had only blinked before the alarms were going off.