The Hitting Zone

When I woke up Thursday morning, the first thing I did was glance towards Noah's bed. Sure enough, he wasn't there. I didn't know anyone as dedicated and as practice-crazy as him.

I left my room and ran into Zeke, who was sweating like it was already a hundred degrees outside. He nodded at me before going into his own room, presumably to take a shower. I guess I did know someone just as dedicated and practice-crazy as Noah. His older brother, Zeke. Well, technically, our older brother.

With that in mind, I happily went through my morning routine.

"What's got you so happy?" Dave asked as I ate my breakfast.

"Probably happy that Jeremy is coming to practice today?" Kyle wondered.

I shook my head. "I'm just happy that you guys are my brothers too."

Dave was taken aback. "Ah! Thanks Jake!"

"We're in the same boat as Jeremy Patterson." Kyle said in awe. "Wow."

I blushed and busied myself with getting my breakfast. Halfway through, Noah walked in, dripping of sweat like Zeke was.

"Did you...workout this morning?" Kyle asked him, completely surprised.

Noah nodded as he sat down. He piled his plate with everything he could get his hands on from fruits and bagels to scrambled eggs and bacon. "Zeke and I went on a run. Didnt he already make it back?"

I nodded. "Yea, I saw him going into his room."

Noah started to stuff his face, kind of grossing me out. I turned my focus to my own food and ate with a peace of mind. It was clear to me that Zeke and Noah must have raced towards the end of their run, and Zeke clearly won. That's rough, but as expected.

"Did he wake you to run?" Dave asked. "Or were you just already up?"

"Already up. I was going to run with or without him." He said between bites.

"You're crazy." Dave laughed.

"Aren't you going to be tired during practice now?" Kyle asked, concerned.

"No way." Noah shook their comments off. "I ran almost every morning this summer with Zeke. This is the same."

"If you say so..."

"Still think you're crazy..."

Noah didn't mind them and just ate his breakfast in a hurry. He then ran upstairs to change into baseball pants.

Zeke came down after he went up. He had showered and changed into a clean set of workout clothes.

"That's unusual." Dave squinted at Zeke.

"What?" Zeke asked, peeling a banana.

"You showered already?" Dave gave a small head tilt. "Don't you keep working out until almost lunch time?"

"Do you have something planned today?" Kyle asked. "Are we not getting lunch with you? Do we have to eat in the cafeteria?"

"Ugh. I rather we go out to eat than eat inside there." Dave said to Kyle.

"But it's free." Kyle said.

"You would make Marie eat that shit?"

"Good point."

Wait? Does Marie have more standing than us?

"Dont worry about lunch." Zeke spoke up. "We'll meet at the outdoor tables again. I'll bring enough food for everyone."

"Pasta again?" Dave asked.

"No. I'm thinking about making burgers." He said.

"Isn't that a bit of a hassle?" Kyle asked. "Why not just meet at a burger place?"

"I've got the time." Zeke said.

"You're getting soft in your old age!" Dave poked him in the ribs.

Zeke grabbed his finger and gave it a squeeze. "Fine. I'll just bring takeout. A salad just for you."

"Kidding! I was kidding!" Dave took his finger back and scooted away from Zeke. "Man. What a bully."

"As long as it's burgers, then I don't care." Kyle said. "Mixing in a salad wouldn't be that bad. Good to get some greens in."

"No! I want meat!" Dave hollered.

"I want meat too!" Noah walked in, ready for practice. "Protein is essential to athletes."

"There are other ways to get protein." Zeke pointed out. "Nonetheless, I'll bring lunch. You guys better go."

With that, it became a rush to get our gear into the car and hurry off to school. Kyle split off from us to go see Marie before camp started.

The morning drills session went well, mostly because my group did a lot of batting drills. Again. It seemed to be a pattern. I had my suspicions confirmed when Mr. Miller held me back.

After we were left alone, he gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks for your hard work this past week."

I stared up at him, confused. "What?"

He grinned. "It was no coincidence that we were paired up throughout the week."

"I thought Coach was just keeping an eye on me?"

He chuckled. "That's a small part. It was to mostly use you as an example in these hitting drills. Inspire the others, but also coach them in what an excellent batter looks like. Your batting is something beyond what I can coach. I can still help guide the others using drills, but you're beyond my pay grade."

Oh. I looked up at Mr. Miller. "I still need help with fielding."

He nodded. "Yes, but you're on pace to get caught up to any other infielder on the varsity level. Practicing everyday with Noah and the other boys have done wonders for you. You're a real natural. I can't imagine how good you would be if you had started when you were even younger."

"I don't think I would be the same." I told him honestly. I had spent hours in the cages because I couldn't play in the games. That's what really drove me in perfecting my swing. My mother holding me back and restricting me also pushed me in a different kind of way. My past made me who I am today.

I was lost in my thoughts as we headed back to the field so I didn't really think too much when we passed by a giant group of players.

"Hey, kid. You forget what I look like?"

That voice. I stopped in my tracks and turned to see Jeremy surrounded by the guys, signing autographs.

Mr. Miller gave my shoulder a squeeze. "See ya in the afternoon." He left me behind.

Jeremy waved at the guys surrounding him. "Sorry, boys. I see my brother. Time for me to join him for lunch. But you know, I'll be around for the scrimmages and a little bit after. So if I didn't give you an autograph, we'll have time later." He maneuvered around them and joined me. "Hey, you ready?"

I stared up at him. "You're here early."

He grinned. "Yea. Dr. Moore could only see me in the morning so I thought I would surprise you." He waited a second. "Surprise!"

I cracked a smile. "Yea, surprise." I looked to the freshmen field. "I still need to change out of my cleats and grab my bag."

"No problem. I'll follow you." He said.

And he did. He trailed after me as I went to my bag and stood off to the side as I changed out of my cleats. After I packed everything up, I was about to sling my bag onto my shoulder, but Jeremy stopped me.

"Let me get that." Jeremy took the bag out of my hands and put it on one shoulder of his. "Noah said you know where to find them for lunch?"

"You already saw Noah?" I asked.

He laughed. "Yea, he was the first to spot me and then approached me. With his appearance, everyone started to come up to me too."