The Hitting Zone

"Do you regret it?" Noah asked in a low voice.

Jeremy shrugged. "It's too late to regret, but I'd like to think I would have done things differently if I could go back in time." He glanced at me.

"I kind of like how things ended up." I told them. I wanted to make it clear that surviving my childhood to get to be an Atkins was worth it. Grown up Jeremy is also probably better to have around than his teen self. Plus, how could he become MVP and a World Series champion without all that baseball in his teen years?

"All's well that ends well." Noah said in agreement. "But thanks for the advice." He grinned. "No matter what Mom and Dad say, I won't be going to college."

Jeremy looked a little stuck and unsure of what to say.

Dave laughed. "Don't worry, he wasn't going to go to college anyways. His mind has always been on going pro."

"Good goals to have." Jeremy nodded. "But it's a tough road to take. Shit pay for those in the lower leagues. Constantly traveling and moving. I'm the exception not the rule. Some minor league players never even make it."

"I'll make it." Noah declared confidently. He poked me in the arm. "What about you, Jake? I can see you being a top pick. Your batting skills could carry you up the ranks real quick."

I shifted, feeling a little uncomfortable. "I've got some time to think about it."

"True." Noah nodded. He looked at Dave. "It's the twins turn to make decisions before us. Are you leaning towards any certain college yet, Dave? Or are you waiting for Kyle to pick?"

"I kind of actually want to go to Stanford..." He surprised all of us. "If Zeke and Rhys were still there that is. But I have a feeling that they'll go all the way, get that College World Series ring and then move on to the pros. They aren't the type to sit around and wait."

"Zeke said he was going to get his degree in two years." I said in a low voice. Zeke had taken classes over the summer already and was even doing one online over winter break now.

"Yea, two years." Noah nodded. "So you would get one year with him. And I'm sure if Zeke stays, Rhys would stay too."

"Yea, I don't know about that." Dave was noncommittal.

"Go pro." Noah told him.

Dave laughed. "Not right out of high school. I don't think that's for me. Unless I could suddenly become a first round pick like Zeke, then I'll just grind through college. Enjoy the atmosphere."

Yea, that sounded like Dave. He's more go-with-the-flow kind of guy, while Kyle seemed more of the type to fight to go pro. I felt kind of sad just thinking about how they might go their own ways after high school. It's bound to happen no matter what, but still, what a depressing thought.

"Don't sleep on being a second round pick or even third to thirtieth." Jeremy told him. "You're competing against those who played in college too. The field is wide. Just see how you're feeling as the season start. Maybe commit to a college that you really like and let that be your backup plan."

"Yea, I'll probably start talking to Kyle and see what kind of colleges he plans to narrow it down to too." Dave replied.

At the restaurant, we met back up with the other half of our group. Rose was the last to show up, sitting down next to Jeremy at our secluded table. It was a nice dinner, talking about the highlights of the tournament and the upcoming break we'll be getting from baseball.

We all went back to the hotel together, where I had a more private goodbye with Jeremy.

"I'll see ya after Christmas, kid." Jeremy reached out to mess with my hair.

I nodded. "Have a good holiday. With Rose and her family. And...you know..." I shrugged, not wanting to mention our extended family. They were still strangers to me, but to Jeremy...that his Atkins family. I understood his complicated feelings.

"Thanks." He smiled. Then he extended his arms and pulled me into a brief hug. "Don't be afraid to text me tomorrow even though I'll be with them."

We separated. "Well, we'll be at Rhys and with his family so I might be busy too." I started to slowly back away. "See ya later."

"Later." He smiled and left to go back to his car.

I walked through the lobby and saw Mom and Dad near the lounge. Mom was sitting down, faced away from me, taking a phone call on her cell. Dad was slowly rubbing her back while looking around. He waved me over, but signaled for me to stay quiet.

I joined them.

"Okay... Okay... Yes, Dad, I know, but-" From the sound of it, Mom was on the phone with Grampa.

Dad leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Tell Zeke to come down."

I nodded obediently and headed for the elevators. Everyone else was gathered in our room, playing on their phones as the tv was playing some football game. They all greeted me lightly since I was only gone for a few minutes.

I looked for Zeke and made eye contact with him.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Dad wants you to go downstairs to the lounge area." I frowned. "Mom is on the phone with Grampa."

Zeke stood up and headed for the door. "Okay, I'll be back."

"Why don't we go too?" Noah jumped up. "I'm not ready to go to bed yet. We can go down and walk around."

The door closed behind Zeke as if that was his answer.

"Rude." Noah huffed.

I scratched my jaw, feeling a little uncertain. "I think we should wait here. Dad acted as if...that was a serious phone call." They probably would have been in their room to take that call if they weren't waiting for me to say goodbye to Jeremy.

Kyle muted the tv and looked up at me from his spot on the floor. "How serious?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a feeling." I was pretty good at guessing bad phone calls by now.

"What do you think it is?" Noah asked.

"Well, if it's not Grampa, it has to be Gramma." Kyle analyzed. He got up from the floor and nudged Dave. "Hey, don't doze off just yet. Something might be happening."

"Huh?" Dave got up slowly from the floor too. Only to fall onto our bed.

"He's probably about to crash." Rhys said. He helped Dave get into a more comfortable position; putting a pillow under his wrist and head. "Let him rest until we actually know what's going on. It could be nothing too serious."

Kyle and Noah were reassured and seemed to calm down. The tv volume was raised and they got comfy. I tried to be as normal as possible, but my intuition was telling me that Grampa wasn't calling with good news. If it wasn't anything serious, Mom's whole attention wouldn't be on the call itself. She would have at least acknowledged my presence and maybe even told Grampa that I was nearby. Instead...I don't think she noticed me at all.