The Hitting Zone
chapter-554

"Would a camp be like this..?" I asked Noah, staring at the ceiling of their garage. We were both splayed out like starfishes, huffing.

"I don't know." He answered, also staring at the ceiling. "One thing I do know...We're going to be in the best shape of our lives after this summer."

"I doubt it." Dave said from the garage door, looking down at the two of us. "You're still growing. You better hope you don't peak your sophomore year." He laughed.

"Why didn't you work out with us this morning?" Noah asked, glaring at him.

"I can't risk getting injured before the summer." Dave answered. "There are no refunds for all the camps that Mom and Dad have paid for. Not including the flights. And, I would look so unreliable to all the coaches we've set up meetings with."

Noah lifted his hand and waved it. "Go away. I get it."

"Okay, fine." Dave shrugged. "Guess you don't want to know why I came out here for." He headed back inside.

"Wait! What?" Noah called out after him.

Dave paused and glanced back. "Two things. One, Zeke said you only have thirty minutes left if you guys want to eat breakfast."

Noah jumped up. "You should have said so sooner!" He moved like he wasn't tired at all.

I, on the other hand, got up much slower.

"Two, if you want to go to the A's game this evening, you better hurry and shower." Dave added.

"Wait! Wait! What?!" Noah backtracked, completely forgetting about second breakfast. "We can go to the A's game today??" He looked at me like I had something to do with it.

I shook my head. "Not because of me."

"Rhys got tickets from his dad and invited Zeke last night. He had enough tickets for all of us." He grinned. "Too bad for Kyle. He's missing out."

"What time are we leaving?" Noah asked.

"After you guys shower, we'll go meet up with Rhys at his house. He said he wanted to hang out for a bit before we go to the game. His mom would order pizza for lunch. It'll be fun."

"Does Mrs. Atkins know..?" I asked. Just two days ago their parents didn't like the idea of Zeke driving us to and from the game. And now we're going to do it so soon?

"Zeke already got the green light from her before she went to work." Dave gave me two thumbs up. "You guys better hurry. I wouldn't be surprised if Zeke left you two kiddos here if you take too long."

Noah looked at me. "You shower first while I get something to eat!"

Dave laughed. "So selfish."

"Jake can eat while I shower!" Noah yelled as he ran to the kitchen.

I didn't mind. I don't think I could eat anything at the moment. I tried to smile at Dave as I passed by him.

"Hey, what's up?" Dave saw right through me, stopping me from going inside.

I shrugged. "Nothing."

"Cmon Jake, you're too easy to read. What's wrong? Do you not like Rhys?"

I shook my head. "No, I like him. I've just...never been to someone else's house before."

Dave was stunned. It seemed like he thought back from the first day I came to live with them. I didn't have any other friends besides them. "It'll be fun!" He told me. "You like Rhys so why wouldn't you like his home? He's an only child so there's nothing to be afraid of."

"His parents..?" I hesitated. "Are they nice to strangers?"

"Of course!" Dave nodded. "His mom is awesome! She's a stay-at-home-mom so they're really close. His dad was a pro player, but now he's a pitching coach with the Giants. They're down to earth. I promise! Nothing weird or crazy!"

Feeling a little more reassured, I nodded and hurried upstairs. I wasted quite a bit of time and I don't want to be the reason Noah gets left behind. After my shower, I felt a little more refreshed and went downstairs to wait for Noah to be done.

I was in the middle of eating an apple when Dave and Zeke came downstairs decked out in their A's gear.

"You have to change, Jake!" Dave yelled in a joking manner, pointing at the normal clothes I had put on. "We've got to support our favorite team in full gear. Go, go, go!"

I dropped the apple and hurried upstairs again. Thinking that Noah was still in the shower, I started to change.

When I heard the door open, I froze, still holding my shirt to my chest. I glanced back at Noah.

Noah looked just as surprised. Then he noticed what I was holding. "Oh? You didn't have your A's shirt on?" He moved to his side of the dresser and started to get his A's stuff out too. "You don't have to be so scared about changing in front of me now, you know. I've seen it before. The scars."

I swallowed a lump in my throat and turned away from him, slipping my shirt on in a hurry. "I'm not scared...I'm embarrassed."

"Don't be." Noah commanded. "I wouldn't judge you for the way you look. It's just a part of you. If you're that insecure, we can talk to Mom and Dad about scar treatments. There are some creams and gels you can try."

I looked at him, hopeful. "Really?"

He finished getting dressed. "Yea. But you know, you don't have to. Anyone who judges you based on your looks, is superficial."

I held the hem of my shirt. "I just don't like the memories that come with it. I'm not superficial."

Noah put his hands on his hips. "Then say so. Tell Mom. I'm sure she can find something to help."

"Will she want to see them then..?" I worried.

Noah shrugged. "Probably? You don't want her to see?"

"I don't want to upset her." Mrs. Atkins got sad real easily.

"She's a mom." Noah rolled his eyes. "They're always emotional. I bet you she cries when Zeke graduates." He looked at me. "Just be direct and unemotional about it and she should be okay."

I nodded.

Noah picked up our hats and put one on my head before putting on his own. "Let's get going. Saturday games have fireworks afterwards! It's really cool!"

I grabbed the jersey that had Jeremy's last name on it and followed him down. Dave and Zeke were waiting in the car. Zeke took back driving duties since he had experience driving further distances. Apparently Rhys and his family live just North of the Bay Area in a suburban community. When we pulled into the driveway, I wanted to laugh at the me, who had thought the Atkins house was big.

Rhys lived in a mansion.

"He's an only child..?" I whispered to Dave as we walked up the path to his front door. "Why would they live in such a big house like this?"

Dave shrugged. "Because they're rich? They like their space and privacy? I told you his dad was a professional. He made bank when we were kids. He retired like ten years ago."

"So he was good? At baseball?" I asked.

Noah laughed, nudging me. "Real good. He could probably still strike you out even though he got old."

"Noah James! Who are you calling old?!" A deep voice came from the man on the front porch. He was wearing sweatpants and a shirt, looking a little younger than Mr. Atkins, but was still past middle age.