The Hitting Zone
chapter-571

"Wayne?" Mrs. Atkins called out, heading to the living room.

"What happened?!" Noah sprinted past his mom to see what was going on.

I stared after them, then glanced back at Zeke and Mr. Cameron.

Mr. Cameron looked to Zeke as well. "You're not interested in what had happened?"

Zeke shook his head. "It won't change anything. I'm going to Stanford." He repeated.

Mr. Cameron chuckled. "You're a crazy kid. It's still early in the draft, so you are definitely a round one pick. Aren't you scared of the consequences of not going?"

Zeke stood up slowly. "No. I believe in myself." He glanced at me, noticing that I wasn't following everyone else. "What do you think, Jake?"

I shrugged. "I'm not thinking anything." I really wasn't. I felt like I was watching a reality tv show in real time.

"Come on, lets go see what all the excitement is about." Zeke led the way to the living room.

I followed behind.

In the living room, Mr. Atkins was talking with his wife, with Mr. Pickens near them. The twins and Noah were standing right in front of the tv.

Noah turned once we made our presence clear. "Zeke! The Minnesota Twins want you! As their thirteenth pick!" He stared at Zeke in amazement.

Zeke glanced at the tv where the analysts were discussing the latest pick and kept saying Zeke's name. "I told them not to. What a waste." He moved to where his parents were.

They stopped talking and looked at him. There was a mixture of pride, nervousness, worry, and happiness all over their face. It was like they couldn't decide what was best for Zeke anymore.

"I'm still going to Stanford." Zeke told them directly. Looking at them, he smiled. "Not to make you guys proud or anything. This is what I want to do. So don't stress over my future anymore, okay?"

Mrs. Atkins pulled him into a hug. "Oh, honey, I will always stress over your future. Every step of the way. I'll support you either way. I know I pushed you to look at these colleges, but if you want to give it up, then don't look to me for approval. Look from within."

Zeke didn't back away from the hug. He just rubbed his mom's back. "Really, Mom, Stanford is where I want to go. I don't want to waste time at the minors, when I can get the same training and coaching from Leroy while getting a free education. This isn't about money anymore."

"Mary, Zeke has made his choice without coercion." Mr. Atkins said. "We showed him his options, we didn't force him to pick college."

Mrs. Atkins let go of Zeke, tears in her eyes. "I'm proud of you. No matter what. If you want to change your mind tomorrow, next week, or next month, then it doesn't matter to us. You worked hard for this honor."

Zeke grinned. "The honor of being a first round pick won't go away. I'll just be among the minority that won't sign. Two years from now, I'll be even better."

The room got strangely quiet. Not from what Zeke had said, but from what the boys had heard the analyst say. Dave, Kyle, and Noah were silent, watching the tv while standing. Noah glanced back at us again.

Zeke frowned. "What is it?"

Noah pursed his lips. "Have you heard of Matt Harrington?"

Zeke understood immediately even though I didn't. "Oh. Him. Are they comparing me to him?"

Dave nodded and walked away from the tv. He flopped on the couch and pulled out his phone. "I don't know if they're making a good comparison."

Kyle snorted. "They're just creating drama. Zeke already told everyone that he wasn't going to sign. It's Minnesota's fault for wasting that pick. At least they'll get a compensatory pick next year." He also walked away and joined Dave on the couch.

"Wasn't Harrington the kid who wanted a lot of money..?" Noah asked, looking at Zeke.

Zeke nodded.

"Then why are they comparing you and him?" Noah looked distressed.

Zeke smiled and went over to Noah, patting his head. "I don't have an agent or anyone to speak up for me. Don't worry, once Mr. Cameron posts the interview, all the nonsense talk will stop." He paused, then pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. He frowned. "I'm going to take this outside." He left the room without mentioning who it was.

"It's Minnesota." Kyle said, knowing. "You always call the pick. He's probably going to tell them it's not happening."

Mr. Cameron looked awkward with his crew members just standing to the side. "Well, I'm going to go and get this all in. For him and for me. It'll be good exposure for me, and it'll clear the air for Zeke. It'll be ready in an hour or so!"

"I'll walk you out." Mrs. Atkins wiped her eyes and went back to being a responsible host.

Mr. Atkins followed. "Thank you for all the work. It's good to have someone we can trust to do the kid's interviews."

Mr. Cameron laughed as they left the room. "They keep being breaking news and soon you'll have bigger name reporters knocking on your door." All the adults left.

I looked to Noah, who was no longer happy and excited about the draft. I cleared my throat. "Who is Matt?"

"Matt Harrington was a pitcher." Kyle told me. "Back in 2000, he was a first round draft pick. He wanted a lot of money, and the Rockies said no. He waited a year out, got drafted in the second round the next year. Said no to that money too. As the years passed, the offers became cheaper and his skill declined. I think a few years back, someone reported that he was working at a tire store."

"That's not like Zeke at all though." I said. Zeke was going to college. He wasn't going to be eligible for the draft again until two years from now.

"But it's true that first round picks that decline to sign, end up dropping to later rounds in the future." Dave mumbled, looking up from his phone. "It'd be different if Zeke was picked in the later rounds, because it'd be more likely for him to move up."

Looking at how depressed the three boys were, I wonder if it's because I still don't understand baseball that I didn't feel the same way. "But...Zeke said he'll be even better. Do you guys...not believe...in him..?"

Noah clapped his hands together. "Yes! Right! That's what Zeke said! And he's never lied to us before!" Noah came over to me and threw his arm around my shoulders. "Jake is right! Why are we feeling sad for Zeke when Zeke isn't even sad? He's sure of himself. He's going to win the College World Series before moving on to the MLB. He said so himself."

"What?" Dave sat up straight. "When did Zeke say that?"

"During his interview." Noah replied. He grinned. "He's going to be a high school champion and a college champion. I can see it already." Noah turned back to his optimistic self real quick as he recalled everything Zeke had said. "Worst comes to worst, we get a chance to catch up to him while he flounders around. Why are we feeling so sorry for him?"

Dave and Kyle shared a laugh. There was some truth to what Noah had said. Zeke being a first round pick was slightly unexpected yet still expected. He was the greatest player among us. He wouldn't fade out. He would just get better.