The Hitting Zone
chapter-635

I thought about what Jeremy had said throughout the night.

He finished the drive to his place and we were surprised again. I had some kind of thought that his house would be similar to Rhys's, but surprisingly he pulled into a gated condominium complex.

"You live in a condo..?" Noah asked as he pulled into a two-car garage.

Jeremy nodded. "Yep. It's only for now. I don't exactly have time to house shop during the season. Plus..." He paused. "I don't want to move until Rose is ready."

"Wow." Noah's eyes went wide. "Talking about living with your girlfriend so soon! Is that normal?"

Jeremy shrugged. "I'm sure it's different for everyone. But, I know...that I'm serious about Rose." He looked back at us. "You guys better not say anything to her. I don't want to scare her off."

Noah snorted.

"Sure." I told him.

Jeremy got out of the car and came to the back to help me. Noah got out and carried our bag full of clothes.

"Has Rose stayed the night before?" Noah asked.

Jeremy didn't answer him and just led the way to the garage door. We followed, just a little more slowly thanks to my boot. His garage door open to a small staircase, going straight to the second floor. The stairs took us right to his living room, which only had a big, black leather couch, a recliner, and a giant screen tv. The kitchen-slash-dining-area was right next to it. He had two barstools by the kitchen counter. No tables or other chairs.

"This is what you call a bachelor pad." Noah told me. "No furniture but the basics. If that." He looked at Jeremy. "You just eat at the kitchen counter?"

Jeremy laughed self-consciously. "Uhh, sometimes. I do a lot of my eating at the stadium or at nearby restaurants. If I do eat at home...I'll usually eat it in front of the tv." He waved. "Come on, I'll show you boys the guest room."

"Is there even a bed?" Noah asked.

Jeremy rolled his eyes and started to walk down the hall. "Yes, there's a bed. Big enough for you two to share." He pointed at a closet. "My washer and dryer are in there." He pointed to a door on the left. "That's a bedroom full of boxes. I haven't unpacked everything yet."

"Bachelor." Noah faked cough.

I laughed.

We came to a split in the hallway. He pointed to the right. "That's the master bedroom, where I'll be sleeping." He took us to the left and opened the door to reveal a king-sized bed taking up most of the floor space. "This is the guest room. Just completed. Fresh sheets. New towels in the bathroom. It has shampoo, soap, and anything else you might need."

"Looks good." I told him.

Noah put our bag down inside the empty closet. "Did you do it yourself or have help?"

Jeremy scratched his chin. "I started to do it on my own. At least, I picked out the bed. But then with the all-star break, I had to travel so I asked Rose to help. She's the one that reminded me I would need towels and stuff for you guys."

"Are we going to see Rose tomorrow?" I asked.

He nodded. "At lunch. I figured you guys wouldn't mind. Then after lunch, we'll visit Dr. Shanfield. Then go straight to the field so I can do my batting practice."

"What about the morning? Didn't you say endurance training?" Noah asked.

Jeremy laughed. "We'll just go to the gym in the complex. Run on the treadmill and lift a few weights. I still have a game to play."

Noah sighed with relief.

The next morning, watching him run against Jeremy, I doubt he was still thankful. Jeremy and him were running on treadmills next to each other, and every time Jeremy upped his speed, he egged Noah on to do the same. What was supposed to be a run looked like a flat out sprint. Noah had to call it quits and got off, huffing and puffing.

I laughed. "That's how I felt when I first started running with you."

Noah could only glare at me as he tried to steady his breathing.

Jeremy got off thirty minutes later and found Noah already moving on to his pushups and crunches. "Hey man, let's move on to the bench press, I'll spot you."

Noah hesitated for only a second. "Sure. I only get to bench press at the gym at school. We only have a few free weights at home."

"What do you want to start with? Just the bar?" Jeremy grinned as they moved to the bench.

I watched comfortably from my chair, drinking a protein shake that Jeremy had made for us in the morning.

"I can do more than just the bar." Noah declared. He put 25lbs on each end. He laid down under the bar and got started.

Jeremy stood behind him, hands ready in case Noah needed help. He watched Noah perform his set, then helped guide the bar back to it's place.

Noah sat up with a smile, almost looking proud of what he had just done.

Jeremy looked at him and sighed. "Do you guys have a weight-lifting coach at your school? How many times do you go to the gym?"

"Uhhh, no specific lifting coach." Noah answered. "Just the baseball coaches to supervise us. We use it more in the fall, during tryouts, than in season."

Jeremy shook his head in a disapproving manner. "That's not good enough. I know you guys are only in division three, but if you want to be more competitive than the bigger and better schools, you'll really have to hit the gym."

"We lift at home with Zeke." I offered up.

Jeremy shook his head at me too. "That's the bare minimum. It may help those like you, who don't normally lift, but if you want some real power in your swing, then you should consult a trainer of sorts." He thought about it. "Maybe I can reach out to your coach and school. Make a donation for the gym and provide some funding to hire a proper trainer."

"Can you do that..?" Noah looked unsure.

Jeremy nodded. "I did it for my cousin's school. My alma mater. A few schools down south."

"Your cousin doesn't go to the same school you went to?" Noah asked.

"No. I had to go to a public school my first two years, and then went to the school he's at now for my other two years." Sounded complicated. "That's not the point though."

"What is the point? I don't think lifting is that big of a deal." Noah shrugged. "I lift more than other kids in my grade."

"Want to know what I was benching my sophomore year?" Jeremy asked.

"The bar is 45lbs, 25lbs each side is 95lbs total. If you think that isn't enough, then I'm guessing you did 120lbs?"

He shook his head. "185lbs. I started hitting bombs and that's what took me to the next level. After my sophomore year, I was recruited to a private school with a scholarship offer. Better school, better prospects."

I gulped. 185lbs? I don't even think I could do what Noah did. Crazy.

"Zeke hasn't said anything though." Noah was still unconvinced. "Zeke was drafted in the first round too, okay. Just because he chose to go to college instead doesn't mean he's any less good than you at baseball."

Jeremy grinned. "But, Zeke can see it. That's why he's been making you guys run and lift all summer. Don't worry, I'll see what I can arrange with your coach and school."

Noah and I both made faces. I didn't want to lift and Noah didn't like to lose baseball time. I guess there's going to be some changes when school starts.