The Hitting Zone
chapter-656

Dinner in the cafeteria was the loudest meal so far. Everyone was lining up for food and piling their plates before finding somewhere to sit. By now, we've kind of had a set group to sit with: Landon, Travis, Adam, Cody, Dylan, Ansar, and a couple other familiar faces.

"We ran twelve miles!" Landon told the other guys. "It was hell!"

Cody, who was with us on the run, shook his head. "It wasn't that bad. There were breaks between street lights and it's better than sprints. I heard some groups had to do shuttle sprints before and after lifting weights."

"My legs feel like jello." Landon continued to complain. "Twelve miles! That's not normal. Even soccer players only run like seven miles in a game. Cross country teams don't run this much in a race either."

"They run this much and more in practice." Ansar spoke up. "Our school is number one in our conference and they put in some serious mileage during practice and especially during their summer camp."

"I'm not a cross country runner." Landon sighed. "I'm gonna be feeling it tomorrow."

I nodded in agreement as I stuffed some pasta into my mouth. I'll probably wake up stiff as a board. I can't imagine a full week of this.

"Well boys, the hard part is over." Travis laughed. "Day one is always the toughest. You have to show off everything you got to the coaches and scouts." He lifted an eyebrow. "I think those of you that got to run with Zeke will get extra attention. You ran with someone that's a first-round pick." He sighed. "It's crazy how close we are getting to the pros. I never thought I would see some right before my very eyes."

I blinked.

"I just hope Zeke isn't the assistant coach for my team." Noah said. "I need a break from him." He glanced at me. "Why don't you tell him to be an assistant on your team so I have a chance to be with Rhys?"

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"C'mon, he would go easy on you." Noah pleaded.

I shook my head. "Easier than Rhys? No way." Rhys was really nice and easygoing.

"You guys already know what teams you're on?" Ansar asked.

Noah shook his head. "Nah. But Zeke did tell us that Jake would be on the same team as Rhys."

"Why?" Cody was confused.

Noah glanced at me and noticed that I had tensed up. "Probably because Jake is his favorite brother."

"Big families are like that!" Adam declared. "Everyone has their favorite. Parents too. And it's always the youngest." He squinted at me. "Are you the youngest?"

Noah burst out laughing. "He is! And he's for sure everyone's favorite!" Noah threw his arm around my shoulders and continued to laugh. "But, at least I know, I'm his favorite. So I'm the favorite's favorite!"

Despite the long run, everyone was rather energetic during dinner. Getting up for seconds and slowly getting to know one another. I could only hope that one of these guys that I've met would be on my team tonight. As the food filled the stomachs and the workers started to clean, Coach Leroy got up on a small platform on one end of the room.

"Good evening, everyone." He started to speak and everyone simultaneously got quiet. "I know it's been a busy morning and afternoon, but we're not quite done yet. For the week, we'll be playing scrimmages against one another. So with the scoring from this morning, we've made balanced teams. Teams will not change throughout the week, including pitchers and catchers." Whispers and murmurs started to get a little louder.

Coach Leroy grinned. "I know you're all excited to meet your coach and teammates for the week, but let me finish." Everyone got quiet again. "In the mornings, after breakfast, pitchers and catchers will go their own way with our pitching staff. The rest of you will do drills throughout stations, similar to this morning, but with more focus on actual training and not testing. The afternoon and evenings will be a mix of games or practicing with your selected team. We have a schedule made."

"Do we get anything for winning?" Someone yelled out, making a few guys laugh, but most had their eyes trained on the head coach.

Coach Leroy grinned. "We'll be keeping score and keep track of the wins and losses. The team with the most wins, will have a small prize to take home, but I won't be disclosing what it is." He waved his hand around. "Finish eating and wait in your respective rooms. The staff will be handing out two sheets of paper. One will be your roster. The other will be your personalized schedule for the week. It'll include when and where you need to be. After the papers have been passed out, come back downstairs to find your coach and teammates, by using the schedule sheet."

A lot of the guys got up and started to head for the door.

Noah laughed at the sight. "I don't know why they're in a hurry. They probably won't pass out the papers until everyone's done in the cafeteria."

Cody and Landon, who both had gotten up, awkwardly sat back down. Landon chuckled. "You're right. I should focus on fueling up first." He started to eat again.

Noah glanced at me with a sly grin. "Want to grab an ice cream before we go back to the room?"

My eyes widened and I started to look around. I didn't remember seeing any ice cream, nor did I see anyone with ice cream.

"Not here." Noah elaborated and lowered his voice. "The bookstore. I heard someone say that it's open. Want to go and take it to the room?"

"Won't everyone see us?" I asked, worried. I couldn't handle any punishment exercises tonight.

Noah sighed. "Fine. Maybe we'll try tomorrow during some free time."

I nodded, much more satisfied.

After our group finished eating, we left the cafeteria together and went back to the dorms.

"Let's meet in the common area when it's time to go to our teams." Noah told everyone as we climbed the stairs. "That way we can find out if anyone got on the same team. And then go to the field together."

"Yea."

"Sure."

"Sounds good to me."

"I hope I get Jake."

I looked at Travis, who said that.

Travis grinned. "Jake's a batting prodigy. I want to be on a winning team. I like winning. I like prizes. Especially surprise prizes."

"I want Jake too!" Cody called out.

Noah laughed. "You guys realize that you can't just win games by having one great hitter right? Pitching and fielding still matters. The other team can always out score you."

"But," Ansar raised his voice. "It's also important to score at least one run for a chance to win." He smiled at me. "Please be on my team."

The guys laughed and all claimed that they wanted to be on my team. It was a special feeling...to be wanted. It made me go back to the room with a big smile on my face. I wasn't nervous anymore with their reassurance that I would be wanted and welcomed on any of their teams.