The Hitting Zone
chapter-704

He stared at me, waiting patiently for my answer.

I swallowed, a little uncomfortable. I scooted even closer and whispered back. "It's not me you have to worry about, Noah. I think you would make a great captain. You have to impress the others. Zeke said he didn't come so he could let others take over the leadership roles. So...be a leader?"

He nodded in agreement. "Right. I need to show the coaches I can be a leader despite being an underclassmen still. I also have to ignore those jerks while still getting some revenge." He patted my shoulder. "I'll be counting on you."

I scratched my cheek. "I won't even know who to aim for."

"If you don't know them from Varsity, then hit a bomb off them." Noah instructed. "If you see Austin in the outfield, then make him run after a hit to the corner or something."

I nodded. If I see Austin anywhere else, I would probably turn away from him because he gives off 'bully vibes'. But if he's on the field...I can try to make his life a little more difficult.

"What are you guys doing off to the side like this?" Kyle's voice caught us by surprise and made us knock heads.

Noah stood up and faced him. "Nothing in particular. We just thought it would be weird for us to stay with you guys. You'll be with the pitchers and catchers while Jake and I will be with infielders."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Why would it be weird? We're brothers."

I looked up at him in awe.

"I'm trying to establish an identity apart from being an Atkins brother." Noah said. He tapped my knee with his foot.

I slowly got up at the hint.

"How are guys going to approach Jake and I if we just hang out with the Varsity team?" Noah questioned. "Don't you want Jake to make more friends? Gain acquaintances? Be social in general?"

I made a face at him as Kyle looked his way. Why is he using me as his scapegoat??

Kyle shrugged. "Well, okay. If that's what you want to do." He started to walked towards Dave and the others. "Good luck being 'approachable'."

My lips twitched. I looked to Noah.

Noah shrugged. "What? It's not like I can tell him I want to be captain."

"Why not?" I asked. "They would help you."

"Exactly." Noah said. "I don't want their help. I want to be a leader on my own." His eyes drifted to the entrance of the field. "Andy! Hey Andy!"

I looked over and saw Andy entering with another player. He looked at us, then hesitated for a second before coming over.

"What? Are you suddenly embarrassed of us?" Noah asked him when he got closer.

Andy put his bag on the ground. "No. I just didn't know if you were with the other guys." He glanced at his friend. "Rami, this is Noah and that's Jake. Sophomores this year. Guys, this is Rami, a freshman like me. We went to the same middle school."

Noah stuck out his hand. "Hey, how's it going?"

Rami gave his hand a shake. "I'm good, thank you for asking. Do you normally greet everyone with a handshake?"

Noah laughed. "I'm starting it today. Feels a little formal though."

Rami stuck his hand out at me. "Want to shake too?"

Andy reached out and pushed his hand down. "We're only a year apart. Don't shake hands. It's weird."

Rami laughed. "I was just going with the flow." He put his bag down. "I'm going to get my cleats on."

Andy sat down too.

"Why didn't you come to Alisha's get-together yesterday?" Noah squatted near Andy and poked him on the back.

Andy got his cleats out. "I was busy."

"With what?" Noah asked.

"Who's Alisha?" Rami asked.

I spotted the familiar girl just outside the field, standing with Mr. Miller and Coach. I nudged Noah with my foot.

He followed my line of vision and stood up. "Alisha is a sophomore like me. She's actually over there right now, talking to the coaches."

Rami looked over as he tugged his cleats on. "Why is she doing that?"

"She wants to be a manager for the team. Help out and stuff." Noah answered. He glanced down. "Coach is almost here. You guys better get ready."

"Is it the head coach?" Rami stood up after tying his cleats.

"It is. But the other coaches are arriving too." Noah said, pointing out the men coming to the field. He started to name all of them, giving a short introduction for what kind of coach they are and for what team.

"How do you know all this?" Rami was amazed.

Noah shrugged. "You'll learn too. We spend most of fall semester playing together while the coaches decide the teams."

Coach entered the field with Alisha trailing his every step. Mr. Miller wasn't too far behind. Other coaches joined him out near center field.

"Should we head over?" Andy asked, looking to Noah.

Noah nodded. "Leave your gloves. After an introduction, we'll probably do a warmup before throwing." He looked to me. "Ready?"

I glanced around, trying to add up all the players present. Over a hundred easy. I only knew a few faces, but at least I wasn't alone. I gave Noah a nod and he started to lead the way.

We weren't the only ones that decided to head over. It seemed like everyone got the feeling that we should get going. It was almost start time at 9am after all. As everyone got closer together, I tried to keep to the edges.

Coach stepped forward from the coaches and gestured downward with his hands. "Take a knee, boys. A few announcements before we start this camp officially."

All of us took a knee or even flat out sat down.

Coach looked around, watching us get settled. He didn't speak again until everyone was down and were silent. "Seems like most players are present. We'll take roll in just a second. For now, I would like to introduce my staff. We have a few coaches at each level, but they all have the same input on how the rosters are decided. I do have the final say, but I want you boys to know that I take their words into serious consideration with few exceptions."

I understood what Coach was trying to get across. He didn't want any of the players to disrespect or look down on the lower leveled coaches, even if they're at the bottom of the totem pole.

Coach started to introduce each coach, starting with those on the Varsity level. Then JV. Then freshman. He pointed at Alisha in the end. "This is Alisha. She'll be the manager and statistician for the Varsity team this upcoming season. In the meantime, she'll be helping me keep track of what players have caught my eye. Treat her with the same respect you would have for a coach."

Alisha stepped forward and gave a small wave. "Hello."

I felt stressed for her. I don't think I could face such a giant group like she did. I glanced at Noah and he was unbothered. If given the chance, he would probably introduce himself to this whole group of guys, completely fearless.