The Hitting Zone
chapter-798

Saturday morning, Noah and I went on a morning jog. Dave joined in, giving Noah some competition. The two went to the backyard to do some bullpen work while I went through our old ab workout. If Zeke was here, he'd be proud at us for putting in extra work on our day off. Out of season too.

Kyle woke up late, but was quick to join in on the workout. He warmed himself up with a short run and some more elaborate stretching before pulling me into playing catch with him. Once he was ready, Dave willingly got off the fake mound and let him throw some pitches to Noah.

Dave waved at me. "Let's go in and prepare lunch."

I followed obediently despite not knowing how I could even help him. With Mom and Dad working most weekends, we were left on our own for lunches. Dave really did the most out of all of us. Whether that's from Zeke's talk a couple months ago or from the fact that he ate the most, it's hard to tell.

Dave decided on meatball sandwiches and a salad to go with it. My only job was to supervise the meatballs in marinara sauce, occasionally stirring it on the stove. Dave got the rolls out, cut them in half, and placed cheese inside. Then he worked on the salad.

After lunch, Dave took us to the cages while Kyle waited at home to be picked up by Marie.

Sunday followed a similar pattern. Sunday dinner, the boys talked about plans for thanksgiving break like how Zeke was coming back home and the grandparents will be visiting.

Dad looked at me. "Do you still want to do another laser treatment? Dr. Griffiths' office has an opening that Monday at the start of your break."

I nodded right away.

"Doesn't that mean Jake won't be able to do anything most of the break?" Noah asked.

Dad glanced my way. "I think Jake understands that."

I looked at Noah. "It's better for me to do it now when I can. Once the season starts...there'll be no time. And I really...really want to do it."

Noah looked guilty. "Oh, right. Well, we can do things at home too. Zeke will be home and I can do the morning runs with him. Then we can just have movie marathons. With Gramma and Grampa coming, we'll have a full house again. You won't be bored."

I wasn't worried about being bored. "You can still catch for the twins. I'll watch."

"Hey, does this mean you'll be willing to learn how to swim next summer?" Dave asked.

I shrugged. I tugged the end of my t-shirt. "It depends...on how they look."

"It doesn't matter how they look." Dad corrected me. "It'll depend on how you'll feel."

"I would feel more comfortable if you learn how to swim, Jake." Mom spoke up. "Every time you're at Alisha's, there's a small chance of you falling in. Although, their pool isn't that deep, I still think swimming is a good skill to have. You don't have to be great at it. There's also full body swimsuits you can wear too."

"I think those are meant for the ocean, Mom." Kyle laughed. "Jake would stand out even more if he wore that to Alisha's."

Mom gave him a look.

Kyle shrugged. "What? It's true." He looked to me. "You already stand out as the best hitter on the team, why care if you stand out some more. If you own up to it, you won't feel so self-conscious." He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but be more like Noah."

"Hey!" Noah was offended. Only for a second though. He smiled at me. "Just follow my footsteps."

I nodded. I already aspire to be more like Noah. But my scars still need treatment. I won't pass up the chance to try to make them blend in a little more.

After dinner, I got a call from Jeremy. He wanted to know my plans for thanksgiving break.

I cracked a smile. "We were just talking about this at dinner. Mom's parents will come over for the week. Zeke will come back from college. Dad also said I could have my second laser treatment that Monday."

"Oh. Oh!" Jeremy took a second to understand my plans for the week. "So you'll be chilling at home most of the week. That's not bad. I-" He stopped.

"What's up?" I prompted him, trying to avoid any awkwardness about my scar removal treatment.

He chuckled. "It's nothing. I was just overthinking. I'm happy if you're happy."

"I'm happy." I told him. It suddenly struck me why Jeremy might be a little weird. Not because of my treatment, but because of the holidays coming up. I'm positive that he's not spending it with Uncle Jack. "Hey, did you want to come over here for thanksgiving? One more person won't make a difference at the table."

He laughed. "No, thank you, but no. Rose and I are going to go see her parents for thanksgiving. We'll leave the Wednesday before thanksgiving. Maybe I'll come by that Monday or Tuesday to see how you're doing."

"I'd like that." I said honestly. "You might have to think twice if you don't win the MVP award though. Noah would give you a hard time."

He laughed again. "Don't worry, I'll win. The other finalists don't measure up. Just wait for the good news to come on Thursday."

"I will." I nodded.

We talked a little more about our week and shared small bits about our life. Him and Rose were house hunting and spending more time together because of the off season. I talked about facing Garret and Robbie. I had one more challenge day left this week, but then next week Coach will be hosting official tryouts for those who couldn't practice after school. Then it'll be break.

We said our goodbyes and hung up for the night.

Another week of school and practice passed with a little more excitement. Rookie of the Year awards were announced on Monday. Manager of the year was announced on Tuesday. Cy Young awards were announced on Wednesday. Then it was finally time for MVPs to be announced on Thursday.

Coach handed me a new list of challengers for Friday, but I didn't spend very much time looking it over. I was in a rush to get home with Noah and the twins. We turned on the sports channel and waited for the announcement.

["There were many worthy candidates for the American League MVP this year, but one player in particular took the lead in the second half of the season. Jeremy Patterson had a busy year on and off the field. An injury to the A's led them shopping around for a trade and they found their guy for a heavy price. So many of us in the studio were stunned, but the A's organization obviously saw something we didn't: a World Series Championship. Patterson was instrumental in leading this team to their first championship in the last three decades. This young man has a bright future ahead of him and the A's made sure to lock him up for the foreseeable future."]

With the announcement officially made, we jumped around and celebrated. I sent a text to Jeremy to congratulate him on his award. Noah and the twins did the same, with the idea that we would blow up his phone with our excitement.