The Hitting Zone



We weren't the only ones to see the changes and updated lists. Early Monday morning, it felt like everyone in the school had their eyes on me. Some were excited for me and the whole team, asking us when the next home game was. Noah took over as spokesperson and acted as a buffer. Not all were happy for me. There were a few people in the outer edges that looked on in disbelief or frustration. My favorites were those that didn't care at all. 

I was happy to leave for our away game at lunch time, boarding the bus with the varsity softball team. Noah and I were one of the first on, followed by Kyle. He sat right behind us...that was unusual. 

Dave wasn't too far behind, but when he got on, Kyle didn't let him sit beside him. 

"Marie will sit next to me."

"You can't sit next to your girlfriend on the way to the game." Dave rolled his eyes, but still sat on the bench across the aisle. 

Noah rolled his eyes too, but didn't say anything.

Our bus started to fill up with our teammates and the girls team. A lot of the guys fist bumped or complimented me on their way to their seat, kind of draining me of any energy I had left. I was also getting low on enthusiasm. 

"Yo. You look dead." Kaylee said as she took the seat in front of us. 

Alisha was right behind her, taking the spot beside her. "Don't say that. He has a game in a couple of hours." She gave me a thumbs up. "You're great, Jake. Keep it up!"

I gave a weak smile. "Thanks."

"He's been hearing how awesome he is all morning." Kaylee scoffed. "I say we keep him grounded." She looked at Noah. "Want to do a repeat of last year?"

"A repeat of what?" Alisha asked. 

Noah grinned at Kaylee. "Jake versus your sister? Garrets on the mound today so I don't know how fair that is for her. She's gotta compete with the two best players in the county? You're just putting her in a bad spot."

"How about Jake and Garret versus the whole team then?" Kaylee mused. "That's got to be fair."

"I don't think we should." I spoke up.

"You're right." Noah grinned. "It still wouldn't be fair for them. Garret had a perfect game last time and you're now number two in the state."

I held my head as I knew what was coming. Kaylee and Noah started a war with words as the rest of the bus finished loading with players and coaches. 

"I don't get it." Alisha interrupted to stop the fighting. The bus started to move so the girls were sitting down, but were twisted so they could still talk to us. 

"It's a matter of honor." Noah leaned forward. "Our best versus their best." He explained last year's competition and how we won. 

"You practically sandbagged us." Kaylee pointed out. "I still maintain that you withheld facts that should have been said before."

"It's not my problem that you looked down on Jake." Noah rolled his eyes. 

"Why don't you guys just compare?" Alisha cut in again "Like just you two." They went silent as she held their attention. "I think you two are very similar in terms of athletic ability and the situation of your teams. You both bat early in the lineup and play short. It's more head on. Plus, this way, you guys can leave Jake out of it and give him a break."

I smiled gratefully at Alisha. In fact, I gave her two thumbs up. "I think that's better. Don't drag other people in your bets."

"Who would be the judge?" Kaylee asked after thinking it over. 

"Just look at the stat sheet straight up." Noah said. 

"No way. What if we mercy rule them in five?" Kaylee asked. "If I only got two plate appearances and you got three, it wouldn't necessarily be even."

"You didn't worry about this last year."

"I saw we get a judge."

"Three judges then." Noah nodded. "Alisha and Jake can be two of them."

"No way, they both leaned towards you. You'd win on just pure favoritism." Kaylee scanned up and down the bus. She frowned, not liking her options. "I don't think we could pick anyone from either team. They would just be biased."

"I compare with my brothers all the time and they're not even this picky." Noah sighed. 

I let out a laugh. 

Noah looked at me, eyebrows raised. "You don't agree?"

I shook my head. "No way. The twins fight every time. About innings. Hits given up versus strikeouts. It's never ending."

"What if we sent our stat lines to Jeremy and Zeke and let them decide blindly?" Noah suggested. 

"Only if you don't say who does what." Kaylee squinted. "We say final score of game, innings played, plate appearances, and count hits, RBI's, and runs scored."

"And stolen bases." Noah added with a deep grin. 

Kaylee twisted her lips, but agreed. 

"I say we just use Jeremy." I put my two cents in. With the three looking my way, I reminded them. "Zeke might know who is who by looking at the scores. He still keeps up with our games and stuff. I don't think he would be biased, but just to be safe. And fair."

"Okay. So we just use Jeremy." Kaylee nodded. 

Noah nodded too. Then looked at me. "Are you going to text him now or later?"

"Later. When we know the lines. I'll just send it to him and say pick A or B." I decided. 

"Sounds good." Kaylee commented. "Don't let me catch you secretly texting him." She looked specifically at Noah. "Don't think I don't know that you have his number too."

"I'm willing to hand my phone over to ensure the integrity of the bet." Noah said. 

"To who? Me?" Kaylee raised an eyebrow. 

"In your dreams." He nodded his head towards Alisha. "To a neutral third party who I know wont go through it."

"Yea because she lacks the opportunity since she'll be in the dugout with you guys." Kaylee laughed. 

"Hey!" Alisha elbowed her. 

The terms were finally agreed on and Noah's phone was turned in to Alisha. Mine too. Just in case. After that though, the rest of the ride was easygoing with mostly everyone eating until we reached the school. It was the school in the mountains, surrounded by trees. A very woodsy vibe. 

ƥαṇdα- ηθνε|·ƈθm "Try not to pass out this time, kid." Dave slapped my back when we got off the bus, causing some guys to laugh while the others asked about it. 

I felt my face go flushed. 

"You're in better shape now." Noah assured me. "At most, you'll probably just get winded."

We unloaded the bus, taking our bags even though we were gonna have to watch most of the girls game first. Which is fine now. We're kind of used to cheering for them, more so this year than last. A lot of that had to do with Kaylee inviting us to watch more, but some can be due to Kyle and Marie's relationship. 

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