The Hitting Zone

Chapter 1121  V3 ch355 Softball CIF Quarterfinals

Kyle really did do a good job of driving us to the girl's game. His focus stayed on the road, only changing the radio station to the A's game when Noah asked.

"I feel like we've gone to less games this year." Noah remarked as we listened to the starting lineup.

"It'll pick up once our season is over." Dave commented. "Jeremy's always inviting us, but it's not possible on weekdays. And we've been busy on the weekends." He turned around to look at me. "Does Jeremy text you separately out of our group chat?"

I nodded.

"Of course. Doesn't Zeke text each of us separately?" Noah snorted.

"I don't know. It's weird. We aren't really related to Jeremy." Dave said. "So I just wonder what the relationship is like?"

I thought about it. "It's…I don't know…kind of like how Zeke is away at college?"

"There's a sense of distance." Noah commented.

I nodded. "Yea. Exactly. He's there. But also not. I mean, he's cool and everything, but I would say I'm closer to Grampa than him. But also, closer to him than I am to my classmates."

"I think the age gap plays a roll in it." Noah offered. "When Zeke started high school, I was still in elementary and we weren't very close. The twins were my tormentors growing up too."

"We didn't torment you." Kyle interjected.

"It's called sibling love." Dave added.

"Anyways, I wouldn't say we got close until I joined them in high school." Noah ignored them.

I tried not to laugh. "I see."

"No, he's right." Dave twisted around to tell me. "There was always this imaginary wall between us and Noah. It's just two years, but because of that gap, we never officially played together in games and plus we got bigger and stronger than him much quicker."

"I think him falling out with his friends also made us closer." Kyle said, merely glancing in the rearview mirror. "Like only we can bully ourselves. Not the other way around."

"I wasn't bullied." Noah rolled his eyes. "I had other friends. I just put a lot of my focus on baseball."

I nodded. "Yea. Noah's very popular. He knows and talks to everyone in our classes."

"That's normal after going to school with the same kids for years." Dave rolled his eyes. "We talk to everyone too."

"I think you guys are popular too." I added.

"Jake, you're also popular." Noah told me. "Just comes with the territory of being a great player."

We chatted casually until reaching the field. We left our backpacks in, but took the posters out. There were already a lot of parents and teens in the stands, but one bleacher behind our school's dugout was still a little empty. We climbed up and laid the posters out, waiting for the bus of student spectators to come.

And they did. So did a few other high schoolers that drove themselves like Garret and Sean. I tried not to twitch so much as the stands started to fill up, uneasy being surrounded and trapped up top.

"Hey, just breathe man." Noah told me. "You're between me and Dave. Nothing is going to happen to you."

Dave nodded in agreement.

"Yea. Okay. I know." I nodded. They were right. Nothing would happen to me. I was surrounded by kids that I knew from baseball and school. No one was as crazy as my birth mom. I was fine.

The girl's game started with a small pregame ceremony. Both schools were announced and congratulated for making the postseason. We stood for the national anthem like the girls on the field.

The Watsonville softball team took the field first with Marie standing on the rubber inside the pitcher's circle.

"Let's go, Marie!"

"You've got this!"

"Shut them out!"

Marie made short work of the opposing team, earning two strikeouts before the third girl popped out to Kaylee at short. The bottom of the first, the girls got on the board early thanks to a Marie three-run home run. Kaylee was one of the three that scored so we cheered for her too. But it was mostly the Marie show. On the mound, she dominated, taking a no-hitter to the top of the sixth.

"She's like the female version of Garret." Noah muttered under his breath.

My lips twitched. "I think the girls would argue that Garret is the male version of him." After all, Marie was good her freshman year, already starting on varsity. Garret didn't make varsity until his sophomore year.

Top of the sixth, one out, Marie gave up her first hit. The runner stood on first and the next batter also put the ball in play, hitting a grounder to second. The second baseman made the catch, but fumbled the ball a little when trying to transition to throw. She threw to Kaylee at second. Kaylee stepped off second base, but the runner from first still slid into her, knocking her into the air. She came down, arms extended to catch herself. There was a small yelp.

Before I could understand what was happening, the runner jumped up and started waving for someone to come. Marie was there first. Then the second baseman.

Marie was waving too, at the dugout. Their head coach came out with Drew, our athletic trainer. The stands got eerily quiet.

"She's okay, right?" Alisha asked, holding Noah's wrist tightly from his other side.

I looked to Noah for reassurance too.

"It's not good. It can't be." Dave spoke up. "Not if they're asking for a trainer right away."

We watched as the infielders gathered, just a few feet away as Kaylee was surrounded by her coaches, Marie, and Drew. The umpires were also gathered towards the visiting dugout, talking with the opposing coach.

Every minute was ticking by slowly. No updates were given and not much was said from the players on the field. A few people in the stands started to complain, saying they should just take her to the dugout, but then we heard a siren.

I felt a lump grow in my throat and I also reached out to grab Noah's wrist. The siren was getting closer and closer until an ambulance and fire truck pulled into the nearby parking lot. Just behind our car actually.

Noah stood up. So did Alisha. They weren't the only ones. A lot of people in the stands started to stand up and move around, watching as the EMTs and firefighters unload and head to this field.

"Someone called 911." Dave stated, also standing on the otherside of me. "Drew hasn't moved her so it must be very serious."

"Let's go." Noah said.

"Go where?" Dave asked.

"Go down there. Something's wrong so we've got to be able to do something." Noah said. He pulled me to my feet. He gestured at Kyle. "Come on. It's your girlfriend's sister. Go see if you can do anything."

"What would we be able to do?" Kyle asked, flabbergasted yet he still got up. "If the medics are here, we should let them handle things."

Noah took charge, leading us down. Me. Alisha. The twins. We maneuvered around the few standing groups, getting to the ground level and headed towards the side fence.

Marie made way for the medics, who were kneeling down to Kaylee. She looked around frantically, looking like she was searching for someone in the stands. Noah started to wave with both arms to get her attention, even yelling out her name.

Marie spotted us and lit up. She sprinted towards us full speed. "You're here. Thank god." She told Kyle, gripping the fence. "I need you to call my parents and tell them that Kaylee is being taken to the emergency room."

Kyle frowned. "What's wrong?"

She was slowly crying, scaring me. "It's bad. Her arm…it's snapped."

We were taken aback, not really expecting that kind of answer. I personally felt a little relieved it wasn't something more serious or life threatening.

"It's poking out and-" She started to ramble.

"Poking out?" Dave interrupted. "What?"

"The bone! Her arm!" She raised her voice. And her arm. She pointed close to her her own wrist. "It's gone through!"

"I don't feel so good." Alisha mumbled, probably not liking the imagery that Marie was giving us.

"I'll call your dad." Kyle took out his phone and started to dial.

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