The Hitting Zone

Chapter 1138  V3 ch372 Back at School

I fell asleep to the three of them arguing over the next season outlook. The next morning, it was hard for me to get up but easy for the other three. They were all eager to show off today at school, especially Dave who got credited with the win. Anytime Kyle tried to remind him that he also got the blown save, Dave pushed it off and blamed the sign-stealing.

I had a few texts from quite a few people. Most of them said congratulations on the win. I mainly focused on two though, one from Jeremy and one from Kaylee.

Jeremy: Congrats on the win! Knew you guys could do it!

Jeremy: Jack won't be directly in charge of Carson's contract and money, but he will still have some input. After all, he is his dad. I hope they didn't upset you with their presence. Rose said you didn't look it.

I decided to reply to him right away.

Me: Yea, it was a bit of surprise, but it was fine. I actually talked with Carson before leaving. His mom talked to mine. Gabby and Noah got along well too.

Jeremy: Gabby is just as tough as Noah. Maybe like your friend Kaylee. Very outspoken and stubborn. But has a good heart.

I was surprised he answered so fast. He must have his phone on him.

Me: Yea, I could see some similarities.

I hesitated before talking about Kaylee's situation. It was a bit of a long text, but I wanted to tell him. He's had teammates with devastating injuries before so maybe he would have some advice. Unexpectedly, Jeremy called me just a few seconds later.

"Hey, sorry about Kaylee. That's an insane level of a freak accident." He said right away. "You said she had surgery right after because the bone broke skin?"

"Yea, I didn't see it directly though." I hurried to tell him. "But I was there when she had surgery. They said they had an orthopedic surgeon and a vascular surgeon to fix it."

"Wow. Very severe." He paused. "You know if she needs a second opinion or even just a very professional look, I can ask Dr. Shanfield for a favor. He's the guy who looked at your leg. He's not just the team doctor, but an orthopedic surgeon himself."

"Do you think that would help?" I asked, unsure. It sounded like a nice idea, but Kaylee already had her surgery. What more can the surgeon do?

"Her injury sounds very serious. She should have to do some follow-ups and probably be referred to a physical therapist that works in this very specific field if she wants to play again. Most physical therapists will want to help her get back to normal. But normal isn't a top-level athlete. Get it?"

I nodded but then realized he couldn't see me. "Yea. That makes sense."

"Jake! You're going to make us late." Noah came back into the room loudly. He saw that I was on the phone. "Who's that? Don't they know you're not a morning person?"

"It's Jeremy." I spoke into the phone. "I've got to get ready for school. I'll ask Kaylee what she wants to do when I see her in class. Then I'll text you after."

"Sure. No problem. I hope she has a speedy and successful recovery."

We said our goodbyes and hung up.

I frowned as I got up, not feeling good about the whole 'successful recovery.' Can you fail at recovering? I turned to Noah to ask. "Can you fail at recovering?"

"Of course!" He scoffed. "Happens all the time. I knew a soccer player who had a failed ACL reconstruction surgery. He had to do it again and said it hurt twice as much. There's also risky surgeries like Rhys's when he had Tommy John. Not everyone can come back from Tommy John and pitch at the same level. That's considered a failure." He tilted his head. "Were you guys talking about Kaylee?"

"Yea." I put my shoes on and packed up my bag. "Jeremy said he can get her touch with that doctor for the team. Just in case she wants it. I'll ask when we get to school."

Noah shrugged. "If I was her, I would want that kind of pro to take a look. I mean, he can treat professionals. We're just teens. Feels like overkill, but you never know."

We went down together for breakfast. Mom urged me to hurry and eat, yet she put a whole giant breakfast in front of me including waffles, eggs, and bacon. For good measure, she put a bagel in my hand when I had finally finished.

She handed everyone a packed lunch. "We won't be home when you boys get back after school, but I don't want to hear about any slacking. Get your homework done and start studying for finals." She pointed at Kyle. "I'm going to check your grades before draft day, so if you want to have a get together for day two, you better be in good shape."

"When have I ever let you down, Mom?" Kyle rolled his eyes and grabbed his backpack.

"Sophomore year. Geometry." Mom answered.

Kyle immediately looked guilty. He waved. "Bye. See you guys at dinner." He was the first one out the door.

"Are you checking everyone's grades?" Dave asked Mom.

She nodded. "The draft is the same week as your finals. If you boys want to still go to Garret's get together on day one, then I want to feel comfortable letting you be out the night before a big test. Same goes for Kyle on day two." She squinted at him. "Do you need extra help beforehand?"

Dave shrugged. "A's and B's. What more can you ask for?"

"For you to do your best." Dad spoke up. "The final grades should be a reflection of your best effort."

"I'll aim for all A's." Dave gave him a mock salute and left.

Dad looked at me and Noah. "If you guys need a little extra tutoring anywhere, let us know. We can arrange something through the school."

"Nah, I can ask Jake for help with my math." Noah glanced at me.

I nodded.

We were just a few seconds behind the twins, but they acted like we held them up. Showing up at school, we saw a packed parking lot with signs congratulating us everywhere.

Feeling like a flashback from last year, Alisha ran up to us with a giant grin. "It's like a party or a parade. Everyone who didn't come last night showed up early this morning to celebrate you guys." She pulled on Noah's arm and started to drag him away. "I even made some signs last night that the girls are holding. Let's go! I'll take pictures of everyone and everything."

I cringed and wondered if I could make a quick escape.

"Let's go, Jake!" Dave threw his arm around my shoulders. "We can't let everyone call Garret the MVP when you're the star on this team."

I resigned to my fate, posing with everyone in group shots, ultimately happy that I was included. It felt like everyone wanted to pat me on the back and ask me if I felt sad about not getting that homer in my last at bat. Dave and Noah took turns fending off the really pushy people, and even going as far to say that I'll get one next time.

All varsity members got the same treatment as they showed up near the gym, even those who didn't get to play a second yesterday like all the relief pitchers, Oscar, Korrey, Jesse, and Dalton. I thought everyone would be in a good mood, but I could see some frustration on those that didn't get to play yesterday. Or even at all during the playoffs.

The bell rung and everyone had to start heading towards the school. I automatically found Noah so we could go to our locker together and then class. I still had to talk to Kaylee.

"Yo, Noah." Joey walked up to Noah's other side and nodded at me. "Jake."

I nodded back, feeling a little confuse why he caught up to us. Even though we were on the same team, we didn't communicate much besides the occasional small talk. Joey hung with the pitchers and was stuck in the bullpen during games.

"I wanted to talk to you about something, but maybe I can catch up with you at lunch?" Joey said to Noah.

Noah glanced at me, probably checking for a negative reaction, but it was pretty neutral. Joey didn't scare me as much as he did last semester, or even just a few months ago. He was loud and high-energy, but not physical to me like Chris was.

"Sure, man." Noah told him. "You can find me and Jake at one of the picnic tables out in the open. It's usually spacious and just us."

"Cool, see you later." Joey patted Noah's shoulder and took off in another direction.

Noah looked at me, slightly confused. "That was weird. Wonder what he would want to talk about? Maybe wants to challenge you to some at bats?"

I was taken aback, but then shook my head. "No way. He sounded like he just wanted to talk to you. Maybe because you'll be the remaining captain when Garret graduates?"

Noah shrugged. "Yea. Maybe he wants to do something special for the seniors before the banquet."

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