52 O’Conners (2/2)

”Wow. Four words.” Noah nodded at his dad. ”You've almost been elevated to my status.”

”How many words do you get?” He asked his son.

”Quite a few a day.” Noah shrugged, like it was no biggie. ”Especially when he doesn't understand something.”

”Like what?”

”Well today we were discussing Garret's cutter so I had to explain what a cut fastball was. We also talked about playing second and short together. Sometimes I get a word or two. Or a nod. Or a shake of the head.”

Mr. Atkins laughed. ”You must be the one he trusts the most.”

”Is that true?” Noah looked me in the eye. I turned red and gave a quick nod, then turned away to go look at something else. Noah caught up to me real quick and threw an arm around my shoulders. ”Awe. I'm honored Jake. I'll be your translator and interpreter until you're ready to talk to everyone else.”

I could hear Mr. Atkins chuckling behind us, probably amused. Noah led me towards the baseball equipment area and started to point out some expensive cleats and gloves.

I felt uncomfortable with the thought of the Atkins spending so much money on me. The clothes were already enough. Plus the bat was really costly. I don't think Mr. Duncan check from the state would cover all of this.

”If you need it, grab it.” Mr. Atkins told me.

I shook my head. I really didn't need it. In fact, I don't even want it.

”You can't just keep using my old cleats. And your glove looks really worn. What if they tear or break?” Noah scrunched up nose.

I looked at Mr. Atkins and shook my head so he would know I was okay with what I had.

”Maybe Jake likes what he's using.” He told Noah. ”Your old cleats are worn in so they probably don't give him blisters. And maybe his glove is broken in perfectly for his fielding.”

Noah sighed. ”Okay. That makes sense. Moving on.”

They dragged me all throughout the store to look at anything I might need. We grabbed alcohol and a piece of wood for my bat. Finally after an hour of torture, the whole family met up at the front of the store to checkout. Everyone had grabbed something, even quiet Zeke. The total was in the hundreds and make me sick to my stomach. But Mr. and Mrs. Atkins didn't even blink. They just paid and passed out the bags for us to carry.