78 Pre-tournament 1 (2/2)

I kept shaking my head.

”You don't know how to steal.” Zeke stated.

I nodded.

Zeke and Noah stared at me in disbelief. But I don't know why they're surprised. I've said before, that I've never played in a game. Maybe they didn't understand that I wasn't really ever on a team or practice with one. I was only allowed in the cages.

Zeke and Noah exchanged looks. Zeke sighed. ”Why didn't you say anything when being taught the signs?”

”What signs?” I tilt my head in confusion.

Zeke immediately swung his head to Noah. ”You didn't go over the signs?”

”Oops.” Noah shrugged, shamefaced. ”It may have slipped my mind.”

Zeke rolled his head back, exasperated. ”How do you expect him to know what to do throughout the game?!”

”Zeke.” Mr. Atkins warned. ”It's fine. Noah can go over it with Jake right now. It would still be reasonable for Jake to not know all the signs. We have another thirty minutes until we arrive.”

Noah looked at me, pleadingly with his eyes. ”It's easy. I swear.”

”I still don't know what signs are for..?” I replied in a low voice, still confused on what they were talking about.

”Secret signals will fly back and forth between managers, coaches, and players determining such things as pitch type, location, infield-outfield depth and position, bag coverage, take, hit, bunt, bunt and run, suicide squeeze, hit and run, run and hit, steal, double steal, or delayed steal.” Zeke told me, straightforwardly.

I blinked. And blinked again. Uh. This doesn't sound like something I can learn in half an hour.

”You're intimidating him.” Noah put his hands on Zeke's head, forcing him to face forward. ”Just leave it to me. I'll get him to memorize the basics.”

”It's me leaving it to you in the first place, that got us to this point.” We heard Zeke mumbled.

Noah paid no attention to his snide remark and faced me head on. ”Okay Jake. This won't be too hard. Just listen here.”