236 Zeke’s Tryout 1 (1/2)

Noah's eyes sparkled with excitement just at the thought. He started to look at the other baseball related items as i got lost in my thoughts. It was almost as if he was ready to graduate high school and move on to the next stage. Where as I...I didn't know what to do or where to go. Just trying to keep up with Noah now made me tired. And I wasn't even doing a good job at it. Even if I was the best hitter in the world, who would want someone who can't field? Did I like baseball enough to even move on to the next level? The only reason I played now, was because Noah wanted me to. Could he single handedly drag me to the professional level with him? That's not very realistic.

”Jake?” Mrs. Atkins voice pulled me out of my own head. She was holding two different sizes of the same shirt. ”Are you okay?”

I shrugged. ”Just thinking.”

She smiled. ”No need to stress about the future.” She told me as if she was reading my mind. ”There's a saying that you should know by now: everything can change in a New York minute. That means any given millisecond. One decision can change your whole future. But then, another decision can change it in a completely new direction.”

I contemplated over her words, then nodded. ”Thanks.” I mumbled.

Her smile grew, a trait Noah definitely got from her, making me relax a little more. She held up the two different sizes to compare to my body. ”I'm trying to decide if I should get you the small or the medium. The small would definitely fit you best, but if you have a growth spurt then the medium would last longer.”

”Medium.” I looked up to her to make eye contact. ”I'll grow.”

”Of course you will!” Noah popped back up, tackling me from behind. I fell forward a few steps but was able to hold us up. ”Hey, Mom, can I also get this keychain? It's only a few dollars.”

Mrs. Atkins frowned. ”The shirts are already so much. Why would you want a keychain anyway? You don't have any keys.”

He feigned a hurt expression. ”For a keepsake. I decided that I want to get a keychain from every college I visit since I won't officially be going to any after high school.”

”Good lord,” She rolled her eyes up. ”What have I ever done to get a hell-raiser like Noah?”

”You were obviously a saint.” Noah grinned. ”Not every mother could be blessed with a boy like me.”

She held out the five t-shirts to Noah. ”You hold everything until we get to the cash register then if you want that keychain.” She looked at me. ”You want anything else? You should get something extra too.”

I shook my head. I was happy with just the shirt.

We headed to the front of the store where the registers were. Mr. Atkins stood awkwardly high among the student population, with his arms full of snacks. We joined him, got in line, and they paid for everything before we hurried to the stadium. According to the time, we took longer than the time allotted.

As we walked into the stadium, I was surprised to see how many people came just to watch a practice. We found the twins saving a few seats behind home plate and a few rows back.

”What took you guys so long?” Dave whined.

”Yea, you already missed the warmups.” Kyle added.

Mr. Atkins waved the snack bag before settling into a seat. ”Sounds like you two don't want a snack. Looks like you'll just have to wait for dinner.”