548 V2 ch20 (1/2)

Zeke didn't hint to us whether he had a plan already set or if we would come up with something together this weekend. He left us to go to his own class and we went to ours.

”Is it just me, or are we being stared at..?” Noah noticed immediately that the few classmates that were already in the room, didn't take their eyes off us when we walked in.

”Noah!”

”Noah, Jake, come here!”

”Why didn't you guys tell us?”

”Tell you what?” Noah asked after dropping his backpack off at his desk.

I did the same.

”That Jake was on good terms with Jeremy Patterson now!”

I froze.

Noah looked around. ”How do you guys know?”

”It's going around.” Alisha was the one to speak up and show us her phone. ”Someone posted on a blog about him coming to the CIF game and had pictures to back it up. And then added some pictures of the game last night. Where Jeremy was taking pictures of the team and talking to Jake.”

”What a creep!” Noah exclaimed. ”Who the heck does this?” He grabbed the phone and started to scroll.

Alisha shrugged. ”It's just a blogger from the area trying to be a reporter. He doesn't have a whole lot of followers, but somehow it got around the school since your whole team was at the game last night. Someone was bound to know one of you guys and then it just got around.” She looked at me. ”So? Is it true? That you're his brother?”

The class got quiet. Even Noah. He looked at me like I would be making the decision to talk about Jeremy. ”Uh...well, he is. My biological brother.” The class started to ask questions all at once and it was hard to hear anything specific.

”Shut up!” Noah hollered, giving Alisha her phone back. ”If you guys want to gossip before class starts, then I suggest you let Jake tell you what's going on.” The class was silent once more. Noah nodded at me. ”Just tell them what you want to tell them.”

I don't really want to tell them anything though..?

I sighed. ”We aren't exactly close. We haven't spoken in years. He's...” I shrugged. ”He's a professional baseball player.”

”Do you think you can get us an autograph?” Someone asked.

I turned red, embarrassed. ”I don't know. Maybe?” I looked around. ”Does everyone want one..?”

”I do!”

”Me too!”

”I mean, if you're offering?”

”Yea!”

”Definitely!”

”Okay, okay.” Noah waved his hands around. ”Settle down. We'll see what we can do. Jake will ask, but if he gets told no, then that's final.” Noah sounded more like his parents as he calmed down our classmates.

”Would he really tell you no?” Alisha whispered to me as Noah placated the others.

I shrugged. ”We aren't close.” I felt like a broken record, repeating myself over and over again. ”I-” I stopped and realized I didn't even text him this morning about coming over on Sunday. ”Hold on.”

Me: You can come over Sunday for dinner.

A reply came back almost immediately.

Jeremy: I'll be there.

So quick. I looked up at Alisha, feeling her curious eyes locked on me. ”I...We're not as distant as before.”