555 V2 ch27 (2/2)

”Sit down, Jake.” Noah instructed, already getting comfortable at the table.

Looking around, I was the last one standing. I found a seat between Noah and Dave. Zeke and Rhys were on the other side, helping themselves to the food that was already laid out.

I waited patiently to grab myself a slice of pizza, but Zeke was quick to add another slice. ”You need extra calories.” He told me.

I nodded obediently.

”Why is it that when I eat too much, I'm a fatty, but when Jake does it, it's a necessity?” Noah complained.

Zeke gave him a look. ”You eat way more cookies than Jake.”

Noah rolled his eyes. ”It's not like pizza calories are healthier than cookie calories.”

”Jake is underweight. You are not.” Zeke told him.

Dave laughed, almost choking on his food. ”Ouch!”

”I'm a growing young man!” Noah declared proudly.

Rhys laughed. ”You better hope you grow a little faster. I think I stopped getting taller at 16. You've only got a year left.”

”A year and two months!” Noah corrected.

I stopped eating. ”We stop growing at 16..?” I started to worry. I was barely 5'4” now and nowhere near Jeremy's height.

”It depends and varies.” Zeke answered. ”I still grew a little this past year. Some kids stop at 14, and some may grow until they reach their 20's. You're a somewhat special case since you were...” He trailed off. ”Just eat more. Drink more milk. Exercise. Stay healthy.”

I didn't grow because I was starved most of my life. Those unspoken words hung over the table like a lightbulb in the middle of the night.

Rhys cleared his throat. ”Like Zeke said, everyone's different. Don't worry about it. It's pretty normal for some middle infielders to be short. José Altuve. Dustin Pedroia. David Eckstein. Joe Morgan.”

”Three of those four were second basemen!” Noah pointed out. ”Does that mean I'm going to be in trouble?”

”With your sweet tooth, you're already in trouble.” Dave told him.

Noah threw his half-drank water bottle at his brother. ”I'm working out with Zeke this summer. I'm sure I'll burn off all sweets that I eat. It certainly felt that way this morning.” He sighed.

Rhys chuckled. ”You worked out with Zeke this morning?”

”Jake too.” Dave added while laughing. ”You should have seen them. A couple days without baseball and now they get winded by some jogging and weightlifting.”

”Zeke does not jog.” Noah corrected. ”It was a run! A real run! Poor Jake was trailing behind the whole time. Zeke has no mercy.”

”It's called training.” Zeke's lips twitched, fighting off a smile.

I listened as they debated, feeling more relaxed. I ate my pizza, both slices, and laughed whenever Dave and Noah started to bicker. The fear and anxiety I had earlier about coming seemed to vanish into air, almost like an illusion.

Rhys was a great host, getting more water and napkins whenever we needed it. His mom stayed out of sight and maybe that helped more than I would liked to admit. I wonder if he mentioned something about me being skittish or if Zeke had just told Rhys everything about me, and he relayed it to his mom. The more I thought about it, the more I leaned to the latter. After all, we were eating lunch outside, in the open. Compared to a kitchen or dining room I've never been in.

I glanced at Zeke while he was talking to Rhys about Stanford and how he was going to take us to the summer camp. Zeke was definitely the type to prepare and would make sure I felt comfortable. Tough on the outside, but soft on the inside. An apt description for Zeke, the eldest brother.