When I woke, I was startled. Somehow I went from the game to my bed. Was it all a dream? I sat up and noticed I was still in my dirty uniform.
"Oh. You're finally awake!" Noah stood up so he can peek in the top bunk, where I slept. "Go take a shower and I'll tell mom to warm some breakfast up for you."
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "I have a headache."
Noah looked startled. "Oh. That could be because you slept for so long. How about you go take a nice warm shower to feel better." He sniffed. "And smell better." He cracked a smile and headed for the door. "I'll be downstairs with mom and dad." He left.
I rolled out of bed and made my way to the bathroom, with clean clothes in hand. Once I was there, I realized, it was Monday. There's school. We're going to be late! I rushed through my shower and quickly got dressed. I tugged my socks and shoes on before running downstairs with my backpack.
"What are you doing..?" Dave asked as I tripped over the last step, stumbling a few feet.
I held up my backpack.
Kyle came out of the kitchen just in time to see me hold my backpack up. He and Dave made eye contact and started to laugh together. I shook my backpack at them with exasperation.
"We're going to be late!" I told them.
They stopped and looked me over. Dave spoke first. "Late? For what? Mom said you're appointment wasn't until nine o'clock."
Kyle laughed at my confusion. "There's no school today, kiddo. It's President's Day. All schools have the day off. But there'll be an evening practice so make sure your bag is ready to go before you forget that too."
My bag? My bag! Where did I put it? I didn't even clean my bat after yesterday! I tried to recall yesterday's game against Paradise Prep. I had a few hits. Zeke got for the cycle. And then-and then? I put my fingers to my temple and tried to soothe the headache that was coming back. Yesterday, I froze.
"Jake?" Noah's voice sounded near. I opened my eyes and saw him standing by the entrance to the dining room. "I was wondering what was taking you so long. Come on. Sit down and eat something before it gets cold again."
"But..." My headache started to get even worse. I felt lost and confused. I was missing my bat and bag. I barely remember the end of the game last night. And now I'm told there's no school today.
Dave came over and took my backpack out of my hands. "One thing at a time. Go eat. You don't need this today."
I nodded and walked over to Noah. He then guided me to the table and we sat beside each other. Mr. Atkins sat on one end. And Mrs. Atkins sat next to Noah on the opposite end.
"Good morning Jake." Mr. Atkins greeted me. "How are you this morning?"
I was still rubbing my head and frowned. "I have a headache."
Mr. Atkins exchanged looks with his wife, then looked at me. "Drink some water. You slept a lot and didn't have time to rehydrate. The boys told you that there's no school today, right?"
I nodded and grabbed the glass of water in order to chug it.
"With the day off, I think it would be a good idea to see Dr. Moore today." He continued. I choked on my water and set the glass back down.
"Is this about yesterday?" I cleared my throat after a few coughs. I nervously looked at Mr. Atkins. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."
Mr. Atkins gave me a soft smile. "It's nothing you have to apologize for. We just think it would be a good idea to consult Dr. Moore and talk it out. It'll help you in the long run. It's nice to see you talking again, but it would be helpful to know what happened and what we can do to prevent another incident like it."
I stared down at my hands, a little ashamed.
"Don't be so down about it." Noah said. "I'm going with you and dad this time."
I raised an eyebrow at him.
He shrugged. "I want to know what he's like. What the place is like. With me there, you won't be scared right?"
I slowly nodded.
"Then I'll go to. It's better then sticking around here with the boys." He rolled his eyes. "Maybe I need to see a psychologist too. It's hard being the youngest of four. You can never impress anyone."
"What?" My eyebrows furrowed.
"Listen. Zeke had a perfect batting average throughout the tournament with no fielding errors. He was named tournament mvp. Kyle won tournament best pitcher for that perfect game. And even Dave was an honorable mention. The injustice." Noah shook his head, looking a little depressed. "And then you stole best underclassmen performance. What did I get? A little mention that I was also a freshman like you." He pouted.
I lightly pat his shoulder.
