Zeke saw my look of fear and cracked a smile. "It won't be anything you two can't handle. Just training to keep you guys in shape. Maybe work a little more on your stamina and strength."
"Yea! It'd be cool if you could start cranking out homeruns all the time like Zeke!" Dave got excited. "It would be like he never left."
I looked at Zeke.
Zeke tilted his head. "Jake would have to do some more growing."
I sat up straighter than ever. "I've been growing."
"True." Dave nodded. "You're no longer the bean sprout you were just a few months ago. I hope you grow as tall as Jeremy."
I thought about seriously. "Do you think I can?"
"Sure!" Dave was quick to tell me. "You and him look a lot alike. I feel like your height should be similar in the end."
My eyes widened. "You think I look like him?" I only ever saw him in a way that he resembled our dad.
"Yea, you both have these brown curls." Dave reached over to pull my hair. "Which you definitely need to cut. It's annoying to have such long hair in the summer."
"That's it..?" I asked. Just the hair..?
"Just take a look at the pictures of you two together." Dave told me. "You see it in the face. Like the same nose and same lips. The only major difference is the way you're built. You-" He frowned. "You're a little thin. From...being malnourished. Your cheeks aren't as pinchable as his."
"Pinchable?" I asked, cracking a smile.
"Yea! Like this-" Dave reached for Zeke, but was scared away with a simple glare. At this moment, Noah came back with a bag in hand. Dave got ahold of him before Noah could figure out what was going on. "Like this!!" He pulled at both sides of Noah's cheek, stretching his face out.
Noah smacked his hands away and pushed him. "What the heck!?"
Dave laughed. "I was just making a demonstration for Jake." His eyes zeroed in on the bag. "So? What did you get this girl friend of yours?"
Noah frowned, rubbing his cheek with one hand. "She's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend that's a girl."
"Yea, yea. Sureee." He grabbed the bag out of Noah's hands. "Let's see..." He pulled out a couple of headbands. Each one had a different design and looked very pretty. Definitely something Alisha would wear. "Wow. You have good tastes. Do you know if she even likes to wear headbands though?"
Noah got red in the face. "She wears one occasionally. I thought she would like some more choices." He grabbed the bag back. Then looked at Zeke. "Can I go take this to the car? I don't want to carry it the whole time. We still have to eat and go to the movie so I know I'll lose it."
Zeke got up like he was going to go with him. "Dave, stay with Jake."
Dave shook his head, looking at the pair suspiciously. "No way. You two get to go off together? Terrible idea. You stay with Jake. AND stay right here. We'll be back in no time." He grabbed Noah by the sleeve and started to speed walk. He kept glancing back like we would run off.
"Did you want to get Alisha anything else?" Zeke asked. "Or are you good with headbands as a gift?"
I shrugged. "She asked that Noah give her a gift. So that's fine."
Zeke looked at me, showing some surprise.
"Originally Noah wanted time go to the mall, because he thought of a good way to prank the twins." I explained. "Alisha told me she only wanted a gift from Noah so I thought that would be a good cover for him."
He raised an eyebrow. "Have you told Noah that?"
I shrugged. "No. There hasn't been time."
Zeke's lips twitched. "Alright. Don't bother. He wouldn't understand anyways."
I scratched my head, not sure if I understood.
I looked to make sure Dave and Noah were out of sight. Then turned back to Zeke. "Are you here to get stuff for the twins birthday too?"
Zeke grinned. "Nope. I'm ready."
I blinked. "What are you going to do?"
Zeke sat back down. "The first step to pulling off any prank is keeping it a surprise."
"Oh." I guess that makes sense. The twins didn't tell Noah and I about what they were doing to Zeke. "Are you going to need our help?"
Zeke shook his head. "Nope. Just watch and laugh. That'll be good enough."
"Okay." With nothing else to say, I started to look around. As it Friday afternoon transition to Friday night, the mall was becoming even busier and the crowds were more tightly compact.
I started to feel a little nervous with so many people around.
"Jake." Zeke said, getting my attention.
I looked at him. "Yea?"
"Don't focus on them. Focus on yourself. Focus on me." He looked me in the eyes. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"
I felt awkward being called out before an anxiety attack kicked in, but I was also thankful. I put my hands together and shrugged. "I don't know what to talk about..."
"How do you feel about Kyle?" He asked.
I sat up a little straighter. "I'm not mad at him."
He gave a light smile. "You're never truly mad. I didn't ask how you didn't feel though, I asked how you felt."
I shrugged. "I feel a little guilty. He sometimes makes me feel uncomfortable..."
Zeke nodded.
I looked around to make sure Dave and Noah wasn't back yet before speaking up. "I heard him talk to you on the ride home from the game last night. I kind of understand his anxiousness."
"He doesn't hate you." Zeke told me out of the blue.
"I know." I answered with a smile. "I know what hate feels like. Plus, Kyle is a nice guy. He...he's just going through some uncertainty..?" I offered up.
Zeke replied. "Yea, that's a good way to put it. He's unsure of himself and is lashing out. That kid..." He shook his head, dismayed. "Even though him and Dave are twins, they're the opposite when it comes to how they handle their emotions."
I nodded in agreement. When Dave was going through his injuries, he internalized everything. He became serious and focused, almost like a robot.
"They're back." Zeke looked past me and stood up again.
I followed suit.
Dave and Noah were walking back, both laughing at something one of them had said.
Dave was the first to speak when they reached us. "Hear me out guys...why don't we four prank Kyle together? There are no rules that say I can't prank him even though it's my birthday too."
"He wants to be our inside man." Noah explained.
"What do you have in mind?" Zeke didn't turn him down.
Dave threw out a bunch of random ideas, some of which were really childish while others sounded kind of mean. We spent more time throwing around ideas as we headed to the crowded food court for dinner. Dave didn't slow down in the slightest, very intent on pranking his own twin. Maybe he was hoping that if he shifted our attention to Kyle, he might be left off the hook. Unfortunately for him, both Zeke and Noah already had something planned.
