Zeke unlocked his car so we could move the bats to his trunk.
"Thank you!" I raised my voice at Mr. Johnson, trying my best to show my gratitude.
Mr. Johnson nodded. "Sure thing." He looked at Rhys. "I'm going to head to the stadium. Text me when you make it home."
"Alright." Rhys grinned at his dad. "Thanks for making the trip, Dad."
He gave his son a pat on the shoulder. "It's no problem. I'll see you after the game." He said his goodbyes and got back into his car. We watched him go, waving.
Noah grinned at me. "Man, all those bats...where are we going to put them??"
"The garage should be fine." Rhys suggested.
My jaw dropped.
Noah started to wag his finger at Rhys. "Typical. Pitchers just don't understand how important bats are. Jake and I read up on how to take care of wood bats and it's important not to have them stored in a damp area. With the fall coming, it's better to keep them in our room."
Rhys shrugged. "Store them in your closet?"
I rolled my eyes. Like that's any better.
Noah just shook his head. "Ignore him." He told me. "Maybe Mom or Dad will have an idea." His eyes widened when an idea came to mind. "You know how there's a cubby in the batting cages to hold spare bats? We should try to find something like that!"
I nodded. That sounded like a good idea. It would make it easier for me to take care of these bats.
"Let's go grab our bags and pack up the car." Zeke said, heading back to the dorms. "Mom is expecting us to make it back for an early dinner."
We obediently followed, only to split up once we enter the dorms. Noah and I went back to our room and grabbed our bags, leaving the room keys out on the desk. Supposedly one of the athletes would go around to collect all of them and make sure none of the rooms are torn up.
With everything gathered, we went back downstairs and met up again with Zeke and Rhys. We walked out to the parking lot and said goodbye to Rhys as he walked to his own car. I felt a little sad watching him go.
At least until Noah reminded me that we'll see him again. "Don't be upset." He told me as we packed up our car. "We can see Rhys almost anytime. Maybe after the high school camp though."
I relaxed my shoulders, satisfied. "Right."
"If you miss him that much, I can ask him to come visit us during the week." Zeke offered. "It's not like he has a lot going on now that the camp is done. Plus, I'm sure the twins will want to see him too. Show off the skills they've learned this summer."
"Are they already home??" Noah asked. "They haven't sent me any texts yet."
"Dave's home." Zeke answered as we got into the car. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking space. "Dad picked Dave up early this morning. He'll pick up Kyle late tonight. That's why Mom wants to have an early dinner."
"I wonder if Kyle will start to pull away from Dave now that he tried out that expensive camp." Noah said aloud. "Zeke, do you think he'll really crack into the 90's just from that one camp?"
"Who knows." Zeke shrugged. "I've never been to that camp nor do I know of its accuracy of their camp statement."
They spent the next hour talking about what it took to break into the realm of 90mph pitching. Zeke mentioned a few professional players that suddenly realized they were throwing faster, while other players consciously worked at it. Rhys was lucky to have a pitching coach as his dad so he had someone watching his mechanics since day one.
"A lot good that did him." Noah snorted. "He still needed Tommy John surgery. Does that make his dad a bad dad or a bad coach?"
Zeke shook his head. "Some things are out of the coach's and parent's hands. Rhys should have known better than to push it. He didn't have any self-control. He now knows what to do and more importantly, what not to do."
Noah rolled his eyes. "You act like you've never pushed it beyond your limits either. Playing after getting hurt is what almost every athlete does."
Zeke sighed. "Do as I say, not as I do."
"Are you really quoting dad right now?" Noah laughed.
I joined in too, laughing at the familiar saying.
Zeke smiled, but continued to talk about the consequences of playing when something doesn't feel 'right'. Noah made him swear not to get hurt at Stanford, and he surprisingly agreed.
It was almost like Zeke was trying to impart advice and lectures as he got ready to leave us behind. Noah accepted all the advice on the condition that Zeke did the same while he was in college. Zeke really did have his own set of rules for himself so I thought Noah was right to push back. I didn't want Zeke to get hurt while playing in college. That would just be bad for him, all the way around. I especially didn't want to hear others talking crap about him for picking college over the majors.
When we arrived back home, both Mom and Dad's cars were sitting in the driveway. Zeke parked out on the street and we got out and stretched.
"Let's go inside first and come back for the bags!" Noah said as he headed for the front door.
I nodded and followed along.
Zeke was only a step behind me.
"Mom! Dad! We're home!" Noah yelled out as he pushed open the front door.
The first to appear was Dave, coming out of the living room. He grinned as we all met in the walkway. "What a sight for sore eyes!"
Noah grinned and lightly punched Dave in the stomach. "I'll make you sore!"
"Elder abuse!" Dave laughed as he stepped back. He glanced at me. "Hey Jake! Are you getting taller again?"
I straightened up with pride.
"Must be sucking up to Jake because you want something." Noah was immediately suspicious.
Dave laughed. "You caught me." He looked down at me. "Want to see how my pitching has improved over the last few weeks?"
I nodded, then paused. "Yes, but...do you really think I've grown..?"
"Of course you've grown!" Mom assured me as she came down the stairs, obviously overhearing our conversation. "Dave, you don't need to challenge Jake right when they get back. Let them come in all the way and get settled. I'm sure it's been a tiring week." She pulled me and Noah into a simultaneous hug.
"Awe, Mom! C'mon, let go. We were only gone for a week." Noah complained about the hug, but I didn't see him fight to get away from it. He was even hugging her back.
Mom let go of us and moved on to Zeke. "How was the drive? Was there traffic? Did you thank Coach Leroy for us? Come in, come in. Let's move to the kitchen. I've baked some cookies for everyone." She gave Zeke no time to respond as she pulled him to the kitchen.
The three of us didn't wait around either. Not when cookies were being offered.
