"Are you going to stay with us, Rose?" Mom came over at that moment to ask. "Or do you have to go back to work?"
Rose straightened up. "Unfortunately, I do most of my work during the games. I'll probably join you guys during the seventh inning stretch."
"Sounds good." Dad nodded, coming over. "I'm happy that Jeremy has someone like you in his life."
Rose blushed. "I-I-I don't do much." She backed up to the door. "I'm going to go now. See you guys later. Enjoy the game. Bye." She left before any of us could say bye back.
Mom slapped Dad on the chest. "You scared the girl. What's wrong with you?"
Dad grinned. "What?? I'm sure she took it as a compliment. Someone that worried about Jeremy, can't be that bad. She even reached out to call Noah to get to Jake. I hope her and Jeremy can stay together for the long term."
Mom rolled her eyes. "Leave the kids alone." She glanced my way. "Why don't you go join the others, Jake? You know the food won't be there for long. Not with the twins around."
I cracked a smile and went to join the others. Mom knew the twins well...they both had two hot dogs on their plates and grabbed multiple bags of peanuts and popcorn.
"I can't believe they don't provide any dessert." Noah complained as I joined him around the buffet.
"All this junk food isn't enough for you?" Kaylee joked.
"It's not sweet junk food though." Noah sighed. He finished filling his plate and pointed to the sliding door. "I'm going to eat outside. You guys coming?"
"Yep!" Alisha raised her full plate. "I'm already done."
Noah nodded. "Cool. Let's go."
I hurried to fill my plate and followed them out. Kaylee was right behind me, so the seating order became Noah, Alisha, me, Kaylee, then two open seats. It didn't last long though. Marie and Kyle came to join our row.
At first I was nervous being stuck between Alisha and Kaylee, but I stopped overthinking it as the game started. The lineup for both teams was announced, and it was strange to hear that Jeremy would be the designated hitter.
"They're probably letting him off easy for tonight." Kaylee noted. "His only focus would be hitting." She cracked a smile. "Too bad we don't have the DH position in high school. You could hide how bad you are at fielding."
Dave and Garret started to laugh behind us.
I felt my face heat up.
"Hey!" Noah hollered. "Jake is so much better than he was six months ago. Give him another six months and he'll fit right in."
"Jake already stands out." Rhys laughed. "There's no option of fitting in and that's a good thing when it comes to baseball."
"The season can't come soon enough." Noah started to bounce in his seat.
His excitement didn't die down because the A's took an early lead thanks to Jeremy's two-run home run. The A's were killing it throughout the game, with Jeremy getting most of the attention thanks to his multiple hits. You would have thought that he took a vacation day yesterday instead of being stressed out. Just this morning he saw our birth mom. I aspire to be as composed as him in the future.
It was a fun night, stuffing our faces with food and cheering for the A's. It's difficult to say if we would have this much fun if it wasn't for the A's and Jeremy playing well. Rose showed up during the seventh inning stretch like she said she would. And luckily for Noah, she came with bags of cotton candy.
The game ended with the A's winning 13-2. Jeremy was definitely the star of the game, going 4-4 at the plate with two hits being homers.
Our group had moved to inside the suite to watch his postgame interview.
[Broadcaster: Jeremy Patterson! You were absolutely on fire tonight, my man!
Jeremy: Haha, I did what I could to make up for last night.
Broadcaster: Can you tell us what happened to you last night? I know you have a lot of public family drama going on, but...
Jeremy: I won't talk too much about it. My uncle made his choices for his own reasons. For now, me and my brother will be cutting him out of our lives.
Broadcaster: I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean to bring you down after such a great game.
Jeremy: No, no, it's fine. I think a big reason why I did so well tonight was to show everyone that this won't hold me back. It won't stop me from playing my game and working to the ultimate goal: winning the World Series. I'm sorry for the distraction and inconvenience my teammates and coaches have to put up with. I'm also sorry for not responding to those who have reached out to me. Just know, I'll get back to you. Thanks.
Broadcaster: Glad to see you're doing alright! Don't let the media get to you.
Jeremy: Ha...aren't you part of the media?
Broadcaster: ...
Jeremy: Any other questions for me? Despite all that's going on in my personal life, I'm in a good mood.
Broadcaster: Let's talk about your MVP run. You're leading the AL in average, homeruns, RBIs, and only third in runs scored. Are you feeling good with these stats?
Jeremy (scratched his neck): I feel good when my team is winning. We have a great team, and now that Maberry is all good, our lineup is solid.
Broadcaster: So you don't want to be MVP?
Jeremy: I didn't say that.]
The interview shifted to talk about the postseason and how hopeful the A's are to win their division
"Looks like he's doing okay." Kaylee said, standing beside me.
I stopped watching the tv and looked at her. "Yea. I don't think I could do what he did. Seeing that woman..."
"Well, she didn't almost kill him so it's different." Kaylee shrugged.
"Abuse can't be measured." I took my hat off and pushed my bangs out of my eyes, then put the hat back on. "There are a lot of factors. But, I think it's hard to face any abuser. On any level."
Kaylee twisted her lips, looking unconvinced. "If anyone dared to hit me, I'd hit them back."
It felt wrong to laugh, but I let out a small chuckle. Kaylee was raised to be the bully, not to be bullied. Everyone has ideas of what they would do if they were in that kind of situation, but you don't actually know until you're there.
"How'd your camp go this week?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I didn't want to feel down on myself right now. It was a good night to be happy and stay happy.
"Good." She nodded. "Didn't see much among the incoming freshmen, but a lot of the returners have improved over the summer. Especially KJ."
"Oh. Does that mean you're not going to try pitching anymore?" I asked.
"I'd like to." She said in a low voice, glancing towards Marie who was busy talking with Kyle. "My parents can't afford to send me to all those specialized camps like Marie, but I'm hoping Marie can just coach me herself. Especially before she goes off to college."
"Have you asked her?"
She rolled her eyes. "No. She's been busy lately. Softball, softball, Kyle, more softball, more Kyle."
I tried not laugh, but didn't succeed. "Aren't you the one that wanted them back together?"
She sighed. "This is better than angry, heartbroken Marie. Trust me. I'll try to get tips from her these next couple of weeks before school starts. Then I can practice during this semester with a coach watching me. I'd like to give it a go."
"I'm sure you'll be able to do it." I told her, confident in her confidence.
"Of course I'll be able to do it." She snorted. "It's a matter of whether I'll be great at it or not."
I smiled awkwardly, not sure what to say anymore.
Kaylee looked me in the eye. "You're not a big scaredy-cat like you used to be." She slapped me on the shoulder with force. "Keep it up."
