Chapter 1128  V3 ch362 CIF Final: Branham HS (1)

It felt weird approaching an empty A's stadium and knowing that Jeremy wouldn't be here. Surprisingly, a familiar face greeted us and the team.

Rose smiled and she shook Coach's hand. "You guys made it here a little early. We just finished setting up your changing room."

"Traffic wasn't bad at all." Coach told her. "We made good timing."

"Jeremy's not here, is he?" I asked, feeling a little worried.

Rose laughed. "No. Of course not. His game should have already started. If you don't believe me, you can check the box score."

I pulled out my phone to double check. Sure enough, Jeremy was batting third and was already 1-1 at the plate tonight.

Rose waited for everyone to unload the bus and with our bags, we headed for the stadium entrance. We still had to go through security, proving to the employees that we didn't bring in anything we weren't supposed to. Rose led us through some of the familiar halls before stopping at a conference room.

"Here we are." She told everyone. "This is the clubroom where you can change and store stuff as needed." She pointed down a hall. "That way will lead you to your dugout and you guys will have full access to the field for warmups."

"Is it set up so we can take live batting practice?" Noah asked, eager to get out there already.

"Yes it is." She looked at Coach. "We'll be in charge of taking everything down and resetting the field after you and the other school are done with warmups. You guys are here first so you can use it first."

"Thank you." Coach said. He turned to us. "What are you boys waiting for?"

"Thanks!"

"Thank you!"

"We appreciate it."

"I can't wait to get out there!"

Everyone hurried into the room and started to change and get ready, even pulling the cleats out of their bags already.

"Before I go, can I speak to Jake privately for a second?" Rose requested.

Coach looked at me.

"I'll be here too, Coach." Noah said, slapping my back.

Coach nodded and left us out in the hallway with Rose as he went in the room.

"What's up, Rose?" Noah asked. "Got a secret message from Jeremy to Jake?"

Rose gave a small yet short smile. "Well. Kind of. But not the best kind of message. More like a warning so Jake won't be caught off guard."

I straightened up.

Rose looked almost apologetic. "I know your family is a bit of a sensitive topic, but I just wanted to make sure you know that they're going to be here."

"Of course our parents are going to be here." Noah replied. "They're on their way with Grampa right now."

"No." She shook her head. "Not them."

Ah. I slowly nodded. "Jeremy's family."

She looked a little sad. "Your family too." She pumped her fist. "They're going to be here to cheer you on."

"Wait. Wait. Wait. What." Noah was stunned. I would say even more than I was. "Is this a joke? Why would they come to the game?"

"Well, they are local." Rose said. "And when Jeremy told Carson that Jake would be playing here, Carson said he wanted to come and watch. I think when telling his parents where he was going to be on a Monday night, they decided to come together. All of them. Gabby and Makenna love to watch baseball games too." She named the two girl cousins who I only saw a time or two. I probably couldn't directly point them out in a crowd. Same goes for their mom.

But I could recognize Carson and his father, Jack.

"Jake?" Noah nudged me.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. "It's fine. They're just spectators. It's not like I have to talk to them or anything."

"That's the spirit." Noah clapped me on the shoulder. He looked at Rose with all seriousness. "You will make sure that they don't talk to him, right? Especially Jack."

"I can be a pretty good buffer." Rose declared confidently. She then wished us luck on our game and left.

Noah checked in with me again. "You sure it's no big deal?"

I shrugged. "I mean, it's better than being surprised and confronted. And it's not like I have direct conflict with most of them. Only…"

"Jack." Noah finished for me. "Don't worry. I'll send Mom a text and she'll be our real buffer."

I grinned. Yea. She wouldn't let that man get close to me. "Make sure she and Dad know I'm okay. No…breakdown."

Noah grinned back at me. "Yea. I will." We went into the room and joined the team in getting ready.

When everyone was dressed and ready, we left the room for the dugout, getting our equipment out and ready. Everyone wanted to put their helmet and bats in the cubbies, pretending like we were the real A's team. I happily took Jeremy's spot for both items, recognizing his jersey number. A few of the guys fought over using Maberry's spot until Garret took control. And by control, I mean he bragged that he was the best and should therefore have the best. It was hard to compete with a guy who could do it all.

After we did a quick team warmup, Garret got first dibs at batting practice since he would have to head to the bullpen soon.

"I can't believe we're using the full field." Noah muttered as we watched Garret take his swings and hit balls all over the place. All the pitchers not starting, including the twins, were in the outfield shagging the balls. "There's going to be a lot of ground to cover for those in the outfield."

I sighed with relief, thankful I wasn't playing out there. It was hard enough in my assigned position.

"I don't think you could hit a homer even if they let you swing." Noah stated as Garret's latest hit went off the outfield wall. "Garret hasn't clear once yet and no offense, but he's stronger."

I nodded in agreement. "The corners are already my best bet and these are 330 feet." Our home field was only 300 feet. "I think I could make it with the right kind of pitch at good speed."

Noah smiled. "Hey, that's the kind of confidence I like to see."

When Noah went up for his batting practice and I stood next in line, Coach came over. "How are you feeling, Jake?"

I shrugged. "Like normal."

"This stadium doesn't scare you?" He asked.

I gave a small smile. "I've been here before." I looked down at my feet. "I've even stood this close to home plate before. I think the only thing I'm scared of today, is not getting my chance."

Coach laughed and patted me on the back. "Good. I'm glad. That's what I like to hear. I have to say, I was kind of worried when Rose asked you to hang back in there. You and Noah looked like something serious was going on."

I took a glance at the empty stands. "It's okay. She was just warning me that some relatives would be here. I might have overreacted if I didn't know beforehand."

"You're prepared." Coach stated. I nodded in confirmation. He lowered his voice when he lowered his head. "When taking your practice swings, aim for those corners."

I looked up at him, confused. "Okay…"

He gave a small smile. "The other team is watching."

I glanced past his shoulder and saw that the other team was warming up in right field, behind a protective fence. But their coaches had eyes on us. "Am I trying to get it over or keep it low?"

"You do your best." Coach instructed. "This is a great field to practice hitting homers at. And who knows, maybe if you get the feel for it and the opportunity, you could make it happen later on."

I nodded, eager to give it a try.

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