The Hitting Zone

Chapter 1202 V4 ch50 Back Home

When dad had booked us our flights back to the west coast, I felt personally attacked by the flight departure time. 7am. Which meant we were at the airport by 5:30am. Which meant leaving the hotel by 5am. Which meant being up at 4am to shower and finish packing. I was so tired that I fell asleep shortly after finding my seat on the plane. I was out before the plane even left the gate.

I continued to be sluggish as we caught a ride to the Johnson's and took Dave's car back to the house. I napped every chance I could, but I think it just made me more tired. After lunch, I napped at home in the comfort of my own bed.

At least until Dave came into the room, telling me that Mom wanted us to strip our bedding to wash it. I slowly got up and helped him, taking sheets and comforters from the four beds to the floor. We had spare sheets to put back on too.

I paused at Kyle's bed. "What about Kyle's? Do we make up his bed? Or just leave it until he gets back?"

"Let's make it." Dave decided. "For one, it'll look better than just a plain mattress. Two, what if he or Zeke come by to visit. Then it's already ready."

We finished remaking the beds and took all the used bedding down to the washer and dryer. Surprisingly, Dave got things started instead of just leaving it for Mom.

"Where's Noah?" I asked as we walked back upstairs.

"He left for Alisha's." Dave said.

I was taken aback. "Without me?"

"You would rather sleep." Dave laughed and messed with the hair on my head. "Besides, I think it was supposed to be a secret. He left under the disguise of 'going for a run'."

I frowned. "How do you know he went to Alisha's then?"

Dave smiled and pointed towards Noah's desk. "He left with a small baggie. One that I remember he got a few weekends ago. The necklace with his number on it?"

"Oh." I nodded, knowing what he was talking about. Kyle got something just like it for Marie. "I guess it's a belated birthday present of sorts. I probably should have gotten her something from Omaha."

"Like what? A baseball shirt she'll never wear?" Dave laughed.

"Alisha would wear it." I said with confidence. "She's so nice. She wouldn't let a gift go unused."

"Leave the gift giving to Noah." Dave brushed it off. "Means more from him, I'm sure." He sat at his desk. "Want to see how many math lessons we can get done before dinner?"

I sat down and turned on the computer. "Yea!"

Dave and I put a serious dent into our college algebra course, even taking the first unit's test. It wasn't all multiple choice like we had guessed. There were fill in the blanks and it wasn't just for the final answers. Some had blanks in the steps or answers and in the end there were multiple blanks for each step. If that wasn't enough, it was timed. Not like a countdown, but counting up. Dave said it's a different way the teacher could tell if anything suspicious was going on like if you took too long, maybe you were looking up the answers.

We were talking about how we would have to go to the community college for the midterm and final. Both in person. Dave wasn't as frivolous as before like in high school. He was trying his best to stay on top of this class to get an A. It helped that a lot of the beginning has been review.

"You guys just study all afternoon?" Noah walked in, wiping sweat on his forehead onto the sleeve of his shirt.

"That and napped." I answered, putting my study materials to the side.

"We also remade the beds." Dave added.

"Cool. Thanks." Noah headed for the bathroom. "I'm gonna shower before dinner." He went in.

Dave raised an eyebrow and looked to me.

"What?" I asked.

"He came back empty-handed." Dave whispered.

"Wouldn't it be more concerning if he came back with her present?" I shrugged.

"Man. You're no fun." Dave grabbed a pillow off his bed and tried to hit me with it. "You don't want to gossip at all."

I dodged. "There's not much to talk about."

Alisha may like Noah more than a friend. And Noah knows it. He treats her a little better than most, but he said he didn't want to do the dating thing like Kyle. Noah was all about baseball. Alisha knows that too, so she wouldn't pressure him or give ultimatums. It was what it is and is what it will be.

"Well maybe I'll have hope to get a girlfriend before him then." Dave mused, putting his pillow back where it belonged. He glanced at me. "What about you? Do you like anyone? Kaylee, maybe?"

"I like Kaylee." I nodded. Dave stumbled. "And Alisha too. They're both nice."

Dave put a hand on the bunk bed frame to hold himself up. He put the other to his head. "Jake. I'm talking about a different kind of like. The kind where you want to date."

"Oh." I gave another small shrugg. "I don't really think about it too much. Some people date. Some people don't. Not many guys on the team have had serious girlfriends." I looked at him. "You. Garret. Bryce. Brian. Sean. Jason."

Dave grabbed his pillow and whipped it at me. Much faster than before. It hit me in the face and then I caught it.

"Hey." I frowned.

"I'm going down to see what's for dinner." Dave left the room.

I put his pillow back and went to empty out mine and Noah's bags from the past week in Nebraska. We had a lot of dirty clothes. A few leftover snacks. Some souvenirs.

"Where'd Dave go?" Noah asked when he came out of the bathroom.

"Downstairs to ask what's for dinner." I told him. "Did Alisha like your present?"

Noah whipped his head to my direction so fast you would have thought I had called him a cursed word or something. "You…"

"Dave told me he saw you leaving with it." I shrugged, not hiding it from him. "I just wanted to know if anything changed between you and Alisha."

Noah cleared his throat. "No. Why would it? It was just a birthday present."

I watched as he busied himself around the room. Picking things up and putting them back down just inches of difference. "Did something else happened?"

Noah took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Just…the same as last year…"

I thought about it. "Did she kiss you?"

"On the lips." He shook his head. "I told her we're not a couple, but she said she'll wait until I change my mind. Or until she changes hers." He sighed. "Girls can be so ridiculous. Like why complicate it. I don't know where I'll be in two years and she'll be in some college. We're on two different paths."

I shrugged. I didn't get it either. "Kyle and Marie are trying."

"Bad example. We don't like them as a couple." Noah said. "They put themselves first. Always. I could never."

"Yea. Because you put baseball first." I grinned. "Alisha knows that. So?"

"I just don't want to hurt her feelings." Noah sighed. "Now I'm going to feel awkward every time we go to her house this summer."

He says that, but I don't think Noah has ever acted awkward in the time that I've known him.