As expected, I sighed to myself as I walked back to the dugout. That station was my biggest weakness. We had just finished the baserunning and stealing at the JV field, and I definitely flunked. At most, maybe they would give me a D-. I did try after all. Effort has to count for something.
Garret and Tanner were still snickering with each other at my expense. My slides were uncoordinated and ugly, and running wasn't my strong suit.
"Dang, it's really a wonder how you made the varsity team to begin with." Garret laughed. "If you didn't hit my own pitching, I'd want you off the team too. At least you provide comedic relief now."
I started to fast walk, trying to distance myself from the pair.
"Aw! No need to be embarrassed, Jakey!" Garret called out after me.
"Leave the poor kid alone." Tanner said between laughs. "Can't you see that he's had a hard day."
I hurried to the dugout and rushed to my bag.
"You're done, aren't you? Why are you in such a mad rush?" Kyle asked as I put my gear away. "We still have to wait for Zeke and Noah."
I faced him with my crestfallen face. "Garret keeps making fun of me."
"Oh Kyle!" Speak of the devil. "You should have seen it! We just did the baserunning at the JV field." Garret started to laugh, unable to hold himself back. "Geez, it was hilarious. Kind of like a comedy show. I don't think Coach Walter really believed that Jake was so bad. He kept hollering for him to 'straighten up and run properly'!" He started to laugh harder. "And that of course, just makes Jake even more nervous and he messes up even more and Walter is probably thinking he's doing it on purpose."
Kyle started to laugh too. "I could only imagine."
Garret put his helmet down and backed up. And to add to my mortification, he started to re-enact what I looked like. "So he would take such small leads and when the coach would tell him to go, he immediately got flustered and would trip. He'd hardly get more than three feet away from the base." Garret picked himself off the floor as he had just fake fallen.
Kyle was laughing so hard that his face turned red like he was struggling to breath. I guess it wasn't hard for him to picture my performance.
I pressed my lips together to hold back my anger. And to think I thought Garret was doing me a service by joining my group. He was just there to lead the teasing.
"Jake, what's wrong with them?" Noah got back to the dugout, putting his glove back in his bag. "They look like they had heard the funniest joke of the year."
Great, I'm the funniest joke of the year now? I frowned at Noah.
"What? What is it?" Noah worried over my displeasure.
"They're making fun of me." I told him clearly, knowing that Noah wouldn't let this injustice go on.
Like I knew he would, Noah turned to scold the pair. "Kyle! I'm going to tell Mom and Dad if you don't quit it. Can't you see that you're hurting Jake's feelings?"
"Eh? That's overrated." Kyle said, but slowed down the laughing to little giggles. "Besides, it was all in good fun."
"I'm not having fun." I pouted.
"What happened?" Noah asked the two juniors.
Garret repeated the whole thing again, including my astounding trip, falling to the floor of the dugout. Him and Kyle cracked up laughing again.
Noah patted my shoulder sympathetically. "It's okay. You can't be good at everything."
I kept the pout going.
Noah shrugged helplessly. "This is what having brothers is like. It's all in good fun. If it really upsets you, you'll just have to tell Mom later. She'll straighten Kyle out."
"Hey! Garret started it!" Kyle cut the laughing in order to defend himself. "I'm just an innocent bystander in all this."
"Innocent in what?" Zeke's deep voice made us all jump.
I shot Garret a look. He better not blab to Zeke. He wouldn't be sympathetic, instead, he'd probably make me practice baserunning with Drew again. But for multiple practices.
Garret caught on real quick. "We're just chatting. Is Coach ready to announce the new roster now?"
Zeke looked each of us before letting the matter go. "Coach is personally looking over all the catchers in a separate group. He isn't back yet, so safe to say they're still talking it over. They still need to input all the data collected as well." He looked down at Noah. "Any problems?"
Noah smirked, tilting his hat back. "Yea, right. I rocked it. I performed even better than in the fall."
"But how'd the hitting go?" Kyle asked.
"It's not like I've been striking out in my at-bats, Kyle. I can hit. It just has a tendency to go straight to a player." Noah rubbed his nose a little. "I picked all 80mph and was able to put them all in play."
"Wimp." Garret laughed. He put his elbow on my head, using me as an armrest. "The coaches probably wanted to see something more out of your comfort zone. You didn't even try an 85mph? I did six. And two 90mph pitches. All in play. Never mind the slow stuff."
Noah rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He looked to me. "How'd you do?"
"Good." I shrugged.
"Only in the cages though." Garret snickered. "He's been tripping everywhere else."
I knocked his arm off my head. "I was nervous, okay?"
"It'd be weird if you weren't." Garret smiled before pointing to the other side of the dugout. "I'm going to go talk to some of the pitchers for a minute. Let me know when Coach is ready to do the announcement."
Zeke nodded and Garret left. Finally, some relief.
I looked up at Zeke. "Did you ask him to look after me or to mock me at every station?"
Zeke cracked a smile at my pitiful look. "Garret won't do you wrong. He's a jokester, but he knows his limits. He kept you from being too uptight, right?"
I shrugged. "I didn't throw up. Or run away." I cringed at the thought of all my tripping. "Still wasn't pretty."
"But you were able to show off your batting skills?"
I nodded. "Ten at 85mph, and ten at 90mph."
"Couldn't you have done all at 90mph?" Kyle asked.
Noah nodded in agreement. "I've seen you do it before."
"The coach said I wouldn't be able to have a break if I did it like that." I answered, honestly.
"Why did you need a break?" Noah looked worried. "Were you getting tired? How are you feeling?"
"I am tired." I sighed. "But no, I just needed a break to switch boxes."
"Switch boxes?" Kyle asked.
"Oh, so you wanted to hit on the right and left side!" Noah understood. He nodded at me. "Good, good. Way to show off."
I cringed. "I wasn't good in the other stations though."
"No worries." Noah told me. "There are plenty of players in the MLB that make errors. You're only a freshman with room for improvement. Your batting alone will keep you on the team."
I peeked up at Zeke.
Zeke gave a slight nod before turning to walk away.
"See?" Noah lowered his voice to whisper. "Zeke can't say it aloud, but you're definitely safe."
I let out a sigh of relief. I don't know if I could play baseball without the Atkins. Especially Noah. I really rather stay where I'm at.