The three left with Alisha, heading down to the track.
I glanced up at Coach, unsure of what I should be doing.
Coach let out a heavy sigh. "How's the leg, Jake?"
I twisted my leg around to show him the bruise on my backside. "Just a bruise. Looks worse than it feels. Drew gave me a heating pad so it doesn't feel so tight right now."
He nodded. "Okay, good. If anything starts to feel off, tell me or any other coach and take a break. Can't afford you getting hurt. Not even this early before season starts. I know you've been working out and really pushing yourself so I don't want you to have to start over."
"I'm okay. I promise." I scratched my cheek. "And…for the record. I don't think Joey had the intention to hit me. Not outright anyways. His pitch count was high and-"
"You don't need to make excuses for him, Jake." Coach cut me off. "He's not only in the hot seat because he hit you. Wild pitches happen. How you react afterwards though is another story. The way he spoke to both Miller and Olson is unacceptable. He's not allowed to lose his cool like that ever. That kind of unsportsmanlike conduct would get him thrown from a game. We have to set an example for those around us."
"Oh." Okay. That was definitely on him, but… "Then Kyle..?"
He squinted at me. "Do you boys think I'm dumb?"
"Uh, no?" I answered, unsure of why he would ask.
He peered down at me. "Did you boys know what Kyle was going to do?"
I was confused. "We didn't even know what he did until this morning..?"
Coach relaxed. "Good. I would hate to think that you all were in on this."
"In on what?" I asked.
Coach reached out and gave my shoulder a heavy pat. "It's nothing. Just stay being innocent."
It started to click within me. He's convinced that Kyle did it on purpose and he even guessed that we might have known that it was going to happen? I cleared my throat. "I don't think Kyle did it on purpose. He changed his motion and has been wild. When we played a small game on Saturday, he couldn't get it to Alex. Everyone can vouch for him."
Coach just shook his head. "Jake. I know these boys." He pointed at the giant group jogging around the field. "Go join them. Be careful with your leg."
I hesitated. Coach didn't believe me? I swallowed anything else I had to say and jogged to the group. Noah and Garret were up front in the lead, but I didn't have the courage to join them up there. I just hung out in the back amid some familiar freshmen like Andre. I would have been more comfortable around Andy, but he was also near the front.
After the run, everyone spread out to stretch. There were just too many players here to do something specific so everyone was on their own. I chose this time to get closer to Noah and the guys that I knew.
"What did Coach want?" Noah asked.
"Where did the other three go?" Garret asked.
"Are you guys in trouble or something?" Brian leaned in to ask.
"Why did Alisha go with them and not you?" Bryce joined in.
Being bombarded, I didn't know what to say at first.
"Give him a minute." Dave pulled the two juniors, Bryce and Brian, away. He looked down at me. "Did Kyle do something wrong?"
I wanted to shake my head, but froze. "I think Coach thinks he hit Austin on purpose. He sent the three of them to run laps. Alisha has to monitor them and record their times. Austin and Joey were sent because of their attitudes towards the coaches."
Noah frowned. "Kyle is such an idiot. I don't need him to get my revenge." He glanced at me. "I have Jake."
"What did you plan to do?" Brian asked, surprised.
"Nothing out of place in the game of baseball. Jake was just going to hit bombs. Maybe make Austin run around chasing baseballs." Noah shrugged.
"You're so unoriginal." Bryce snorted. "I'd be hoping for a collision at the plate or over a base or something. Like maybe when you're tagging at him on second, come down on him and break his leg."
We all stared at Bryce, saying nothing.
Garret knocked him on the head with his knuckles. "So dangerous. Only an idiot would do that."
Noah laughed at Bryce rubbing his head. "I have to play baseball with these guys for the next three years. I can't do anything crazy. Plus, it's better to show some maturity and just ignore them."
"You're way more calm than you used to be." Dave said, smiling. "Good for you. We have to make sure Kyle knows where you stand before he makes anymore mistakes."
We talked a little more while stretching. Eventually Coach came over with the other coaches. He sent the pitchers and catchers away before breaking us up in groups again.
I was with Mr. Miller like yesterday, but the guys around me had changed. More upperclassmen and only one other freshman. I stuck to Jason and Sean like glue, happy to have someone I know in my group. Mr. Miller used some of the same drills from yesterday, but mixed in a few different ones. A big difference was the use of the batting cages we had near the varsity field.
Sticking with Jason and Sean, I gave them advice on their hitting and let them have some of my allotted time in the cages. It was a different kind of satisfaction watching them improve within a couple of pitches. There were no guarantees on whether they would keep with the changes, but if they could just improve a little bit each time, then they could become better batters.
Mr. Miller released us afterwards for lunch. I had started to walk back up the hill to where my bag was, but spotted Kyle sitting near the track all by himself. I told the guys to go on without me and walked over to him.
"Hey." I made my presence known as I got closer.
Kyle looked up at me and smiled. "Hey, kid." He was breathing hard, no doubt tired from his morning run.
"Did you have to run this whole time?" I asked, frowning. I didn't see Joey, Austin, or Alisha around so it was odd.
He nodded. "Coach came down and excused the other two."
"What about you?" I asked, worried that he was still in trouble.
"I acted in the heat of the moment and now I have to pay for that mistake." He stood up and stretched, still trying to control his breathing. "It doesn't matter too much. There aren't enough catchers to work with every pitcher. I can get some work in during the scrimmages this afternoon."
"Did you…really hit Austin on purpose?" I gulped.
He nodded, unashamed. "Yes."
I sighed. "Noah's going to be upset if you get in trouble while defending him."
"He wasn't the only one I was defending." Kyle gave me a pat on the head and we started to walk up the hill on our own.
Not the only one? I glanced up at Kyle. "Was…it…about me?"
Kyle took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "You don't have to worry about it. Everything is okay now. Coach and I talked about it. He now knows what was said and why I lost control. He doesn't blame me, but that doesn't excuse my actions. Running is a small punishment."
