The Hitting Zone

Oh shit seemed to be the theme of the afternoon. After the old man found out that we didn't even have any money on us, he called Mrs. Atkins. Apparently, the twins had broken something a few years before and they exchanged numbers in case something happened again. Unfortunately it was me who broke the bat.

I started to feel anxious and sick to my stomach. Just thinking about Noah's mom getting mad was stressing me out. Will she act like my mom? Will she just ignore me since I'm not her kid? I definitely prefer option number two.

We were sitting in the old mans office, waiting for her arrival. We both sat on a worn couch opposite of the old man, who sat behind a desk filled with clutter.

Noah was giving him a rundown on everything that happened between us and the four older teens. He had a talent for spinning stories to make us look like the ones picked on. "They just couldn't stand seeing a kid better than them." He finished.

The old man peered at me. "So you're better than them?"

I shook my head no, but Noah answered for me. "He's way better. He's like a machine. Same perfect swing over and over."

The old man looked at the bat pieces in my hands. "Can't be that perfect of a swing if the bat broke." He looked me in the eyes. "Did the ball hit close to your hands causing the bat to break along the handle?"

I shook my head no. I always try to hit baseballs with the sweet part of the bat where the barrel is thickest.

"Jake isn't a newbie. He knows what part of the bat to hit with. My theory is that there was a crack and with his perfect hitting, the balls hit the same spot over and over, until bam! Bat explosion." Noah always had answers, especially when he can still put the blame on someone or something else.

The old man looked at us, amused, no doubt he was able to see through Noah's explanation.

A knock on the door interrupted us. A tall woman walked in. Mrs. Atkins. She greeted the old man before turning to us. She was still in a business suit looking more intimidating than yesterday. "You guys broke a rental bat?"

I felt extremely guilty as I held what was left of the bat.

"Technically." Noah cringed. "But I'm standing my ground that it was cracked beforehand."

Mrs. Atkins remained expressionless as she turned back to the old man. "I'll defer judgment to Mr. Williams. He's the boss so he would know best."

"Yea, best how to scam us out of our money." Noah rebuked.

"Noah James." Mrs. Atkins scolded. "I taught you to respect your elders regardless of personal conflicts. You're setting a bad example for Jake. You should take note how he sits quietly and doesn't inject snide comments."

Noah jumped up. "Yea, because he's terrified. Look how frozen he is. These four guys bullied us, took my money when the bat broke, then ran off. Now we have a bunch of adults telling us that we're the ones in the wrong and that we're in trouble. Where's the justice?!"

Mrs. Atkins expression softened at the sight of my stiff posture. "Is that true, Jake?"

I didn't answer and just kept my eyes down on the bat pieces. I was shocked again how Noah can change black to white and vice versa. It's a real skill. To not always be right, but at least never wrong. He told the truth, but not the whole truth.