The Hitting Zone

Chapter 1192  V4 ch40 Kyle Leaves (2)

"Take a whole case of water and put in the trunk." Mom instructed Kyle. Everyone had showered and ate something fulfilling before being put to work, helping Kyle load his car.

"Really?" Kyle asked, not sounding very willing. "Come on, Mom. There'll be water there. At the house. At the field. At the stores, all in the area. I don't need a case of water."

"It's just for emergencies." Mom said, hands on her hips. "It's good to have water in your car at all times. What if you breakdown in the hot sun, or get snowed in on a mountain. Just do it now so I don't have to worry about something so small."

Kyle rolled his eyes, but still squatted down to lift a case of water. He slid it in the trunk. Dave followed up by putting a duffel bag of clothes on it.

"Where's your suit?" Mom asked next.

Kyle made a face. "You really think I'll need it?"

"Absolutely." Mom said with confidence.

Kyle looked skeptical. "Like when?"

"If you get any meetings or contract signings with sponsors." Noah spoke up. "Or what if you move up already after Rookie ball and they want you to appear in a suit? What about awards at the end of the season?"

Mom nodded along with everything Noah brought up. "You see?"

Kyle took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll go get it." He headed back inside.

"Don't forget your dress shoes too!" Mom called out after him.

Dad came into the garage and raised an eyebrow.

"I just want him to be prepared for anything." Mom said, putting more of Kyle's stuff into the car.

Dad put his suitcase in the backseat. "Don't stress. Anything he doesn't have, he can buy there."

"Wayne." Mom gave him a look. "We're trying to teach him how to save his money. Use what you already have."

Dad rubbed the back of his head. "But we don't want to stress him out either, Mary. He's got a lot on his plate right now. It won't be too late to stress sustainability when he comes back in the fall. Right now, he's short on time and has to make the transition to being a pro. He needs to prioritize taking care of himself first. Eating right, improving his form, and staying healthy."

Kyle came back out with his dress shoes, simply throwing them in the trunk too. "Okay, anything else?"

Mom got in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Yea, I need you to promise me something."

"What now?" Kyle sighed.

"If you have any inkling of pain or discomfort, you stop. Promise me." Mom looked him directly in his eyes. "I don't want you coming back hurt your very first season away. I don't want you to need a major surgery like Rhys. You know me, I can't handle that kind of heartache."

Noah burst out laughing. "Don't worry, Mom. It's Kyle. He takes care of numero uno. Always puts himself first."

"And that's not a bad thing." Kyle stated, unbothered by the small shot Noah took at him. "If anything, Dave needs to take a lesson from me." He looked at Dave.

Dave laughed. "Please. I don't get hurt."

"You get hurt more than anyone else here." Noah pointed out.

Dave pulled him into a headlock. "I was just a little unlucky my senior year."

"Okay, okay, let's finish up here and go out for lunch." Dad clapped his hands together to get their attention. He reached out and placed his hand on Kyle's shoulder. "It's your first time being away for so long. Don't get bothered by your mom's anxiety. We're going to miss you."

Kyle let out a laugh. "Yea, right. You won't even notice until I come back I bet."

"It'll feel like any other summer." Noah shrugged, getting away from Dave while he was at it.

With the car all packed up, it was time we went to lunch. Surprisingly, we ran into Kaylee and Marie in the parking lot. Mom welcomed them with a smile and they joined our party.

Kyle looked to me and Noah. "You guys do this?"

I looked to Noah.

Noah shrugged. "Yea. So? Weren't you going to say goodbye anyways? At least this way you get another hour." He gestured to Kaylee. "Hey, you're still in the sling. Wasn't that supposed to be off and gone already?"

Kaylee made a face. "I started real physical therapy, like actually doing something, but they still want me taking it easy when I'm not actively working with it. It's annoying. I wanted to go in the pool with Alisha last weekend, but still no go. I can only chill on the edge." She looked around. "Alisha wasn't invited?"

Noah looked guilty. "I didn't think to invite her. Mostly Marie for Kyle's send-off."

"Not like she'll get upset." Kaylee shrugged. "When are you going to make up her birthday that you missed? Did you get her anything yet?"

Noah grimaced, looking even more guilty. "About that…we're actually going to Omaha tomorrow to watch Zeke and his team. So…maybe after that?"

Kaylee raised her eyebrows. "You better have a good makeup gift in mind."

Noah cringed and looked at me. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

I shrugged.

Kaylee laughed. "Don't look at Jake for help. What's he going to do for you? The kid has no social skills."

"Hey! He's got…" Noah trailed off and looked at me before looking at her again. He straightened up. "He's got me. What other social skills does he need?"

I nodded in agreement.

"And what do you know about gifting something a teenage girl will like?" She pressed.

Noah got closer to Kaylee and threw his arm around his shoulders. "Okay, so I can use a little help from a friend. Cmon. What ideas do you have for me?"

Kaylee grinned. "I've got more than a few."

Lunch was a happy occasion with the girls around. It was less about Kyle leaving and more about eating out with friends. At least for a little while. At the end, when we walked out, Kyle and Marie split off on their own for a minute. Sharing a hug, they kissed and I hurriedly looked away.

"Who will visit who first?" Noah mused, looking at the pair.

"No way Marie is going to be allowed to go off to Phoenix on her own." Kaylee shrugged, adjusting her sling. "It's gotta be Kyle."

"Kyle for sure." Dave joined us. "He finishes in September, just as college is starting. He's definitely stopping at her school to visit after his season."

"Good for them." Kaylee rolled her eyes.

"Hey, we'll find time to visit you too." Noah said casually. "Alisha will come too."

I nodded along.

"Eh, it'll be hard to plan." Dave said. "Maybe during winter break if you miss some practices and games. Spring break is even harder."

Noah kicked Dave's foot. "Dude."

Kaylee sighed. "Yea. But it's a nice thought anyways. Thanks guys." She looked at me. "You guys will still be around for the month after Omaha right?"

I shrugged. "After Omaha, we don't have any real plans besides hanging out with you and Alisha. The cages. Maybe go to some A's games if it lines up right. The NTIS Champions Cup isn't until August." I glanced at Noah. "We don't even know about Noah making the team yet, or not."

"Even if I don't, I'll be right there, cheering you on." Noah grinned and slapped my back.

"Me too." Dave added.