The Hitting Zone

Chapter 525 Banquet 2

Dinner turned out to be grilled salmon over rice with a side of cooked asparagus and mashed potatoes. At least, that’s what me and the Atkins brothers got. Alex was the only special one at the table, eating grilled chicken instead.

He looked up when he noticed my staring. \"I don’t like fish.\" He told me with a shrug. Then he started to cut up his chicken.

\"Mom must have selected the meal for us without asking.\" Noah’s nose scrunched up.

\"Fish is good for you.\" Zeke said, slicing his salmon like a pro.

Noah made a face as he poked his salmon with his fork.

I tried my best to mimick Zeke’s movements, cutting my own salmon up. Then I tried a piece. \"It’s fine.\"

\"If you say so..\" Noah cut out a small piece and tried it. Pure disgust covered his face.

I laughed, getting the tables attention. Soon everyone was making fun of Noah for being a baby. Everyone except me and Alex.

Alex scratched his cheek. \"Don’t worry, Noah, I get it. Do you want some of my chicken?\"

Noah nodded. He got up with his plate and went around the table to get to Alex. Alex slid half his chicken onto Noah’s plate.

\"If you’re not eating your salmon, can I have some of it?\" Kelvin asked

Noah obliged and soon started dealing out his unwanted salmon.

I laughed to myself at how Noah suddenly became a waiter, giving some salmon to Kelvin, Garret and Kyle. We were definitely the loudest table, but Zeke didn’t seem to mind. He just let the others mess around for a few minutes before signaling to Noah that he should sit back down.

As most of us finished eating, myself included, a tall burly man got up from the coaches table and stepped up to the podium. He tapped the mic to get everyone’s attention. \"Hello ladies and gentlemen. As some of you know, I’m Coach Ryan.\"

Polite applause. I clapped as well, at least until Noah gave me a look.

\"Thank you, thank you.\" He spoke with a deep voice. \"This season has been very successful with the team going 19-5. We had the second best record in the league and I couldn’t be more proud of the progress these boys have made.\"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Noah smirk. Oh...right...this is the ’freshmen’ team. This whole team used to play with Noah when they were growing up. And...he used to be friends with them. With that in mind, I knew where Noah stood on this matter.

\"I’m going to take this time to call up my team and recognize them for a season well done.\" Coach Ryan announced. He started to call the names, one by one, and each player would go up and stand in a line, facing the room.

Seeing a few of the faces that were mean to Noah, I held my applause. I followed Noah’s lead in just watching them go up as everyone else showered them with applause. I was a bit afraid that Zeke might see our attitude, but surprisingly, he also wasn’t clapping. Neither were the twins. It was almost as if they were taking Noah’s side, wordlessly.

\"This is our team.\" Coach Ryan stated after calling up his whole team. The crowd clapped one more time. One of his assistant coaches brought up a box and set it down on the floor. Coach Ryan nodded after him, and the other man gave him a stack of papers. \"We have a great tradition here at Watsonville. Not only do we celebrate the team as a whole, we also take a moment to recognize select individuals for their contributions to the team, on and off the field. I’m proud to say that this is the first year, the whole freshmen team made it to the honor roll. They completed the season, maintaining a 3.5 gpa the whole semester.\" The parents all clapped, proud of their kids.

Coach Ryan took his time to pass out the awards to every athlete on his team.

\"We’ll get one too.\" Noah whispered.

I nodded. Noah and I had straight A’s this whole entire time. It wasn’t like freshman year was difficult. I glanced at the twins; I couldn’t say the same for them after all.

\"Next are the individual awards.\" He glanced at the boys. \"This is a team sport but there are a select few who made this team the way it is. Starting with our defensive mvp, Aaron Fipps.\" Everyone started clapping again as the kid walked up to his coach and accepted the plaque that was handed to him. \"Aaron had never player first base before until this season. He embraced the change and worked hard at becoming the best, and has shown us that he has the drive to succeed.\" More clapping.

\"Thank you Aaron.\" Coach Ryan sent him back to his position in line. He received another plaque from his assistant. \"If you have a defensive mvp, there is bound to be an offensive mvp. Nolan Pham.\"

\"Whoop! Whoop!\"

\"NOLLLLAAAANNN.\"

The freshmen team got a bit louder for this guy as he went up to accept the plaque from his coach.

\"Nolan is not only a powerhouse hitter, but he had a very low strikeout percentage, even surprising me and my staff. Our offense was so destructive thanks to this young man.\" Coach Ryan said a few more words before sending Nolan back. \"Most improved. Now, I’ve got to say, I was shocked when this young man made my team. I didn’t pick him, Head Coach Wilcox did and assigned him to my team. He obviously saw something that we couldn’t. This young man worked tremendously hard to become a starter and we couldn’t be more proud. Dalton Nelson.\"

Dalton received his plaque and waved at the room who was clapping. \"I just want to say thanks. Thanks to all the coaches for giving me a shot.\" He went back.

\"As for best sportsmanship, there were a lot of good candidates on the team, but the best was Marshel Butler. His character is something every baseball player should strive to have.\" I could hear Noah snort from beside me. He must now this guy too. \"He has respect for his team, his coaches, and his opponents. He won games with class, and lost them with dignity.\" A boy received the plaque and I recognized him from the bus incident. Someone that was friends with that Austin guy.

Ugh. What a faker. I rolled my eyes, channeling my inner Noah. Noah must be feeling even worse than me since he was actually friends with these guys.

\"For our last award, we have the whole team take a vote on their choice for team mvp. This would be someone that not only plays well, but the whole team looks up to and treats like a team leader. Unsurprisingly, the team voted for one of our captains, Austin Goetz.\"

The clapping was loud and the cheers from the freshmen team was fierce.

I was stunned. Eyes wide, jaw dropped, stunned. I looked to Noah as Austin, the same jerk that’s been giving Noah a hard time all season, walked up to accept his plaque. This guy was really the team’s mvp? Someone that the other boys looked up to?

Noah sat there like a statue, looking calm and collected, but his clenched fists gave him away. Before I could say or do anything, Zeke wrapped an arm around Noah’s shoulder and pulled him close to whisper in his ear. Noah nodded and slowly, the tension left his body, his hands unclenching, but still leaving nail markings in the palms of his hands.

Zeke caught me looking and gave me a reassuring nod. He must have told Noah to relax or gave him a reason to. This was beyond messed up though.

I glanced up at the kid at the podium. This was the same guy that called me handicap and shut Noah out of his summer baseball team. Who knows what else he has done and if we’re the only ones to have a problem with him.

I felt sick to my stomach as I watched him accept the award amid the clapping and cheers. This must be what injustice feels like. A bad guy wins the awards for being the best? Noah was a hero to me. He has done so much for me, for this program, yet-

\"Simmer down there, kiddo.\" Dave rested a hand on my shoulder. I was sitting between him and Noah, with Zeke beside Noah. \"You look like you’re going to hop out of your seat and start a fight. I think you’ve been hanging out with Noah too much.\"

\"But this-\" I tried to explain my feelings.

Dave shook his head. \"It’s just a freshmen team award. What are you getting so worked up for? There are bigger and better awards waiting for us.\"

I sighed. \"If you think so.\"

He winked. \"I know so.\"

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