760 V2 ch232 Postgame Interview

"Are you going to stay with us, Rose?" Mom came over at that moment to ask. "Or do you have to go back to work?"

Rose straightened up. "Unfortunately, I do most of my work during the games. Ill probably join you guys during the seventh inning stretch."

"Sounds good." Dad nodded, coming over. "Im happy that Jeremy has someone like you in his life."

Rose blushed. "I-I-I dont do much." She backed up to the door. "Im going to go now. See you guys later. Enjoy the game. Bye." She left before any of us could say bye back.

Mom slapped Dad on the chest. "You scared the girl. Whats wrong with you?"

Dad grinned. "What?? Im sure she took it as a compliment. Someone that worried about Jeremy, cant be that bad. She even reached out to call Noah to get to Jake. I hope her and Jeremy can stay together for the long term."

Mom rolled her eyes. "Leave the kids alone." She glanced my way. "Why dont you go join the others, Jake? You know the food wont be there for long. Not with the twins around."

I cracked a smile and went to join the others. Mom knew the twins well…they both had two hot dogs on their plates and grabbed multiple bags of peanuts and popcorn.

"I cant believe they dont provide any dessert." Noah complained as I joined him around the buffet.

"All this junk food isnt enough for you?" Kaylee joked.

"Its not sweet junk food though." Noah sighed. He finished filling his plate and pointed to the sliding door. "Im going to eat outside. You guys coming?"

"Yep!" Alisha raised her full plate. "Im already done."

Noah nodded. "Cool. Lets go."

I hurried to fill my plate and followed them out. Kaylee was right behind me, so the seating order became Noah, Alisha, me, Kaylee, then two open seats. It didnt last long though. Marie and Kyle came to join our row.

At first I was nervous being stuck between Alisha and Kaylee, but I stopped overthinking it as the game started. The lineup for both teams was announced, and it was strange to hear that Jeremy would be the designated hitter.

"Theyre probably letting him off easy for tonight." Kaylee noted. "His only focus would be hitting." She cracked a smile. "Too bad we dont have the DH position in high school. You could hide how bad you are at fielding."

Dave and Garret started to laugh behind us.

I felt my face heat up.

"Hey!" Noah hollered. "Jake is so much better than he was six months ago. Give him another six months and hell fit right in."

"Jake already stands out." Rhys laughed. "Theres no option of fitting in and thats a good thing when it comes to baseball."

"The season cant come soon enough." Noah started to bounce in his seat.

His excitement didnt die down because the As took an early lead thanks to Jeremys two-run home run. The As were killing it throughout the game, with Jeremy getting most of the attention thanks to his multiple hits. You would have thought that he took a vacation day yesterday instead of being stressed out. Just this morning he saw our birth mom. I aspire to be as composed as him in the future.

It was a fun night, stuffing our faces with food and cheering for the As. Its difficult to say if we would have this much fun if it wasnt for the As and Jeremy playing well. Rose showed up during the seventh inning stretch like she said she would. And luckily for Noah, she came with bags of cotton candy.

The game ended with the As winning 13-2. Jeremy was definitely the star of the game, going 4-4 at the plate with two hits being homers.

Our group had moved to inside the suite to watch his postgame interview.

[Broadcaster: Jeremy Patterson! You were absolutely on fire tonight, my man!

Jeremy: Haha, I did what I could to make up for last night.

Broadcaster: Can you tell us what happened to you last night? I know you have a lot of public family drama going on, but…

Jeremy: I wont talk too much about it. My uncle made his choices for his own reasons. For now, me and my brother will be cutting him out of our lives.

Broadcaster: Im sorry to hear that. I didnt mean to bring you down after such a great game.

Jeremy: No, no, its fine. I think a big reason why I did so well tonight was to show everyone that this wont hold me back. It wont stop me from playing my game and working to the ultimate goal: winning the World Series. Im sorry for the distraction and inconvenience my teammates and coaches have to put up with. Im also sorry for not responding to those who have reached out to me. Just know, Ill get back to you. Thanks.

Broadcaster: Glad to see youre doing alright! Dont let the media get to you.

Jeremy: Ha…arent you part of the media?

Broadcaster: …

Jeremy: Any other questions for me? Despite all thats going on in my personal life, Im in a good mood.

Broadcaster: Lets talk about your MVP run. Youre leading the AL in average, homeruns, RBIs, and only third in runs scored. Are you feeling good with these stats?

Jeremy (scratched his neck): I feel good when my team is winning. We have a great team, and now that Maberry is all good, our lineup is solid.

Broadcaster: So you dont want to be MVP?

Jeremy: I didnt say that.]

The interview shifted to talk about the postseason and how hopeful the As are to win their division

"Looks like hes doing okay." Kaylee said, standing beside me.

I stopped watching the tv and looked at her. "Yea. I dont think I could do what he did. Seeing that woman…"

"Well, she didnt almost kill him so its different." Kaylee shrugged.

"Abuse cant be measured." I took my hat off and pushed my bangs out of my eyes, then put the hat back on. "There are a lot of factors. But, I think its hard to face any abuser. On any level."

Kaylee twisted her lips, looking unconvinced. "If anyone dared to hit me, Id hit them back."

It felt wrong to laugh, but I let out a small chuckle. Kaylee was raised to be the bully, not to be bullied. Everyone has ideas of what they would do if they were in that kind of situation, but you dont actually know until youre there.

"Howd your camp go this week?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I didnt want to feel down on myself right now. It was a good night to be happy and stay happy.

"Good." She nodded. "Didnt see much among the incoming freshmen, but a lot of the returners have improved over the summer. Especially KJ."

"Oh. Does that mean youre not going to try pitching anymore?" I asked.

"Id like to." She said in a low voice, glancing towards Marie who was busy talking with Kyle. "My parents cant afford to send me to all those specialized camps like Marie, but Im hoping Marie can just coach me herself. Especially before she goes off to college."

"Have you asked her?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. Shes been busy lately. Softball, softball, Kyle, more softball, more Kyle."

I tried not laugh, but didnt succeed. "Arent you the one that wanted them back together?"

She sighed. "This is better than angry, heartbroken Marie. Trust me. Ill try to get tips from her these next couple of weeks before school starts. Then I can practice during this semester with a coach watching me. Id like to give it a go."

"Im sure youll be able to do it." I told her, confident in her confidence.

"Of course Ill be able to do it." She snorted. "Its a matter of whether Ill be great at it or not."

I smiled awkwardly, not sure what to say anymore.

Kaylee looked me in the eye. "Youre not a big scaredy-cat like you used to be." She slapped me on the shoulder with force. "Keep it up."