Never Too Late

Chapter Twenty Four

"Alright, this is your big shot, Johan!" Luke told his brother as they sat together in the dugout on the baseball field. They were having their first match together and although he couldn't tell if Johan was nervous or not, he knew this game would definitely draw attention to his brother if he played as he did before.

"Yeah, I know," Johan said as he sat with his head down and eyes closed, trying to concentrate. Smiling, Luke remembered when he used to do this before every game; he would try to visualize the pitch in his mind and the movements of the players, but over time, it became natural to him. Seeing Johan replicate his actions was both a nostalgic and worrying moment.

Just how much were they the same?

This thought had crossed his mind now and again whenever they copied each other's actions perfectly, came up with the same ideas, or spoke at the same time. Was this what was normal for twins?

His parents had told him of his brother, who had died when he was younger, and he has always wondered what life would've been like if he had been around. Now he was left questioning his identity. Were any of his thoughts or actions unique or even his own? Was there anything about him that was specifically him?

"Luke?" Johan asked as he looked up at him concerned.

"We're going to do good today," He said, realizing there were a lot of things he still needed to navigate about being a twin but for now, he had to focus on the game.

"That's damn right!" Noel joined in with his enthusiastic energy. "We're going to crush them out there and we have Johan!"

Johan sighed, but the rest of the team was nodding in agreement and even their coach looked confident. They had trained extensively the previous weeks, and with this being their last year of high school, they wanted to give it their all before they graduated.

They were batting first, and Noel went first, then it was Luke's turn. He could feel his excitement building, and when he walked out, the thunderous cheers of the crowd engulfed him, and he ate up the attention. He acknowledged that it was one of his faults but he loved being cheered on and praised. Looking back to Johan who wouldn't be playing until later, he could see him looking at the crowd with amazement and then discomfort before hanging his head again.

Smirking he went to the batter's box and took his position. Immediately he hit the ball out of the field and circled the bases for a home run. After he returned to the dugout, another player stepped up, and his team congratulated him as he smiled triumphantly.

When it was finally their turn to field, and Johan was up, Luke stopped him briefly before he left.

"Hey, I really hope your pitches weren't a fluke," Luke grinned as he pat Johan on the back.

"I hope so too; I wouldn't want anyone to think I play like you," Johan scoffed, and Luke gritted his teeth.

He wasn't able to give him a response as he walked out onto the field right after but he secretly hoped his brother would be okay.

Johan got into position, and the opposing team's batter stared him down, but he didn't look intimidated. Taking a deep breath, Johan pulled his arm back and then pivoted forward which released the ball at lightning-quick speed. The batter instinctively swung at it but he only hit the air long after the ball had passed. Gasps were heard all around the crowd, and the opposing team looked confused, but as Johan went on to strike out their batter, it was clear to everyone how amazing his pitches were. Astonishingly, Johan went on to achieve an immaculate inning by striking out all nine of the opposing team's batters, a feat never seen in his school's history. At the end of the game, countless people swarmed Johan and wanted to meet him, namely a few retired professional players who one time had attended his school.

In the evening, his parents took them out to dinner to celebrate and they couldn't stop talking about Johan's impressive play.

"You were amazing out there! I still can't believe it!" His dad remarked as he pantomimed Johan's throw.

"It wasn't anything much," Johan said modestly but his mother disagreed.

"It's true, I've never seen someone play so impressively!" Johan's mother added as she beamed at him.

"I was playing too, you know," Luke reminded her.

"Yes, you were lovely," She told him before turning back to Johan. "To think he's only been playing for a month now,  I'm so proud of you!"

Luke crossed his arms and watched as his parents praised Johan; it was as if he was an afterthought!

"Dad, Mom, can I leave early?" He asked while getting up and his parents merely nodded to him before focusing on his brother again.

Walking out to his car, he didn't know why his chest felt tight. He couldn't tell if it was anger or disappointment creeping up on him but he had to get away. As he went down the highway, twilight blanketed the horizon as the sound of wind whistled in his ears.

His parents always spent time with him after his games, laughing and talking about what happened. Now it was as if he was a spectator to one of those moments with him being replaced by Johan. He knew his parents weren't trying to ignore him and his brother deserved the attention but he didn't like sharing it.

Luke put a hand on his forehead and laughed as he realized that it must've looked like he was throwing a tantrum when he left, and he was behaving like a toddler, not an eighteen-year-old. As he continued mentally making fun of himself, he noticed Ericka walking up the road alone; slowing down, he called out to her, and upon noticing him, she smiled warmly.

"Hey, Luke where are you going?" She asked softly, her grey dress with pink flowers hugging her frame gracefully.

"I'm going home, do you want a ride?" He offered her and she accepted. His spirit now lifted; he felt calm and happy she was with him; how fortunate he'd been to see her! They ended up talking about the game, random school things, and places they both liked which made him forget all about his brother and his problems.

Soon, they were nearing her house, which was not far from his, but he dreaded saying goodbye to her.

"Hey Ericka," He stopped her as they both exited the car.

"Yeah?" She turned to him and asked. With his heart in his throat, he tried to find the words to say what he felt but as he gazed into her midnight-dark eyes, he knew no words would be able to describe how he was feeling.

"Do you want to hang out tomorrow? If you're free I mean?" He asked her finally.

"Where?"  She inquired.

"Down by the park, you know since it'll be the weekend it'll be pretty nice." He told her hoping she would agree.

"Yes, of course!" She agreed happily and as they parted ways, Luke was determined that he would not let this chance go to waste. He would find the courage to tell her what he'd been meaning to say since the day they'd met.