You Helped Her Runaway||Jonah Marais

7 - Practice

*Jonah's POV*

It was after school, baseball practice time. I was really grateful for this, especially after all the weird stuff that happened at lunch. I was already changed and out on the field with some of the other boys on the team. It was a miracle that I had brought a change of clothes with me since I had forgot about the whole baseball thing anyway.

"Let's get some laps in boys!" coach yelled when everyone made it to the field.

We ran laps. A lot of them. Coach always started us with laps every year. He wasn't one of those insanely strict coaches but he wasn't one to give you a pat on the back for just trying. When we were done, he set us up for a scrimmage. I was batter and Josh was pitcher. Pitching was the only part of the game Josh was good at. When he would have to play other spots in the team, that was when we were in trouble.

I hit the ball on the first try and ran along the bases. I stopped at the first one though, worried I was going to get out. Someone cheered. Someone was watching our practice. I turned around to see Alexys sitting in the bleachers. She clapped and gave me two thumbs up.

"What are you doing here?" I mouthed to her.

She obviously didn't understand because she gave me a questioning look. Then she started pointing at something beside me. I turned and saw a player on our team, who was definitely double my size, running at me.

"Move, Jonah!" a bunch of people yelled.

I was about to start running when the player just pushed me to the ground, touching that base and then running to the next one.

"Jonah, keep your head in the game!" the coach yelled to me.

"Yes, sir," I said, standing back up and dusting myself off.

"Get on the bench!" he yelled. I was shocked. Baseball was something I was good at. I was not a player to sit on the bench. I did as I was told though and trudged over to the bench. I sat next to a couple of the other guys but didn't say anything to them. I pushed my hat down and crossed my arms. When it was break time, Josh walked over to me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Josh asked. It wasn't what he said that got me mad, it was how he said it. He said it with a tone that made him sound like he was the best player in the world. I guess, in his head though, he was the best player in the world.

"Oh, like you actually know how to play. The only reason you're not on the bench is because you can pitch. If not, coach would not put you in if he didn't have to," I said.

Josh went pale for a second. I actually got to him. That face was replaced though, he turned it into a glare.

"That's fucked up," Josh said.

"No, it's the truth," I glared back at him.

Coach walked over to us, scowling at us both.

"You two are both really letting me down. We're a team, fighting for the same school. At least get along at practices," coach said.

"Yes, sir," we both said at the same time.

"Now, Jonah, if you can focus I'll put you back out there," coach said.

"Yes, I'll focus," I nodded.

"Good, now get out there," coach told me and we started our scrimmage over again.

(Time skip - after practice)

I walked up the bleachers and sat next to Alexys. She looked over at me then back at the field. We sat next to each other, neither of us saying anything. We both just stared out at the field.

"I'm sorry I got you distracted," Alexys said, breaking the silence.

"No, it's okay," I said.

It went back to a silence. Slightly uncomfortable, slightly comforting. If that makes any sense at all.

"Jonah, I almost left," Alexys said out of nowhere.

"What?" I asked.

"To L.A. Last night I stayed up thinking about Kat. How she could be hurt or something. I was packing up to go to L.A. but then I thought about it. The chances of me actually seeing her there are very low," Alexys admitted.

"Yeah," I said.

"So, instead I tried calling her cell. Thinking maybe she took it with her or something. I called her fifteen times and I didn't get an answer on any of them. Then I thought back on the graffiti. Maybe she was just leaving her mark, maybe she doesn't want anyone to find her," Alexys said.

"We should tell the police that she's in L.A.," I told Alexys.

"Yeah, we should. I don't want her to get hurt," Alexys nodded.