I swallowed harder than normal . Zeke didn't hold back at all . Either I'm good and can stay, or if I flop, then I'm out . I thought the four from earlier today were intimidating, but they can't compare with the pressure Zeke emits .
"The coach will want to keep him . " Noah crosses his arms in front of his chest .
"Okay, that's enough . " Mr . Atkins declared . "Let's eat dinner before it gets cold . Noah, no sweets for a month . Respect your elders . Zeke, you're not the coach so you can't make decisions like this . I'll call the coach tonight and explain the circumstances . Dave and Kyle, I don't want to hear about you picking fights with strangers or 'psyching' them out . "
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Mr . Duncan looked impressed with the way all the boys settled down and started to focus on food instead of talking back . Mr . Atkins really took control and was swift with his decisions .
I put my focus on my plate . Mrs . Atkins filled the plate with Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots . I've never had a home-cooked dinner before . I was lucky to even find food in the cabinets . Even if they were rowdy, slightly scary, and overbearing, this family would be my dream to stay with .
"Are you nervous about school tomorrow?" Mr . Duncan turned to me to ask .
I glanced at Dave, a bit worried about what he said before .
Noah noticed . "Don't listen to Dave . I'll have your back . And if I can't solve it, we'll just tell mom . She's on the PTA . " He saw my confusion . "It's the parent-teacher association . Basically she helps with fundraising and all that . If anyone's mean to us, she can tell the principal to expel them . "
"It doesn't work like that, Noah . " Mrs . Atkins corrected him . "I have no authority to get anyone expelled . But if you do have problems, Jake, you should let me or your counselor know immediately . The school doesn't tolerate bullying . "
I nodded to show that I understood . The rest of dinner was filled with normal chatter and the occasional snarky remark . They talked about classes that we're going to be boring tomorrow and what homework needed to be done tonight . It felt like I was on a tv show where everything and everyone seemed perfect .
I felt a tinge of jealously, but quickly stuffed it down as I ate the perfect dinner Mrs . Atkins made . There's no point being jealous now that I got to live this life too . The past is the past .
After dinner, came dessert . More cookies . I saw Mr . Atkins frown, yet he didn't say anything . Noah was the only one who couldn't have any . Afterwards it was goodbye to Mr . Duncan, homework, showers, bed .
Mr . Duncan's goodbye was simple as he said he'd be back soon to check up on us . He also told me to keep my head up and to make sure I listen to Mary and Wayne . I nodded my consent and he was off .
Noah and I didn't have homework to do since we weren't the ones to miss any school . So after our showers, he gave me a rundown of what to expect tomorrow . After getting my class schedule from the office and meeting my counselor, I would follow Noah around since we have all classes together with the exception of math . But I would have that with the twins so I wouldn't be alone . Then after our last class together, we have baseball practice .
"The coach knows a lot about baseball . He'll see how good you are and keep you even though you don't know much about the game . The hard part will be finding you an appropriate position to play . " He thought for a bit .
Chapter end
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