311 Movie Selection (1/2)
Dinner was filled with good food and the twins talking nonstop about pitching. They would get the chance to compare stats and see who can throw faster while aiming for specific spots. Safe to say that they couldn't wait until tomorrow.
”What about your date with Marie?” Noah asked Kyle between bites.
”We won't play it ALL day.” Kyle brushed him off. ”Just in the morning. Then maybe we'll do lunch and movies at the mall.” He thought for a minute. ”Or we can just invite her over?”
”I don't think her parents would like her being in a house full of boys without supervision.” Mr. Atkins frowned.
”Kaylee would come too.” Kyle quickly defended. ”She's her little sister, a freshman like the boys. They get along too.” He looked to Noah and me. ”You guys would be okay if she came over right?”
”Sure.” I said, keeping it simple.
Noah didn't. ”I'm happy with it. The question is, would Marie be happy with you? Can inviting her over to look at the new equipment really be considered as a date?”
”She's a pitcher too.” Kyle was still on the defensive.
”No girls at the house while we're away.” Mrs. Atkins declared.
”But mom-”
”Nope.” She cut him off. ”You boys already broke curfew in order to go out and see this girl so I can't imagine what other rules you would break while I'm away. If she still wants to come over when we're home, she's more than welcomed to.”
”Mommm, that's embarrassing.”
”How so? Were you thinking about doing something you aren't supposed?”
”Of course not!” He sighed and shook his head. ”Fine. I'll call her later to rearrange plans.” He started poking his food on the plate with his fork.
The dinner conversation drifted away from Kyle's potential girlfriend, to what kind of movies we would like to watch in the living room.
”It should be 'Field of Dreams'!” Dave said.
”'Rookie of the Year' is funnier.” Noah countered. ”Or 'Little Big League'!”
”But they're kid movies.” Kyle sighed.
”About baseball though.” Noah smiled brightly, before turning to me. ”What about you Jake? What's your favorite?”
I tilted my head to look at him beside me. ”I've never seen any of those.” Or even heard about them for that matter.
A silence shrouded the room, making it feel dim. Mr. and Mrs. Atkins shared a look between them, and the twins looked at me with pity. Noah frowned and patted my arm as if to comfort me.
I don't know why they had to feel depressed on my behalf. It's just movies. There are worst things in life than not seeing a movie that others have seen. I wasn't bugged by it. It's not like I frequently watched movies anyway. It's just fiction.
”We can do a sports movie marathon.” Zeke was the only one around the table that seemed unaffected by the atmosphere. ”It's not like the game is tomorrow morning. We can spend tonight and tomorrow showing Jake our favorite sports movies.”
”What are you going to pick?” Noah asked, agreeing with the idea.
”'For the Love of the Game'.” Zeke looked me in the eye. ”It's an oldie, but always relevant.”
”I'm picking 'Moneyball'!” Dave bounced in his seat. ”Jake, that's based off a true story! On our very own Oakland A's!”
”Good choices!” Noah nodded. ”I'll go with 'Angels in the Outfield'.”