The Rookie

4 - Don't Look At Me..

Ace Wilder's POV

I hide my face with my hair as hang my head, keeping my eyes on the concrete tilted floor. As I place my hand on the doorknob of the room, steadily taking a deep breath before tightly turning the door open. Blinding myself as the door opened when, I imagine myself looking like a fool. My eyes gradually got used to the light and subconsciously I darted my eyes across the room, seemingly observing the furniture and items in the room. I quickly noticed that nobody was here at the moment, but there belongings are already on there beds and spread across the tables.

The room temperature that surrounded me was cooling as I fully enter into the room. I rub my hands together, as I glance at the empty bed pushed up against the leftmost wall. A distant scent of forestry musk most likely from a cologne saturated the room. I had already seen the dormitory and how the rooms kind of look like on the pamphlet.

Striding over to the empty bed, I slide my suitcase over in front of what I was assuming my closet. I collapse face down into the bed, taking in the aroma of fresh linen that was laced into the bedding. My thoughts about being here start to make me uncertain about agreeing to come. I've never had a few moments seem like an eternity as I feel my consciousness drifting away deeper into my thoughts became clear and concise. My eyes grow heavy from the strenuous effects of excessive agitation of my brain. I close my eyes, swallowing saliva as I allow myself to drift even further into my subconscious.

-

"I don't know." My almost hushed voice seemed strained as I forcefully push out words, instead saying nothing of importance. My mom starts going on a frenzy about all the facilities that Elk Winter Baseball Boarding Academy has. I watch her expressions change as she notices things she liked about the school. Eventually she turns her head until she was looking down at me, smiling in a almost creepy way.

"You should go." I lift my head up off the table, adverting my eyes down to my hands that were clasped together on my lap. Unconsciously I lick my lips for the means of relief. I open my mouth as to say something back, only to close it as I find myself not able to even utter a sound, "Ace, I believe you will do well."

I blurringly notice her soft expression in my peripheral vision. A wave on tears splash onto my eyes and in a sorry attempt to stop myself to crying, I squeeze my eyes shut. Although that only worsened it by cool tears slowly trailing down my warm face. Hushed cries rushed through the lump in the back of my throat, quickly turning into a roar of heavily breathing and sobs. My shoulders fall down as my once pretense of being okay fell apart in seconds. Even though I couldn't see my mother, she tightly embraced me into a hug causing me to relax my before tensed body onto her.

It hadn't taken long before I was calling Mr. Klein, at the most maybe a little over a week. My mom immediately started working on putting the funds aside for it, which painstakingly caused me to have doubts about going again. It became back and forth  whether I was going or not until the day before school starts there. I repeatedly asked that my mom wouldn't send the payment for my enrollment until I officially decided, which I concluded that I wouldn't go anymore because of a transparent shadow of guilt followed me everywhere causing me to walk on thin ice.

She most definitely had already decided everything, that I was already going whether I say refuse it or not. Up to the point of returning on holidays and birthdays, she had everything planned seemingly in perfection. If I had refused even after everything that she has done, it would be like two tsunamis colliding into me and if I accepted everything and go, it would be wasteful know that my parents spent decades saving up for a vacation only to use it on me.

My mom likely knew that I would go and despite it being the day before school actually started, she called ahead and made even more plans to have me move in early. Everything was done in a daze like state, from getting kicked off my last team to my mom placing my suitcase into the trunk of the taxi cab, kissing me on the cheek as a sign of farewell. It was too quick for me to process properly what was happening or to even think about it before a thick cloud surrounded my heart.

I started searching for anything possible to distract myself. Reading the signs regarding passenger conduct, a printed out photo of the driver, a crushed Kleenex tissue box placed on the middle console, and finally when none of the sought after distraction worked, I cautiously lean forward, asking the driver if he could turn on some music.

-

My immersion of thoughts ended when I heard the door crackle open, the rush of air from the warm hallway harshly flooded into the small room. I didn't move, not entirely ready or prepared to introduce myself. I decided that it was better to pretend I was sleeping which was decently easy as I laid on my stomach, my head faced the wall.

"Oh! Our new 'mate is here!" It was a sort of high pitched voice that echoed into the room. I found myself becoming hotter as the two men talk amongst themselves about me and the fact that I was supposedly sleeping. I find myself holding my breath for no reason and it wasn't until I finally breathed out that the guys in the room, became quiet as I feel there imbedding stares over at me.