Chapter 7: The Days Before
Rafael arrived at school with enough time to finish breakfast before the first bell. He was halfway through a piece of bread when Jared dropped into the seat beside him, wearing the same curious expression he’d had since Rafael joined the baseball team.
"So, you really made the baseball team."
Rafael glanced at him. "Apparently."
Jared shook his head. "Last month you were still trying to convince us you could shoot."
"I never said I was good."
"You said you were improving."
"I was."
Jared laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Then baseball comes along and suddenly you’re hitting balls over fences."
Rafael smiled. "Maybe baseball suits me better."
"That’s unfair. Now I have to find another sport to beat you in."
"You’ll survive."
The first bell rang before Jared could answer, and the two of them headed toward their classroom with the rest of the students.
For the rest of the morning, baseball barely came up. Rafael listened to his teachers, answered when called on, and spent the breaks talking with classmates, slowly getting used to the strange feeling of living an ordinary school life again.
A few days ago, the building had felt like another person’s memory. Now he already knew which classroom door stuck when opened too quickly, which teacher hated late assignments, and which students always disappeared during lunch.
It wasn’t his old life, but it was beginning to feel less foreign.
After classes, Rafael headed toward the baseball field. The team was already there, with Miguel stretching near second base, Carlo throwing with Andre, and Paolo standing behind the plate in his catcher’s gear.
Joshua spotted Rafael and immediately pointed his bat toward him.
"You’re late."
Rafael checked his watch. "I’m early."
Joshua glanced toward the clock on the wall before shrugging. "Technically. I needed someone to blame."
Rafael laughed and dropped his bag beside the dugout.
Daniel walked onto the field carrying his clipboard. "Enough talking. Get into position."
The players moved without another word.
Practice started with defensive drills. Daniel hit grounders toward different positions, changing their speed and direction without warning, and Rafael quickly realized that the coach was testing more than their ability to catch the ball.
When a grounder came toward him, Rafael moved immediately, attacked the ball, planted his feet, and threw toward first.
The throw arrived chest-high.
Joshua caught it and looked at Rafael. "Better."
Rafael glanced at his arm. The throw hadn’t been powerful, but the mechanics had felt cleaner than yesterday.
Daniel pointed toward the infield. "Again."
The next ball was hit deeper. Rafael moved back, waited for the bounce, then attacked the ball instead of letting it come to him before making another throw.
This one had more strength behind it.
Joshua caught it and nodded. "That’s much better."
Rafael gave a small nod. His body was beginning to respond, not because it had magically changed, but because he was learning how to use it.
For twenty years, Alex had known exactly what his body could do. This was different.
Every practice showed him something new.
Daniel moved the team into situational defense.
"Runner on first. One out."
Paolo crouched behind the plate while Ethan took his position at second. Rafael moved a few steps deeper into right field as the batter settled into the box.
The pitcher delivered.
A ground ball rolled through the infield.
Ethan immediately moved toward second while Rafael shifted toward the gap. The ball was heading farther than it looked, but Rafael had already started moving before it became obvious where it would land.
He reached it before it could roll into deeper territory and fired toward second.
Paolo shouted, "Two!"
Ethan caught the throw and tagged the runner.
"Out!"
Daniel blew his whistle. "Good."
Rafael jogged back toward right field, and Miguel looked at him from center.
"How did you know it was going there?"
Rafael shrugged. "His stance."
Miguel frowned. "You saw that?"
"The hitter was opened up."
Carlo laughed from shortstop. "You watch too much."
Rafael smiled. "Probably."
Paolo walked past them and adjusted his mask. "Keep watching. I like having someone else who knows where the ball is going."
Joshua called from first base, "Don’t encourage him."
Paolo pointed at him. "You dropped three throws yesterday."
"Two."
"Three."
"One was difficult."
"It hit your glove."
Joshua looked offended. "Exactly. Difficult."
The team laughed, and even Daniel had a faint smile as he turned back toward the next drill.
The atmosphere was different from Rafael’s first day. Nobody was treating him like the strange new player anymore; he was slowly becoming part of the group.
After defensive work came batting.
Daniel stood beside the cage while Ethan picked up a ball and walked toward the mound.
"Live pitching," Daniel said.
Joshua stepped into the box first. The first pitch came inside, and he fouled it away. The next one was low, and when the third pitch came over the plate, Joshua drove it into left field with a hard swing.
He stepped out of the cage wearing a grin.
"See?"
Daniel pointed toward the entrance. "Next."
Joshua walked out, and Rafael stepped in.
Ethan looked at him. "You ready?"
"Yeah."
The first pitch was a fastball. Rafael watched it cross the plate without swinging.
"Strike."
The second pitch came outside.
"Ball."
Ethan adjusted his grip before throwing again. Rafael noticed the slight change immediately.
The pitch came with a different rotation.
Curveball.
Rafael waited and drove it between third and short.
Andre barely moved before the ball reached the outfield grass.
Joshua whistled from the dugout. "Again."
Ethan rubbed the baseball inside his glove. "How do you keep seeing that?"
Rafael stepped out of the box. "Your hand."
"My hand?"
"You show the curve."
Ethan looked at his throwing hand as if it had betrayed him.
"I don’t."
"You do."
Daniel watched the exchange but didn’t interrupt. After a moment, he simply said, "Keep throwing."
Ethan nodded and delivered another pitch.
This one came inside.
Rafael turned on it and sent a hard line drive down the left-field line.
"Nico!" Paolo shouted.
Nico chased the ball, but it rolled all the way to the fence before he could reach it.
Joshua shook his head. "You make hitting look annoying."
Rafael laughed. "That’s because you’re making it look difficult."
Joshua stared at him. "Was that an insult?"
"Maybe."
Miguel laughed from center field. "He’s learning."
The final part of practice focused on baserunning. Daniel placed runners on different bases and called out situations, forcing everyone to react instead of simply following a routine.
Rafael wasn’t the fastest player on the team, but he understood timing. He watched the pitchers’ feet, shoulders, and rhythm, looking for small habits that could give a runner an advantage.
On his first attempt, his jump was decent.
The second was better.
By the third, he’d already figured out the pitcher’s rhythm.
Miguel shook his head as Rafael returned to the base. "You don’t even run that fast."
"I know."
"Then how are you getting such good jumps?"
"Timing."
Miguel nodded slowly. "Fair."
Daniel called everyone together once the drill ended.
"That’s enough for today."
The players began collecting their equipment, and Joshua immediately dropped onto the grass.
"My legs are finished."
Paolo sat beside him. "Your legs are finished every day."
"Because Coach hates me."
Daniel walked past them without stopping. "I can hear you."
Joshua lowered his head. "See?"
Paolo laughed.
Rafael sat beside Miguel and drank from his water bottle. Carlo was putting away the balls when he looked toward Daniel.
"Coach, when are you announcing the lineup?"
Daniel stopped.
"Tomorrow."
The group became quieter.
Joshua looked up. "Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
Nobody asked anything else.
Rafael leaned back against the bench. He wasn’t worried about where Daniel would put him, but he was curious about what the coach had seen during the past few practices.
Right field was already becoming familiar.
The batting order was the interesting part.
After most of the players had left, Rafael stayed behind to help put away some equipment. Miguel carried a stack of bats toward the storage room while Rafael gathered the remaining balls.
"Rafael."
He turned.
Daniel stood near the dugout with his clipboard tucked beneath one arm.
"Yes, Coach?"
"I’ve been watching your progress."
Rafael waited.
"Your throwing is improving, and your defense is starting to settle down. You still have plenty of work to do, but you’re learning quickly."
"Thanks."
Daniel looked toward the empty field. "Your hitting, however, is already ahead of everyone else."
Rafael didn’t answer.
"Don’t let that change how you play," Daniel continued. "You see things other players don’t, and that can make you think you have to fix everything yourself."
Rafael considered his words.
"I’m not trying to do that."
"I know. I’m just making sure it stays that way."
Daniel turned toward the dugout.
"Play your position. Do your job. Let everyone else do theirs."
Rafael nodded. "I understand."
Daniel started walking away.
"Coach."
Daniel looked back.
"Am I batting?"
A small smile appeared on Daniel’s face.
"You’ll find out tomorrow."
Rafael shook his head. "Fair enough."
When Rafael got home, Lia was already sitting at the table with her phone in one hand.
"How was practice?"
"Good."
"Did you hit another home run?"
"Not today."
She looked disappointed. "Then what’s the point?"
Rafael laughed. "Apparently, I need to do more than hit."
Manuel entered from the kitchen and heard the last part.
"That’s good."
Rafael looked at him. "Why?"
"Because baseball isn’t just hitting."
Rafael smiled. "I know."
Manuel nodded before sitting down.
"Your coach seems serious."
"He is."
"That’s probably a good thing."
Lia looked up from her phone. "So what’s happening tomorrow?"
"Coach is announcing the lineup."
She grinned. "You’re nervous?"
"No."
"You’re too calm."
Rafael shrugged. "Maybe I’m just used to baseball."
Lia gave him a suspicious look but didn’t push the question.
The following morning, Daniel arrived at the field carrying a printed sheet. The players gathered around him as soon as he called them over.
Nobody was joking this time.
Daniel looked at the group. "These are the starters."
He unfolded the paper.
"Paolo Dela Cruz, catcher."
Paolo nodded.
"Ethan Navarro, second base."
Ethan straightened.
"Andre Salazar, third base."
Andre nodded.
"Nico Ramirez, left field."
Nico smiled.
"Carlo Mendoza, shortstop."
Carlo crossed his arms and listened.
"Miguel Reyes, center field."
Miguel glanced toward Rafael before looking back at Daniel.
"Rafael Santos, right field."
Rafael nodded.
Daniel continued.
"Joshua Villanueva, first base."
Joshua smiled.
Then Daniel looked down at the final section of the sheet.
"Batting order."
The players leaned closer.
"Paolo."
Joshua’s smile widened.
"Rafael."
Rafael looked up.
Third.
Joshua immediately slapped Rafael on the shoulder.
"Third hitter."
Rafael smiled. "Looks like it."
Miguel nodded. "That’s a good spot."
Daniel folded the paper and looked around at the team.
"This is the lineup for the opening game. Everyone else stays ready. Things can change."
The players nodded.
Rafael picked up his glove and looked toward right field.
There was no dramatic feeling this time.
No need to imagine a stadium or remember some great moment from his old career.
He simply walked onto the field with the rest of the team.
For the first time since joining Davao Central Academy, Rafael wasn’t the new player anymore.
He was part of the starting lineup.
End of Chapter 7