967 V3 ch201

"Way to finish strong, boys." Dad pulled me and Noah into a simultaneous group hug, giving us an extra squeeze. 

"Ah, c'mon Dad." Noah complained. "Everyone's looking."

Mom pulled me away from them and checked my back. "Does it hurt Jake? Do you want some ice?"

I shook my head. "I just took the ice off. I'm okay." I pulled my jersey out of pants so I could show her my lower back. 

Mom gently put her hand on the spot. "Oh, Jake. That looks awful."

I tried to twist around to see, but could only catch a glimpse. "Really? It didn't hurt that much."

"Jake's just tough like that." Dave patted me on the head. "High pain tolerance."

I scanned the crowd, looking for Jeremy and...Carson. 

"They went to Jeremy's car to get away from the crowd." Dad read my mind easily. He reached out to take my baseball bag. "Do you want to go see them as we load up the car?"