Steady Strides
As the days passed, Linus settled into a steady routine of balancing baseball and school. His mornings were spent at school, his afternoons at team practice, and the evenings doing his individual drills. Slowly but surely, Linus got used to the rhythm. Schoolwork began picking up, but Linus managed to stay on top of things. He found that his attention in class was better than it used to be—perhaps because he now had something to look forward to after school.
As classes began in earnest, Linus started talking more with one of his classmates, Emil. Emil was friendly and laid-back, with a dry sense of humor that Linus appreciated. They sat near each other in several classes and began chatting during breaks. It wasn't anything deep yet, but Linus liked that they could talk about school, sports, and random stuff without it feeling forced.