Afterlife Dream

When I put my lunch tray on the tray rack, I accidentally bumped my tray against someone else's.

"Sorry," I hurriedly said.

The girl whose tray I bumped gave me a glare at first, but then it changed into a polite smile. "No worries."

One look at her was enough to make my heart thump a little harder. She had a pair of almond-shaped, blue eyes, a defined nose, a pair of pouty lips, and long blond hair that reached to her waist. She looked like an angel.

How could such a beautiful girl exist and not have an entourage of boys drooling after her?

I didn't want to come off as a creep, but I ended up stalking her a little. She had a much younger boy who accompanied him. The boy shared her shiny golden hair and eye color, but he did not look as gorgeous.

They were speaking in a low voice, so I was unable to listen to what they said.

It was soon 1.30 PM, so I abandoned my wish to get to know the girl better. I had to rush to my last class, sports.

For sports activities, we were required to wear T-shirts and shorts. During the cold season, they did not arrange for us to have outdoor exercises. Instead, the boys were split into groups to play basketball, and the girls to play tennis.

It just so happened that there were 11 boys in the class after I joined, so one person had to become the bench warmer.

"Sorry, Daniel," the coach looked rather apologetic. He straightened his hat nervously while talking to me. "Do you mind sitting out today's game? You can watch while the others play. Next lesson I will let you play."

I shook my head with a smile. I didn't know how to play basketball anyway. Why would I insist on kicking a student out of the team just so I can play?

"Don't worry, coach. I would love to learn from the side."

The coach grinned at me. "Great! Then just look at how the others play for today. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

I stood by the side and stretched my body from side to side. The sports hall consisted of two basketball courts, two volleyball courts, two tennis courts, and two badminton courts. The basketball and volleyball courts were full of boys while the tennis and badminton courts were full of girls who were playing two against two.

Although I was supposed to watch the basketball game, I could not help but let my gaze wander to other courts. Everyone was pretty good.

One hour was quickly over.

It was already 3 PM so everyone rushed to the changing room to take a bath before going home. I did not do anything strenuous, so naturally, I did not bother to take a bath. After I changed my clothes, I went out and headed toward the lobby.

When I arrived, Jaden was already there and waiting for me.

"You are fast," I commented.

He merely grinned at me.

"How was today?"

"I got a lot of homework again. Our homeroom teacher is such an ogre..."

"Oh?"

I hummed in amazement. I just realized that I had no homework for the day. How lucky. It was a great start at St. Louis Academy!

Mom picked us up not long after. I noticed that there was a stack of laundered suits in the car.

"Mom, what are these?"

I could see her crack a smile in the rearview mirror. She looked so unbelievably happy.

"It is a secret!" she said mysteriously. "I will tell all of you during dinner."

Jaden and I exchanged smiles. Truthfully, I knew what was happening. I was sure that Jaden also knew. But since Mom wanted to be all secretive about it, naturally we would not rain on her parade. We just waited until dinner time.

After we arrived home, I went to my bedroom to do some reviewing. Heaven knew that I needed all the help I could get. Maybe read through the material one more time before I asked for Mom's or Dad's help that night.

Jaden had his baseball practice. He changed into his uniform as fast as possible and appeared at my doorstep before he left the house.

"Danny, do you want to come and see me play?" he asked.

I looked up from my math book and pondered.

It was only the first day. Why did I have to work that hard? Oh, screw it.

I shut my book with a loud bang.

"Let's go," I said with a grin.

I grabbed my coat and followed Jaden outside of the house.

Jaden and his little league trained on a baseball court not far from home. It was already quite cold but my brother was as energetic as always.

"Are you having another tournament?" I asked.

Jaden nodded. His eyes were sparkling with excitement as always when he spoke about upcoming baseball tournaments.

"The next one is the national tournament. Danny, our team has been selected to represent the whole town!"

"Wow! Good for you!!" I smacked my little brother on his back. "Your hard work finally paid off!!!"

Honestly, my baseball knowledge came only from Jaden's regular reports about what was happening during his training sessions or tournaments. Surprising, but I was able to follow what was happening on the field just by relying on the memories of our conversation.

It was amazing to be able to look at the game with my own eyes as my brother hit balls and ran across the field. He looked so happy.

Aaah...

If I had been born healthy, I too would be able to play baseball.

And then Jaden and I would be the best teammates ever. We would win tournaments after tournaments, taking home medals and trophies to our parents and putting them at every corner of the house.

"Hey, Daniel!"

​ I snapped from my imaginary world.

The coach gestured for me to come closer.

"What is it, coach?" I asked while approaching him.

He was the baseball coach for the middle school so I did not know him. The coach was a middle-aged man with strict features. At that time he put an arm around my shoulder and asked with a fatherly tone, "Danny, do you want to learn about how to play baseball?"

I was stunned.

"Can I?"

"Of course!" The coach replied full of enthusiasm.

I was led to the field, and everyone including Jaden was beaming at me.

"Stand here," the coach instructed me. I stood at the home base and a player gave me a bat.

Some distance in front of me was the pitcher who was casually bouncing the ball into the air with his glove.

The coach bent closer to me and explained to me, "Look, Daniel. Now you are the batter. The job of a beater is to hit the ball at an opportune moment. For now, let's just practice your skills. Look at the pitcher there. He is going to throw a ball at you.

Once you hit the ball, you have to run to the first base as fast as possible. Why don't we try with that first?"

Hitting the ball.

I gulped as I held the bat in my hands. The nervosity caused my palms to go sweaty. I might just drop the bat. I could barely hold it let alone swing it.

The pitcher leaned backward with only one foot touching the ground. He seemed to be moving in slow motion but then he suddenly swung the ball and threw it at me with a speed comparable to light speed. It was so fast that it was over within a blink of an eye.

"Strike one!!!"

I turned to the catcher and saw that he already caught the ball safely in his glove.

"Don't worry too much, Daniel!" The coach shouted from the side of the field. "Just hit the ball!"

"Hit the ball! Hit the ball! Hit the ball!" the players at the side including Jaden started to chant.

I could do it, I told myself.

I focused on the pitcher who was about to throw the ball.

The second time, I managed to swing the bat but it didn't hit.

"Strike two...!!!"

One more chance. I adjusted my position. The others cheered louder.

"Goo Daniel you can do it!!!"

I closed my eyes and prayed for a second. When I opened them again, the pitcher threw the third ball. This time I could see it clearly.

I swung the bat with all my might and it hit the ball.

The ball flew high and far. I was in awe.

Then the catcher nudged me. "Run," he said.

"What? Run where?"

"First base!"

Oh. Of course.

I ran to the first base.

"It was a home run!" they screamed in excitement. "Continue running, Daniel!"

I ran to the second base. Then the third base. When I reached back to the home base, I was welcomed by all my teammates who hugged me with both tears and laughter.

I felt like a hero.