Julian ran around the bases, greeting Chris at home plate with a double high five. I stood on the on deck circle, with my hand held high for him. Julian came by after picking up his own bat, then slapped my hand as hard as he could, making it throb. But his smile wasn't something I could bare to frown at, so I grinned through the pain.
Julian then headed into the dugout, where shouts and slaps could be heard even in the stands. I didn't bother taking practice swings in the circle, and instead focused on what the pitcher had left in the tank after giving up that home run. Chris tried his hardest in the box, but that made him look sloppy and out of whack. Kind of what I imagined myself to look like in my last at bat. Chris tried to recreate Julian's swing, and even got under the ball to give it the height. But it didn't have the distance. It flew right to the center fielder for the second out.
