Ryan continued to drive for a while with no destination in mind. While he had been thinking of leaving over and over, he had not yet figured out where he would go afterwards.
In an ideal world, he would have waited till finishing High School before leaving. Afterwards he would be free to join any college that he decided on, so long as it was far away from this place.
Perhaps he could have even entered the MLB draft directly.
After an hour, Ryan pulled over and grabbed his phone which had been on silent. There were over 20 missed calls from his mother's number, causing his face to soften.
The only thing that he regretted in that moment was leaving his mother alone in that house with his father.
"I'm sorry mom…" He muttered, removing the notifications.
He went through his phone, stopping on a contact. After a brief hesitation, he dialed the number.
"Hello?"
"Hey Leo… You got a moment?"
"Ryan? Why are you calling me?" Leo's tone sounded rather cold on the other end.
"I need your help."
…
After some time, Ryan hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. He had no other person to contact, so he was betting all of his chips on his old teammate.
Feeling a little better, Ryan got back onto the road and began to drive. He needed to stop a couple of times for gas, but after a grueling 10 hour drive, he eventually arrived into the state of Florida.
Around 20 minutes later, Ryan pulled up to a set of apartments and got out of his car. He quickly checked to see that this was the right address and walked up the set of stairs to the second floor.
It was already night time by the time he'd arrived, so he quietly knocked on the room door.
As the door swung open, Ryan saw the familiar face of his long time High School catcher. He was still as handsome and suave as ever, despite wearing a simple tank top and shorts.
One could tell just how hard he worked by the symmetrical and well toned muscles on his arms and chest. Usually, Ryan would make some off-handed comment about him being too handsome, but he wasn't in the mood right now.
"Come in." Leo said, motioning him inside.
Ryan let out a sigh of relief. Up until this very moment, he still wasn't sure if this guy would actually let him stay over, especially since they had not really left on good terms.
As he walked into the apartment, he noticed that it was minimalist and clean. There was also some free weights and a bench in the corner of the room, giving insight onto just how crazy the guy was about training.
"You can crash on the couch." He said, gesturing to the L shaped lounge not far away.
"Thanks…" Ryan was tired, not only because of the day he'd had, but also because of the long drive from North Carolina to Florida.
He walked over and placed his bag down before sitting down on the couch, letting out a contented sigh. Thankfully it was soft and seemed rather comfortable.
Without a word, Leo sat down on the other side of the couch and looked at him.
"So? What's your plan?" He asked, skipping over the details about why he was here.
Ryan was thankful. While he had given Leo some information, it wasn't in detail. He had just told the guy that he was running away from home.
"I… I don't know yet." Ryan replied truthfully.
He had come here because he had nowhere else to go. He didn't want to be controlled and abused any longer and needed to break free from the confines of his father.
But since he had left before finishing High School, he had essentially ruined his plan.
Leo was silent for a while, his mind working. Despite this, his face still wore his handsome, almost icy expression.
"Well, if you still want to go to college, you'll have to complete your GED. Since it would be too much work to transfer schools this late in the year, I'd recommend doing it online."
Ryan's eyes lit up, like a drowning man who was thrown a life line.
"You can do that?" He asked in disbelief.
"Mmm. Since you've almost finished your senior year, you should be able to get it rather simply. As long as you're not lazy."
Ryan nodded in appreciation, feeling his eyes begin to sting. Ever since escaping from his home, he was filled with worry regarding this. The decision to leave could have really screwed up his future as someone who wanted to enter the MLB.
Yet hearing that he could get his GED online, and even being told that it was a simple procedure, Ryan's body filled with relief. He could almost feel the anxiety leave his body, causing a few unshed tears to pool at the corner of his eyes.
"But at the same time, if colleges hear that you left school, they might even rescind their offers." Leo added thoughtfully.
The words were like a cold bucket of water poured all over him. As someone who was well sought after by college scouts, he had never thought that this could be a scenario.
Seeing Ryan's face change, Leo continued, "What do you expect? Colleges are looking for student athletes, not just athletes."
"Of course you could declare for the draft once you get your GED… But you'll likely be taken a lot later than you would if you were to get drafted out of college."
Ryan nodded, feeling as if it made sense. For now, he would just need to bite the bullet and get his GED, as for whatever option he decided to do, that could come later.
'As long as it's not Kansas State…' Ryan said inwardly.
Leo got up from the couch and let out a small sigh, "Go shower, you stink. We'll chat again tomorrow before I have to go to class."
With that he left the room, returning a few moments later and placing a towel on the couch.
"Thank you… for everything." Ryan said, the gratitude evident in his voice.