"Stephen Adams, you've been award a full ride scholarship."
Steve's eyes widened in shock after hearing the news, looking left and right as if the coach was speaking about someone else. He didn't have long to think as the entire team broke out into cheers.
They piled onto him, showering him with congratulations.
Ken smile genuinely, watching his friend's reaction. He had been working hard this whole time, and no one deserved it more than Steve.
While his family had come into some money thanks to their inheritance, the money would have only lasted another semester before Steve would have needed to find other arrangements.
With this, he wouldn't have to stress about finding work or going into tremendous debt in order to pay off his tuition fees.
When things had finally settled down, the two friend's locked eyes. Steve could tell that Ken had a hand in this, though he had no evidence to back up these claims.
"Thanks man."
"Why are you thanking me? You earned it." Ken replied.
Steve shook his head. The coach had already said they didn't have the budget for any more scholarships this year, which meant something had to have happened. However, he didn't break the illusion and just smiled, deciding to be happy instead.
"Alright, great job Steve. Let's get back to the session." Coach Brown stated, bringing up the projector.
…
A few weeks later, the weather had finally started to warm up in New York. Columbia were due to host their first home game at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium on Wednesday night.
For Ken who didn't enjoy traveling, having a stretch of home games was a dream scenario for him. Not only would he be able to stay in the comfort of his own bed, Ai would also be able to watch him live.
The Bobcats were off to a great start to the season, their best in recent memory. Out of 15 games, they had only lost 2, placing them 6th overall in Division 1 baseball.
While the season was still young, the buzz surrounding the new Bobcats team was something that Columbia baseball had never seen before. This, in addition to Tara's media campaign resulted in a lot of attention.
Of course this would only continue as long as the team kept winning, which seemed like it would be the case.
On the day of the first home game, training was adjusted to a light workout and fundamentals before a film session. Coincidentally, today's game would be the first conference game against University of Pennsylvania.
Games within their conference were far more impactful, or at least that's what Ken had understood based on the Coach's enthusiasm.
The guy was like an entirely different person as he passionately went through the film session with the team. Ken could almost feel the hate in his voice as he spoke about the other coach's tactics.
"This game is a must-win guys, I need you at your peak performance today. Ethan, you'll be sitting out this game. Ken, we're counting on you for the first 7 innings."
"Yes sir!"
A few chuckles rang out after Ken shouted his catchphrase, lightening the mood a little. Ken's standing within the team had skyrocketed ever since the season had started, cementing him as one of their pillars.
Not only was he one of the best pitchers on the team, he was also deadly in the batters box. This made him a dependable teammate.
The team were given an hour to get some food and get ready before meeting to catch the shuttle to Satow Stadium. Since it was the first home game, there was an evident excitement within the team.
"Is Ai coming tonight?" Steve asked as the two made their way back to the dorms.
"Of course. I bought a ticket earlier in the week." Ken replied matter-of-factly.
"Eh? You didn't get a ticket from the coach?"
"What?"
Steve shook his head, "The coach was handing out tickets for the reserved section, real good seats." He took out two tickets, showing Ken.
Ken frowned. He was a known miser who liked to keep a tight lock on his money, however he definitely would have paid double for Ai to see him play.
But upon seeing that there were even better seats, for free, Ken's annoyance grew.
Before Steve could blink, Ken's hand flashed out, plucking the tickets from his hand in a single move. With the tickets now in his possession, he smiled, "Thanks man."
"O—Oi! Give me at least one back." Steve cried.
But Ken just extended his arm upwards and out of Steve's reach. With his height, it was like picking on a child after stealing their candy.
"I need these for Ai and Tara, who would you even invite?"
Steve froze, his expression changing slightly. "Ahem… Okay you can have them. You owe me one though." He said, changing his tune.
Ken stared blankly at his friend for a few moments, the cogs turning slowly in his head.
"You were going to invite Tara?"
"Eh? No way… Why would I invite our Social Media manager?" But as soon as he said that, he realized his mistake. He should have steered into the accusation, saying that he was wanting some good content for his social media.
"I knew it!" Ken exclaimed.
He had been thinking that there was something weird between the two for a while now, but this all but confirmed it.
However, his expression soon turned sour as he remembered the conversation he'd had with Tara a few weeks ago. He had queried her on their relationship, stating his fears that it would mess with their professional relationship.
He had basically forced her to decide between the two.
Steve looked guilty, but he opened up a little. "She's been a little stand-offish lately, so I thought I'd invite her to the game. The second ticket was for Kate, just so she would have someone to talk to while they watched the game."