The next few weeks were great. Gladfully Zacharie took the Batters offer and started to hang around him. Despite to what the Batter told him though he ofcourse tried to hold conversations with him. With the Batter being not the most talkactive person he had quite a hard time with that but Zacharie did not mind much. He just kept trying and talking.
Today was no different. He cought up with the Batter on his schoolway.

"Hi!", Zacharie said cheerfully, "How're you?" As so often the Batter did not answer at all. "Aw man don't be like that, I know you can hear me.", Zacharie continued.

"I'm not interested in your smalltalk.", the Batter answered firm.

"I see.", Zacharie sighed a little dissapointed. Silently they walked along the schoolway next to each other. "So... what you're gonna do after school?", Zacharie asked a little awkward to stop the quiet. "Baseball training."

"I'm aware of that.", Zacharie laughed, "But after that?"
"That's none of your buissness."
"Aw come on, how bad can it be? Are you like some kind of illegal drug dealer?" To Zacharies surprise the Batter just said... nothing. "Oh my god!?", Zacharie almost screamed, "You're dealing with drugs!?"

"No I'm not, Jesus Christ.", the Batter hissed stressed, "I'm doing nothing, ok!? I go home and I stay home and that's all I want to do."

Zacharie sighed in relief. He was not hanging out with a drug dealer.

"We should do something after school.", he said after he got his thoughts back together.

"Are you even listening?", the Batter answered angrily, "I don't want to do anything else."
"You're boring.", Zacharie sighed.

"I don't care.", the Batter answered straightly, "I allowed you to follor me to avoid the bullies and not start getting best buddies with me."

Zacharie just shrugged. Quietly they continued their schoolway for a little while.

"Ech I don't want to go to class...", Zacharie sighed eventually as they almost arrived at school.

"Then don't.", Batter answered short.

"Hahaha yea right.", Zacharie laughed awkwardly, "I can't just skip class."
"Why not?", the Batter said shrugging, "I do that often enough."

Speechless Zacharie stared at his capped friend. He didnt expect him to be the kind of guy skipping class. Thenagain he also couldn't imagine him being in and learning for class.

"Do you never get in trouble?", Zacharie asked a little curious. The Batter just laughed.

"As if the teachers would care."
"Ah I guess that's true.", Zacharie said awkwadly, "I- I still don't think I should just skip class."
"Whatever.", the Batter replied as he entered the school building. Without any kinds of goodbye the Batter left to attent his class. So did Zacharie. Technically though he could've aswell just skipped it. His mind was anywhere but in the school subject. With a tired gaze the masked boy stared out of the window his his hand supporting his head. He thought about the Batter. He seemed to always end up thinking about him.

'Now I'm even starting to hallucinate.', Zacharie thought as he started to see him outside the schoolbuilding through the window. Surprised he looked up realizing, that he did in fact not hallucinate. Curious he watched the Batter walking back and forth outside. He seemed troubled, bothered, a little scared even. Zacharie saw him movin his lips as if he was talking to himself. Worry grew inside of Zacharie. He wanted to just leave class and go to the Batter, trying to help him with whatever was bothering ghe man. Deeply in his thoughts Zacharie started drumming with his fingers on the table. Annoyed the teacher stared at Zacharie but he did not notice at all.

"Zacharie.", the teacher said, "Zacharie you are distracting your classmates and disturbing class." Surprised and confused Zacharie looked up as he realized the teacher was talking to him.
"Uhm...", he stumbled, "I'm sorry but what did you say?"

Angrily the teacher sighed.

"Zacharie if you're not going to take part in class you can as well just leave." Surprised Zacharie stared at his teacher in disbelief. He never got sent out of class. Not once.

"You heard me.", the teacher continued pointing at the door. Quietly Zacharie took his school bag and walked out. As he closed the classroom door behind he he realized, that this was just perfect though. He wanted to leave anyways so now he had the chance to. Quickly he ran outside to the playgound where he had watched the Batter before. To Zacharies relief he was still there, sitting on a bench, his head resting on his arms. He looked up as he heard Zacharie coming.

"Class' not over yet.", the capped man pointed out.

"I know.", Zacharie answered short and sat down next to the Batter,

"Good boy.", Batter said, almost laughed even, and leaned back. A smile slipped Zacharie, hidden behind his toad mask.

"Why are you here though?", the Batter asked after a little while of complete quiet.

"I-I saw you.", Zacharie began, "You seemed troubled, I-"

"You skipped class for me?", the Batter sounded surprised.

"Well technically I'm not skipping class but, uhm, yea." Awkwardly Zacharie tapped with his feet on the ground. A little baffled the bigger male stared at the mask wearing boy.

"I didn't think you actually would.", he murmured after some seconds.
"I kind of was... worried.", Zacharie stuttered awkwardly, "I-I don't know, I just saw you and you looked so terrified... May, uhm... May I ask what you were doing before?"

The Batter did not answer. Instead he just set his baseball cap right and stared into the distance. Zacharie was not sre if he didn't hear him or was ignoring him on purpose.

"B-Batter?"

"It's none of your buissness."

The sudden answer starled Zacharie a little, but he nodded and leaned back on the bench.

"I'm sorry.", Zacharie said. He heard the Batter sighing stressed before he answered.
"It's not your fault.", he said in a surprisingly soft voice. "I really just dont wanna talk about this."

They kept sitting on the bench for quite a while. Not saying a word. Just sitting there. The bell rang, annoincing that the first class was over and the second one about to begin. But Zacharie didn't bother going to class right now. He wouldn't be able to concentrade anyway. Also he enjoyed it, just sitting there. Next to the Batter.

"What's with the mask anyways?", the Batter asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.

"Ah.", Zacharie began in surprise. He wasn't sure what to answer. Ofcourse he got this question a lot, from bullies mainly, but he always avoided an answer. But he didn't feel like lying to the Batter.

"I suppose I kind of use it to avoid... eye contact.. and that stuff.", he answered nervously, "To feel a little safer and... hidden. It's stupid but it helped a bit and kind of got a habit."

Awkwardly he stared at the Batter awaiting an answer or any kind of reaction really. He was scared he would call him weird or a pansy.

"That's kind of fucking sad man.", was his only reaction. But Zacharie was reliefed, he sighed.

"I guess.", he said staring into the sky.

"No really though", the Batter continued, "I think you should just take it off."

"W-What!?"

"You should be more open to others and not just hide. I'm pretty sure you would also make a lot more friends without that stupid mask on."

Knowing that the Batter was propably right it was still hard for Zacharie to even only think about putting his mask off.
"Fine...", he whipered, swallowing a bit in fear. He reached with his hands to his toad mask that was covering his face and softly took it off. Awkwardly he looked down, trying not to look at the Batter who was able to see Zacharies real face for the first time.

"See? Not that bad, is it?"

Zacharie nodded a little, his gaze still focused on the floor.

"Aw man", the Batter sighed placing one hand on Zacharies head patting him a little.