Sandlot Love

9

"You didn't know they were dating?" Smalls asked in amazement.
"I had no clue, he didn't tell me and I guess everyone else just assumed I knew"
"Wow, I'm sorry I would've told you"
"It's okay Smalls"
"So how ya feeling? It must be pretty tough to find out the guy you like has a girlfriend and wanted you as a side girl"
"Actually, I'm not so sure I like him, even before I found out. I mean..."
"You mean Benny"
"What?! No of course not"
"Uh huh" Smalls said, sarcastic and disbelieving.
"What?" I asked, indignantly.
"Stop lying Ash, I'm not going to tell him or anything, trust me"
"Oh ok, I'm not sure, I want us to go back to the way we were but at the same time I don't, I think I might like him but I honestly don't know"
"I suppose that's the best I'm going to get" Smalls said, sighing.
"Come off it you little matchmaker" I said laughing and he giggled evilly.
"Anyway I have to go. You coming to the Sandlot tomorrow morning?"
"Nah too tired, Benny'll have you guys playing sun up to sun down"
"Don't I know it, see ya"
"Bye"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Ash! Ash wake up" there was a tapping at my window
"What?" I said, sitting up groggily "Smalls? Benji?"
"Yeah it's me" Smalls said "open your window"
"The sun's barely up!"
"Yeah well we need a favour" Benji snapped "open your bloody window"
I got up and pulled open my window.
"Move out of the way" Smalls says
"What? You're not coming in here-" I was cut off by Benny shoving me aside and hoisting himself inside, he reached a hand out the open window and pulled Smalls inside.
"Look" Smalls said apologetically "we need to borrow one of your balls. Ours is busted and none of us can afford a new one. That's why Benny's in such a foul mood, unless we get another ball we can't play for goodness knows how long"
"But you can't just burst in here at the crack of dawn!"
"Well... We weren't really thinking... Help me out here!" He says turning to Benny, it was then that I realised he was staring at me. I flushed as I remembered what I was wearing. My mother keeps complaining that I'm too tomboyish so bought me a ton of nighties to wear and I had unthinkingly put one on last night. It was white with purple splotches that I guess were meant to look nice with a fitted top that clinched under my chest area before hanging loosely down to my thighs. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned away, picking up my robe from the floor by my bed and pulling it on to preserve my modesty, what remains of it in any case.

"So you want a ball? Take one and get out" I picked up a ball from the tub by my door and threw it at Benny, he flinched back and his arms instinctively caught the ball, snapping him out of whatever mortifying trance he was in.
"You too" I snapped, throwing a ball at Smalls "shoo" I pushed them back out the window, closing it and audibly locking it. I pulled the blinds and tried to get back to sleep and to get myself to stop questioning why he was staring at me like that.