For the better( Benny Rodriguez)

4.

June 1st, 1962
Somerville, California

"Oh come on, you used to love Johnny B Goode " my dad said as we drove around New York City. The wind was flying through my hair and I heard the sounds of music on the streets.

We had just gotten back from my grandparents nursing home, on my dads side. We were headed for our favorite ice cream shop in Brooklyn. We at least go there once a week, it was our little tradition.

As we rushed down the streets, my dad was sing along to the radio and we were joking around. As we crossed the next street, right by the casino, I saw it. A car came crashing into our truck.

The truck flipped outer, with me in it. My dad flew out of the truck, and landed on the ground.
"DAD!"
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I woke up in the tree house, breathing heavy and with a single drip of sweat on my forehead. I've been having these nightmares since the car crash. I quickly felt myself going into panic mode. I quickly got out of my sleeping back and stood up, looking for a place to get out of the tree house.

I looked over and saw a ladder leading to the roof. I went over and started climbing up, I started to feel the breeze as i reached the top of the tree house. As I got on top of the roof, it started, my breathing started getting heavier and my heart-rate intensified. I started uncontrollably trembling and crying. I put my hands on my head and tried to calm myself down.

Why does this always have to happen at the worst times. I was finally starting to feel ok after weeks. I guess it was all to good to be true, of course it was, it always is. My chest started hurting and I was trying to hold in my screams. The pain was almost unbearable, I couldn't handle it, I needed something. I needed comfort or something to break but I just didn't have it.

I was hoping that I would survive this one without anyone below finding out. It was only getting worse, my heart and breathing rate was higher than I could imagine. I was shaking like crazy and tears were running down my face uncontrollably, but then I felt someone's hand wrap around my shoulder.

"Hey, it's all gonna be ok" a soothing voice said "it's ok, it's ok, your gonna get through this, I promise.". It kept going on for a few minutes but then it started to calm down. I took my hands of my head and lied down on the slanted roof of the tree-house, exhausted. I was still breathing heavily but it was ending.

"Hey, look at me, it's over ok?" I looked up to see Benny. I got my heart rate down and sat up to look at him "Hey, I'm sorry about this it's just, ugh I don't know" I said and then put my hand on my forehead out of embarrassment. He scooted up to me and looked at me with a sympathetic look "it's nothing, my brother used to get them all the time" he sat next to me.

"No it's something, I can't thank you enough" I said looking at the side of his face, noticing his perfect jawline. "Well then, your welcome.. uhm, what should I call you?" I looked at him "well you can call me Casey" he nodded and looked down."Yankees?" He asked and I sat there confused, he looked up and saw my confusion "your bracelet, it has a Yankees charm." He said and I looked at it.

"Oh yeah, my mom sends me out a charm every year for my birthday." I laughed and looked at it more. "Big Babe Ruth fan?" he asked and I looked at him "nope, I dont really like the Yankees, I lived in Brooklyn so me and my dad would take me to the Dodgers games before they moved to LA" he looked at me and laughed.

"For real? The Dodgers are one of my favorite teams" he said "well my number one is the Yankees because of the babe." He said leaning his body down so he was laying on the roof and I shook my head. "I don't know much about baseball but you shouldn't only like a team because of one star player." I said to him "well, it was also my grandpa's favorite team, him and my grandma always used to fight over the Dodgers and the Yankees." He said and laughed.

"So how long have you guys been playing baseball here, you all seem like really good friends ?" I asked and he looked up "uhh, probably about five years, we used the have another player Elsewenger but um, she moved away." I looked over at him and smiled. "Ooooh she was a she, did you like her?" He looked down "no, exact opposite, she was obsessed with me"

I looked down and and nodded, he looked at me and breathed out. "So, um do like to play?" He asked "Well I can, I'm just not very fond of it." He looked at me "What are you fond of?". "Well I like to write and draw, that's fun." I smiled "holy shit, you are so boring" he said sitting up and looking up at me. "Ok mr 'Babe Ruth' I'm the boring one" I said hitting  his knee with mine  "Oh, whatever"

~~~~~~~ONE HOUR LATER~~~~~~~~

"Wait wait wait, so your telling me that your mom was in the woman's professional league of baseball?" He asked "Mhm" I nodded. "Your dad broke like all of the the all time records for baseball in our high school?" I nodded my head and looked down. "But you have, no desire to play baseball what so ever" he said "yep, you are on point" I said.

"That makes no sense like at all, how do not like baseball?" He really loudly twisted over and fell back on to the roof and then looked at me. "What?" I said smiling "you are so stupid" he said and I dropped my jaw jokingly. "am not!" I said "are too! That's like the most stupid thing I've ever heard in my whole life!" He shot back. "Well then Rodriguez, you haven't heard many things in you life"

"Oh yes I have! I used to be on the tigers, do you know how annoying those guys where?" He said "is that the team that the Phillips guy is on? Squints was saying he saw him at the diner today". "Yep, He was the worst one, the worst part is that he can never back up his mouth" he said while staring at the sky. "He has a older brother too, Joey, he wasn't mean but he talked to much." the guy! I thought in my head and I smiled. "What are you smiling at?" He asked.

I laughed a little bit and looked up at the sky too "nothing" The stars were so beautiful but the main thing I was looking at was the planes and helicopters that flew past in the sky. It reminds me of New York, late at night when I couldn't sleep I would go on our fire escape and watch the planes leaving and helicopters arriving. I crossed my arms and kept looking up.

"You miss New York a lot, don't you" I could see Benny looking at me out of the corner of my eye but I just kept looking up. "More than ever" I said "I hope one day I can move back, there is no way I'll stay in this town forever y'know." He sat up and scratched his neck "yeah, I mean I guess so, I've never really been out of this town for a long time so I don't really have anything to miss" I turned my body and sat up again so I was facing him.

"Really, you've always been here?" I asked and he looked at me "yeah, I love it here so I'm not complaining" he said. "You don't ever think of traveling the world or something, I would hate to be trapped in just one place for all my life" he looked at me and licked his lips.

"Well you don't know this place yet, trust me you will"

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Hey guys!
Sorry for the short chapter, I've been finding it hard to find motivation lately but I finally brought myself to release this one.

Also, THANKS FOR THREE THOUSAND ON TIK TOK AND ONE HUNDRED READS!!!!!!

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Stay gold- C <3