It All Started with Baseball

Chapter 3: Meeting the Boys

"Anyway," Benny said. He gestured towards the kids. "Scott and Y/n, that's Timmy and Tommy Timmons."

Benny gestured towards two boys who looked like brothers.

They both shot us looks and spit into the dirt.

"Mike 'Squints' Palledorous," Benny gestured to the boy with glasses.

He spit just like the brothers did right into the dirt.

"Alan McClellan," Benny gestured to a boy with tan skin and dark hair. "We call him Yeah-Yeah."

Yeah-Yeah spit into the dirt.

"Bertram Grover."

A tall skinny boy with glasses spit into the dirt.

"Kenny DeNunez and Hamilton Porter. We call him Ham."

A dark skinned boy and freckled boy spit into the dirt.

"Guys, this is Y/n and Scott Smalls," Benny gestured to me and Scotty.

"Hi," Scotty and I smiled and waved at the boys.

"Yeah, um, they are gonna play with us cause they make ten," Benny explains. "Now we've got a whole team. We're wasting time. Let's go to the sandlot."

"Benny-"

"Why'd you bring them, Benny?"

"Cause there's eight of us, and with them we're ten," Benny nods.

"He can't throw and she's well...," Squints started. "She's a girl."

I rolled my eyes at the comment.

"I can play just as well as you guys can," I said, folding my arms across my chest.

"Yeah, yeah, so can my sister," Yeah-Yeah remarked. "But I didn't bring her."

"With ten guys we've got a whole team, Yeah-Yeah," Benny said, a little annoyed.

"No. With Elswenger we had a whole team."

"Elswenger could catch."

"And throw."

"Come on, Benny, man. He ain't game."

"You saw the way he threw."

"Yeah. And she's a girl."

"I need the practice, guys," Benny sighed.

"You're the best on the team. You don't need any practice."

Suddenly the boys stopped complaining and started complimenting Benny.

"No, you don't."

"You're the best, man."

"Come on, Benny, man," Bertram erged.

"The kid...a L-7 weenie," Squints said, raising his fingers in the shape of an "L" on his forehead. He looked right at my brother.

"Dodger dog! A weenie!" Yeah-Yeah joined in.

The boys started laughing.

I looked over to see that Scotty looked as if he wanted to cry, but he held it in.

That was it. I was going to tell those boys off, but Benny stepped in before I could.

"What are you laughing at, Yeah-Yeah?" Benny pointed at Yeah-Yeah. "You run like a duck."

"Okay, okay, but I'm-I'm," Yeah-Yeah started.

"Part of the game, right?" Benny raised an eyebrow.

"Mmm, yeah."

"Now, how come they don't get to be?" Benny asked.

"Cause he's a geek, man."

"He can't catch."

"And she's a girl."

"Man, base up, you blockheads," Benny said, shaking his head at the boys.

Benny headed to home base and the boys took their positions.

"Smalls, you take left center, okay?" Benny yelled.

"Okay. Um, where exactly is that?" Scotty asked, looking around.

"It's over there, man," Benny said, pointing over to the left center of the field.

"Here?" Scotty said, standing in the wrong spot.

Benny sighed.

"Come on, Benny, man," Squints sighed. "He's never gonna catch the ball anyway. Let's just play."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to Scotty. I took my hands and placed them on his shoulders, moving him to the left center of the field.

"Yeah-Yeah, get two."

I smiled at Scotty and he smiled back at me.

"Where should I stand?" I shouted, looking at Benny.

"You can stand over by Yeah-Yeah, Little Red," Benny instructed with a smile and nod.

My heart fluttered at the new nickname as I walked over to Yeah-Yeah who just stared at me.

I felt like I was finally part of a team.

Even if most of my teammates didn't want me here.

I was going to prove to all of them that I belonged here. That I was supposed to play baseball.

And I was going to help my little brother make friends.