the sandlot orphan » deleted scenes

boyfriend - part two

        "What do you mean, boyfriend?" Benny demands, his face hardening.

        "What Mom means is that David might be my boyfriend?" Hayley replies in a questioning tone, nervous as she sinks into the couch again.

        "And when were you going to tell me?"

        "When Mom decided to tell you?"

        "So you're telling me, Mom knew but I didn't?" Hayley shakes her head slowly, reaching out for David's hand under the blanket. Her hand finds his, squeezing it softly before lacing their fingers together.

        Benny turns to Sam, Sam turning her face away to not meet his gaze. "We need to talk." He tells her. Sam nods, following Benny into their bedroom. Before doing that though, she went to Hayley and quickly whispered, "It'll be okay."

        In Benny and Sam's bedroom, Benny is pacing around the room with his arms crossed. Sam watches him quietly, biting her lip. As Benny starts to speak up, so does Sam, but Sam closes her mouth to let him speak first,

        "How long?"

        "A couple of months..." Sam speaks quietly, looking up at him timidly.

        "A couple of months? Sam—"

        "What did you expect me to do? Be like 'Hey Benny, our daughter has a boyfriend, want something to eat?"

        "Yes!"

        "Well no!" Sam crosses her arms as well. "You would've reacted the same way you did now or even worse."

        "Of course I would've because Hayley is too young to date!"

        "When we started dating, I was fourteen and you were fifteen, so what's the difference?"

        "That Hayley is thirteen and David is fourteen. They're younger and less mature. They're not ready to date."

        Sam sighs. "I know but, she really likes David, I don't want her to get upset."

        Benny sighs as well, rubbing his face before he grabs Sam's hands and sits on the edge of their bed. Sam copies him and sits next to him, their hands still clasped together. 

        "You know I love Hayley, how could I not? She's my daughter and I want the best for her. I really don't think this is best for her." Benny watches Sam's face for any reaction. "Remember our junior year of high school, and how you got pregnant with Hayley and couldn't go to college?"

        Sam nods, smiling softly at the memory as Benny continues, "I don't regret anything at all, I wouldn't want my life to play out any other way, but would you want that for Hayley? Would you want Hayley to not go to college and be responsible for another life so early?"

        Sam then frowns, shaking her head. "I love Hayley with all of my heart, but I wouldn't want her to go through that so early."

        "Exactly, so I think she should wait until she's a bit older, let's say until she's halfway through high school. Until then, we can teach her how to be careful with a boyfriend, what do you think?" Benny looks into his wife's eyes for reassurance. 

        Sam takes a deep breath in and nods. "I think you're absolutely right. Yes, Hayley might be upset but she'll learn that this is for the best and that we're doing this because we love her."

        "Good, can you bring Hayley in, I think we need to talk to her about what we talked about."

        Sam nods once more, squeezing his hands before letting them go and standing up, going out to the living room. Once she walks to where she and Benny left Hayley, she hesitates a bit. She sees Hayley and David whispering to each other and laughing while Hayley is leaning into David's chest, his arms around her. Sam frowns a bit at the sight, not wanting to ruin it. Hayley just looks so happy and that's all Sam wants, but she and Benny came to an agreement, so Sam has to follow through on her part.  

        "Hayley?" Sam calls out, making Hayley and David look up at her. "Can we talk?"

        Hayley untangles herself from David and stands, stretching out her weak limbs. She then walks up to her mother and together they walk into the bedroom where Benny is waiting for them. Sam immediately sits by Benny, leaving a space for Hayley to sit between them. Hayley watches them for a moment in disbelief; she knows what's coming.

        "Come sit honey." Sam pats the spot on her left. Hayley slowly approaches them before hesitantly sitting between her parents. She looks up at Benny, then at Sam, before looking down at her lap.

        "Hayley, we have come to a decision." Benny starts slowly. "We think you shouldn't date David."

        "What?" Hayley exclaims looking at him with her eyebrows creased together in worry. She's worried that once David hears the news, he'll find someone else to date and she really doesn't want that to happen. Hayley then looks at Sam, "Mom, you said that we would be able to keep dating, that you were going to change his mind!" 

        "Well, your father changed my mind." Sam says, looking down at her daughter. 

        "Dad!" whines Hayley, tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly blinks them back, not wanting to cry in front of her parents in that moment.

        "Look, Hayley," Benny grabs her left hand with his right one. "We think you're still too young. Yes, your mother and I did date at a young age but that doesn't mean that you need to date young too. You remember the story of when you were born?"

        Hayley nods. "Mom got pregnant with me during high school and she couldn't go to college because she had to take care of me."

        "Right, now it's not your fault that your mother couldn't go to college and we don't regret having you early, but would you want that to happen to you? We know that your dream is to go to college."

        Hayley nods, Sam continuing for Benny. "So we don't want that dream to go away like that. Since we don't want that, we believe it's best for you and David not date yet. Yes, we know that you'll be careful with him, but we don't know if he'll be careful, you know? So we'll let you know when you can date him, but for now, just stay friends. Get to know each other a little better, okay?"

        Hayley stays silent for a few moments, looking down at her lap before she slowly nods. "Okay." Her voice is small and quiet before she speaks up louder. "Okay, I understand."

        "Good." Benny pulls her into a tight hug, kissing her forehead softly. "We love you, alright? Just because we're doing this, it doesn't mean we don't love you, it's the complete opposite. We just want to protect you."

        Hayley nods, hugging her father back just as tightly and smiling when she feels her mother join the hug as well. "I love you guys too."

new year, new chapter. thanks for reading!! i really enjoy writing dad!benny and mom!sam and they're such good parents, right? and hayley is such a cutie. next deleted scene might be the last one with hayley and david sadly :( BUT after that i'll write out your requests and other ideas i have in mind with charlie and the others. so please keep requesting! your comments and votes are always loved and appreciated. :)