Summer of 1962, California.
Moving to a place near Los Angeles all the way from New York was not on your 1962 bucket list. You had to say goodbye to the shops, all the street food, and most of all, the snowy winters.
So now you were helping your parents bring in the move in boxes. You hoped nothing got lost in the procession. Especially your photo albums and exclusive clothing items.
You were rich, for sure. So you didn't completely understand as to why you moved into a small town. And your clothes were very different from locals you saw walking by. Not so different, just looked more expensive.
A pair of jeans and a blouse. And the blouse had a floral pink print on it, your jeans were a lighter shade and your dark brown (almost black) hair was combed straight.
"Y/N! Come help your father get your clothing boxes! You packed a whole house with these three boxes!" Your mother complained, from inside the house with the humid weather.
"'Okay." You replied, your dad told you to just stay on the front porch and bounce a small ball you won from a gum ball sized machine for five cents.
"No, Emi I told you it's fine! Let our little girl rest." Your dad insists.
"But dad, I don't want to be a seen as a lazy child who's rich and a brat." You retort.
"But the thing is we know you're not." Your dad replied, "You get us good grades and you're very popular in your school!" He brought up.
"But we're not in New York anymore." You say, "So let me do my part with helping you guys." You add, "Anyway, why'd we move here?"
"Too much drama in New York." Your mother said.
"And the people there suck." Your dad voiced.
"True," You shrugged, "But couldn't we go somewhere to Los Angeles?"
"It's so hot there with no parking anywhere. And there's creeps there in Hollywood." Your dad listed.
"It's hot anywhere in Cali." You sass.
"Anyway, it's either you stop your yap and help us, or you can go back to the porch and explore." Your mom spoke.
"Emi, I'm telling you let our daughter just have fun!" Your dad argued.
"Look, do I or do I not help?" You question, a bit annoyed at the constant debate over your whereabouts.
"You know what? Don't help." Your mom sighed as she agreed with your dad.
"Cool, good for me." You grin, "Thanks." You wave before turning around and running back outside.
You weren't so sure on what to do, as watching the moving men give your parents boxes wasn't the most entertaining or enjoyable thing. But that was until you saw a figure walking across the sidewalk.
It was a Hispanic boy who wore a blue shirt with a white tank top and denim shorts. Naturally you definitely found him cute. Of course you did.
You didn't realize you stared for a second too long before the boy gave you a slight grin and wave. You looked idiotic as you blinked and processed what just happened, before you nervously waved back.
After seeing your wave, the boy gave another smile before walking off..to who knows where. From there on you became too starstruck. The thing is, they didn't create such cuties in New York as they did here. And certainly if you did they wouldn't acknowledge you at all. Interesting.
"Y/N! Just go off explore! You're making too much unnecessary space taken here!" Your dad yelled, as he was helping the moving guys shuffle through the new furniture boxes.
"Wait really?" You stood up, walking inside to where your dad was.
He nods, telling the worker to pause before he shuffled through his pockets for a few quarters. "Here, be back before sunset. And tell me if there's any good food places, so we can go there in a week or so once we settle." Your dad instructs, you hesitantly take it.
"Thank you, dad." You smile.
"Of course, kid." He pat your head before continuing off his work. So there left you with some quarters.
You walked around the same place that Hispanic boy trailed off to. You didn't know where you were going, just bouncing your ball and looking at houses and trees. Eventually you found a diner.
"Mel's Diner?" Your eyes looked at the sign, "Sure." You shrugged, opening the door to be met with a woman at the front desk.
"Hello! Table for one?" The woman asked with a grin, looking at you.
"Oh uh, yes, yes please." You shyly nod.
"Okay! You will be seated at the bar over there." The woman points, gathering a menu item.
You noticed kids your age nearby, oh god. "Most kids here come for the ice cream, are you here for it too?" She asked you, walking to the tables.
"just got here, I'm a new kid in the town, I guess? Kinda just exploring." You explain.
"Oh, interesting. They don't get much new kids here." She hums, seating you at a stool, "Here's your seat, and the menu." She gave it to you.
You hoped it had chocolate marshmallow-your favorite flavor when your mom first introduced it to you as a five year old. As you looked through the menu (to your surprise you still hadn't seen the flavor yet), you heard a boy's voice call out to you.
"Hey! You're the new girl, right?" It was the sidewalk boy! Your eyes widened in surprise, almost letting out a slight squeak. Act cool, act cool! You yelled to yourself.
"Oh! You're the sidewalk guy!" You nod.
"Yup, Benny. Actually Benjamin Rodriguez, but no one calls me Benjamin, just Benny." He introduces himself, holding out his hand for you to shake.
You were a bit flushed with the sudden casual conversation and his gaze onto you. But you shook it and felt his soft hand. "Y/N, Y/N Lee. I moved here from New York." You introduce yourself with a small smile, in which he returns one too-just more cuter than yours.
"Cute name." He blurts, "I-sorry. It suits you, but it was probably way out of line for me." He stammered, you chuckled. Mostly being nervous.
"No, it's okay. I like your name too, Benny." You compliment, "And feel free to compliment me whenever you'd like."
"I'll be sure to remember that." He responded.
You swore he also had a look in his eye that not many boys had when they stared at you. But, you brushed it off-you assumed you were just being boy crazy again, which you were trying to stop.
"So? What makes you come all the way from NYC?" Benny questioned.
"I don't know. They just want a break from the big town, and if I'm honest, I kinda like it." That was particularly because of him.
"Well, I'm glad you do." He said, "You'll like it here. Besides the heat, everything is super cool."
"You could show me around so I can be the judge of that." That comment was supposed to be stuck in your head.
"Well, if you'd like, sure. I can give a girl like you a tour." Benny winked. Oh...he wasn't afraid to flirt.
"Well then...!" You turned slightly pink, Benny had a cheeky grin on his face, "What flavors are there? What'd you reckon?" Switch topics, asap! You said to yourself, staring at the menu.
"Oh, I'm sure you wouldn't like mine. But most people get chocolate, vanilla, cherry, mint..." Benny began to read off the menu.
"They don't sell any chocolate marshmallow?" You brought up.
"A what?" He asked, "Oh." He then shook his head, "You meant a rocky road?" He corrects.
"A what?" You basically just repeated his words.
"A rocky road." He repeated his words like you, "Basically chocolate with marshmallows and then toppled with almonds." He explained.
"Yuck! Almonds?" You gag, "What if people have a nut allergy?" You ask-hypothetically. You didn't have one, luckily.
"Ain't that too bad, you don't get it." Benny retorts. "Well, you don't have a nut allergy?" He asks you.
"Nope." You shook your head.
"Okay, look, what about this: we both order rocky road." Benny proposed his idea.
"My own selfishness can't let you eat a flavor you probably don't want because I just simply won't eat it." You deny.
"Oh, guess I didn't say. Rocky road is my favorite flavor." He then told.
"Oh.." You reply, "Then I guess it won't hurt if both of us order it." You decide, then searching through your pocket, "How much exactly is it? For a cup?" You ask.
"Don't worry, it's on me." Benny announces, "I'll pay." You furrowed your eyebrows with a gasp.
"You'll what?"
"Yeah? What, no one pays for you?" He said, "I'll treat you," He insists.
"But I have the money, I can pay, you won't have to spend so much—"
"Stop fussing, humble princess." He interrupted, making you blush, again.
"Humble?" You pretended to be nonchalant about that princess nickname.
"Why? Doesn't suit you?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Not really." You shook your head. "I'd say princess does just as well." You shrugged.
"Well, princess it is then, Princess." He grins.
You didn't expect to be called princess by a cute boy. Geez you didn't expect to even be talking with one. Nor did you expect to be rolling so nonchalant with it. Let alone even be in the same radius as a boy! From there on, you two chatted. Along with the ice cream, which was really yummy. Benny actually offered to eat the almonds for you-which you happily accepted.
You didn't realize that you actually were becoming friends with him. He was nice to talk to, and cute to look at, win-win in your book.
"Oh gracious, look at this sun set!" You point, now Benny and you were walking back home. From what you guessed you two didn't live such far away.
"It's beautiful." He comments on it, before unknowingly staring into your face again.
Something was different. Way different. Benny was no doubt a charmer, a lady's magnet, but he never acknowledged any of the girls who basically made heart eyes at him. Yet somehow he seemed to be the one making heart eyes at you-and he didn't know why or how. Benny was so sure he was supposed to be at the Sandlot today. Thank goodness for the whole team being grounded for something dumb at school. He didn't hate this, that's for sure.
But what he was scared of, was the probability you wouldn't feel the same.
In the midst of his zone-out, you continued to blabber about your life before going here. You ranted about New York, and how you thought he'd hate the city life. He enjoyed listening to you.
"And here's my house." You then proceeded, you still saw a few boxes scattered throughout the front door. Along with the loud commotion of the moving men yelling at each other in Spanish.
"It looks nice, you guys got a good deal." Benny compliments. "I gotta go, just remembered that my ma wants me home before 7." He told you.
"It was nice hanging with ya." You smile.
"It was nice hanging with you too." Benny replied, "I'll see you around?" He offered.
"Of course!" You nod. "Unless you do linger around every so often. If you don't, then...guess not."
"The route to the sandlot is always the route here. So don't be surprised." Benny says.
"Well then. Bye, Benny!" You wave, walking up to your front porch. "Go to my house whenever you want to hang again, okay!" You call.
"I will!" Benny waved back, "Bye, princess!" He teased. And before you could reply back he ran off, possibly to his house.
"Y/N! Where were you? You're lucky the sun is still setting." Your mom immediately turned to you, by now she was already resting on some couches that were built during your time out.
"I was exploring." You answer, "Just like dad told me to." You add.
"I saw you with that boy outside." Your mom remarked with a teasing grin.
"Okay...mom...it was nothing!" Whenever your mom saw you in the radius of one, be ready for any teasings.
"You like him! Yes?" She asked you.
"I just met him!" You exclaim. Maybe...you did, but you accepted to be in denial about it.
"You can't just say that, dear. I just met your dad one day in the 40's and look where that ended up." Your mother joked. "Well, whatever it is with that boy, you found a good catch. He definitely likes you. Of course, bringing honor to this family once again." She began to ramble.
"He probably forgot everything by now," You guessed, though to your own surprise Benny Rodriguez was still giddy about it.
On his way home, he had been all smiley and proud and just so in love. His mother even questioned it once he got back home. "Where were you?"
"I found a girl. She's really pretty."
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✷ my ideal face claim for Y/N Lee is Leeseo from a korean band called IVE (visual should be the cover & exit banner below)! reader's race will not be further elaborated at all, though, so you can still cast her as anyone you'd please.
✷ i'm not too happy with the layout of this chapter/its plot. feels too corny for my taste...but oh well. yay...you and benny content! the original was way cornier and worse.