The day that changed Riley Benjamin's life had the greatest weather she ever witnessed. Well, to say the truth, it was just a good day—better than most. It was a perfect day to go and play ball in the park. In fact, every kid did so at noon. They usually ate ice cream, and then played some ball, then more ice cream while walking back home with friends.
For an eight year old boy, this summer day could be what was in stored in heaven for the good kids' schedule. For an eight year old girl, it wouldn't be the same. Fortunately, Riley Benjamin was not the average girl, and for her, playing baseball with the boys was just as fun as playing dolls for other girls could be.
With her white cap that framed her golden pigtails, she always swung proudly her smile. Her stern eyes and stubborn freckled nose were imposed with every cry her indelicate mouth screeched. And her ripped, dirty jeans was the victorious trophy of winning over her mother's cries. Riley depicted the realness of a tomboy and the boys never vacillated on it.
No other girl was as respected and feared by the guys as Riley Benjamin.
"Tony! Hit it harder, you sissy!" Riley shouted while she swung her bat to and fro, tapping her foot and waiting for Tony to pitch the ball. "C'mon!"
"Ok, but if I hit you, don't cry and blame it on me, Riley," Tony smirked at her annoyed expression.
"I won't blame it on anything, sissy! Just shut up and play!" Riley yelled back as her pigtails waved backward and forward.
Tony chuckled at her and without hesitation he pitched it, sending the ball violently rotating straight to Riley's torso. But before it could hit her, she swayed the bat with all her little mighty force and the ball went directly outside the fence.
"Homerun!" Riley shouted in victory as the boys of her team came and lifted her up.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Tony broke the celebration off. "I want another match."
"What's the matter, Tony? Not so happy now that a girl beat ya, huh?" Riley hopped off from Big Mikey's shoulders and walked toward Tony and his team.
Tony spat his gum to the arena's soil. "Alight, you won this time, but I want a playback! Tomorrow."
"Fine! I'm no chicken." Riley crossed her arms around her chest and stuck out her tongue.
"You're not a chicken, huh? Okay, then... go and get the ball." Tony pointed the fence with his index finger while a figment of a smirk appeared around his mouth.
Riley eyed him up and down, stopping, her gaze, at his little black haired head that supported his big sharp nose. "It's your ball, you go get it!"
"I thought you said you weren't a chicken!"
"I'm no chicken!"
"Chicken! Chicken! Chicken!"
"Stop it!"
"Riley's a chicken, guys!"
"No, I'm not, fart-head! Shut up!"
"Fine, then do it and I'll give you this bat."
Tony showed her the metal stout bat that glittered harmoniously against the sun's buckets of rays. Riley cocked her eyebrows as she wavered. Alexis wouldn't buy me a new bat, because she prefers to buy nail stupid polish instead, she thought and then, she smiled back at Tony, mimicking the same glint of his eyes.
"Deal!"
"Deal!" Tony smirked while he shook her hand. "Now, go get it."
The boys in her team cheered for her, encouraging her to succeed as she ran to the fence. The park was next to an ice cream shop's alleyway, and there were rumors of a ghost slaughtering the kids who trespassed the alleyway. Since she was six yeas old, she heard about the legend of "Jack the Ghost". He was the ghost of the Ripper and he sliced the throat of kids—especially girls.
Riley swallowed hard when she thought about it, but for the sake of he young pride, she climbed the fence up and landed on the alley's asphalt ground. She wasn't a chicken, she was one of the boys—perhaps that would confuse the ghost.
Trembling, she looked around the gloomy alley and checked if the coast was clear. Then, she started to look for the ball. She hauled some boxes up and knelt down to see if the ball rolled underneath the old chairs that were laid against the brick walls.
"You're looking for this?" a voice said from behind her.
"Ah! Don't kill me!" Riley flinched as she stood up and closed her eyes. She swore Jack was going to slice her throat like ham.
When Riley opened her eyes, she saw a nine year old Andrew Lukewood standing in front of her with an apron circling his belly. His black curls dangled around his head, and his brown eyes were as dak as the dirt stains on his cheeks.
" I won't kill you. Take it." The young Lukewood handed her the ball.
"Thanks," she mumbled loudly as she clutched the ball.
"It's okay. But next time, I'll keep it." He genuinely smiled at her, dimples denting those dirtied cheeks.
But when he saw a blond kid walking by the sidewalk, his smile stiffened.
"Hey! You!" Andrew yelled to the oblivious kid.
"What?!" the blond kid turned around. But when he eyed Andrew running towards him, he went for the chase. "Crap!"
Riley saw how Andrew ran after the blond kid, pumping his footsteps closer to his prey. Heatedly yet clumsily, Andrew jumped on top of blondie and started to punch his symmetrical face.
"Stop it!" Riley shouted. Once she dashed towards them, she shoved Andrew off of him. "Don't hut him. That's mean!"
"Shut up!" Andrew barked back at Riley, a little scowl appearing. "And you can't yell to me because you're not the boss!"
"Stop being so mean!" She held her posture while Andrew stood up to face her. "Don't hurt him. That's not nice!"
"Make me!" Andrew tilted his head, glaring at Riley. When he saw her pulling a glare of her own, he sneered in mocking disdain. "You're just a girl! What're you gonna do?"
"This!" Riley grunted as she pushed Andrew, but he just stumbled a few steps backwards.
"Ha!" he evilly cackled. His laughter became a growl when he shoved her back, making her fall to the ground. "See? You're just a girl!"
Riley immediately stood up, ignoring the aching in her palms—that got scratched by the asphalt—and punched Andrew. The blow connected to his jaw, making him wince and cry in pain.
"Andrew! What's going on?" Mr. Lukewood, the owner of the ice cream shop, hollered from the shop's enter.
"Dad!" Andrew cried, holding his jaw as he ran towards Mr. Lukewood.
"Aren't you supposed to be taking the garbage out? What's wrong?" Larry asked, bending to check his wailing son's jaw.
With red, puffy, and searing eyes, Andrew glanced back at Riley with an accusative finger. "She hit me and Ayden won't give me my marbles back! He borrowed five!" he whined, thumping his feet while showing five little fingers at his father.
"Are you okay?" Riley ignored Andrew and his father and turned around to see Ayden with a wounded mouth—a trickle of crimson liquid cornering it.
"Yeah. All good. Thanks," Ayden took Riley's hand and pulled himself up.
When Ayden got up, he swept the dirt off his clothes while Riley admired the glorious splendor that his beauty sprouted. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when he gifted her a smile of gratitude—a smile she'd never forget. For the first time, she finally saw what was all the fuss about when her older sister talked about boys.
Ayden waved goodbye and walked off to the blissful unknown. She was amazed and she even forgot about the ball, the whining coward with curls, and the deal she made with Tony. But a bat is more needful than a boy, so she started to run back to the sandlot.
A raspy shrill stopped her amidst. "Ayden and tomboy, sitting in a tree!"
Riley snapped her glare back at the boy who was wiping the tears off his eyes. "Shut up!" she growled at him.
"Andrew," Larry, his father, warned while holding a smile.
"I don't shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you I throw up, and then your mom comes around the corner and licks it up." After finishing, he ran inside the shop before Riley could tackle him.
Larry gave Riley more than an apologetic smile. Ten years later, he gave her a job.
A/N: You could say that this is the prologue. The rest of the story is written in two first point of views.