In the days following the incident in the alley, my new life in San Fernando went on quite normally.
Benny, Kate, Ham and I met each day for lunch at a diner in town. Then we would play catch at the sandlot until the younger guys got there.
Kate had never been invited by the guys to play ball since they had their whole "no girls" thing. However, she'd asked me to teach her after she heard how much of a big shot I was around the guys.
Around noon we all met at a diner in town. Kate and I had gotten there first so we sat at a booth near the window.
"I can't wait till I can put them in their place, like you," she told me, laughing. She slid into the booth next to me.
"Same here," I smiled.
Just then, the bell at the door of the diner rang. Benny and Ham walked in.
"Imagine Ham's face when I can catch him out at bat or something!" Kate's eyes were shining in the most mischievous way.
She and Ham had an ongoing battle of wits – they were going on about seven years now.
"That'll show him never to kiss me again!" she exclaimed, just loud enough for him to hear as he and Benny walked up to our table.
Ham scowled at her, crossing his arms as he walked over to our table.
"What did you say?" he growled, face fuming wth anger and embarrassment.
My mouth dropped open.
Ham kissed Kate!?
"Yup, that's right," she answered my unspoken question. Her face was red and she was fighting off a blushing smile with a forced gag. "When we were eight, he kissed me!"
"–I still regret it to this day, you monster. Don't be so flattered."
Kate rolled her eyes, and my mouth was still hanging open. Benny slid into the booth across from me, and Ham stood standing, defiantly.
"Trust me, 'Hambino," Kate said, forming quotations with her fingers.
"I'm not."
Benny lost it, his grin broke into laughter as Ham's face flushed.
He smacked the table with his palm, as he cracked up, practically dying from a lack of oxygen.
He looked at me with squinty eyes and I couldn't help but join him. The fact that we were the only sane two at the table was too much to bear when we realized we were all acting like little kids.
It was pretty awesome.
"H-ha," he gasped. "Ham-"
"Hambino," I finished, closing my eyes as my body shook with laughter.
Ham shut his mouth. His face was fuming redder than his hair as he sat next to Benny in the booth, at last.
Benny's leg brushed against mine under the table when he was forced to move over to avoid being squashed by Ham.
I glanced down at the table, but I'm pretty sure he looked at me, like he noticed it, too.
Kate, my queen, sat up in the booth as if it were her throne. The smug look on her face was priceless compared to the way she'd previously dissed Julia.
Ham clamped his mouth shut for two full minutes until the waitress came to take our orders.
"What'll you two lovely couples be having?"
Benny and I couldn't help it – we slowly moved our eyes from the waitress, to Ham and Kate who went straight back to scowling, and then to each other, blushing.
The moment his soft hazel eyes met mine we lost it again, falling into a fit of obnoxious laughter.
"Oh," Kate said, trying to remain calm, to ignore Benny and I's laughter. "We're not a couple."
Ham scrunched his nose in disgust but a flicker of something else– sadness maybe– shone in his eyes, and then it was gone.
"Yes, definitely not," he mumbled.
I felt Benny's eyes on me again, up until it was his turn to order.
✱ ✱ ✱ ✱
"That'll be all?" the waitress asked, folding her notepad.
"Could I also get a large fry?" Ham asked.
Kate snickered as the waitress unfolded her pad and added the order.
"Okay, your food will be served shortly."
She turned and walked back to the kitchen after smiling at us.
Did she really think we were all.. dating?
"–Ouch!" Kate cried. "I thought you said you'd never hit a girl?" Kate mocked, reaching under the table to rub her knee.
"For you," Ham sneered, "I've made an exception. Plus, I didn't hit you."
"Kicking is hitting with your shoe.." she mumbled.
✱ ✱ ✱ ✱
Benny's POV
Our food finally came, and now the four of us sit, shoving our faces full of the delicious burgers.
"Guys," Ham says. "The fries aren't just for me you know?" He shoves them towards the middle of the table, and Shaye takes one.
"Thanks, Hambino," she says her lips curling into a small smirk after biting into the fry.
Her green-blue eyes dart towards mine again, and I smile. Then she looks away.
She keeps looking away.
Next to Shaye, Kate ignores Ham's offer of the fries.
They totally love each other.
I look over at him and his plate is empty.
"Woah, man. How are you already done?"
He scowls at me. "I was hungry. Man."
Sheesh, sorry.
Unknowingly, my eyes shift back to Shaye. She takes another bite of her burger, mouth stuffed full.
I never knew it was possible for someone to look so cute eating a – what?
Cute? She's anything but cute, Benny! She's witty and tough, and not just some annoying girly-girl– and– okay, shut up.
Shut up.
I snap out of my trance to find her staring at me staring at her.
"What?" she asks.
"You've got ketchup on your face."
"Oh."
She licks the corner of her lips.
"It's gone," I say.
There wasn't anything there to begin with.
"Thanks."
"Yeah," I say, forcing myself to look away and focus on sipping the last of my soda.
Now I feel Kate's eyes on me.
Oh great.
✱ ✱ ✱ ✱
"So, Benny," Kate starts as we walk down the sidewalk towards the gang's usual meet up spot.
"What's going on in your life?"
I keep my gaze on the ground, looking nonchalant.
"Why are you asking now? We just talked at lunch."
She smirks at me, knowingly.
"Oh, I don't know.. just wondering if you had anything you wanted to talk to me about."
"Nope," I sigh. "I just wanna play baseball."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah.."
I hope for the sake of my sanity that Shaye can't hear us talking behind her. She and Ham are actually warming up to each other.
"Oh. I see how it is," Kate nudges me. "You don't even know," she laughs.
"Know what?"
She just grins, as if she knows a secret about the universe she doesn't plan to share with anyone else.
"So cute," she whispered half to herself.
"..Huh?"
She ignored me.
"Hey guys!" Kate calls out to the younger guys when we finally reach the parking lot near Vincent's that we always meet at.
"Ugh, another one" Timmy groans, seeing Kate.
"Ugh, another one."
"Hey," Shaye snapped. "I thought you liked me," she teased the guys, fighting off a grin.
"Sure we do," Squints said. "But one girl's enough."
Kate looks amused by the guys' reaction to her presence.
She could care less what they think about her. I've known her more than half my life – she's truly mastered the art of not giving a damn.
However, I'm trying to make a point.
"Shut up, guys," I say.
"Yeah, yeah, suppose you'll want me to bring my sister to play ball, too, huh?"
Alan chuckles at his own joke.
"What are you laughing at, Yeah-Yeah? You run like a duck."
"Okay, okay. But I'm- I'm.."
"Part of the game, right?" I ask.
"Mmm, yeah," he nods.
"Now, how come she don't get to be?" I gesture to Kate, who smirks, knowing I'm going to win this.
"She probably doesn't even know who the Great Bambino is," Timmy said.
"Who's that?" Scotty asked.
Oh no. Scott..