On July 5th I woke to Scotty shaking me awake in the early morning with my mother pulling Bill's telephone into the hall. The cord was tangled around the doorknob and at first I wondered who on earth it could be.
What– Kate!
I forced my eyes open and kept out of bed to race to the phone. Bill was out again, so I wouldn't have to worry about giving up the phone.
"It's Kate, hon," mom said, handing me the receiver and the dial box to carry into my room.
"Thanks," I mouthed, and then I answered the phone: "Kate?"
I was responded by a squeal of delight on the other end of the line. "Shayeeee!"
I yanked the receiver away from my ear and settled myself on my bed in a comfortable lounged position– I could tell– this was gonna take a while.
"Shaye, you'll never guess what happened!"
"What?!"
"Guess!"
"What? No, tell me!
"Guess!"
"Um, you met someone famous?"
"Nope."
"You won the lottery?"
"No!"
I could see her grin right through the phone, and it kept getting bigger and bigger as I kept guessing.
"Your mom is getting married?"
"Eew, no!"
"Well, what is it then?"
"Somebody kissed me!"
"What? Who? Who– where is he, lemme–"
"Somebody we know."
"Who!?"
"Somebody.. somebody who's kissed me before."
Ham.
"Oh my gosh. No way!"
"Yep."
"Ham!"
"Uh, yeah. I said yup already, can't cha hear?"
"Yeah, I can hear, it's just.. wow. Again?"
"I know! It's so weird.."
"When?!"
"That morning– the morning I left."
"Oh, wooowwww. I knew that."
"What– you knew? How?"
"I saw him walking towards your house," I responded, giggling into the phone as I remembered Ham's flustering. "He was so nervous."
"Aww, really?"
"Aww, you totally like him!"
"I do.. too." Kate sighed. I wished I could've nudged her through the phone, but that was impossible, and there were thousands of miles between us.
"I knew it."
"Shut up.."
Smiling like a dork, I asked my best friend how her second kiss was.
"It was.. it was so weird– I can't get over the feeling. I mean, Ham, as much as we argue and stuff, he's always been a good friend. And I know he's not the most attractive guy– he's not like your Benny, I mean– but he's funny. He's such a jerk and he makes my blood boil, but he's a funny jerk. And he's really loyal, too. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I didn't hate it. I didn't hate the kiss."
My heart was still fluttering over the way she referred to "my" Benny. Mine?
"How are things back home?" Kate asked, realizing I'd stopped asking questions.
"They're good," I said. "Everyone's doing great– but Ham misses you, I'm sure."
"How's Ben? Has he made any moves on you yet?"
"What?"
Kate giggled and my cheeks flushed.
"Benny?"
"Yes Benny, silly. How's he doing?"
"Pretty good, I think."
"That's good."
We were quiet for a few moments, until I gathered the courage to ask the question that'd been lurking on the edge of my mind: "Kate?"
"Mmm?"
"Kate, how come you're so sure Benny likes me? Cause, well.. I'm not."
"Honey," Kate said, smiling at me through the phone. "Benny's been one of my best friend's nearly all my life. I know him. He looks at you like you're the only girl in the world."
My cheeks became a darker shade of scarlet, and I almost regretted asking. Ignoring the nagging question in my mind would have saved me this sort of embarrassment– I couldn't like Benny– he was supposed to be my friend. Nothing more. But I did, and I couldn't help but want to believe he liked me, too.
After a quite a few moments of silence I offered something to the conversation once again: "Well, it's pretty obvious now that Ham likes you."
"Yeah, I guess so.."
"Oh. Oh! My gosh. How did I forget about that!?"
"Forget about what?" Kate exclaimed. "Forget about what? What did you forget!?"
I chuckled a bit, wondering wether or not I should tell Kate about Squints and Wendy, or to wait for her to get an invitation to the wedding.
"Whaaat? Tell me!"
"Hah, okay, fine."
"Yeah?"
"Well.. um. Squints kinda.. he pulled a move– on Wendy."
Kate burst out laughing on the other end of the line and again, I had to extend the phone away from my ear– but I couldn't help but laugh myself– I was still so surprised Squints actually did what he.. well, did.
"We were at the pool, and– and he jumped off the board, right? Into the deep end. And then he was kind of drowning and all so Wendy dove in to save him! So then the guys and all, we got out of the pool and ran around to the deep end where Wendy got Squints out on the ground– it was really hot here, by the way. I don't know how the weather is in Oregon, but here it was–"
"–Shaye."
"Oh! Right. Sorry. So Squints gets put on the ground, which was really hot so I don't know how he could stand laying on it, but he was unconscious– or pretending to be, I don't know. And then Wendy does that CPR thing, mouth-to-mouth? And after a few times, everyone's cheering for Squints to live and all, and the kid opens his eyes– he opened his eyes! But Wendy didn't see, and so she presses her lips against him again and BAM! Squints grabs her head and they're in a full-on lip-lock."
When I finally finished the story, breathless, Kate was practically wheezing on the other end. She cracked up real bad, and I joined her laughter after about ten seconds because I knew she wouldn't stop.
"Oh my– pff– hah!"
"I know right! Now they're both kinda in love or something. Squints always stops by the pool and waves through the fence, and Wendy always smiles and waves back– and we're banned, too. Squints got us banned from the pool."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah.. well, I guess it's more of a boy code we have to follow– Squints got banned, so we are too, but not exactly."
"Oh. Boy code– gotcha. I've known Ham and Benny since they were in diapers– I know a thing or two about boy code. First thing: never talk about when they were in diapers."
I chuckled and tried to imagine Ham and Benny in diapers– I could, but the image was slightly disturbing and I quickly forced it out of my mind.
"Eeew," I groaned. "Thanks for making me picture my crush in diapers.. and Ham."
"Ooooh, you just admitted it– you're in love with Benny!"
"Hey, I never–"
"It don't matter if you said it or not– you admitted you've got a crush on Benny, and whoever knows Benny well enough to have a crush on him loves him in some way or another. He's Benny."
I smiled at the double mention of his name. "I guess you're right.. he's pretty great!"
"Trust me, hon. I know."
"Hey, wait a minute– you and Benny aren't a– a thing? Are you?"
Her voice rose to a high pitched squeak. "What? No, no, of course not! I mean, I love him, I do. But as a friend. When I was like, well, still friends with Julia I had a little crush on him but I forgot about it because she had a crush on him and she admitted it first. I couldn't steal my best friend's boy. Don't worry Shaye, he's all yours."
My cheeks flushed again, and as much as I enjoyed talking about Benny I decided to ask Kate what Seattle was like.
"So, how's your mom? What's her place like? Tell me about the drive."
And so she did. Her mother was doing much better since he last time she saw her, and she had a pretty decent apartment in Seattle with a diner right next door with really great fries. And there was this cute guy who talked to her there, but when he asked her if she had a boyfriend, she told him she was taken– by Ham of course– and yeah.
Kate talked a lot. For a long time– but it was nice. It was almost like she was with me, sprawled on my floor, me hanging off my bed while we talked our mouths off, and the morning away.
✱ ✱ ✱ ✱
Around noon, Kate finally had to hang up to go grocery shopping with her mother, and I had to eat lunch.
After Scotty and I rinsed our dishes we grabbed our gloves and headed out to the Sandlot for the never-ending baseball game, per usual.
However, not long after we got there and began the game, we were rudely interrupted by none other than the Valley Tigers.
I hadn't even met the whole gang of Tigers until that day, and little did I know that I already had enemies amongst them.
Benny'd just won a rundown between third and home and the boys were groaning while I admired him from the outfield. Then I heard the rumble of bike tires against the rough ground that was our precious Sandlot.
"Oh no," Squints whined, throwing his hands in the air. The rest of the boys turned to see the Tigers riding towards us, and I'd never seen their faces go so sour – Ham's nostrils flared in deep annoyance and his lips were pursed so tight it looked like he was sucking on a damn lemon. He led the march towards the preppy-looking boys dressed in their matching white and red uniforms, and I rushed to join their mass, but near the back – I knew these rich boys'd remark about my being a girl, and I didn't want to get more pissed than I already knew I was going to be.
We all marched, throwing our gloves and hats down on the ground to show our collective demise for the devious little brats that dared set tire on our field. The Tigers halted their bikes and I already could tell these guys were a pain in the ass – they were wearing their full baseball uniforms – complete with matching striped socks – in July. I was willing to bet they didn't even have a game that day and they were wearing their fancy ass uniforms just to show off. It was nearly a hundred and five degrees.
I felt my breath hitch in my throat when I recognized the dark eyes amongst the Tigers– in the back, sitting on a large black bike, sat Russell Phillips, and he was already glaring at me like a vulture eying dead meat.
"Shit," I muttered under my breath. Uncomfortably, I crossed my arms across my chest and glanced at the ground, blushing. Somehow, Benny was standing next to me, and he must've caught Russell's gaze, because he followed it back to me. Shyly, I looked up at Benny and my eyes flicked back to Russell, and then back to the ground again. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw the muscles in Benny's arms stiffen, and he stepped sideways closer to me, his bronzed skin brushing against my shoulder.
Whoa, boy, I thought. Are you getting close to me just to prove a damn point in a staring contest?
Sure enough, Benny's and Russell's gaze were both locked on the others, as if they were fighting a war that had been going on between them since birth.
A smaller, whinier voice interrupted their stare-down.
"Man, it's easy when you play with a bunch of rejects and a fat kid, Rodriguez."
I recognized the kid who'd spoken as Phillips – Russell Phillips' younger brother – the bratty kid who'd laughed as his brother tormented Kate and I at the movies. Phillips noticed me standing next to Benny in the back and his lips formed a grin that could belong to none other than a little shit like him. "And a girl."
"Shut your mouth, Phillips!" Benny growled, his gaze finally averting from Russell.
"What'd you say, crapface?!" Ham yelled.
"Crapface" opened his big mouth again: "I said you shouldn't even be allowed to touch a baseball. Except for Rodriguez, you're all an insult to the game."
"Come on!" Ham seethed back. "We'll take you on– right here, right now! Come on!" Ham smacked Squints who was standing beside him, and Squints joined in the chanting.
"Come on, yeah! Yeah! Right now!" All the boys were arguing but I kept my mouth shut, wishing I could just disappear. Russell had gone back to eyeing me after Benny'd lunged at Phillips.
"We play on a real diamond, Porter" Phillips continued. "You ain't good enough to lick the dirt off our cleats."
"Watch it, jerk."
"Shut up, idiot!"
"Moron!" Ham yelled back.
"Scab-eater!"
"Butt-sniffer!"
"Puss-licker!"
"Fart-smeller!"
"You eat dog crap for breakfast, geek!"
"You make your weenies with your mama's toe jam!"
That insult earned a cheer from the Sandlot guys, and I even smirked a bit.
"You bob for apples in the toilet! ..And you like it!"
I gotta admit, that was a good one. I was actually really mad, because boy, was that a good one.
Ham was fuming. I may have even seen smoke puff out of his ears. Okay, not really.. But he opened his mouth, and I had the feeling he'd say something dumb, as usual.
"You play ball like a girl!!"
Everyone gasped, and my mouth fell open.
What?
WHAT?
Some of the boys began to laugh, but not Scotty, or Kenny, or Benny. Ham didn't laugh either.
"Um.." Excuse me? I play ball quite alright if you ask me.
Mostly everyone turned to look at me. The boys on Phillips' team looked dumbfounded, and absolutely shocked. It was infuriating to me that playing ball like a girl was something to be ashamed of – like what the heck?! I was certainly not a boy, and I played better than lots of them.
Phillips gasped for breath, and stuttered like a stalling engine before he managed to squeak. "Wh-what did you say?
"You heard me." Ham's eyes were fire, like his hair, only they somehow managed to be cold at the same time.
Phillips' fire had been all splashed out. Still sputtering, he managed to get out his ultimatum: "Tomorrow. Noon?" His declaration sounded more like a question, probably due to his voice crack that interrupted it. "At our field."
He paused, for dramatic effect, and then spoke once more. "Be there, buffalo-butt-breath."
Ham countered, his shot ready to fire: "Count on it, pee-drinking crap-face!"
"Yeah!" the guys cheered. I was still too insulted to be stoked to kick-stripes. I knew the Tigers were going down, but I almost wanted the boys to lose now, too.
I mean, really guys? I was standing right there.
Benny's POV
The Phillips' assholes and their little Tiger team turn their bikes around and finally head off of our turf. I watch Russell pedal away until his head turns back around right before cornering the street– he looks right at me and grins.
That sly son of a– damn! Seriously? Why the hell does he have to be such a possessive, selfish, asshole!?
Is it really so damn obvious I like Shaye? Russell was just eyeing her to shake my nerves.
Crap.
I can't be weak like this.
"Shaye!" Smalls calls. "Hey, sis, come back!"
I turn around to see Shaye storming off the field back towards home.
"Shaye!" Kenny calls. She doesn't stop.
Smalls jogs to catch up to her and gently reaches for her arm. She twists and smack him away, and Squints grabs her other wrist.
"Get off of me, you jerks!"
She's pissed.
"Hey," I call. "How come you have to take everything so damn sensitively?" Shaye stops dead in her tracks. "Is it cause–"
"–No!" she shouts, whirling around in the dust to glare at me. "No, I'm not being 'so damn sensitive.' If someone makes one more stupid remark, or tries to stop me from leaving right now because I'm 'too weak,' and a girl, then I'm never playing with you guys again." I can tell she's angry, she seems more hurt than mad. It kinda surprises me.
Shaye gets mad.
She gets defensive.
I know that. I like that about her – she stands up for herself, Scotty– and her friends, too.
Oh god, Benny. You're such an asshole.
Regretting my words as soon as I'd spoken, I watch Shaye walk off the field, and down our long street.
This chapter was pretty long, whoops. Got carried away with the anger 😂 Votes & comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks guys, for sticking this out with me!