The next morning, Jess woke up at around noon, stumbling down the stairs.
"Just in time for lunch" Lisa said once she saw her
"Mom, she doesn't eat lunch" Reagan said, as if she explained this a million times
"Oh, right" Lisa laughed
Jess just nodded and went back up stairs to get dressed.
Today, she decided to wear one of Benny's old shirts, not thinking about it until she saw her picture of the entire team. It was a blue flannel, long on her as it had been on him. She wore a white shirt under it and a pair of jeans with her dodgers hat.
She grabbed the picture and stood in front of her mirror. She looked like the spitting image of the boy when he was 14, but with long hair and longer eyelashes.
"Benny 'The Jet' Rodriguez." Jess thought about if maybe Benny had jumped that fence that day, instead of her. Then Benny would have her nickname. Maybe it would have suited him better.
Jess set the picture back in its place and grabbed her old bat and glove.
She walked down the stairs and without saying anything she walked out the door and stood on her deck, hearing a quarrel happening.
"No, Benny. I don't care. I don't want you hanging out with other girls!" Jess heard Charlie's high pitched voice say
"She's my childhood best friend, Charlie! Obviously I'm going to stay friends with her!" Benny said defensively.
Jess decided to walk in the direction of Benny's house
"Well, either you stop hanging out with her and keep me or-" Charlie started
"Hey, Benny, ready for the sandlot?" Jess asked, smiling
Benny looked the girl up and down, smiling. Almost like smiling into a mirror. A young mirror.
Benny looked over at Charlie, who's eyes were ablaze. She was lightly shaking her head in a jerking motion.
"Um..." Benny started
"Actually, we have plans" Charlie hissed
"Oh, really? Because I can just go with Smalls then" Jess said, sticking a thumb out to Smalls' house
"No uh, we can rain check" Benny said, hopping off the deck
Charlie's face turned a bright purple, steam coming out of her ears
"Well lets go" Jess smiled
Benny and Jess started for the sandlot, Benny not turning back to look at Charlie, but Jess did. She didn't smile or glare or anything, she simply turned her head and locked eyes with the girl
"Trouble in paradise?" Jess asked
"She can be... difficult" Benny said
"Why are you with her then?" Jess asked
"She wasn't the same when I first met her. She was sweet and kind. It was like one day a light switch went off or something" Benny said
"So why don't you break up with her?" Jess asked
"Because I love her" Benny replied
"Oh" Jess nodded. That was the last thing she wanted to hear come out of Benny's mouth.
"So school... How was that? I guess I haven't seen you since the funeral..." Benny said
"Did you even see me there?" Jess asked
"Yeah... When the entire family walked in" Benny said, looking over at the girl
"Oh" Jess nodded "It wasn't really like a school. It was like a prison. Some kids got put in there at young ages, wether it be because their parents didn't want to deal or because they were orphans, some kids were staying in there until they graduated. I got lucky my parents divorced so soon. I knew a girl who got abandoned at the front step of the school and had been there ever since, and will be there till she's an adult." Jess explained
"That sucks" Benny said
"What did you do while I was gone?" Jess asked
"Honestly?" Benny asked
"Yeah" Jess said
"I've been looking for a job. Veronica moved out last summer, making money for her own life, so I've ben having to help mom out" Benny said
"Well, you always got a job at my place" Jess said "You could clean the gutters or mow the lawn"
"No, I couldn't" Benny said
"You could if you really had to" Jess said. "Mom thinks I'm not capable, and y'know... since Alex... she'd hired a bunch of people to do yard work"
Benny nodded and the rest of the way to the sandlot was quiet, which was only half a block anyway.
When everyone noticed that it was Jess with Benny instead of Charlie, they were all confused, but decided to just play the game.
"Hams ups, Ill catch" Jess said
Jess handed Ham her bat and walked over to his position, putting on the catchers suit and then flipping her hat around to put on the mask.
"You want my heater?" Denunez smirked
"You'll be sorry" Ham said
"I'll bet" Denunez smirked again
Jess held her glove out, catching the first ball without realizing it. She noticed Ham didn't even swing the bat.
She stood up and walked next to Ham.
"It helps to swing" Jess smirked as she threw the ball back to Denunez
"Strike one!" Jess yelled as she got back in her position
"Maybe, if I don't swing, the ball will hit you harder" Ham said
"Or maybe, if you don't swing, you'll strike out. Play the damn game, Porter" Jess said, making everyone giggle
Denunez pitched again, Ham swinging and missing, Jess catching it.
"Strike two!" Jess said
She got up and walked behind Ham
"You need a tennis racket?" Jess asked as she threw the ball back to Denunez
"No, I need something to hit!" Ham said, directing it to Denunez
Jess walked back over to position
"Well, see, in about 3 minutes, a ball is going to come flying at you. I mean... That's something for you to hit." Jess laughed
"I play baseball, not softball! C'mon, Denunez, pitch it!" Ham yelled
Jess laughed as she caught the ball again
"Strike three!" Jess laughed as she walked behind Ham again "You're out" Jess laughed from behind him
Ham threw the bat to the side and gestured for Jess to give him his gear back.
"I thought we'd be sorry" Jess laughed
"And I thought you'd shut your trap once your point came across. But here we are" Ham said
Jess laughed and grabbed the bat, not bothering to flip her hat
As Ham attempted to distract Jess, she blocked everything out, and when Denunez pitched the ball, she swung it hard, it going to Mr. Mertles yard.
Jess felt her hands sting, not like an electric feeling, it was hurtful. As she ran to first base, she looked at her hands and noticed the bruises that stretched from her fingertips down to her wrist. It 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵.
Jess ran the rest of the bases trying not to focus on her throbbing hands. This had only happened one other time, but it wasn't because of catching a fast ball.
The rest of the day was spent teasing Ham every now and then and playing the game, no one keeping track.
At the end of the day, Jess decided to walk to the drug store to get a soda or something.
The sun went down as she walked the streets, her making it to the drugstore just in time for the street lights to come on.
She walked in the quiet store and looked around each isle, grabbing a box of bottle caps and a soda. Before she could walk to the register, she noticed Will Philips in the way, leaning against it while reading a paper.
"Uh, excuse me. Can I get through?" Jess asked
"Jess?" Will asked
"Yes?" Jess didn't recognize the boy. He's grown positively handsome in the time she was gone.
"Uh, Will." He nodded
"Oh, Philips" Jess laughed
"Yeah..." Will shifted on his feet "When'd you get back in town?" Will asked
"Fews days ago. How've you been?" Jess asked
"Alright" Will nodded
"Yeah? You still play for the Tigers?" Jess asked as she set her thing on the counter
"Yeah, actually. What about you? You start playin at true sandlot again?" He asked
"The day I came back" Jess laughed
The cashier rang Jess up and told her her total, Jess handing over her money and waiting for her change
"Well uh, it was nice seeing you, Philips. Maybe I'll see you around" Jess said before walking out the door
"Yeah... Maybe" He nodded