YOUTH ~ Benny Rodriguez

Strike One!

Thinking Bout You- Frank Ocean

"I've been thinking
'bout you
Do you still think about
me still? Do ya, do ya?"

The final bell rang, echoing the halls of the school, signaling the end of the school day. Adelaide gathered her belongings and headed towards the middle school to pick up her younger brother, Smalls, who was apart of the Sandlot crew.

As she turned the corner toward the middle school entrance, she spotted Benny leading against the fence. Beside him stood Squints, an eighth grader who immediately brightened up upon seeing Adelaide.

"Hey, Adelaide!" Squints called out, waving her over enthusiastically. "It's great to see you!"

Adelaide smiled back, but she couldn't help but notice Benny's cold expression. "Hey Squints. Waiting for the others?"

"Yeah, and Smalls is coming with us for the game later," Squints replied, his excitement palpable. He glanced between Adelaide and Benny, sensing the tension. "Uh, Benny, aren't you gonna say hi?"

Benny gave a curt nod. "Hey, Adelaide."

Just then, Smalls came bounding out of the school, his back pack slung over one shoulder. "Hey Addie! Ready for the big game later?"

Adelaide ruffled his hair affectionately. "You bet, Smalls. But we have some chores we have to finish up first."

Squints tried to lighten the mood. "You should come watch us play Adelaide. It'll be fun!"

Smalls joined in, his eyes wide with excitement. "Yeah, Addie, you have to come! It'll be so much fun!"

Adelaide hesitated, glancing at Benny for his disapproval. But he remained silent. "Alright. I'll try and make it. Wouldn't want to miss seeing you guys in action."

As the rest of the guys arrived, Adelaide waved goodbye to Squints and Benny. Heading home with Small, she felt a mix of excitement and unresolved tension. Working on the project with Benny was turning out to be more complicated than she had ever imagined, but Adelaide was determined to see it through.

Adelaide was in the middle of finishing up her chores, tossing clothes into the dryer with a practiced flick of her wrist. As the machine whirred to life, she headed upstairs, her mind drifting to the game and what she should wear.

She stared at the clock. Fifteen minutes until she had to leave. So many options, such little time.

Rummaging through her closet, she stumbled upon an old tee-shirt. The same one she wore when she first joined the sandlot. A graphic tee from a band her and Benny both liked. She held it up, a small smile tugging at her lips. It was simple, but it held memories. Would he notice? Would anyone notice?

It didn't matter. It was super comfy, so she decided to go for it, slipping it on and pairing it with a pair of black high waisted jean shorts. Not her proudest outfit, but it was cute and matched her converse perfectly.

Maybe this shirt would be a subtle reminder of how close they used to be.

She grabbed her bag and headed out, ready to watch the game.

Adelaide arrived at the field and immediately noticed Benny out in the outfield, practicing. Yeah-yeah, sitting in the grass nearby, noticed too.

"Hey, Adelaide," Yeah-yeah called out as she approached. "Looks like Benny's got his eyes on you."

Adelaide rolled her eyes and sat down next to him. "Yeah, right. He's just focused on the game."

"Yeah, yeah," Yeah-Yeah teased. "But he's been glancing over here ever since you got here."

"Drop it, Yeah-yeah," Adelaide said firmly. "I'm just here to watch the game."

Yeah-yeah raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Just saying."

They both turned their attention back towards the field, but Adelaide couldn't help but felt a little flustered, knowing Benny's eyes were on her.

Yeah-yeah couldn't resist but pushing it a bit more. "You know, if baseball obsessed Benny can get distracted so easily by you, it's gotta be serious," he said with a smirk.

Adelaide opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, Yeah-yeah jumped up. "Game's about to start! Catch you after," he said, jogging over to join the others.

Adelaide sighed, her thoughts a jumble. She glanced over at Benny one more time, catching his eye just as he looked away. She wanted to think there was more to this than she wanted to admit, but Yeah-yeah was always like that. He always used to joke about her and Benny like that. It was no big deal.

The game dragged on, but the hilarious bickering between the guys kept things entertaining. Adelaide found herself missing this chaotic camaraderie. When Benny went up to pitch, she smiled across the field at him. He kept eye contact but blew her off, trying to stay focused.

As he swung, he missed. Strike one!

Adelaide couldn't help but giggle. Maybe he wasn't as unaffected as he seemed.