A Sandlot Summer (A Sandlot Fic)

~Chapter 3~

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       The next morning, I was sat at the table eating my breakfast while Bill worked on some papers. We sat in silence but that was fine by me. I could hear my mom and Scotty whispering in the kitchen about something but decided to give them some privacy instead of eavesdropping. Scotty walked out of the kitchen and stood by one of the dining room chairs, looking nervous.

       "Uh, Bill?" Scotty asked. 

       "Yeah?" Bill asked back, not looking up from his papers.

       I looked up from my bowl of cereal to watch the exchange.

      "I mean, dad, uh, could we...I mean, could you, like you said, teach me to play catch?" Scotty asked.

       "Yeah. Sure." Bill said. I smiled a small smile at that. Maybe Bill wasn't so bad after all. "But I gotta get this done, okay?"

      'Scratch that.' I thought to myself with a roll of my eyes.

      Before I could say anything, my mom came out of the kitchen. "Bill?" She asked.

      "Yeah?" Bill asked back.

      "Couldn't you take a break and teach him now?" Mom asked.

       "Mom, it's okay, really-" Scotty said, trying to back down.

      'Oh for the love of God, grow a pair, Scotty!' I thought to myself.

       "Honey, I said I would, and I will, but I'm under the gun here." Bill said, glancing down at his papers.

       "How long could it take? Can't you spare a half an hour and show him now?" Mom said, a slight point to her tone.

       Scotty tried to dissuade our mother again but, surprisingly, Bill gave in. He and Scotty made their way outside as I walked my bowl to the sink to wash it.

       "I think this'll be a good bonding experience for the both of them." Mom said, coming up behind me.

       "Yeah." I said, noncommittally.

       "Maybe you and Bill can do something together sometime too, huh?" Mom asked, rubbing my arm.

       "Yeah, right." I said, under my breath sarcastically.

       "What?" Mom asked.

       "I said 'yeah, right!'!" I said again, this time enthusiastically.

        I finished washing my bowl and put it and my spoon in the drainboard. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside and I heard Scotty yell. I hurried to the backdoor just in time for Bill to be leading Scotty back inside, holding his hand to his eye.

       "What happened?!" Mom asked, frantically.

       "My eye." Scotty groaned.

       "Eliza, get some ice." Mom said to me but Bill was already at the fridge, pulling out a piece of steak. He put it up to Scotty's eye as Mom looked skeptical. "That was for dinner."

       "Just hold it there. Nice and hard. Press it against it." Bill instructed the still groaning Scotty.

       "Are you sure that's going to work?" I asked but was brushed off.

       "I just took my eye off the ball." Scotty reasoned.

       "Eye off the ball? You look like you're going to lose your eye." I said with a huff, looking at Bill. Again, I was brushed off.