Babe.

26.

Blanca.

I grinned as we walked outside if the house and onto the lawn in front. We played football with all the families and anyone who wanted to play with us every summer, one big blow out match and it was one of my favourite parts of the holiday.

Ty grinned, "fuck yeah I have been waiting for this."
I nodded in agreement, "me too. You have no idea. But there are a few rules, no tackling girls and no being too rough because it's just for fun."
"Sounds good."

My mother and Tilly's mother were the team captains and everyone one in our family plus Kya's family, George and Ty were playing. The rest didn't know how. So once each of our mother had picked everyone from their family which was what usually happened they started moving on to who was left. "Mom, get Ty." I told her quickly as it switched back to her turn.

"Blanca he's twelve." My mother replied frowning. She was super competitive with Jemima Tilly's mother.
I rolled my eyes, "yeah and he's really good, trust me."
"Alright, we want Ty."

I ruffled his hair as he came to stand beside me and as usual he smacked my hand away, "ew. What am I your golden retriever?"
I laughed deliberately doing it again, "and what a cute little puppy you are."
Ty narrowed his eyes at me, "no."
He was so funny sometimes, "you are such a little drama queen."
"And you are such a freak."
"I never should have picked your for my team."
"Then you would have lost."
"Big ego much?"
"I mean with a teacher as good as you how can I not?"
"Alright you're forgiven."

"LETS PLAY!" Jemima yelled interrupting everyone's conversations.
We all cheered getting in position, "ready?" I asked Ty grinning.
"They won't know what hit them."

Benny.

Blanca hadn't been kidding when she'd said my brother was good. I mean I'd been impressed when I'd seen the two of them throw the ball around a bit but now I was fucking blown away, my whole family was, because my twelve year old brother was wiping the floor with these people. And so was she.

"She taught him this?" My father asked astounded as Ty sent the ball flying towards Emmanuel.
I nodded, "yeah. Everything he knows." Before Blanca Ty had been pretty useless because he hadn't known what to do. But with her help he'd gotten insanely good.

"How did we not know he could do that?" Nico asked the shock written on his face, "we need to start paying more attention to him."
He wasn't wrong about that, because my brother usually ignored us we honestly didn't know as much about him as we should have. The fact that he was crazy talented was one of them.

"We have to get that kid on a team! Is he playing at school?" My Dad asked his eyes not leaving Ty.
"He's already on the school team it's all he's been taking about for weeks!" My mother snapped at us annoyed, "I can't believe you didn't know that!"
"I did." I protested but I could see Nico and my father explain guilty looks.

I would have felt a lot worse for my brother had that not been exactly as he liked it, Ty didn't want attention or fuss. For whatever reason he didn't care about any of it he just did what he wanted and if we found out about it fine and if not that was fine by him too.

The only person he genuinely seemed to want to impress was Blanca, her opinion mattered to him. But I knew how he felt because her opinion mattered more to me than other people's did too. A lot more.

I was so glad she'd agreed to a truce because I wouldn't have been able to deal spending the whole two weeks with her while she was shutting me out. That would have been hell.

"Since when does your brother play?" Yeah-yeah asked walking up to me.
I shrugged, "since Blanca taught him to."
"She must be the world's best teacher because he's really good." He muttered watching them, "your family just breeds prime athletes don't they?"
I snorted, "prime athletes?"
"I'm serious you're going pro and if Ty keeps that up he will too. Plus Nico can run like a fucking gazelle."

Maybe they did.

"We need to play a big baseball game because I feel emasculated just watching them." Yeah-yeah muttered, "I want to show my skills too."
I glanced over to where Nika was standing watching the game, "I don't think she cares all too much."
"Benny your little brother is making you look stupid right now." He told me, "people's jaws are dropping. Whose jaws have you dropped?"

I rolled my eyes, "get a grip. They're not emasculating us."
"Really? Then why has Ty been smirking over at me for the last fifteen minutes." Yeah-yeah asked, "he's challenging me."

My brother loved to get on Yeah-yeah's nerves, it was one of Ty's hobbies and my best friend made it far too easy for him. I don't k ow why they didn't like each other but Ty found riling him up hilarious. Which I had to admit it was.

"You are such a baby." I told him amused.
"Mark my words Benny man, he's coming for our girls, and yours is first in the list." Yeah-yeah said jerking his head over to where Blanca was standing with Ty. "And he has a head start with that one because she likes him way more than she likes you."

I shook my head at him, "don't be ridiculous Ty's not coming for our girls and Blanca isn't mine."
Yeah-yeah scoffed, "maybe not but it's so obvious how badly you want her to be."
I glared at him, "shut up."
"It's not my fault you can't keep it to yourself." Yeah-yeah shot back. "If you don't want people to know you should dial back on the staring after her. Because that's a dead giveaway away. Just be glad she's too busy to notice it."

I resisted the urge to hit him but forced myself not to turn back to watching her to prove a point. He wasn't wrong that I wanted her but I wasn't that obvious. At least I fucking hoped not.