hard knock life ◇ sandlot

✖ | chapter twelve

OF COURSE.

RIGHT when timmy was about to open up to him, some random ass security guard had to ruin it.

"c'mon." he whispered, grabbing timmy's arm. bertram dropped to his knees and timmy followed. the gap beneath the ride and the ground was small, but they could fit. and the darkness of the night certainly helped in hiding them.

by the grace of god, they managed to slide underneath the ride. now, completely caked in dust and god knows what else, there definitely wasn't a lot of wiggle room. and then the sudden thought came: what if they got stuck?

what if the ride suddenly lost a bolt, and they were completely crushed beneath the hundreds of pounds of metal?

timmy seemed to be thinking the same thing, for he suddenly began squirming, clawing desperately to get out. bertram gripped his arm tightly, dragging him closer towards his body.

"cut it out, man!" he hissed, but timmy refused to listen. just then, a pair of feet stepped in front of the ride, and both boys froze. bertram was quick to clamp a hand tightly over timmy's mouth, and attempted to keep his own breathing as quiet as possible.

"i know someone's here." the man grunted, shining his flashlight in the opposite direction. he slowly turned, the flashlight inching closer and closer to where the two were hidden, when suddenly, there was a distant cry coming from an opposite direction, and the man instantly tore off towards the voice.

bertram slowly removed his hand from timmy's face, who scrambled out from under the ride as if his life depended on it. bertram slowly followed, watching the general direction the man went.

who the hell just saved their asses?

"...that sounded like-"

"it wasn't. it was probably benny." bertram finished before timmy could. timmy was a glass half-empty kind of guy. bertram knew he would assume it was his brother. in the case it was tommy, the outcomes would most likely not end well - tommy wasn't exactly a roadrunner.

"we gotta find him." timmy pleaded, scanning the park desperately. dirt was caked across his jeans and t-shirt, some on his face. bertram couldn't help but smirk as he looked at his own clothes, which were also covered in the dirt, too. it was sprinkled across the lenses of his glasses as well, but honestly, he was looking forward to the day they snapped in half and he could get new ones.

"timmy," bertram grabbed timmy's arm, and he stopped abruptly. he slowly turned around and adjusted his hat, almost as if he knew what was coming. "...what were you gonna say, man?"

timmy's eyes softened, but he shook his arm free.

"...why...do you think your dad left?"

bertram felt a sudden lump in his throat. he shoved his hands deep in his pockets, and the two began to walk in silence down the dirt road, scanning for where tommy may be hidden.

"well...he wasn't really a dad. he wasn't ever really there. and then one day he just stopped coming home. so now it's just me. i mean...might as well be." bertram shrugged his shoulders, a faint smile on his face. timmy inhaled sharply, confusion evident on his face.

"yeah. tommy kept trying to tell mom he was coming back. i think that just made her even more upset." timmy sighed, flashing bertram a forced grin.

"and then she met travis, and things seemed okay. and then...he started...y'know. drinking." he scratched the back of his neck, keeping gaze away from bertram's.

"...hey...i'm sorry, man...i had no idea." bertram sighed, looking at the latter. he genuinely meant it - looking at the timmons family, you would've never guessed that they were as messed up as timmy described.

there was a sudden noise coming from behind one of the stands. bertram glanced at timmy, before the two slowly approached the wooden counter.

behind the counter sat tommy, who stared up at them with that bright expression on his face, as if they had been playing a game of hide and seek and he was finally found.

timmy let out a sigh, relief washing over him, a tired smile stretched across his face.

"...didja see what i did?!" tommy beamed, and tmmy chuckled softly, before hopping over the counter, bertram close behind.

"yeah...i owe you."

"yeah, you owe me." tommy mimed, and timmy wrapped an arm around his brother. the three sat in silence, before the unmistakable voice of benny cut across the entire park.

"SANDLOT, SANDLOT, SANDLOT!"