The Best Hit

Chapter 16

It was another sunny day at the sandlot Emma sat in the dugout reading Harry Potter not really paying attention to the boys. Even if Emma wasn't watching them Benny still liked having her company. Benny had liked her even more now that they had gotten close. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. For once a bit of his attention was off baseball. He actually was finding it harder to focus because of Emma. Lately he hadn't been playing like him self. He would make excuses for being late when really he was spending his extra time to look good for Emma. He would try too hard at playing to impress her and he would even sometimes leave the sandlot earlier just to walk her home if she had to leave at a certain time.
"Are you good man?" Marcus said. "I just struck you out again like yesterday."
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine I just didn't sleep well last night." He said lying. "Bro you said that yesterday." Ryan said. "I know I just... Maybe I should take a break." Benny said shocking his friends. "What... the..." Smalls said disappointingly. "A break? Really man?" Kevin said. "Yeah just a breather. Twenty minutes tops." He said going to the dugout because he wanted to talk to Emma. "He's so out of it. What's going on?" Harry said. "He's obsessed with Emma." Smalls said to the guys as they started laughing.

"Harry Potter huh?" He said casually sitting down beside Emma. "Yeah haven't you read it before?" She said.
"Nope." He said tossing the ball in the air and then catching it in his hand. "Have you seen any of the movies?"
"Not even." He said shaking his head.
"What?! Every one's seen Harry Potter!"
"Not me."
"Oh my god I'm gonna make you watch them all! You can't not watch Harry Potter."
"What's it even about? All I know is that it's about magic." She laughed at him because he didn't even really know what it was about. "There's so much you don't know." She said. She continued to make fun of him for not knowing stuff about Harry Potter. He agreed to watch the movies with her. He didn't even care to watch them he just wanted to spend time with her.
"What do say you come hit a couple times?" He asked trying close the book.
"What do you think your doing interrupting my reading?" She said playfully. "Just common! You were so good last night."
"Benny you ask me almost everyday and you know the answer every time."
"I know but this is different! Remember I helped you last night?!" He begged. Emma would never forget it.
"Ugh fine! I don't know why I agree to do this." She said putting down her book going up to bat as he followed her.

After she hit a few times she was done. "Are you happy now?" She said cocking her head with a flirtatious smile. "Yeah..." He said just looking at her smiling. He stared right into her blue eyes. She walked away. He stared her down again. She walked back to to the dugout with her blond pony tail swaying. He stood there for a few moments and he turned around startled to see his friends standing there watching him as they were laughing. He felt extremely embarrassed and hoped that Emma didn't notice and she didn't. She went right back to her book.
"Cut it out guys!" He said wanting them to shut up getting them far from the dugout so Emma couldn't hear their conversation. Not that she was paying attention anyway. "Why do you all always have to embarrass me?!" He said annoyed. "It's jut funny man that's all." Aaron said. "Yeah well it's not funny! She can't know how I feel about her stop making it obvious!"
"It's not us that's making it obvious it's you." Kevin said as they laughed some more. "Yeah but it's not like she actually noticed! Just please don't laugh at me anymore. Don't blow it for me. I honestly don't want her to know."
"Okay we won't tease ya anymore." Russell said. Benny shook his head and they all went back to playing. "Why don't you want her to know?" Smalls asked. "Shh! Cuz, she doesn't need to know. If I do end up telling her it's not going to be now." Benny said dropping the subject. That was something the guys didn't understand. He didn't want Emma knowing at all. He hadn't even told his parents. Benny was the type of guy to keep things to himself by he really wanted to keep this one unspoken.

Later that night Philips and his boys were strolling by. Philips loved to do nothing more than to piss off Benny and his friends. Philips and Benny had it out for each other ever since they met. They had never gotten along. Starting from when they both joined their Rosewood teams they didn't get good vibes off each other. Eventually that caused their whole teams to have it out for each other.
"Well hello there again Rodriguez. Still waiting for that opportunity to ditch these losers aren't you?" He said in a mocking tone. "Shut the hell up Philips!" Benny said pointing the bat at him. "Lay off man." Aaron said. "Yeah you need to wake up. I really wonder Rodriguez, why you even continue to stay here. We had this conversation before we all know your desperate for the big leagues."
"Enough with the bull shit you son of a-" "what the hell's going on?" Emma interrupted from a distance. "Oh it's Emma." Philips said looking at her oddly. "We've met before. I saw you few times this summer." He said walking a bit closer to her. "Yeah so?" She said with an attitude. Benny and the boys stayed where they were, watching not saying a word. "So you like being around them huh?" He said with an asshole-like look on his face. Now he was standing really close to her and she started to feel uncomfortable. She stood there not saying a word trying to avoid eye contact with him. Benny and the guys walked off. "Leave her alone man." Benny said. "Oh wow. Look who cares about Emma Fields." Philips said. "Just leave her out of this." Benny said trying not to loose it. "Just get out of here." Smalls said. Philips turned back around in the direction toward the guys. "You little shit." He said going real close to him. "Just get hell out." Emma said irritated. Philips' and his guys laughed. "Fine then. If the lady says so, then let's blow." Philips said with his guys leaving. "Good luck on Saturday." One of his guys said to them laughing. Their teams were playing against each other this Saturday. They started to leave.

"Sorry about them. They're assholes." Benny said apologizing to Emma. "But you sure seemed to scare them away." He said humorously. "Oh they're not scared of me. They were trying to make fun of me. But whatever they're gone now." She said looking back seeing that they were completely gone.

After that Emma went back to her book and the boys went back to playing. Benny was off that night and wasn't in the best mood. He wasn't himself and Emma noticed. Soon the sun was setting. They headed home earlier than usual.

"Benny are you okay?" she asked as they walked home. "Yeah." He said keeping his head down. "Actually I don't even know why I asked, you're not okay."
"Don't worry about it."
"Benny stop lying to me what's wrong." She said stopping. He sighed. "It's just Philips, he pisses the shit out of me." He said in a louder tone. "I know," Emma sighed. "but you can't let him get to you. Who cares what he thinks anyway?"
"I do because he goes around talking shit that I'm gonna quit the team for a better offer which is complete bull shit. One time even Joe and Harry believed it."
"Yeah but that was a long time ago. Now they know it's not true."
"Yeah but now at the games everyone thinks of me as some cocky piece of shit-" "Benny who cares? Honestly who cares about what people think. They don't know you like we do." Emma said interuppted him. "Right? So why do they're opinions matter?"
"Yeah... you're right." He said quietly. He knew she was right but he was still pissed. "Okay now, be happy." She said smiling putting her hat on his head. He couldn't help but smile back. He loved the fact that she noticed something was bothering. Just having her talk to him about it made him feel better.

They approached their houses. "Here..." He said tossing Emma back her hat. "Thanks... a lot." He said stepping a bit closer to her. "Just remember what I said." She smiled. He gave her a hug which Emma did not expect. Her heart was beating a million miles an hour. She turned red as a tomato but it wasn't light enough out for him to be able to tell.
"Goodnight Canadian." He said letting go. "Goodnight Rodriguez." She feeling completely weak. He watched her go inside thinking about how amazing she and beautiful she was.