Summer of 62

Chapter 15

I started angrily walking towards the boys. I was behind Phillips team and I knew that all my team saw me.

I met Benny's eyes when I was almost there and his grew very wide.

"So? Where is she?" Philips asked in a frustrated voice. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"We don't know! She went home this morning and we haven't seen her since!" Benny said quickly moving his eyes away from me.

Clearly something was wrong. Half the guys were still staring at me with shocked, even worried, faces.

I slowly started to walk backwards and away from the Phillips team. I had made it around the fence and was listening from the bushes just outside it and looking through a hole.

"Don't lie Rodriguez. I know you two got the hots for each other. You know what? I bet she's at your place, in your bed." Phillips said making his guys chuckle. "The little tramp." He said clearly trying to egg a fight on.

"Don't you say anything like that about her again!" Benny said with his face growing a deep red.

The rest of the boys seemed to sort of snap out of their shock and were looking a little pissed too.

"What're you gonna do about it? Tell on me then go make out with her some more?" Phillips said making his team laugh.

"Okay that wasn't even funny." Porter said annoyed.

Benny looked more annoyed than Porter, that was rare when it came to Phillips. He looked absolutely pissed, like he was about to pounce any moment.

I couldn't stand here and watch this happen. I ran back around to where I was right behind Phillips team again.

"Hey Phillips!" I called making all the guys turn their heads to me.

Benny and some of the other guys on my team groaned.

"Hey Nancy! We were just telling the guys here how much we thought you were a great player!" Phillips said smirking to his friends and mine.

"Well, apparently being a, what was it? Oh yeah, 'little tramp' is being a great player!" I said making my team snicker and his team glare.

"Okay Phillips. Didn't our bet include if we won you would leave us alone, hasn't happened yet, and never step foot on the sandlot. You broke both our deals. Now get the hell out of here!" I yelled pointing to the opening they came in from.

"Like we'd listen to you. We actually just wanted to come and find you." Phillips said riding his bike closer so that his whole team and him were circling me.

"Why, I haven't done any more to you than you've done to me." I said looking around at the circling bikes.

"Maybe not, but it's pretty fun terrorizing you and your dweeb friends." Phillips said pulling into the circle and glaring right at me.

"Get. Off. Our. Field!" I yelled at him, he just smirked.

His team all started to ride around different guys of my team now. Holmes rode around Porter, continuously smacking him with his glove.

Another kid that I didn't know the name of had taken Squints's glasses and was making him jump for them.

"Now, now Nancy, calm down. We just want to have fun." He said with a shrug.

"We had a deal Phillips." I grumbled, clenching my fists.

Something behind Phillips had caught my eye. While he went on and on about deals and we didn't shake on it, Benny was climbing the fence to where the Beast lived.

The Beast was a huge ass dog that supposedly ate kids like us for breakfast. Earlier this summer not long after the 4th Smalls got a baseball signed by Babe Ruth lost over the fence. We learned that the dogs name was Hercules and it was actually a super nice dog. Phillips and his team didn't know that though.

"Benny what the hell are you doing?" I asked in a what I hoped was a terrified voice.

Phillips followed my eyes to Benny who was now staring at me.

"What do you think I'm doing?" He said in a serious voice.

"Benny man come on!" Smalls said clearly catching on. He made his way to right next to me and Phillips was on my other side.

We looked to each other and shared a quick smirk before acting like Benny was going to die again.

"Now you listen here you ass holes! You get off our field now, or I let the Beast loose on you!" Benny said halfway over the fence.

"Yeah right." Phillips said at the same time as mother kid said "Bullshit."

Benny shrugged and jumped the fence. Everyone on Phillips team moved their bikes backwards a little bit.

We waited in silence until we heard loud barking and a chain breaking. Not more than a second later the Beast jumped over the fence as if he was flying.

"Holy shit!" Phillips yelled as he and the rest of his team rode off.

"Were never coming back you guys are bat shit CRAZY!" He called again making us all double over laughing our asses off.

Hercules ran over and joined us. We all petted him and talked to him like he was just a small puppy, not a huge monstrous beast.

Now it was just the 9 of us laughing and cheering around. Once Benny returned for the Beast, who's actual name was Hercules, we all cheered louder again.

"Benny man that was genius!" I exclaimed with a huge grin.

"Yeah yeah man that was awesome!" Yeah Yeah said clapping his hands together.

Benny smiled at the guys and I then made his way back to return Hercules.

"Hey guys, what do you say we all go out for ice cream!" Squints said pushing up his glasses.

"Yeah, where do you think we're gonna get the money for that?"  Porter said putting his hands on his hips and rolling his eyes.

"My mom gave me a 20 for my birthday last week!" Squints said grinning as all of our mouths dropped to the ground.

"Holy shit Squints!" Timmy exclaimed as Squints drew the crisp 20 out of his pocket. Back then it was rare for a kid to have even ten dollars, especially in our neighborhood.

"Shit Squints!" Repeated Tommy.

"Maybe you should save that for something else dude." I said examine the 20.

Porter hit me on the back with his glove and Kenny hit me in the arm.

"Squints here, dear old Squints, is offering to spend his well earned money on us Nancy." Porter said moving closer to Squints and putting a hand on his shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "Okay fine." I said with a grin. The rest of the guys cheered.

"You guys go ahead I'm going to wait for Benny." I said as they started to walk away.

Lots of "oohs" and kissing noises were heard not long after. I felt my face get hot and turned away. Not long after the boys had left Benny had returned.

"That was really clever what you did back there." I said as he walked right up to me.

"You should have stayed hidden, Nancy. They could have seriously hurt som-" I cut Benny off by throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Thanks for always being there Ben." I said after pulling away and just hugging him. His arms were wrapped around my waist now and we just stood there hugging for about a minute.

I pulled away and smiled at him.

"The guys are buying ice cream, let's go!" I said taking his hand and dragging him through our sandlot and into our small town.