The Best Hit

Chapter 18

The next day Friday and it was slightly cooler. It was partly cloudy with a light breeze. It was still hot but not like the days before. Benny got up that morning  and as as usual was home alone with Michael. "So what are you doing with Emma today?" Michael said as Benny walked in the living room. "Nothing today." He said sitting down on the recliner. "Why don't you just ask her out already?" Michael said. "I can't do that." Benny said looking down. "Why not?"
"Cuz. We're friends."
"But you wanna be more than friends."
"Yeah but we can't. At least not right now."
"But why? What's stopping you?" Michael said teasing him. "Why do you care?" Benny said. "I'm just trying to help you out. Why don't you want to ask her out? Do you not like her anymore?"
"No it's not that! I like her a lot that's exactly why I don't want her to know. I've said this to the guys a million times that if I ask her out the time has to be right. They said they that sometimes I made it obvious but they said overall I've been good at hiding it. She has no idea. I don't know if she likes me and I don't know how I'd find out."
"But you're so close to her it shouldn't be that hard." Michael said as if he was an expert on these kinds of things. "That's the point. I know we've only known each other for a month and a half but we did become best friends within that period of time but I don't know man." Benny said shaking his head. "You can make her jealous." Michael said laughing. "What?" Benny said looking at him.
"Nothing I was joking. Don't do that it's flattering but it could back fire." Michael said.
"Are you sure about that?" Benny said.
"Uh yeah... don't do anything stupid now."
Benny sat there and thought. "It would work. I would know for sure. But you're right it is kind of a dick move. The last thing I want is for her to think of me as an asshole."
"So you're better off not doing it then." Michael said getting up.
"Yeah maybe so." Benny said getting up  too.

Later he met up with Joe, Harry, Marcus, Ryan and Kevin. Smalls did not go because he didn't want to.  He would rather stay home and play video games than go watch soccer. Besides. he wasn't good for sitting for a long time. They arrived at Audrey's game slightly wondering why they decided to go but they just went for the hell of it. They sat down watching all these girls walk around in soccer cleats and felt slightly awkward because there were barely any girls there.  The game was about two hours and it felt like a really long two hours. It was getting chilly and the boys were starting to have enough. Smalls was smart not to come. "This is so boring." Marcus said looking at his phone. Benny didn't say much. He didn't really know what to say. "Yeah I think I might dip." Ryan said. "What do you mean? We can't just leave. That's rude." Benny said. "Yeah, sure we can. We can just say we are getting cold or that we have to go home." Kevin said. "Listen this is almost over just stay. I didn't really wanna come either, I was being nice and I'm not staying here by myself." Benny said.
"Sorry man but I'm heading out." Marcus said getting up with Ryan and Kevin. "Wow really? Thanks guys." Benny said rolling his eyes. They took off and headed home feeling slightly bad but they really didn't want to be there. Audrey made them come. Joe and Harry stayed with Benny for the remainder of the game.

Audrey's team lost the game. When it was over Benny, Harry and Joe immediately got up and got ready to go. "Hey," she said coming over to them. "Oh hey... good job out there." Benny said trying to sound nice. "Yeah sorry to bring you to a game that we lost. Next time I'll bring you to one that I know we'll win." She said. Thanks but no thanks Benny thought. He was not planning on going to another one and he knew that Harry and Joe were thinking the same thing. "Uh... yeah." he said not knowing what to say feeling slightly awkward. "Where are the others?" She said looking behind them seeing that they were not there. "Uh, they got kinda cold." Harry said using the excuse that they said to. "Yeah and they had to head home anyway." Joe said. Audrey looked at them kind of oddly. She could tell they may have been lying but she let it go. "Okay." She said. She really only cared that Benny was there. "Anyway, are you going to the sandlot?"
"Uh no were just gonna head home." Benny said. "Okay I'll see you tomorrow then." She said grabbing her stuff and leaving.