The Home Run

Camp Out.

Izzy's POV

"Hamilton 'The Babe' Porter!" Ham yelled from home plate. The boys and I laughed as Kenny got ready to pitch to Ham, "'Long- Ball' Porter!"
       "The Great Hambino!" I yelled from left field. I got everyone to laugh with that one.
       "I like that one! Thanks, Juarez!" Ham yelled at me, "C'mon, DeNunez." Ham posed like Babe Ruth pointing to center field. Everyone started laughing again.
       "Yeah, okay. Yes, I see it. Yes." Kenny said through our laughter. Benny pulled down the catchers mask and took his stance.
       Everyone started taunting Ham to get him to miss the ball. Kenny pitched, Ham swung and missed.
       "Woah!" Benny said, catching the ball, "That's one!" Benny stood up and threw the ball back to DeNunez.
       "You call that pitching?" Ham yelled, upset. Everyone started laughing, "This is baseball, not tennis!"
       "Somebody give him a tennis racket!" I yelled.
       "All right, Ham. This is my heater. I dare you to hit it!" Kenny challenged.
       "You'll be sorry." Ham retorted.
       "Give him a bigger bat!" Squints yelled.
"You want the heater? I'll give you the heater." Kenny said again.
       "Give him a basketball. Maybe then he'll hit it!" Bertram yelled.
       "Hey, batter-batter-batter, hey, batter-batter-batter-swing-batter! He can't hit, and he can't hit, and he can't hit, and he can't hit, swing batter!" I yelled.

(Credit to Ferris Beuller's Day Off)

       "How do you do that so fast?" Yeah- Yeah asked.
       "Practice." I laughed.
       Everyone started taunting and yelling at Ham again. Kenny pitched 'the Heater', Ham swung and hit it.
       "Oh shit," I said as Smalls and I ran toward the fence to catch the ball but it went over. Everyone, but Smalls and I, started yelling at Ham.
       "Yeah! That's how you do it!" Ham yelled, happily.
       "Ham, you idiot! Now we can't play no more." Benny said, taking off the mask. Smalls and I exchanged confused looks as the guys all threw their gloves at Ham. We watched as they chased him, hitting him.
       "Here." I tossed Smalls my glove and walked up to the fence.
       "Guys! Izzy's got it!" Smalls yelled at the guys.
       "No!" Squints screamed at me. Suddenly when I was almost halfway over the fence all the boys were yelling and running at me trying to stop me from jumping the fence.
       "What? Guys stop. I'm just gonna get the ball." I said as they pulled me off the fence. Before I knew it Benny was holding me in his arms. Our faces were inches apart. I saw Benny blush and I looked down hiding my own blush under the bill of my hat.
       "You're gonna get yourself killed!" Timmy said.
       "Killed man. Jeez!" Tommy repeated.
       "Holy crap, you could've been killed!" Squints said.
       "Yeah, yeah, truly. What were you doing?" Yeah- Yeah asked.
       "You can't get that ball," Benny said, putting me down. Smalls and I gave everyone confused looks.
       "You guys were leaving." Smalls started.
"So, I thought I would-" Squints cut me off.
"If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that." Squints pushed up his glasses.
       "Then how do we get the ball back?" Smalls asked.
       "We don't," Timmy said.
"We don't," Tommy repeated.
"It's history," Timmy stated.
"It's history," Tommy repeated again.
"Kiss it goodbye," Timmy said.
"Kiss it goodb-" Tommy repeated once more.
       "Shut up, Tommy," Timmy said, annoyed.
"It's gone, man. Gone." Bertram said.
"Games over, doll face. We'll just get another one tomorrow." Benny said.
       "Did you guys call me 'doll face'?" I asked feeling my face heat up.
       Some of the guys chuckled and 'ooo'ed at me.
       "The point is we'll never see it again," Benny said, turning a light shade of red. As all the guys turned around and started walking away.
       "Why not?" Smalls and I asked in unison.
The guys all turned around, looked at each other, then at Smalls and I.
"The Beast," they said in unison.
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked.
"What's that?" Smalls asked.
"Smalls, listen to me. Go up to that fence, real slow and be quiet." Benny said, putting a hand on Smalls' shoulder.
       "But, I think-" Smalls started to argue.
"No, no, no. No, no." Benny said, "Just go peek through that hole."
       "But I- I saw something. What's back there?" Smalls questioned, scared.
       "Oh, my god. Really? Don't be such a scaredy-cat." I grabbed Smalls by the wrist and dragged him to the small hole in the fence. We both looked through the hole and didn't see anything. Suddenly something started growling and a huge paw came out of nowhere and grabbed the ball.
       Smalls and I jumped. Smalls ran away from the fence and I stepped back, not turning my back to the fence.
       "Something got the ball," Smalls said, scared.
       "What the hell is that thing?" I asked, looking at the boys.
       They all looked at each other and nodded, "Camp out."

*~*

       "Please, mom!" I begged.
"Isabel." my mom said, stopping peeling her potato.
       "Danny, help me out here," I begged.
       "I think you should let her go, mom," he said.
"I see how it is." she said, looking at my brother and me, "My children conspiring against me."
       "Mom." I groaned, laying on the floor in defeat, "My life is over!"
       "Oh, little girl," she said, walking up to me. She looked down at me smiling, "Give me your hands."
       I reached up, grabbed her hands and she pulled me up off the floor. "Please, mom," I asked again
       "Fine. But you be safe. Don't do anything stupid. If anything happens or you need anything call us or Benny's parents. And have fun. Okay?" she said.
       "Okay!" I said, hugging her then giving Danny a hug as well, "Wait, what about dad?"
       "Do you want me to tell him the truth?" my mom asked.
       "What? That I'm spending the night with nine boys and that he only knows Benny so it's okay? He would lose his shit." I said, sitting on the couch.
       "Language!" my mom said.
       "Sorry," I said.
       "He's been sober the past three days that I've been here, maybe he'll be okay," Danny said, sitting next to me.
       "I have an idea. J.J. lives next to Timmy and Tommy. Tell him that I'm spending the night with her when he gets home. I'll go talk to her and tell her the plan." I said.
       "That's not a bad idea. It could work." Danny said.
       "It has to work." my mom said.
"I'm gonna go get my stuff together. It shouldn't take me too long, but I'll leave before he gets back." I said, running to my room and packing my bag. I threw in clothes, a brush, a couple small rubber bands, my toothbrush, mascara, and bottle caps to cash in so we could get a new ball.
       I grabbed and folded a blanket off my bed and my pillow and stuffed them in my bag. I started to make my way out to the living room when I heard a knock on the front door. I stopped at the edge of the hallway. Danny stood in front of me while my mom got the door. She opened the door to Benny standing there holding his bag.
       "Hello, Mrs. Juarez. Hey, Danny." Benny said, smiling.
       I let out a sigh of relief and stepped out of the hallway. "Bye, mom. Bye, Danny." I hugged them before quickly walking out the door.
       "What's the rush?" Benny asked, chuckling.
       "My dad doesn't know I'm spending the night with nine boys so, we have to hurry before he gets home," I said, pulling him down the street.
       "Hey, I know a shortcut. C'mon," he said and we took off to the Timmons house.

*~*

(If possible, play:
Song: The Lion Sleeps Tonight
By The Tokens.)

       We made it to the tree house at the Timmons household. I was able to talk to J.J. and got her and her parents to cover for me. Benny and I climbed the ladder to the treehouse and everyone was there except for Smalls.
       "Hey, guys," Benny said to everyone.
The boys all said hello. We all talked and laughed for about an hour when Smalls showed up.
       "Hey, guys. Sorry, I'm late. My mom made me put on my jacket." Smalls said, dropping his stuff, "Then she made me do the dishes."
       "Your poor little mommy made you do the big bad dishes," Bertram said. Everyone laughed.
       "Hey, you want a s'more?" Ham asked Smalls.
       "Some more what?" Smalls asked.
"No, no, you want a s'more?" Ham asked again.
       "I haven't had anything yet, so how can I have some more of nothing?" Smalls asked.
        "Oh, my god," I said, looking at Smalls as Benny came and laid next to where I was sitting.
       "You're killing me, Smalls!" Ham said.
"All right. Who cut one?" Squints asked.
       "Bertram!" Kenny accused.
       "These are s'mores stuff. Okay, pay attention." Ham said.
       "First you take the graham. You stick the chocolate on the Graham. Then you roast the 'mallow." Ham said.
       "No, it's my sleeping bag," Timmy said, arguing with Tommy.
       "Yes, it is yours. It has a yellow stain on it." Tommy argued with his brother again.
       "When the 'mallow's flaming," Ham paused and blew out the marshmallow, blowing smoke into Smalls' face. I laughed as Smalls flinched. 
       "You stick it on the chocolate." Ham continued.
       "You're gonna set the place on fire." Squints said.
       "Then..." Ham licked chocolate off his finger, "you cover it with the other end."
       "Make me one of those!" Yeah- Yeah asked.
       "Yeah, me too," I said.
       "Then you stuff." Ham said, taking a bite and handing it to Smalls, "Kind of messy, but good."

A/N:
Continued in the next chapter because I put in the whole story of the beast.