When Dust Flies [a Sandlot Fanfiction]

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I sat there, mortified as the gang stared at Benny and I. My cheeks heated up instantly, not daring to even look over at how Benny was reacting.

After another long, excruciating moment of the guys staring at us with their jaws slack, they all burst into laughter, leaving Benny and me to exchange confused glances.

"Finally! You owe me five bucks, Squints!" Ham yelled, letting out a greasy "heh heh" as the other boy reluctantly slapped a five dollar bill into his outstretched palm. 

I rolled my eyes and looked over at the guys. "Wait, you bet on this?" I asked, an edge clearly evident in my tone. "Maybe," Ham spoke, dragging out the 'a' sound. I groaned and leaned forward, burying my face in my hands. 

"So, are you guys gonna date?" Smalls chirped from the back of the group. His words made my heart pound a little harder. "Um, I don't know," I muttered, throwing Benny a glance saying 'Dear God help'. Benny let out a laugh and shook his head. "Let's go play some ball, guys," he spoke, changing the subject with lightning speed. It worked like a charm, the guys dispersing with anticipating yells.

I smiled at Benny, grateful for the subject change. We all headed out to the diamond, pitching and throwing to one another before beginning our ritual game. 

As the game came to a close, we said our goodbyes and parted ways. Benny and I walked back together in a comfortable silence, neither one of us saying anything.

"Hey," Benny spoke up after a moment. "Hi," I responded, earning a laugh from him. "Wanna go get some ice cream?" he asked, kicking a pebble on the ground as he did so. "Yeah, sure," I nodded, and we headed in the direction of the local diner.

Once we arrived, we took a seat at an empty booth, sitting across from one another. I ordered a strawberry milkshake along with a basket of fries, offering to share with him. He got a chocolate one and settled with sharing fries.

"So," he started, the buzz of the diner making it slightly hard to hear, "about what the guys said earlier." I lifted an eyebrow slightly. "What about it?" I questioned, clearly aware of what he was talking about. "What do you think about it?" he pressed on, thanking the waiter after our food was delivered to the table.

My cheeks heated up and I immediately grabbed a hot fry, sticking it in my mouth despite the almost unbearable temperature. I shrugged and cleared my throat after finishing the satan-hot french fry in my mouth. "I mean, I guess we could try," I responded with a smile, realizing I might have sounded uninterested. 

Benny grinned and took a sip of his milkshake. "Awesome," he replied simply.

My heart skipped a beat. I nodded in agreement.

"Awesome."