80s/90s imagines + preferences

introductions // benny rodriguez (pt. 1)

i'm back bitches

sorry, this doesn't have anything to do w my color series but i needed a quick break from that. i'm not going to be posting every day like i used to, but i'll post when i can.
hope you enjoy!

You kicked a dusty grey pebble, the hot summer sun drying the dirt beneath your feet. You could hear an ice cream truck jingle nearby and stared down at your battered converse, sighing.
It had to have been the most boring summer of your life.
Suddenly, you heard something in the distance. It was quiet, and the tweeting of the birds nearby almost drowned it out, but you managed to pick it out from the other noises.
"Smalls, you good for left center?"
"Hell yeah, Benny,"
"Good,"
The conversation continued and your excitement grew.
Unlike most girls your age who were obsessed with materialistic items and shiny accessories, you were all about the simpler stuff.
Especially baseball.
You took off in the direction of the voices, grinning, until you made it to a small back lot. You stood behind the linked fence and stared as about nine boys came into view.
"Come on, sissies! Pitch the goddamn ball!"
A short, pudgy kid with curly hair smacked his fist against his glove, yelling.
The air smelled like worn leather and dust, but it was strangely refreshing. Better than the thick perfume of your friend's houses, at least. There were snacks littered all throughout the dugout; Coke, half-eaten burgers, candy, you name it.
You slowly walked along the fence, still staring as the boys began to play.
You were in awe. For a group of kids, they were honestly really good. It made you feel a bit more confident, as you weren't so bad yourself and you were hoping that they'd let you play.
"Hey!"
One of the kids took off his glasses and rubbed them on his shirt, turning to look at you. Your face went red as he put them back on, squinting.
"What!?"
"There's a girl!"
He pointed and you practically shrunk, awkwardly pausing.
"Where!?"
"There!"
"Yeah, yeah! Behind the dugout!"
You scanned the boys as they all began to stare at you, dropping their raised gloves to their sides. The last kid, the one up to bat, looked a little older than the rest.
About your age.
Your heart pretty much stopped as you saw him clearly.
"Hey! You wanna play?"
You froze. A few of the boys emitted various complaints, but some, like the one with glasses, just stared at you in awe. You covered your chest with your arms and felt your face go even redder.
The kid who caught your eye handed the bat to the smallest kid there.
"Hey, keep playing, alright?"
"Uh huh, keep playing,"
The boy waved his arms at the others and began to make his way over to you, jogging as the group resumed their game. He took off his hat and ran a hand through his dark, curly hair.
"Hey," he held out a hand for you to shake, "I'm Benny,"
You smiled shyly and shook his hand, earning a grin.
"Y/n," you murmured. You cleared your throat, "What did you ask?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, I asked if you wanted to play."
"How'd you know I play?"
"I dunno. Most girls don't come around here," he said blatantly. He glanced away shyly, then looked back at you. His face was beginning to turn pink, "You seem pretty cool, too."
"Thanks. And I'd love to play."
"Perfect," Benny said, another grin beginning to spread on his face, "Lemme introduce you to the boys."
Out of instinct, Benny gently took your hand, leading you over to home base and the others. His hand was warm and calloused from the baseball bat, but the blush on your cheeks didn't seem to care.
"Hey, guys, this is y/n. She's gonna play with us,"
His announcement elicited no response, other than the pudgy kid's groan and a slight sigh from one of the players in the outfield.
Benny cleared his throat.
"I said she's gonna play with us," he said, emphasizing the sentence, "So be nice."
His voice lowered as the boys continued to bat and he leaned towards you, heat radiating off of his skin. He smelled like Coca Cola and sweat; a typical summer day.
"That's Yeah Yeah, that one's Smalls, he's pretty new too, then there's Squints, Ham, Kenny, Bertram, Timmy, and the little one's Tommy, but we call him Repeat."
You smiled at the boys' nicknames and Benny looked down at you and grinned back.
"You got a nickname?"
You shrugged, glancing up at Benny again and shielding your eyes from the sun.
"I mean, my friends always call me by my last name. Y/l/n."
Benny laced his fingers with yours. You could feel your heartbeat speed up. He was insanely charming and flirtatious for someone your age. Surprising.

"Y/l/n it is, then."

yeet!
first part done after being back! what whattt! this is going to be a sort of "series," similar to that chris chambers story at the beginning of this whole book.
so just you wait. i'll be getting in some soft stuff and some kinda smutty stuff. if you have any preferences, don't be afraid to let me know!
warning, i didn't re-read this so if it sucks, i'm sorry!

that's it for now!

- c a m h h h h -
word count - 925 words