The Girl That Made Baseball

4

"Well, I better be getting home" Jess said after she had finished washing the dishes with Benny's older sister, Veronica, who was 16, and pretty good friends with Jess

"Okay, Jess. Thanks for coming over" Benny's mom, Jenny said

"Thanks for having me" Jess laughed

Veronica gave Benny a 'You idiot, walk her home!' look when Jess wasn't looking

"I'll walk you" Benny immediately got up and opened the door for Jess

"Thanks" Jess laughed when the two were outside.

Little did the two know, the new kid was sitting on his porch, listening to the two.

"So, tomorrow, 8:00, right?" Jess laughed

"Yup. Man, I still can't believe your brother made that sandlot" Benny laughed

"Remember when he did? I was all he talked about" Jess laughed

"Yeah, I remember. I'll see you" Benny said when they got to Jess' front door

"I'll see you" Jess said. When she got inside, she realized she still wanted to talk to Benny. Really, she wanted to hear his voice

"Wait" Jess opened the door real quick

"Yeah?" Benny asked

"Uh... Your hat" Jess said, taking it off

"Oh yeah. Thanks" Benny laughed, taking it out of the girls hand and putting it on

"I'll see you, Benny" Jess said

"See ya" Benny said, started down the sidewalk to his house. He only live 2 houses down.

The next morning was Saturday. Jess woke up from the sunlight pouring into her room like liquid gold.

Jess looked at the time, realizing it was 7:21, and got up.

Jess put on a pair of pants and a white tee shirt, tucking it in and putting one of Alex's old button up over it.

Jess grabbed her new bat and a few baseballs, stuffing them in a small bag and running as fast as she could to the sandlot, realizing Benny was on his porch waiting for her.

"Sandlot, sandlot, lets go!" Jess said

Benny and her ran all the way to the sandlot together.

Everyone arrived to the sandlot at the same time, everyone getting into their position. Today, Jess was up to bat, and Benny was shortstop.

Denunez pitched the ball, Jess hitting it hard, and not running, because she noticed a kid, standing near the very back of the field.

He tried to catch the ball, but it just hit his glove, and he fell backwards.

Benny looked back at Jess, the both realizing it was the new kid. Everyone started laughing, except Benny and Jess.

The kid picked himself up, and put his hat back on.

"Okay, I'll get it!" The kid said, walking over to the baseball

"Come on!" Everyone yelled

Jess just shook her head and hit the bat against home plate

"C'mon, Jess. Why'd you have to do that?" Denunez asked

"Just wait" Jess hissed

The fence rattled, and the kid ran so far from it, the baseball in hand

"We are waiting!" Squints yelled

"C'mon, hurry up!" Everyone yelled

The kid tried to throw the ball, it going maybe a yard in front of him. Everyone started laughing, but Benny and Jess, who just looked from each other to the kid.

While the guys over dramatically threw themselves to the ground, clutching their stomachs, laughing, Benny and Jess just looked at each other.

The kid ran off he field, and Jess felt real bad.

The rest of the game consisted of everyone making jokes about he kid.

Eventually, when it got pretty late, everyone went. to the dugout to cool down.

"Man, what a geek" Bertram laughed

"Oh get over it, Bertram. When you first learned ball, you couldn't hit it for the life of you, remember?" Jess asked

Bertram was the last of everyone to join the game. It started with Squints, Timmy, Repeat, Denunez, Yeah-Yeah, Ham and Eleswager. Eventually, Jess and Benny joined the game, then Bertram, and Eleswager left.

"Whatever, Jess. You probably got the hots for him, don't ya?" Bertram laughed

"Nah, I don't got the hots for him, but I wasn't raised like a prick. When we all first learned baseball, we weren't good. Period. I just don't think y'all should tease him about his playin if y'all weren't even naturally good yourselves, that all." Jess shrugged

"Whatever, man. Lighten up a bit, Jess" Squints said

"Man, your all blockheads. I'm outta here. I gotta get home for dinner" Jess said.

She wasn't wrong. It was already 6.

"I better head too" Benny and Ham said at the same time.

Then, the entire team started walking home together, all talking about stupid memories they all had together.

Eventually, it was just Benny and Jess.

"I'll see you, Jess." Benny said

"See ya" Jess walked inside and went straight to her brothers room.

"Hey, Jessie, whats up?" Alex asked, looking up from his book he was reading on his bed

"I have a favor I need to ask you." Jess said

Alex was 21, and he didn't live at home, but he was there often enough for it to count. He always came by, all the the time, to get things from his childhood room. He was going to college for baseball, off a scholarship too.

"What is it?" He asked

"Do you have an old hat? Y'know, one of the ones you wore when you were playing at the sandlot?" Jess asked

"Sure," Alex got up and looked in his closet, grabbing an old hat and tossing it to Jess "Why do you need it?" He asked

"There's this kid, I'm gonna give it to him, if that's alright" Jess said

"Sure. Whatever" Alex shrugged and sat back down.

That night, Jess got together one of her old gloves and Alex's old hat, and didn't even eat dinner.

Jess went to bed that night thinking about how much her and Benny had been through, and yet they were still best friends.

Jess had lost her older sister to cancer 8 months earlier, and Benny's dad had walked out on him and his sisters when he was 10.

The two were inseparable, simply because they were best friends.

Jess liked that she had Benny, and of Benny wasn't there, the rest of the team was.