curveball || benny rodriguez

t w o

Saturday, June 15th 1962

It's been two days since the incident at the sandlot, I stood outside on the porch with my baseball glove attached to the back of my jeans, I look next door and notice the new boy is sitting on his front porch playing with a busted glove.

I trudge over to him and stand in front of him, it's takes him a second to notice me but when he does he looks up with a sad look on his face.

"Hey, the names Y/N! Your next door neighbour" I smile holding my hand out for him to shake. He looks at me surprised before speaking

"Uh, I'm Scotty Smalls" he awkwardly grins thrusting his hand out to grip mine, shaking my hand.

I'm suddenly startled when I feel the presence of somebody next to me, I look to my right and notice Benny.

Where the hell did he come from?

"Hey Y/N, we gotta get goin" Benny told me, glancing over at Scotty. I nod my head and get ready to go when Benny turns to look at Scotty.

"Wanna come play some ball? We don't mind an extra person" Benny asks, we both just stare and wait for an answer.

"No thanks" Scotty replies looking back down at his glove.

"Why not? Don't you like baseball?" Benny questions raising an eyebrow.

"Oh..uh yeah but-" Scotty stops as he gets interrupted by Benny.

"But what?"

I can tell Scotty is looking for an excuse not to join us, I cross my arms over my chest as a smirk plants my face.

"Uh my glove, it's busted. See now I can't play" Benny rolls his eyes at his excuse, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out an extra glove.

"That's okay, I have an extra one" Benny tells him, throwing it at Scotty as he catches it.

Scotty gets up from his spot and yelling over his shoulder to tell his mom that he's going out. Benny and I start running down the street with Scotty catching up to us.

"So where are we headed?" Smalls ask him, as he follows us out of the neighbourhood.

"Vincent's drug store" Benny replied.

We make it to Vincent's Drug Store, where we spot the other boys sat in the parking lot on crates waiting for Benny and I with mouths full of Bazooka.

"Check this out" Ham says as he stands up, hanging a candy cigar out of his mouth.

"I'm the Great Bambwino" he speaks, speech muffled. Everyone gives him a confused look.

"What?" All the guys say in unison.

"I'm the Great Bambwino" he said louder but it still came out muffled, another chorus of what's came from the guys.

He takes the candy cigar out of his mouth and again repeats,"I'm the Great Bambino". A rupture of oh's escape the boys mouths finally understanding. I look at Scotty and notice the confused expression on his face.

Does he not know who the Great Bambino is?

I see Squints looking over at us giving Benny and I an odd look.

"Who the hell are you?" Squints asks in a rude tone.

"This the new kid in the neighbourhood" Benny grins.

"That's nice, why is he here?" DeNunez pipes up.

"He's gonna play with us?" Benny told them but it came out more like a question. The guys glare in Scotty's direction which we noticed.

"Uh so anyways, that's Timmy and Tommy Timmons" Benny pointed towards the two as they both spat on the ground.

"Mike 'squints' Palledorous" he then spat on the ground.

"Alan McCellan, we call him Yeah Yeah" he also spat on the ground, gross.

"Bertram Grover Weeks" spit

"Kenny DeNunez and Hamilton Porter" double spit

"We call him Ham, and you already know Y/N" Benny introduces all of us to Smalls

"Guys this is Scott Smalls"

"Hi" Scotty nervously smiles giving them a small wave, Squints once again spat on the ground for no reason which earned him a questioning look from Benny.

"Yeah um..so he's gonna join us" We all stood there in silence, I look towards Scotty and give him an empathetic smile.

"Let's go to the sandlot, we're wasting time!" Benny urged, they all follow Benny out of the parking lot while Ham runs into Smalls with his shoulder and Bertram pushes him.

Smalls keeps his distance behind the group but he still close enough so that he can hear them argue with Benny.

"Why'd you have to bring him for,Benny?" Bertram asks looking back at Smalls.

"He makes ten, which will now give us an extra player" Benny explains.

"Yeah, so would my sister, but I didn't bring her!" Yeah Yeah groaned as I roll my eyes then hitting him with my glove.

"Y/N already makes nine players Ben! We don't need an extra player" Bertram explains, i feel bad for Smalls...they are really treating him like dirt.

"Benny he ain't game, you saw the way he threw" Kenny whispered looking back at Smalls.

"Come on Benny man, that kid is a L7 weenie!" Squints laughs, making the others laugh to.

"Shut up squints" I say also smacking him with my glove

"You guys are part of the game right?" Benny asks, staring the others down. "Yeah yeah!".

"Then how come he don't get to be?" He growls, nobody was able to give him an answer to the question.

"Base up, you blockheads!" The boys listen to Benny and run to their positions including me, their glares not going unnoticed. All of them continue to argue with one another about how he shouldn't be playing but both Benny and I ignore it as he walks over to where Smalls was standing.

"Smalls you take left centre" Benny instructs him, "Right okay, ah..where exactly is that?" Smalls asks confused. I let out a small giggle while shaking my head.

"Over there" Benny tells him nodding his head in the direction Scotty needs to go, Smalls runs to where he thinks he is supposed to go but goes to the wrong area.

"Here?" He asks shyly, "That's left, I said left centre" Benny chuckled. Smalls realises where he is actually supposed to go and jogs over. I give him a thumbs up and turn back to see Benny walking to his spot with the bat.

He throws the ball in the air himself, swinging the bat he sends the ball flying towards Yeah Yeah who catches it in which he then throws it to Bertram and then to the others until it gets back to Ham.

"Woah" I hear Smalls says, Benny retrieves the ball again and looks over to Smalls.

"Hey Smalls! Throw to second!" Benny yells before hitting the ball towards Scotty.

"He's not gonna catch it"

I watch as Scotty tries to get it but instead falls backwards onto the dirt, he gets back up in a hurry and grabs the ball. He goes to throw it but instead he runs to DeNunez and hands him the ball.

The guys look at him with wide eyes, even me. I can't believe he handed him the ball.

Benny runs over there and talks with Scotty before running back to his spot and hits the ball towards Smalls.

We all watch as he closes his eyes raises his glove into the air the ball eventually landing in it, Smalls opens his eyes and looks at his glove in shock before breaking out in a smile.

"Yeah Smalls!" Benny cheers

"Good job Smalls" I grinned as he throws the ball back to DeNunez which leaves him shocked that he caught it.

"Alright yeah! Let's play some ball!"

Good job Smalls, I think you proved yourself to them.