curveball || benny rodriguez

f o u r

Sunday Evening, June 16th 1962

The treehouse, a place where we sometimes spent our summer evenings. We enjoyed each other's company and it was always fun spending the night in the treehouse, a few of my favourite memories were made in that tree.

Thankfully my mother trusted me enough to spend the night with eight boys..well nine now. She trusts me enough to not do anything bad with them and she knows half of them are younger than me.

I went home that late afternoon to pack my stuff and then head over to Timmy and Tommy's house as the treehouse is located in their backyard.

I make it to their home and knock on the front door, it swings open to show Tommy and Timmy's mum. She greets me with a smile and lets me in, I walk to the backyard then make my way up to the treehouse.

I notice most of the boys are munching on s'mores, or sitting there and playing a game of some sort. Clearly Ham brought is personal s'more supplies.

"Hi guys" I smile rolling out my sleeping bag,I receive a chorus of hey's. I sit up against the treehouse wall not paying attention to what the others were are doing.

Benny decided to roll his out next to mine and lay next to me along with his baseball bat, we exchange small smiles and start a small conversation of our own.

"LJ, want a s'more?" Ham asks thrusting an already made s'more in my face, almost wiping the melting marshmallow and chocolate onto my face.

"Well since your practically almost shoving it into my mouth, might as well" i take it from his hands and take bite then I offer Benny some, he takes a bite then I finish off the rest.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. My mum made put on my jacket and then she made me do the dishes" Scotty explains as he sits down in front of Ham.

"Your poor little mummy made you do the big, bad dishes" Bertram teases, I smile at his teasing before lightly hitting his thigh.

"Leave him alone Bertram" Benny laughs.

"Hey you want a s'more?" Ham asks pointing towards his array of supplies.

"Some more what?" I facepalm at Small's cluelessness.

"No do you want a s'more?" Ham asks for the second time, Scotty tilts his head to the side with a confused look.

"I haven't had anything yet...so how can I have some more of nothing?"

Ham just stares blankly, "You're killing me Smalls!" he exclaimed, "these are s'mores stuff, okay".

"Pay attention" Han then began showing him how to make a s'more. I avert my attention from Ham to Benny since he decided to rest his head on top of mine.

My attention is then drawn to a vile smell, I look over at the other guys with a disgusted look, I hear Benny let out a groan next to me.

"Alright, who cut one?" Squints questioned, we look at each other as Bertram snickers.

"Bertram!" Timmy whined, followed by the others.

"Aw Bertram, that stinks man" I gagged, pulling my shirt up to my nose and waiting until the smell is gone.

"Okay, quiet you guys" Squints starts, they all start hushing each other but that only causes more noise.

"Quiet, are you trying to wake it up?" Squints whisper yells, "It just went to bed".

"What just went to bed?" Smalls questioned.

"Shhh" we all hushed him.

"The beast" we whispered.

"Oh yeah" Smalls said loudly, I lightly kick the sleeping bag that is covering him.

"Shhh!"

"Geez Smalls"

"Dang"

We all turn our attention back to Squints who has turned his bulked up flashlight onto his face for more 'dramatic' effect.

"The legend of The Beast, goes back a long time..." Squints begins. He goes on to tell us the tale of The Beast, I don't fully pay attention as I focused my attention onto Benny as he intently listened.

It was quite cute watching him focus on the story, his mouth was slightly open and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Dreaming of the time when he can chase and kill again.." Squints finished the story and turned his flashlight off.

"See, that's why you can't go over there. Nobody ever will" Bertram assured.

"One kid did, but nobody ever saw him again" Ham told us, sitting on top of his sleeping bag.

"That ain't true!" DeNunez fired back.

"Yeah it is! He got eaten" Ham piped up again, I rolled my eyes as the two of them bicker back and forth.

"Shut up you dorks, it's getting late. Let's go to sleep" I announced to the group, snuggling into my sleeping bag. The rest of them shut up and follow my steps as they also get comfortable, they turn off the lights the only light we get is from the moon.

"Goodnight Rodriguez" I whispered as we faced each other, "Goodnight LJ" he whispered back.

Sleep tight