𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 | 𝐛. 𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐳

𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 | 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧

"NICE JOB, Benny. Congratulations." A woman says, probably a fan who saw today's game.
I smile, nodding to her. I walk past multiple groups, most of which congratulate me on my 'game winning' run, as they call it. If I'm being honest, it wasn't game winning. It was the fifth inning and I secured a Home run that evened the score. Sure, it helped the team win, but they should be congratulating Cal who secured a home run, and Tony who made it to third base in one run, then made it home when Mark took one for the team and was the second out of that half of the inning so the focus was off of Tony. The game was close—we won by two runs, thanks to Cal, Tony, and Mark. However, most people have been congratulating me. I don't know why, all I did was even the score. I spot the boys standing outside in a group, talking loudly. I push the door open, watching them.
"There he is!" Squints exclaims, pointing at me excitedly, making everyone look at me.
They run at me, nearly tackling me. They cheer for me, hugging me tightly.
"Alright, Boys, calm down! Let me go, I can't breathe!" I exclaim.
Lennon stands back, watching the scene with a wide smile on her face. I smile back and squeeze my way out of the massive group hug. Lennon approaches us, smiling.
"Congratulations, Benny." She says. "You did good today."
I nod, smiling at her. Telling her I didn't hate her seems to have softened the edges of my anger from the past.
"How about a celebratory dinner? I'll buy." Lennon says. "We can carpool in two cars, meet up there."
She holds up her keys and looks over at her car, a newer model Subaru. I shrug, nodding.
"Let's do it, dinner sounds nice." I say. "It would be a good time for us all to catch up."
She nods, smiling. She walks to her car, unlocking it. I follow her, smiling as she opens the trunk.
"If you want to ride with me, the trunk's open." She says quietly.
I nod. Smalls grabs his keys and points to his car, smiling at the rest of the boys.
"My car's open too. Seats seven." He says, unlocking his silver mini-van, probably his wife's.
Squints looks at Lennon and I, smiling as he walks towards Smalls' car.
"We're gonna catch a ride with Smalls. You two have fun though. We'll meet you there." He says.
Lennon and I look at each other, straight-faced. I shrug, nodding to her.
"I'm ready whenever you are." I say. "I can text Daniel on the way there."
She nods, closing the trunk. We walk to opposite sides of the car, both climbing in. I sit in Shotgun, looking down at my phone as I let Daniel know that I can't make it to the after party. Lennon pulls away and follows Smalls' car through town.
"You did a great job today, Benny. And it's so good to see the guys again." She says, turning on her left blinker as we pull up to an intersection.
It wasn't her fault that she had to move, right? She wasn't legally an adult yet. She had no choice. But why can't I shake the thought that she left me? What if she had trouble getting home? I never gave her the benefit of the doubt.
"Have you kept in touch with any of them since you left?" I ask.
She frowns and shakes her head, turning left, following Smalls' van again.
"I tried to find everyone in the phone books, but there were maybe a million 'Scott Smalls'. I had no idea where to start. When I learned that he was the up top announcer for the Dodgers, I finally had the chance to contact him, but never got around to doing so. You were easy to follow, but I had no clue if you'd want to talk to me or not." She says. "And the rest of the guys kinda disappeared for a few years. And I haven't heard anything about Bertram since I left."
I nod, smiling. Everyone made it for the reunion, except Bertram.
"I kept in touch with a few of the guys, but I'm gonna do better now. Bertram kinda fell off the face of the planet. No one's been able to get a hold of him." I say.
      She raises an eyebrow, pulling into the parking lot of a restaurant Smalls must have picked.
      "Kinda sucks that he disappeared. Remember that time he brought Big Chief Chaw to the fair? And the boys all threw up on that spinning carnival ride?" She asks.
      I laugh, nodding. That was the night I scored the game winning hit against the L.C. Romney Tigers. We went to the fair and I bought everyone's ticket. Bertram brought a pack of Big Chief Chaw. Lennon and I didn't take any, following our parents' strict rules about substance abuse. The rest of the boys did, however, and wound up vomiting all over the ride. Lennon parks beside Smalls' small van, looking over at me with furrowed brows.
      "I can drive you home afterwards, if you don't mind." She says. "But if that's too much for one day, I can call you a taxi."
       I shake my head, nodding to her. More time to adjust my feelings—this is perfect.
        "No, rising with you is just fine." I say. "Now let's get in there before those boys eat everything left in the kitchen."
         She nods and we climb out, running towards the restaurant for dinner.