she's alright {benny rodriguez}

~4~

You were having fun playing with the boys, who were also learning to finally accept you. And you were finally learning how to actually play baseball.

Of course it was starting to get late as you got your stride, but Benny asked if you wanted to learn how to bat. This you were excited about. You could actually learn how to hit a home run!

Benny showed you how to hold it first, saying your feet need to be shoulder width apart, back foot on its toe, and to bend your knees. You did this, and Benny approved your stance. He jogged to the pitcher's mound and said he was going to throw you a slow ball. You nodded and shuffled a bit.

After he threw it underhanded, you swung your bat and it barely grazed the ball. You frown, standing up.

"Maybe I need some tips on how to swing, too," you frown, and Benny nods.

"Okay, go back to how you were standing. It's always the same thing, keep your eye on the ball. Alright? I'll give you another slow one and we'll see how it works. Keep an eye out for what you do, so you know what you need to fix."

You swing again, and this time you hit it. The ball didn't go soaring through the air, but it did bounce on the ground at Benny's feet. He smiled and cheered for you.

"Nice, Y/N! Second try!"

After a bit more practicing, you decided to go home before your mom sent out hounds to sniff you out for dinner (that was an over exaggeration, but it sure felt like that sometimes).

"Bye, Benny. I should be free the rest of the week, so I'll catch ya tomorrow."

"See you! And nice job today, you're getting better and better."

You smile and wave goodbye before you closed your front door.

+++++

It was the next day, and you were back at the sandlot with the boys.

"Y/N, throw here!" Tommy called. You passed it to him and he tagged Bertram before he could touch third. "Nice! Okay, my turn!" Yeah-Yeah yelled and ran to the home plate. You laugh and switch positions so you were standing at second.

"Kay, Yeah-Yeah. You're gonna get a heater! You sure you can handle it?" Kenny teases.

"Oh, yeah. That's easy. Bring it on, DeNunez." He holds the bat and shuffles into position, and Kenny pitches to him. Yeah-Yeah's bat hit the ball, and it went soaring. It was heading towards Squints, but it was still too high for him to catch. He stops running as it soars over the fence on the other side of the sandlot.

"Yeah-Yeah, you ruined the whole day for us, man! Does anyone got a ball?" Ham yelled. You frowned at the boys. Nobody was going to get it, so you shrugged and started jogging towards the fence. The boys didn't notice you going over there.

As you reached the fence, you pushed through the weeds and grabbed the fence to start climbing.

"NOOOO!" the boys yelled, but you ignored it. Why are they so afraid of this fence?  Benny reached you first as you got to the top and sat on the edge, the rest of the boys following behind.

"Y/N, get down from there! You're gonna get hurt!" Benny called.

"Why? I just wanna get the ball. What's wrong with hopping a fence?" You start to jump down on the other side.

"Oh my god, Y/N, just come down. Please, I'll explain."

As you debated listening or continuing with your stunt, a low growl came from the yard. You freeze. As you watched, smoke blew from a dog house in the corner and the growl came again. The ball was snatched by a huge paw, which made you scream and fall backwards over the fence. You landed on your back in front of the boys and groaned.

"Oh my- what the hell was that?" You wheeze. Benny shook his head in an 'i told you so' manner.

"C'mon, it's getting dark. Get a jacket and meet us back here in 20 minutes, we'll explain." The boys split up and ran home. You were left alone, wondering what this was all about.

+++++

Your parents had reluctantly let you go back to the sandlot, where you met the boys and followed them to Timmy and Tommy's treehouse.

"Guys, what's going on? What was that thing?" You asked as you sit on the ground. They all sighed and faced you.

"Y/N, go over to the window and look outside. Be quiet," Squints put his hand on your shoulder and points to the window. You frown and weave your way through the mess of boys and towards the window. You looked out, and watched the backyard next door.

"There's nothing there."

Bertram sighs and switches his sitting position. "He's probably asleep. Well, The Beast lives there and you never want to cross him. One kid went over there and never came back..."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure," you scoff and roll your eyes. "I'm gonna head home, if that's all you're going to talk about. Thanks for inviting me, guys." You put your jacket on and headed down the ladder, the rest of them following after you. Benny offered to walk you home, and you accepted. "So, what's the deal with that thing anyways?"

"Well, it's a huge dog that used to be a guard dog for the junkyard before Mr. Mertle was ordered to put him away. Now he just lives in that yard for the rest of eternity, waiting to catch anything over that fence."

"Woahhh, spoooky," you tease and wiggkle your fingers as if casting a spell. Benny chuckles.

"Yeah, spooky alright. Well, here's your house. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Of course. Bye, Benny." And you two part ways.

{feb. 1, 2021}