✓ | 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 ♡ Benny Rodriguez

𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚝𝚝'𝚜 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎

Riley stood with Benny's arm around her shoulders talking with the others as Scotty ran back into the Sandlot holding a ball in his hands, she didn't think too much into it at the time. "I got it! Let's play!" Scotty shouted as he approached the group. Scotty tossed the ball to Benny who catches it. "Bitchin'. Your ball, your up," Benny told Scott before handing the bat to him. Riley stepped up to her usual spot behind home base as Benny tossed the ball to DeNunez.

Benny makes his way to the right of the field as DeNunez rounds up and throws to Bertram at first base. Bertram throws to Timmy at second base, Timmy almost drops the ball. There's a smudge on the ball. Timmy tosses to third base, Tommy passes to Yeah-Yeah in left. He launches it to Squints in the centre, who rushed forward to catch it before he throws it to DeNunez. "Batter up!" Ham calls out.

DeNunez winds up before pitching the ball at full force, Scotty swings the bat hitting the ball with a CRACK sending it straight... towards... the... beast. Scotty drops the bat and runs for first base watching Benny as he backed up to catch the ball before realising it went over the fence. Riley sighed as she thought about the different things they could do instead of playing ball, however, Scotty turned away from running the diamond and walked towards the fence with a bewildered look as Benny clapped.

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"What the hell's he doing?" Ham asked as the boys all stood together not too far from the frozen boy. "Maybe just the shock of his first homer was too much for him," Bertram stated with a shrug as Riley stepped ahead of the boys slowly piecing the situation together and she was beginning to hope she was wrong. Scott ran up to the fence with the others following him before he turned to them with fear paralyzing his body.

"We gotta get that ball back!" Scotty exclaimed with wide eyes. "Right! Good one, Smalls," Ham chuckled as he shook his head. "Sure. We'll just hop over and say, "Excuse me, Mr Beast sir, could we have our ball back, oh, and please don't kill us while we're here!"," Squints mocked with a fake smile. "It was a great shot, but forget about it... the game's over. We'll get another ball," Benny explained as he stood next to Riley.

Scotty shook his head, "You don't understand!" Riley's mind finally clicked, the new ball so sudden linked to the sighed ball resting in their stepfather's office. "Sure we do. You feel bad 'cause you belted a homer, and no we can't play no more," Benny simplified with the others agreeing. Benny had come to terms with not being able to play for the day and decided in his mind to spend time with Riley instead.

"NO! You don't understand!" Scotty continued before saying the dreaded words Riley didn't want to leave his mouth, "IT'S NOT MY BALL!" Riley closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Scott..." Riley began as everyone focused on the siblings. "Please tell me you didn't grab the ball from Bill's office.... please..." Riley practically begged breathlessly. Scotty swallowed dryly before nodding at his older sister who then began hyperventilating.

"Oh, my God... Oh, my God..." Riley repeated over and over again only confusing the others more. Benny pulled Riley into his arms and let her rest her head on his chest, she focused on his calm heartbeat in hopes to calm herself. "What do you mean it wasn't your ball?" Squints asked looking between the Smalls' siblings. "It's our stepdads. I stole it from his trophy room. It was a present or something - somebody gave it to him. We have to get it back. He's gonna kill me!" Scotty explained fearfully.

Riley was calm but she was still shaking anxiously, Benny rubbed her back soothingly, he didn't like how freaked out she got. "Smalls... listen to me. This is a matter of life and death..." Squints began before pausing for a moment, "Where did your old man get that ball?" Riley went to speak but Scotty cut in, "I dunno... I think some lady gave it to him." Riley shook her head, which Benny had noticed. She stepped out of his hold, causing Benny to pout for a moment before she turned to the others.

"It was signed by BABE RUTH!" Riley started quietly before practically screaming it into Scotty's face. The boys' eyes almost popped out of their sockets before they all rushed the fence, all of them besides Ham jumped up the fence to look over as Ham peeped through the hole in the fence. The ball rested in a little impact crater in the middle of the yard, the beasts' long, hideous forelimb thrusts from underneath the lean-to. The paw comes down on the ball and drags it away, the boys back away from the fence screaming.

"The Beast got it!" DeNunez stated as Riley glared at her younger brother. "You're dead as a doornail, Smalls," Timmy said, Tommy obviously repeated it. "Nice knowing you," Timmy added, Tommy went to repeat it but stopped at Riley's angered glare. "Smalls, you mean to tell me you went home and swiped a ball that was signed by Babe Ruth, and brought it out here and actually played with it?" Timmy asked hoping this was all just a bad misunderstanding.

"And actually played with it!?" Tommy copied before getting hit in the back of the head. "We get it," DeNunez stated as his hand fell to his side, he knew that Riley was already angry and he didn't want to make it worse. "Yeah, but I was gonna put it back," Scotty told them like it was the most simple response ever. "But it was signed by Babe Ruth!" Squints exclaimed in disbelief. "Well, who is she?" Scotty asked, confused.

Everyone looked at Scotty as if he had grown an extra head. "What? What?" Ham asked with a bewildered look. "The Sultan of Swat!" DeNunez began. "The King of Krash!" Bertram spoke up. "The Colossus of Clout!" Timmy and Tommy spoke. "BABE RUTH!" All of the boys said in unison before Riley stepped forward in front of her brother with her arms crossed, "The Great Bambino!" Scotty finally caught on to the identity of Babe Ruth and instantly paled.

"OH, MY GOD! THAT'S THE SAME GUY?!" Scotty shouted at the group before him. "Yeah. Smalls, Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player that ever lived. People say he was less than a God, but more than a man. Ya know... like Hercules or somethin'," Squints informed the unamused boy. "The ball that you just aced to The Beast is worth... well, more than your whole life," Squints finished off as Riley walked a few steps away from the others.

Scotty fell to his knees and grabbed his stomach, "I don't feel so good..." The boys all stepped back worried he may be sick before they grabbed their caps and began fanning the boy. "We gotta get that ball back," Scotty continued as he looked at the others. "When does your old man get home from work?" Benny asked. "He's gone on business for a week," Riley informed them with a sigh.

She was debating whether it'd be worth just knocking on the door and dealing with the "mean old man". She knew that facing Bill without that ball would be scarier. "Okay, we need 98 cents. So, everybody spread out and find some soda bottles and cash 'em in. We need a new baseball," Benny explained before grabbing Riley's hand and the two of them rushed off to work on the plan. Scotty's heart was racing as they all split in different directions to round up some cash for a new ball, he truly believed his last days were coming.

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Author Note
Everything is dramatic as a child lol

-Rose <3
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