The Sandlot Romantics: Stirring Up Love with Scotty Smalls

~FOURTEEN~

Scotty Smalls

I saw the way Julia was smiling as I was approaching Vincent's drug store, and then I ruined it. I felt horrible when I saw her running away with tears in her eyes.

I didn't want to look back at her because Jennifer was beside me with our hands interlocked. I don't know why I just betrayed her though, I guess I was scared about her brother, and the guys.

But now thinking about it makes it worse, "You're a real jerk! You're really stupid, nice work!" Yeah yeah yells at me before running into the store and running back out , going down the same trail as where Julia went.

I look at the guys just staring at me in silence before Jennifer starts giggling, "What was her problem!?" she says cockily. "I have no idea, '' I said lying, all the guys gave me a disappointed look before I led Jennifer inside the store.

I felt a lump in my throat as Jennifer kept on talking, non stop. I couldn't stop thinking about Julia. She deserved this, I felt bad but she deserved it all. She would flirt withYeah Yeah, right in front of me.

She didn't know I liked her at the time, but after all those calls we've had, hiding me from her brother when we hung out. She must've known!

Yet she still talked to Yeah Yeah, and it pissed me off more than anything. She deserves to feel how I felt about her and Benny. And how I felt about her brother hating me!

I realized that I hate Julia Phillips! I hate her, the boys were right that day at the sandlot. We don't date the Phillips! I hate her!

My eyebrows furrowed as I thought about this, "What's wrong Scooter?" Jennifer asks me, she was annoying the shit out of me, I should've looked for someone else but whatever, I like her more than Julia and Jennifer actually likes me and doesn't flirt with others.

I get annoyed by the nickname she gave me 'Scooter?' really? "Nothing" I said, giving her a smile before pulling her closer to me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked home, the guys were probably at the sandlot but I didn't want to see them because they would just start yelling at me.

I enter my house, "Hi honey! You're home early!" My mom greets, "Yeah" I said blankly, "Hey little man" my step dad Bill says, "Hi Dad" I said, I just got used to calling him my Dad which makes my mom really happy.

"How was your date with the girl across the street?" My mom asked me "I ditched" I mumbled to myself, at least I thought I said it to myself.

"What!? You ditched that poor girl!" My mom says crossing her arms, "It doesn't matter, It's just once, plus I'm not going to have any dates with her, ever!" I said.

My moms eyebrows furrow and she looks at my Dad, my dad looks back at hdr then back at me, "He's just going through that stage in a boy's life" My dad says.

"But still you could've just told her you couldn't make it," My dad says, "I could've made it, I just didn't want to, I don't like her" I tell them.

"You go over there and apologize to that poor girl!" My mom scolds, "No! It's not like she cares!" I said running up to my room, I heard my moms footsteps ''Go apologize! I'm gonna come with you!" she says, with her arms still crossed.

"No Mom! She probably forgot!" I yell, "Don't yell at your mother!" my dad says.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes of yelling back and forth my mom forces me to go over to Julia's house to apologize.

My mom drags me by the arm across the street to Julia's house just to apologize in person instead of on the phone.

She knocks on the door a few seconds later the door creaks open. A woman who looked almost like Julia, which I'm assuming is her mom stands in the doorway.

"Hi! Can I help you?" the woman says, "He just wanted to apologize to your daughter, if she's here by any chance. I want him to apologize directly" my mom says.

"Oh okay, Julia! Can you come down here!?" the woman yells for her daughter, "I think she has a friend over so she might take some time, come in!" The woman says.

My mom smiles then looks at me with a stern look. "Would you like a drink?" the woman ask, "No that's okay we live just right across the street." my mom says to the lady.

"I'm Terry Smalls" My mom smiles before sticking her hand out to shake the other lady's hand, the lady smiles and shakes my mothers hand, " Melissa Phillips" Melissa smiles.

Then we hear the door open and Jordan Phillips walks in , wearing his baseball gear. "Hey you're home!" Melissa says enthusiastically kissing his forehead, "This is my son Jordan" Melissa says smiling.

As Phillips turns around he sees me, Oh shit, he gives me a look and cracks his knuckles. Of course the parents think it's normal but this was basically a death threat to me. "Hi Smalls'' He says, "Oh you two know each other!'' Both moms smile.

"Julia, get down here!" Melissa says getting a bit annoyed at how long she is taking.

A few seconds later she came down the stairs with red puffy eyes, and a figure followed her, the figure of Alan 'Yeah Yeah' McClennan. The two looked shocked to see me, especially Yeah yeah.

"Okay go tell her!" my mom reminds me, "Hey Julia, I'm sorry for ditching you and standing you up on our date" I say looking down.

I could tell Melissa had no idea about all of this because her eyes widened when I said something about the date.

"It's fine" Julia says blankly, she looks up at my mom and smiles "Hi, Julia Phillips" Julia says sticking her hand out, "Terry, Scotty's mom" my mom smiles shaking her hand.

"Can I go back upstairs?" Julia asks her mom, "Go ahead" her mom says disappointedly, "Sorry about her, she can be a bit moody." she says.

After a bit of the moms talking Phillips came up to me, "I was looking for you, tryna hunt down who stood up my sister" he says quietly. "Oh please, she deserved it" I reply, "Don't come near my sister, she's out of your league" he replies intimidatingly.

I roll my eyes, "She can fuck Yeah Yeah, or Benny whoever the hell she talk s to" I said before getting interupted by my mom, "Come on honey let's go home!" she says smiling, "Bye Scotty!" Phillips says as if nothing happened between him and I.

"Thanks for coming by! It was great to meet you!" Melissa says as we walk out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day I went to the sandlot. It seems like they all forgot about the stuff, fine by me.

We play for a few hours until Jennifer comes by, "Hi Scooter!" she says before kissing my cheeks, I pull her closer by the waist, "Hi Jen" I say smiling.

I can feel all the eyes on me as I let out shallow breaths.

~AUTHORS NOTE~

I'm really running out of ideas! Please dm me for ideas, thanks for reading and please vote!

-Maya 01/12/2024