𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒚-𝑻𝒘𝒐 | b. rodriguez

the great hambino

In the days following the incident in the alley, my new life in San Fernando went on quite normally.

Benny, Kate, Ham and I met each day for lunch at a diner in town. Then we would play catch at the sandlot until the younger guys got there.

Kate had never been invited by the guys to play ball since they had their whole "no girls" thing. However, she'd asked me to teach her after she heard how much of a big shot I was around the guys.

Around noon we all met at a diner in town. Kate and I had gotten there first so we sat at a booth near the window.

"I can't wait till I can put them in their place, like you," she told me, laughing. She slid into the booth next to me.

"Same here," I smiled.

Just then, the bell at the door of the diner rang. Benny and Ham walked in.

"Imagine Ham's face when I can catch him out at bat or something!" Kate's eyes were shining in the most mischievous way.

She and Ham had an ongoing battle of wits – they were going on about seven years now.

"That'll show him never to kiss me again!" she exclaimed, just loud enough for him to hear as he and Benny walked up to our table.

Ham scowled at her, crossing his arms as he walked over to our table.

"What did you say?" he growled, face fuming wth anger and embarrassment.

My mouth dropped open.

Ham kissed Kate!?

"Yup, that's right," she answered my unspoken question. Her face was red and she was fighting off a blushing smile with a forced gag. "When we were eight, he kissed me!"

"–I still regret it to this day, you monster. Don't be so flattered."

Kate rolled her eyes, and my mouth was still hanging open. Benny slid into the booth across from me, and Ham stood standing, defiantly.

"Trust me, 'Hambino," Kate said, forming quotations with her fingers.

"I'm not."

Benny lost it, his grin broke into laughter as Ham's face flushed.

He smacked the table with his palm, as he cracked up, practically dying from a lack of oxygen.

He looked at me with squinty eyes and I couldn't help but join him. The fact that we were the only sane two at the table was too much to bear when we realized we were all acting like little kids.

It was pretty awesome.

"H-ha," he gasped. "Ham-"

"Hambino," I finished, closing my eyes as my body shook with laughter.

Ham shut his mouth. His face was fuming redder than his hair as he sat next to Benny in the booth, at last.

Benny's leg brushed against mine under the table when he was forced to move over to avoid being squashed by Ham.

I glanced down at the table, but I'm pretty sure he looked at me, like he noticed it, too.

Kate, my queen, sat up in the booth as if it were her throne. The smug look on her face was priceless compared to the way she'd previously dissed Julia.