The Girl That Made Baseball

18

The next morning, Jess woke up and flew down the stairs and out of her house, her black hair pulled into a ponytail.

"Jess, wait a minute-" Lisa started when she saw her daughter

"Cant talk, gotta go to the sandlot!" Jess said before closing the door and running straight to Smalls house

"Alright, Smalls. I gotta think of some-" Jess said as soon as Smalls walked out of his house

"Why are you helping me?" Smalls asked

"Because if I knocked a baseball of my old mans into the beasts yard, I woulda been off to boardin school years ago" Jess smirked and tilted her head at the kid

"We're meetin at the Timmons tree house. There were gonna try and figure something out."

"Alright" Smalls shrugged and the two walked to the Timmons tree house

When everyone was there, they all gathered around the window to try and look into the beasts yard.

"Why don't we just ask Mr. Mertle to get the ball back?" Smalls asked

"Mr. Mertles the meanest old man you'll ever meet!" Squints said

Then, a poof of dust came up, and everyone backed from the window

"He's darin us!" Timmy said

"We're on his territory now" Ham said

"Anybody got any bright ideas?" Jess asked

As everyone tossed ideas back an forth, Jess noticed Benny sitting against the back of the tree house, his arms crossed and he was looking down, as if to be pouting.

While everyone was distracted, talking about ideas, jess walked over to the boy

"What's on your mind, Benny man?" Jess asked, leaning against the wall next to him

"What a summer, man" Benny smiled and looked down

"What a summer" Jess whispered

Jess then got up and walked back over to the group, leaving Benny behind.

"I got it! We take a fence panel down, and we can use a stick to try and draw the ball back!" Ham said

"We need some eyes in the sky. Anyone wanna-" Jess started

"I got a cereal box telescope thing my brother made at home. We can use that!" Squints said

"Alright!" Jess said smiling, high fiving everyone in victory.

While Squints and Ham left to get their things, the rest worked on removing a panel of the wooden fence.

"C'mon, Benny, it isn't that hard"
Denunez said

"Yeah yeah, we've been waiting an eternity all ready" Yeah-Yeah said

"Well Id like to see one of you duffusses try" Benny said, getting off his knees

Yeah-Yeah tried to pull the board and failed, as did Denunez

"Jesus. Let me try" Jess said

She didn't think she would, but she might as well try.

She positioned herself to her legs were under the fence, and she grabbed the board, pushing off the bottom of the fence, and board popping off.

Jess flew back on the ground, the board in her hands.

"Jess, are you alright?" Benny asked

Jess burst into a fit of laughter

"Yeah yeah. So funny" Yeah-Yeah crossed his arms and rolled his eyes

Benny smiled and helped the girl to her feet

"What's so funny?" Benny asked,
smiling at the girls laughter

"That you guys couldn't get it off and I could" Jess laughed

She looked down at the board and threw it to the side.

Eventually, Squints and Ham came back with everything.

Ham tried to get the ball across the fence, Squints in the tree house above head, but when the beast saw the long stick, he chomped it in two, the other half not making it out.

"Jesus christ!" Jess said

The next plan was to tape a bowl to the end of a metal bar. This time, the beast took the entire thing, sending it over the fence folded like a balloon animal.

Everyone gathered around the piece of bent metal

"I think we're seriously underestimating the beast" Timmy said

"Honestly we're dealin with superior intelligence" Squints said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Later that day, the Timmons collected 3 vacuums to use.

"Okay guys, connecting power now" Bertram said

"Power connected" Smalls said

"Sure this is gonna work?" Jess asked, leaning against the wall next to Benny in the tree house

"Nope" Bertram mumbled

Then, Ham, Benny, Jess, and Denunez worked on lowering the end of the vacuums towards the ball, all having to work together.

"Initiate retrieval suction" Squints whispered to Repeat, who repeated it to Timmy.

Timmy told Ham, and then told Bertram and Smalls to turn on one vacuum

"Get ready guys" Ham said

The vacuum jolted everyone back. Jess was right behind Denunez, in front of Benny, and all Jess could focus on was Benny's arm around her waist.

It wasn't even around her waist. It was around her body holding a part of the vacuum in front of her for more grip. But Jess still liked it

They fired the second vacuum. The gust of energy sent everyone jolting back again.

"Fire number three" Squints said

The third vacuum turned on, everyone holding it kicking back, and sure enough, they all felt the vacuum relax as the ball plugged the end.

"Huh, you got it! Pull it up" Squints said

As everyone tried to pull the vacuum up, the beast bit the end, sealing it off.

"Uh... What's goin on Squints?" Jess yelled

"The pipe is pinched shut!" He yelled

"Turn it off man!" Benny yelled

"I can't, it's shorting out! It's shorting out!" Smalls yelled

"The hell is that noise?" Squints asked

"Guys, the vacs are done. I don't know about you but I'm getting the heck outta here!" Bertram said, exiting the hole out the bottom of the tree house

Everyone hurried to exit the tree house.

"Oh shit!" Jess said, looking back at the tree house

"Jump!" Benny said

"What? Are you-" Jess started, but Benny grabbed the girls hand and flew out the window before she could finish the sentence.

The two landed next to each other, still holding hands.

Jess didn't even realize this, pulling her hand out of Benny's and getting up to brush off her clothes, then helping Benny up.

Maybe Jess didn't notice they were holding hands, but Benny sure did. Why was Jess always shooting him down?

Jess helped Benny up and the two hurried with the other boys to run further from the treehouse.

Suddenly, a large burst of smoke and flames came out of the windows of the tree house.

Then, Timmy came down from the steps of the tree house caked in dirt.

Jess fought to hold back a laugh as the boy shook out his hair.

"We need a new plan" The boy said