We always played baseball at recess. Well, my friends did anyways. My mom always said that I had to wear dresses to school, otherwise I'd be playing too. She didn't really care what I dressed outside of school, she usually just wanted me looking good for the teachers and not like the "wild child" I was. I think she just wanted me to not play baseball.

I was real good friends with a lot of the guys that played and they were always on the same team. They let me sit with them in the dugout while they batted.

We had been short a guy when one of our guys moved earlier in the school year.

We were sitting on bench when our best player Benny Rodriguez got in a pickle. I stood up and the others followed.

A couple of them hollered pickle and we ran to the baseline to yell for him.

As always he made it home. We all gathered around him and cheered.

He smiled at me and put an arm around me. We had been next door neighbors our whole lives and had been good friends since we were about 5.

That was the end of that recess. It usually ended with us winning somehow. The only time we didn't win was when three of our guys were missing and we had to fill them in with three bozos.

Everyone filed back inside and continued on with the boring school day. Kids were starting to get restless, it was nearing the end of the school year.

"Let's go Squints! Jesus you'd think you had rocks in your pockets or something!" I said pulling him away from our school by the back of his shirt.

"I'm just tryna get a good look!" He said adjusting his glasses to get a good look at Wendy Peffercorn. He had the hots for her. Most guys do. She had a little brother in the second grade and always came to pick him up. It's basically the reason Squints came to school.

I changed right after the bell as I always did, into a pair of jean shorts to just above my knees and a plain red shirt.

"Squints the guys are waiting!" I said giving one last big tug on his shirt. I was surprised it didn't rip.

"Okay okay!" he said rolling his eyes and we ran off down the street.

We go to a place called the sandlot right after school everyday. Regardless of homework or not we go and get home at about 6 for supper.

Squints groaned and we started running away from the school. By the time we got there they had already started.

"Where were you two?" Benny asked coming out of his batting stance and causing the rest of the guys to stare as well.

"Squints was worried about his beloved Wendy." I said making a lovey voice when I said her name. Squints hit me with his glove making me burst out laughing.

I tied my brown hair back quickly then put on my Indians hat. The guys always have me crap about my team because they weren't all that good. Hadn't won the World Series since 48. I guess it's not that bad.

I threw my bag off to the side and went to my usual spot at 2nd base. (We're just gonna cut Bertrum out of the story😬sorry if anyone liked him)

Our catcher was a kid named Hamilton Porter. We just called him Ham, I usually called him Porter.

The kid that played first base was Timmy Timmins. His brother Tommy played center field.

Our 3rd baseman was Alan McClennan, or Yeah Yeah.

Benny at one point played all positions but his main spot is short.

Michael Palledorous or Squints was our right fielder.

Finally, our pitcher, Kenny DeNunez.

We were missing a left center. Not for long though.

"Tommy get it to third!" Benny said getting into his stance and throwing the ball to himself.

Benny hit it right where he wanted, as usual. Tommy caught it and threw it to Yeah Yeah. He threw it to me and I threw it to Timmy. He threw it back to Kenny and he got ready to pitch again.

"This time for real." Benny said nodding at Kenny. He pitched it and Benny smacked the hell out of it.

We all turned to watch it fly past all of us. He went all the way back to the fence.

That's the first time all of us but Benny had seen Scotty Smalls.

"Hey kid throw it back!" Squints yelled to the kid. He was odd. He had on a fly fishing hat.

The boy held up his glove in a thumbs up. He ran off and grabbed the ball. He came back and for some reason was struggling to throw it.

"Look at this kid!" Kenny said laughing. All the guys were laughing. Benny and I weren't.

"Hey you guys knock it off." I said rolling my eyes.

The kid just sort of rolled the ball back making the guys all laugh even harder. Some of them even fell to the ground.

I turned and squinted into the sun to see Benny shaking his head. He didn't like all this stuff. If it was a close group of friends it was okay, but not a new kid who also didn't really have any friends.

We played until about 5:30 then we all split up. We all lived in the same neighborhood so kids just kept branching off as we walked up the street.

Soon it was down to just me Porter and Benny.

"See ya Benny, Nanc." He said tipping his Yankees cap to me. Most of the guys on the team called me Three, my actual name was Nancy. If the guys didn't call me Three, it was Nanc.

They called me Three because I almost always hit it to 3rd base. I wasn't a very good hitter. I wasn't strong, I was fast. My favorite part of the game was running the bases. I was the fastest girl in my class.

"See ya Ham." Benny said at the same time I said "Bye Porter."

We walked down the street towards our house when he stopped.

"Hey, there's that kid from earlier. I saw him unloading a moving van a couple days ago." Benny said nodding to a house. I looked over and sure enough the boy was sitting on his steps.

"Let's go talk to him." Benny said starting to walk over. I shrugged ad followed along

"Hey, you wanna come play baseball with us tomorrow?" Benny asked the kid. He was shorter than most. He had a black eye on his left eye.

"Wait, you're serious?" The kid asked perking up. He looked to me and I smiled.

"Yeah, we'll come get you at 8:30. Cool?" Benny said smiling at him too.

"Yeah!" He said getting up. Then suddenly his face dropped. "I don't have a glove." He said sadly.

"Here, take my old one." Benny said handing it to him. He always brought it with to the lot. Just in case.

"Gee thanks!" He said grinning and running inside.

"That's was real nice of you." I said as we turned and started walking back.

"Yeah well the guys won't think so." He said stopping at his door.

"Let's just hope he's not a lost cause." I said walking back words down the sidewalk as he walked up the path to his house.

"He's not. I don't think anyone could be a lost cause." He said grinning as I walked up the path to my house.

"See you in the morning." I said opening my door and smiling at him.

"Night Nancy." He said going inside. I did as well and I right away got patronized for coming in late, and being dirty.

So I cleaned up, ate dinner, and went to bed dreaming about tomorrow.

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So I started writing this in like July or August, and I really like it. Really sorry that I cut Bertram out! I'm going through the story right now and changing things and stuff like that. Also, (to anyone that wants to read this part) Would it be okay if I just left out the whole trying to get the ball back from the Beast? It just seems like a lot of explaining and more writing and I honestly just don't want to write about it. I mention it later in the story so it still happened but its just not a main part of the story. Okay sorry that was super long and yeah. Okay. Hope you enjoy if you're reading!