Monday, June 8, 2015

I giggled as I stared down at the old pictures, a tear rushing down my cheek. I swiped through the pictures, staring at each for a considerable amount of time, admiring his adorable face. I was sitting on the couch in the living room. No one was home at the moment.

All of a sudden, the front door opened. I expected it to be my mom coming back with groceries, but when I looked up, I saw Luke and Benny walking inside.

I quickly wiped the tears off of my face, but not before Luke spotted me. A small frown formed on his face.

"What's wrong?" he inquired, concern laced in his tone.

I shook my head, covering my mouth. "Today is June eighth."

Luke seemed confused for a second, but then it must have clicked in his head, because his face softened and he nodded.

"Oh," he whispered. "Leon."

I nodded, another tear falling from my eye without my consent. "Sorry for crying. I'm not always like this, Benny."

Benny shook his head, his facial expression showing confusion. "What's wrong with you?"

"Today marks two years since the death of my best friend," I answered, flashing him a small, fake smile. "I'm okay, I promise. I've learned to cope with it better. I mean, it's been two years. Y'all can go do your own thing. I'm gonna be fine."

"Are you sure?" Luke asked, reluctant to leave me alone.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm more happy than sad now. I know he's in a better place. He was an amazing person, there's no way he didn't make it to Heaven."

"Yeah, he was one cool little dude. I loved him like a brother," Luke spoke softly. "If you need anything, let me know, okay? We might head out to the sandlot soon, you wanna come?"

"Of course." I chuckled, wiping at my face. "That shouldn't even be a question."

Luke nodded once. "All right. Well, let us know when you're ready to go."

"Okay," I responded. "Don't have too much fun up there." I sent them a playful wink before laughing and returning to studying the pictures of Leon, and of me and him together.

B E N N Y
point of view.

I sat down on the edge of Luke's bed, a frown set upon my face. Luke glanced at me, and he seemed to know exactly what ran through my mind.

"Leon was her best friend since kindergarten," Luke explained. "Two years ago, when he was twelve, his house caught on fire. He didn't make it out."

My heart sank at the thought of a twelve-year old burning to death. "Wow. That's really sad."

"Yeah. Makayla loved him to death, they were really close. Losing him messed her up a lot, but she made it through."

A small smile grew on my lips. "She's pretty tough for a girl."

Luke smiled down at the ground before falling back on his bed. "Yeah, she is. I taught her everything she knows."

"I bet," I chuckled. I notice that he always says that, I thought to myself.

"Anyways, what do you wanna do until we leave?"

I shrugged. "Just chill, I guess. Or whatever you wanna do."

---

There was a knock at Luke's door as we played Call of Duty.

"Come in!" Luke exclaimed, his eyes focused solely on the screen.

The bedroom door openen, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Makayla standing in the doorway.

"Luke, someone's here for you."

"Who is it?" he questioned, his eyes still locked on the TV screen.

Makayla shrugged. "Some girl. I think her name was something like Skylar."

All of a sudden, Luke paused the game and jumped up. He ran into the bathroom connected to his room. I looked over at Makayla; her eyes were puffy, but she was cracking up, staring past me and at Luke as he frantically tried to fix his hair and spray himself with cologne.

"You good?" I asked in an undertone.

Makayla glanced down at me and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You can talk to me about it if you want." I patted the spot on the bed next to me. "Luke's probably not gonna want us down there with him-"

"You're right!" Luke exclaimed as he hastily walked out of the bathroom and through his bedroom door.

Makayla chuckled and closed the door behind him. "He's such an idiot, I swear."

I smirked, nodding. Again, I patted the spot next to me. "Wanna talk about it?"

She stared at the spot next to me as if contemplating on listening to me. Finally, she sat down, leaving about an inch of empty space between us.

"I could go on and on, but basically, Leon died in a house fire," she began. "He didn't deserve it. He was great, truly. He was so funny, he never failed to make me laugh. He was really sweet, too. He was cool, and fun to be around. He was my best friend. And he's in a better place now."

I nodded in agreement. "He is. I can tell he was a great person. I'm sure he misses you as much as you miss him."

She stared down at her lap, a small smile forming on her lips. "I hope so. I don't think he realized how much I loved and appreciated him. I hope he can see me now and he knows."

I rested my left hand on top of her right one in attempt to comfort her. "You'll see him again one day, you know. I don't know you very well, but I know that you're a great person."

"Thank you," she giggled.

"Any time," I replied, flashing her a smile. "I'm always here for you. Remember that."

"I really appreciate that." She lightly pulled her hand away from mine to push her bangs behind her ear. Does she not like me?

"I'm your friend," I assured her, trying not to show that what she just did slightly bothered me. "We haven't known each other for long, but I am your friend, and I'll be here for you. Don't be afraid to come to me for anything. And if you want to cry, you can use my shoulder. I don't judge people."

Makayla flashed me a big smile, her eyes sparkling. "I'm glad I have you, Benny. That really means a lot to me. I'll keep that in mind."

M A K A Y L A
point of view.

My heart skipped a beat as Benny sent me another dazzling smile. I couldn't believe he actually cared about me enough to let me know all of this. Or was it just being said out of pity?

After holding a conversation with Benny about pretty much everything for a little while, Luke finally returned to his room. His cheeks were a light shade of pink, and he had a boyish grin painted on his face.

I chuckled, my lips curling into a smirk. "Is she your new girlfriend?"

"No," Luke answered. "But she will be."

"Of course." A light laugh escaped my lips. "Well, I look forward to introducing myself to her."

Luke's eyes widened a bit. "Please don't say anything mean to her. I really like her."

My mouth dropped in mock hurt, and I rested my hand over my chest. "I would never."

"Yes, you would," Luke chuckled. "But for real, please be nice."

"I know, I will. Unless she's a bitch, then I may not be, but other than that, she'll be fine."

Benny chuckled. "Skylar? What's her last name?"

"Pierce," Luke answered.

"Yeah, I know her," Benny said. "She'll be a senior when school starts again. She's really cool."

Luke's face brightened even more, and I asked, "Why did she even come here in the first place?"

"Oh, uh, we made plans for Friday, and we were figuring out how it was gonna work out," he replied. "I'm going to pick her up, because my car will be here by Thursday."

"Where are you going?" I questioned.

Luke rolled his eyes at me and smiled. "So you're interrogating me now?"

I threw my hands up in defense. "Hey, I'm just curious."

"Well, if you must know, we're going to the fair, and then I'm taking her to dinner," Luke explained. "There. Happy now?"

I flashed him a huge smile. "Very much, thank you."

Luke laughed at how ridiculous my face looked. "Brat. Well, are you two ready to go yet? I'm itching to get my hands on a bat, I don't know why."

My eyes met Benny's, and he nodded his approval. "Yeah, we're ready. Let's go."

---

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the black bandana I kept tucked in my back pocket. We'd been playing baseball for hours, and the sky was beginning to darken, so we decided to call it a day.

I eased down onto the bench in the dugout, downing a bottle of water. Squints plopped down beside me, wiping the sweat off of his face with his T-shirt, which was already soaked with sweat.

"One thing I don't understand is how you're so pretty, but you're not girly and you don't even wear makeup," Squints spoke up randomly.

I looked over at Squints, an amused smile forming on my face. "Well, thank you. But what makes you think that all of a sudden?"

Squints shrugged, looking down at his lap. "I don't know. I was just watching you closer this time you played. Have you ever thought about modeling?"

I burst out laughing, covering my face with my hands. "No. I've never wanted to be a model. Besides, I'm not skinny enough, and I'm pretty sure models have to be pretty too."

Squints squinted - hence the name - his eyes. "You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head in response.

"You're skinny, and you're really pretty."

"Models have to be super skinny though. Like, basically no curves. I'm not fishing for compliments, I promise, but I really am not skinny enough. And I truly don't think I'm pretty enough to be a model. Their faces are usually flawless."

Squints rolled his eyes, slapping his palm to his forehead. "Makayla, you're crazy. Why don't you believe me?"

I chuckled. "Because I look at myself everyday, and all I see is my flaws."

"Like what?"

"My freckles, my nose, my lips, my eyes, my body, my smile . . . everything, basically," I answered honestly.

Squints shook his head. "Well, there's nothing wrong with any of those things. I think you're very pretty, and I'm sure anyone here would agree."

I sent him a small smile. "Thank you, Squints, I appreciate that."

"And you don't believe me, do you?" he asked. I chuckled, shrugging in response. "Oh my gosh. Yeah-Yeah, do you think Makayla's pretty?"

Yeah-Yeah's attention turned to us, and his cheeks turned pink because of the question. "Uh . . . yes, why?"

Squints nodded. "She doesn't think she is. Ham-"

"Squints!" I whisper-yelled, hitting his arm lightly. "You can't just go asking everyone if I'm pretty. I get it, okay? Thank you for the compliment."

But Squints ignored me when Ham asked him what he wanted. "Do you think Makayla's pretty?" he repeated.

Without shame, Ham nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

"DeNunez," Squints called out to our star pitcher. I slapped my forehead, looking down and shaking my head. "Do you think Makayla is pretty?"

"I'm gonna kill you, Squints," I grumbled, hiding my face from the embarrassment. DeNunez said 'yes', and Squints continued to ask the boys.

"Benny."

My heart almost stopped pumping at the sound of his name coming out of Squints's mouth. Oh my God, he's gonna think I'm fishing for compliments or something, I thought to myself. Or he's gonna think I put Squints up to this, so then he'll think I like him. I mean, I do, but . . . I don't want him to know that.

"Yeah, man?" Benny responded, only standing a few feet away from us with Luke.

Finally, I looked up, smacking Squints's arm hard. A gasp escaped his lips. "What was that for?" Squints muttered, rubbing his arm.

"Stop asking everyone the same question," I growled, sending him a murderous look. I then added in a whisper, "Especially not Benny."

Squints's eyes widened, but then a smirk quickly replaced his confused expression. "All right, then, I won't ask him the same question." He averted his eyes back to Benny. "Benny . . . do you think Makayla is beautiful?"

I almost flipped out at his words, but instead I hid my face again, shaking my head vigorously. "I swear I'm going to murder you in your sleep, Squints. You got it coming, just remember that."

"Why?" Benny asked instead of giving him an actual answer. This caused the blood to rush to my face; I'd still feel like crap if he said no, although I didn't believe it.

"Because she thinks she's not pretty, and she doesn't believe me," Squints explained. "And she's mad because I told her everyone thought the same, but she didn't believe me, so I'm asking everyone to prove it to her."

I heard Benny giggle softly. "Uh, sure, man. She's beautiful, I won't lie."

My heart almost flew out of my chest at his words, and though nobody could see my face, I held back my smile with everything I could. Did he really just say that? Does he really think that? Oh my gosh! Benny Rodriguez just called me beautiful!

Luke chuckled, and I could feel him sitting down next to me. "Why don't you look up, baby sister? Or are you hiding your blush?"

"I'm not blushing," I mumbled, even though my face was burning with embarrassment and happiness.

"Really? Then look at me."

Seconds later, I raised my head and looked Luke dead in the eye, sending him a tiny glare. He burst out laughing, nodding.

"Yup, you're blushing," Luke pronounced, a boyish grin plastered across his face. "I knew you had a crush on Benny."

"I'm not blushing!" I insisted. "It's just really hot out here. My face has been this red the entire time, you idiot. Go on somewhere, you're just trying to embarrass me."

Luke pecked my forehead quickly. "Whatever you say, baby sis. But I know the truth." He stood back up and returned to Benny, who was standing by the mini-fridge, his lips curled into a small, embarrassed smile.

I shook my head in disbelief. "You boys," I mumbled, and I looked back over at Squints, who still had the same smirk playing on his lips. "I'm literally going to murk you. Do you know what that means?"

Squints shook his head. "No, but I know it has something to do with killing me. You like Benny, don't you?"

"No!" I shrieked in the lowest possible tone I could manage. "Why do people think that? He's just my friend, that's it."

"I know you like him, it's quite obvious," Squints stated matter-of-factly. "See, if I didn't have my eyes permanently set on Wendy Peffercorn, I'd be jealous right now. But why don't you just tell him? Maybe he likes you too, you never know."

I shook my head violently. "Shut up, Squints, I don't like him! Stop saying that. And I know he doesn't like me. That's crazy talk."

"Well-" Squints began, but I cut him off by slapping my hand over his mouth, casting him a warning look.

"I don't like him, and that's that," I lied right through my teeth. "Don't bring it up again. Shut that hole in your face."

"Which one?" he asked, his words muffled by my hand. When I let go, he sent me a mischievous grin. "I have quite a few holes in my face - five to be exact, three if you don't count the ones that are holding my eyeballs."

"Squints," I started, but I burst into a fit of laughter before I could even attempt to continue. "You're a trip, you know that?"

"I don't know what that means either, but I'm assuming it has something to do with being funny."

I laughed again, nodding my head. "There you go."

"Hey, I have to go before it gets dark," Smalls announced. "I have to do my chores or I'm grounded."

"Okay, we'll walk with you," Ham replied. "I'm ready to go home too."

I stood up. "Yeah, me too."

All of us ended up agreeing to go home, so after gathering all of our belongings, we left the sandlot. As we walked, the group got smaller and smaller when the kids parted from us and went to their houses.

By the time the sun was almost completely set, the only people left were Luke, Benny, and me. We stood in the middle of the street to say our goodbyes.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, right?" Benny asked.

Luke and I nodded in unison. "Yeah, but I'll be leaving earlier," Luke answered. "My car will be here tomorrow, and as soon as she's back, I'm going to be there to love on her."

Benny and I laughed. "Weirdo," I said. "You gonna love on Skylar in that car too?"

Luke's eyes widened. "Kayla!"

I laughed, raising my hands in defense. "Hey, you were thinking it."

"Actually, I wasn't," Luke muttered, kicking at the ground. "I have more respect for her than that."

I cocked my eyebrows in surprise. "Wow, really? Okay, I have to ask her what her secret is. If she can get you to feel that way for her, then she has to be hiding something."

Luke shook his head, shooting me a warning look. "Do not embarrass me, Makayla."

"I'm not going to," I replied with a shrug. "She'll just have to be my friend, so when I ask her, maybe it won't seem so weird."

Benny smiled. "If there was a secret, you wouldn't need to know it."

My eyes shot over to Benny, and I was thankful that the sky was near to darkness, because I felt my cheeks beginning to burn. "Well, thanks." I giggled, looking down at the ground just in case he could see my blush.

"As cute as it is to watch you two flirt, I need a shower, so-"

"I called the first shower!" I exclaimed, cutting him off.

"Not anymore." Luke smirked.

"Bye, Benny!" With that, I took off toward my house, Luke chasing behind me. Benny laughed at us, and turned to walk to his house.