July 3, 2021

The rest of June went by like a flash. Phillips was warming up to all the boys and him and Benny were becoming fast friends. The only person he had arguments with was Ham because neither of them knew how to keep their mouths shut.

I had pushed my feelings for both Logan and Benny down and tried to forget they were there, but every once in a while I'd be reminded of them when I made eye contact with one of them or even just touched them.

"Ball one?" Ham yelled as he caught the ball in his glove. "You didn't even swing." He said shocked as he stood and threw the ball back to DeNunez.

I was completely drowned in my own thoughts.

"Hello?" He waved his glove in front of my face, "earth to Ella?"

I blinked twice and came to my senses.

"Sorry, I'm just tired," I said getting back into my batting stance.

"Right," he said crouch back down into the pitcher's position.

"You ready this time?" DeNunez yelled from the pitching mound.

"Yeah, sorry," I yelled back.

He wound up and threw the next pitch. I waited till the perfect moment, then stepped into the swing and hit the ball as hard as I could.

When I realized I hit it, I ran as fast as I could towards the first base.

"That's a homer!" Benny yelled with excitement, throwing a fist into the air.

"Go, Moore!" Logan yelled cheering me on.

My body filled with adrenaline hearing them cheer for me. I ran faster to second, then third, and home. Right as my foot landed on home base Benny picked me up and spun me around which made me giggle like a schoolgirl. As he sat me down he kept his hands on my waist and looked deep into my eyes with a huge smile on his face. I looked back into his, my smile slowly fading. My stomach filled with butterflies as his eyes went from mine to my lips. My legs went weak. If he hadn't been holding onto me I probably would've fallen to the ground.

"Nice one Moore!" Phillips said breaking the moment.

Phillips decided that it would be funny to only call me by my last name since I called him by his last. He's been calling me it for a while now. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it at the same time. I just decided to get used to it since he would be playing with us daily now.

I turned to look at him as Benny let go of my waist and stepped back so Phillips could congratulate me.

He pulled me into a hug with ease and held me there for a minute. When he let go he smiled at me, giving my stomach even more butterflies, although I did regain the strength in my legs.

"I think we should end it on that high note," Benny said.

My eyes went wide as I looked into Logan's, so I turned and faced Benny.

"Good idea." I smiled nervously.

I speed walked to the dugout and grabbed water from the cooler to try and calm my stomach down before the butterflies made me puke up my lunch.

"I saw that," DeNunez said putting a hand on my shoulder as he opened the cooler.

"Saw what?" I said acting like I didn't just have a moment with two different boys in the span of three minutes.

"You had a moment with Benny." He said letting go of my shoulder and nudging it with his.

"Did not."

"Did too." He took a gulp of soda, "You looked like you were gonna pass out from the way he was looking at you." He laughed.

"Hey." Someone from behind me said.

"Speak of the devil." DeNunez winked then walked over to Smalls and Yeah Yeah.

I turned around to see Benny with his hand on the front railing of the dugout.

"Hey," I said, forcing a smile on my lips even though I was literally about to pass out from the butterflies still.

"So since tomorrow's the Fourth of July we don't play until nighttime." He said walking over to the cooler and picking out a coke.

"Right," I said trying to not look into his eyes so I wouldn't pass out as DeNunez said.

He smiled then walked over to the other side of the bench where Phillips was Re-tying his shoes.

I admired them both for a moment with a smile, then finished packing my stuff up. It was still sunny, but we had all been playing really well and the sun was scorching hot so none of us complained that we were leaving at 4 instead of 8.

As I threw my bag over my shoulder, squint's yelled, "Hey! Let's go to the pool!"

"Yeah!" the rest of the boys said.

"Ella?" Benny asked looking up at me with a very convincing smile.

"Fine, but I have to go get my baiting suit."

"I'll go with you!" Phillips said standing up from the bench and walking towards me.

I looked over to Benny, whose smile faded as he set his eyes on Phillips.

"Okay," I said unsure of what else to say.

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"Wait here, I'll go get my baiting suit," I said backing up towards the stairs.

"Okay."

I ran up the stairs and into my room.

I tried to hurry so he wouldn't be waiting downstairs when my dad got home from working at the bakery with Gran.

I picked out a white bikini with yellow sunflowers on it, then put on jean shorts over it. I didn't put a shirt on because my dad wouldn't be there to yell at me for leaving the house like that.

I packed my drawstring bag with sunscreen, sunglasses, and I made sure to bring extra clothes this time. I grabbed my towel and slipped on my sandals then ran down the stairs.

"Ready?" Phillips asked as he turned around to face me instead of the pictures on the drawers by the door. "Woah." His eyes went wide and his face went red.

"What?" I said blushing.

"Nothing..." he said looking away and opening the door.

When we got to the desk where you pay to get in, I realized I forgot my money.

"Shit!"

"What?" Phillips asked scared.

"I forgot to bring money to get in," I said putting my forehead in the palm of my left hand.

"It's okay, I'll pay for you." Phillips smiled.

"No, it's fine. I'll just run home real quick."

"Moore." He said putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's fine. I got you."

I sighed and smiled at him.

After he paid for both of us, we walked through the gate and past a group of senior guys.

"Nice." A tan, brown-haired boy with blue eyes said while looking at my chest.

Before Phillips could do anything, I flipped the group of boys off without even looking at them and kept walking, pulling Phillips by the hand so he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"That doesn't bother you?" He said in an angry tone.

"You did it to me too," I said smirking at him. "You can't be talking."

He pressed his lips together and squinted his eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Exactly." I let go of his hand and set my bag down at the table we always use when we come here.

As I took my shorts off, Benny walked up to us laughing from messing around with the guys. His hair was wet and messy and water was dripping down his body. His smile was perfect, of course, and his laugh sent chills down my spine.

"Hey! You gonna get in?" Benny asked still smiling.

"Oh, I was just gonna tan today," I said unfolding my towel to lay it on the ground.

"What?" He said shocked. "No."

"Why? Am I not allowed to relax anymore?" I laughed.

Benny rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his wet hair.

Phillips took his shirt off as I laid the towel down on the ground for me to lay on.

As I sat down on the towel, I propped myself up on my elbows, and my knees were slightly bent.

They both stared at me until I put my sunglasses on so I could look at them without the sun beaming in my eyes.

"What?" I asked, trying to not blush.

They both looked up from me and back at each other nervously.

I closed my eyes and laid on my back.

Benny whispered something in Phillips's ear that I couldn't make out, but I could hear the whisper noises. They smirked at each other then walked closer to me. Benny walked to the side where my head was and Phillips walked to where my feet were.

"Can y'all move?" I said with my eyes still closed, "you're blocking my sun."

When they didn't say anything I opened my eyes and saw Benny looking down at me, then looked down to Phillips who was laughing.

"What?" I asked.

Then suddenly, Phillips grabbed my legs and Benny grabbed my armpits. They both picked me up with ease and started walking towards the pool.

"Don't you dare!" I yelled while laughing uncontrollably.

The rest of the boys who were splashing each other in the pool started yelling "do it! Do it!"

"Benny!" I yelled and tilted my head back to look at him. "Put me down!"

He shrugged his shoulders "alright."

Then the next thing I knew I was in the water.

"Oh, you two are so dead!" I said laughing while rubbing my eyes to get a better picture of them.

I swam over to the edge where they were standing and held my hands out towards both of them.

"Well? You gonna help me out or what?" I said trying to hide my laugh.

They both laughed and each grabbed one of my hands. When I was sure they both were holding my hands tight, I pulled them both as hard as I could and they fell in.

As they were both still under the water, I made a run for the steps to get out of the water. I swam as fast as I could and got out of the pool before either of them could reach me.

We all splashed each other and played volleyball Timmy and Tommy's the big beach ball until the sun started setting and everyone around us started leaving.

The blonde-haired lifeguard blew her whistle and yelled "everyone out! Pools closing!"

All the boys besides Benny looked at her like she was a goddess as she climbed down from her post.

Benny and I were sitting at the table eating popsicles.

"Who's that?" I asked him.

"Wendy Peffercorn." He laughed.

I gasped. "Oh my god! That's the girl squints kissed?"

"Yup."

"She's really pretty," I said turning back towards him.

"I guess." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Come on Benny." I laughed "You can't look at that blonde-haired girl with a perfect body and say she's not beautiful."

"I'm not really into blondes." He said not looking at me or Wendy.

"Then what are you into?" I said rolling my eyes. "Literally every guy I know loves blondes."

"Well, I'm not every guy." He said flipping imaginary hair off his shoulder.

I laughed and acted as if he was being stupid, but If I'm telling the truth, he wasn't like every other guy. He was sweet, understanding, funny, and not to mention really fucking cute.

Finally, he looked up from the table and into my eyes. He smiled when he saw I was blushing.

At that moment, all I could think about was the night we spent at the treehouse and the other night on the peek.

Maybe DeNunez and Smalls were right, Benny and I did have something for each other.

"What is your type then?" I asked after I caught my breath from laughing.

He whispered something. I couldn't hear it which drove me crazy because when I asked him again what he said he wouldn't tell me.

"Oh come on! What did you say?" I begged.

"Nope." He said crossing his arms.

I squinted my eyes, trying to read him, but gave up. "Fine, I'll leave it alone."

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July 4, 2021

The next day, the bakery was closed because it was a holiday so I got to sleep in till 11.

When I woke up, I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and picked out a cute outfit to wear to the big cookout Grans street had every year on the Fourth of July.

I had gone to one before when I was like two and my mom was still alive, but I don't remember much.

I put on a red crop top and blue Jean shorts.

Of course, I knew my dad would get onto me for wearing a crop top, but I honestly could care less. I was feeling good today.

I went downstairs for breakfast and, as I suspected, my dad's eyes shot open and he choked on his coffee.

"No." He sat down his coffee.

"Yes," I replied staring at him and squinting my eyes with a smirk on my face.

We stared at each other for a moment. I was determined to not have to go back upstairs and change.

Thankfully, he looked away when someone knocked on the door.

"Yes! You looked away. I get to wear this." I said walking over to the door and laughing.

"Just get the door." He said as he picked his coffee back up and began to read a newspaper.

I rolled my eyes and opened the door to see Phillips.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" I asked with a friendly smile.

"This is gonna make me sound like a sixth-grade girl, but I need someone to talk to." His eyes were full of worry.

"Yeah, of course, come in," I said stepping aside so he could walk in.

My dad stood up and walked to the door.

"Dad, this is Logan," I said aggressively smiling at my dad so he would be nice.

"Right, nice to meet you." My dad said holding his hand out to shake it.

Phillips took my dad's hand in his hand shook it. "Nice to meet you too sir." He said with a smile then turned to look at me. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

"Yeah, we can go to my room," I said pointing towards the stairs.

"Great." He took my arm and pulled me up the stairs. "Which room?"

"The first one," I said confused as to why he was in such a hurry.

He quickly turned into my room and closed the door behind us. Right when the door closed and he let go of my arm he broke down into tears.

"Woah," I said walking over to hug him. "What's wrong?"

I never thought I would see the day he cried in front of me. Or that he cried at all.

"My parents," He paused to take a breath to pull himself together, "they're getting divorced."

I used my arm behind his back to lead him over to the bed to sit down.

"I'm so sorry," I said as sympathetic as I could. "Are you okay?"

He wiped his cheek then looked at me.

"Obviously not. I just cried in front of you." He said while staring at me like I was the dumbest person to walk the earth.

"Right, sorry," I said putting my hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

I wasn't sure what to do. I knew how to calm guys down when they were about to fight, but not how to comfort them when they were crying. Jake never cried in front of me. He said if he did then that meant he was "vulnerable".

He put his head in the palms of his hands and took deep breaths. I put one arm around his back and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"So what's gonna happen?" I asked quietly.

"My mom's going back to Chicago to stay with her sister until she gets a new job, and my dad's staying here." he sat up, making my arm fall but I kept my head on his shoulder. "I have to choose if I wanna go with my mom or stay here."

I lifted my head off his shoulder and looked at him.

"You're gonna stay right?" I said with a hopeful look in my eyes as he gazed back into them.

"I don't know..." I looked away and down at the ground again. "My mom means so much to me, if I let her leave alone it would kill her. Plus I don't have much here for me anyway."

"What do you mean you don't have much for you here?" I said confusedly, "you have the sandlot boys now, and your team."

"I know, but I looked and the school I'd be going to in Chicago has an amazing baseball program." he shifted his body to face me and took both my hands in his. "Plus I could always come back and visit the boys and my dad."

I couldn't say anything. I was leaving after summer anyway. I couldn't give him any reason to stay. The baseball program would be perfect for him and I know how much he cares for his mom.

"When do you leave?"

He hesitated for a moment.

"Tomorrow morning." he sighed, "my mom wants to get away from my dad as soon as possible. All her stuff will be shipped to a storage area in Chicago later this month."

My heart stopped. Did he have to leave so soon? He was finally on good terms with the boys and had a job with good pay, and now he was fine with just leaving all of that behind?

"Have you told the boys?" I asked still looking into his eyes.

"I told Benny, but no one else. I was planning on telling the rest of the guys after we play tonight."

I wasn't exactly devastated that he was leaving, but only because I knew he would have a good life in Chicago. Phillips and I had gotten so much closer than I could've ever imagined. The first time I met him, I thought he was a dick, but now that I knew him he meant so much to me. Even if we were all back here, he has his whole life ahead of him and I couldn't stop him from what I knew was perfect for him.

"I have to get back home and pack the stuff I need for when we get to my aunt's house, but I wanted to tell you first before I told everyone else," he said letting go of my hands.

"Thank you," I said with a smile.

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There was a rushed knock at the door. The sun was starting to set so I was sure it was Benny coming to get me for the night game.

The fourth of July was the one night the boys could play ball at night. The fireworks lit up the light perfectly for us to see everything because they went off right above the sandlot.

I rushed down the stairs so I wouldn't keep him waiting. As soon as I opened the door he grabbed my hand and started running, pulling me behind him.

"Hello to you too." I laughed while catching up to his side, our fingers still locked together.

He didn't stop running, but he did look at me and smile then looked back ahead so he wouldn't run into any of the food tables that we're set up in the street.

Benny just kept yelling "come on!" and "we're gonna miss it!" which I highly doubted because we were running so fast everything was a blur.

We dodged tables and little kids playing soccer, as well as parents setting out hotdogs and fruit for everyone. When we finally passed all the people and food, we had a clear shot to the sandlot.

Even when we got to the field, we didn't stop running till we got to home plate.

I was about to pass out from how out of breath I was, but when I looked at Benny, he was perfectly fine.

I ran over to Phillips who was already there, along with the rest of the boys.