"Dad?...Dad, you here?" A teenage girl stood at the door of 1556 Cedar Lane, looking through the screen door of the pepto colored house. She had noticed his light blue 1959 Chevy bel-air sitting in the driveway, and she knew he was expecting her today. Placing her suitcase on the step next to her, she cupped her hands around her face to peer into the home. Not a moment later, Karen, her step-mother came around the corner, wiping her hands on a dish rag.

"Caoimhe! Your father was just leaving to come get you." She got over to door, as Caoimhe took a step back, grabbing her luggage off the step. "How did you get here so fast? I thought your plane would be landing in an hour?"

The girl stepped into the home, turning her head to take in everything. Her step-mother took the suitcase from her hands, just as she began to answer.

"I took an earlier flight. Couldn't stand staying there any longer."

Karen's face dropped. She couldn't understand how the young girl felt but she knew a stab struck her heart every time she thought about the pain she was probably in. Right now, she seemed calm. Almost numb.

She almost dropped the suitcase, as she placed it onto the couch and brought Caoimhe in for a tight hug. Should she offer her a shoulder? Should she say anything at all? She was unsure of what to do in this situation, besides hug the girl.

"Your fath-"

"Is right here." He said, from behind her. He smiled as his daughter turned towards him. He took her in his embrace and placed a kiss onto the top of her head. "How are you doing, kiddo?"

"I'll be fine." She stated, before pulling back and looking up at him.

As the three of them were meeting, Scotty was just walking up the pathway to his house with Benny in tow. They had just returned from the Sandlot, after a long day of playing ball. The, now fifteen year old, was much better at baseball than he was when he first moved to the valley. He still, however, wasn't as good as Benny but he was okay with that. To him, no one would ever be as good as him.

Scotty reached the door and took a quick peek inside, upon hearing the voices from within. From where he stood, Benny could see right into the house. Inside was a girl around their age, with brown hair about shoulder length with a white ribbon tied atop her head. She wore a navy blue dress, knee length with matching white pocket and collar trim, as well as buttons. Her shoes were modest two inch white heels. He stared at her for a moment, raising his brow.

"Who is that?" He finally asked, assuming it was a cousin.

While Scotty had met and hung out with Caoimhe on numerous occasions, he never mentioned her to the guys. He never really saw the need to. She never visited the valley, anyways. The only times he saw her was during some holidays and vacations back to his home state. Not to mention, he only just started calling her his 'sister'. Before that he would just refer to her by her first name, much like he did with Bill.

"Uhh.." he scratched the back of his head, something he did when be was nervous. "That's Caoimhe."

"And she is…?" Benny looked at his friend with a suspicious look.

"She's my step-sister."

Benny opened his mouth but before he could speak, Scotty put a hand up. "I didn't think it was important to talk about her. I never thought she'd ever come here."

"So why is she here now?"

Scotty sucked in a deep breath, scratching at the back of his head again. "Her mom and step-father got into a car accident. Step-father survived but her mother didn't. There was no reason for her to stay there."

"Shit." Benny looked back into the house to see her walking around the corner, probably down the hall. "That's a bummer."

"Yeah." Scotty looked behind him, not seeing anyone interested he living room. He turned back to Benny and shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow. Same time?"

"Yeah, I'll be here." Benny nodded to him before turning and walking across the street to his house.

Scotty made his way into the house, and down the hall to his room. He tossed his glove and hat onto his bed, before he went down to the guest room. Well, it was no longer the guest room, he figured. Poling his head in, he saw Caoimhe and Bill talking about what furniture and paint she'd like to get.

"No, really, dad. It's fine the way it is." She said, not wanting to put anyone out. She already felt like a burden.

"We want you to be able to make this room yours though," said Karen, a smile on her face.

"Well… I wouldn't mind making it my own. I'll think about what I want and let you guys know." It was easier to give in than to argue. If you can call it arguing, that is.

"Great," Karen said. The genuine smile on her face never faded. She was such a good woman and Caoimhe was glad to have her as a step-mother. That was more than she could say for her step-father. She never liked the guy, but he made her mom happy, so she couldn't really complain. Unless, of course, it was to her father. Bill knew all about how much Caoimhe didn't like him and he couldn't say he blamed her. The guy seemed like a douche.

Scotty finally made his way to the room and stood in the doorway. He gave Caoimhe a small wave, as she walked over to give him a hug.

"Hey you! It's great to see you!"

"You too. How are you holding up?" For someone who just went through a pretty horrific tragedy. Maybe she was just wiser because she was older? No. That couldn't be it. She was only a year older than him. Maybe she just dealt with death differently than other people? Maybe she didn't are? Whatever it was, he wouldn't question her about it.

Caoimhe took a step back, placing her hands behind her. She looked around after everyone, waiting for someone to do or say something. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long. Karen let them all know that dinner would be soon and to get washed up. She offered to help Caoimhe unpack but she, politely, declined.

The rest of the night was rather uneventful. Everyone seemed to skirt around asking Caoimhe anymore questions about her mother and the accident. Instead they focused on her upcoming year of high school and whether or not she was excited, and any upcoming summer events around town. At some point the conversation turned to Scotty. He just started talking about the sandlot. Caoimhe had never been there but had heard a few stories anytime he would visit her in Massachusetts. It seemed his whole summer was dedicated to that place, unless he had to get on a plane and go over statelines, of course.

In between a bite of food, Karen spoke up. "Oh! Maybe Caoimhe would like to join you."

"Oh, um," Caoimhe started. "I don't know how to play. Besides, I doubt they want a girl cramping their style."

Scotty shrugged. "Honestly, I don't think they would really care. I mean, my friend Benny is the one who actually brought me into the group and showed me a lot." He made sure not to call out Bill for not teaching him all that much, just not to be disrespectful. He knew, however, that Benny was the real reason he learned to play.

"Im surprised you don't know how to play, considering how much your father loves it."

"Eh, I never got the chance to really teach her. Besides, she always wanted to do girly things." He answered, with a smile and a laugh.

Dinner ended about a half an hour later and everyone retired to their rooms for the night. As Caoimhe sat in hers, she stared out the window into the blackness of the back yard. Her suitcase lay on the ground, in the corner of the room, opened and still full of clothes. Her aunt had told her she would send anything else she needed, as she cleared out her mother's house. To be honest, she wasn't sure what she wanted from the house, besides the rest of her clothes. Maybe a few pictures of her mother and her but nothing else really seemed to catch her interest. What was the point of holding onto material items if they were just going to cause too much pain?

Her emerald eyes wandered over to the suitcase, causing her to sigh. She knew she would have to unpack at some point, but tonight wasn't the night. Instead, she reached over and pulled at the chain to the only light source in the room. She curled up onto her side, folding her body into a fetal position. Not bothering to change into a nightgown or other pajamas, she fell asleep in her dress, ribbon and shoes.



XXX



Caoimhe wished that her night hadn't been filled with sad or terrifying dreams, but alas, they were. She had woken up several times and last time, she decided to stay up. She had wandered into the living room, found a random book and brought it back to her room. She sat there reading it until breakfast was called.

"Morning, sweetie. Cereal? Bacon, eggs? Maybe some pancakes?" Karen, naturally, had been the first one up and had gone straight to the kitchen. When Caoimhe entered, she was standing at the fridge looking to prepare something for breakfast.

"Oh. I'll eat anything you want to make. I'm not picky."

"Well, what's your favorite?" She cocked her head to the side, and gave Caoimhe her infectious smile.

Placing her hand to her chin, she thought about it for a second. "I've loved corned beef hash with cheese and mustard. Side of one runny egg."

"Ah! A good Irish breakfast?"

"Well, my dad always says it's a 'poor Irish breakfast' but yeah." Caoimhe said with a laugh. "If you don't have it the hash, pancakes are just fine."

"Your dad loves it. I'd be a fool not to have some." She winked at her step-daughter, before moving to the cabinets and pulling out the ingredients she needed.

Scotty came in just as Karen and Caoimhe were in deep conversation about living in Massachusetts. Karen was sharing all the places she loved going when she was a child and Caoimhe told her where her and her friends liked to go. Not s surprising, a lot of the places her step-mother frequented, were the places that teens still went to.

"Hey Mom, I'm going to head to the sandlot." He pulled the fridge open and grabbed an apple. Turning around, he wiped it on his shirt and took a bite out of it.

Before Karen could even say anything, Scotty took off and ran out the door. She sighed, heavily, dropped her arms to her sides.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to go and maybe-"

"Its okay. I have to unpack."

Karen wanted to say something else to her but decided against it. She didn't want to push her.

A lot of the time that Caoimhe spent in her room for that next hour, consisted of her looking out of her window. She could see the neighbor's in their backyard, setting up for what looked to be a birthday party. As she put the last of her clothes away, she decided that she wanted to take and all walks round the neighborhood. Get her herself acquainted with the place. She wouldn't be able to hide in her room all summer, even though she kind of wanted to.

Making her way into the living room, she saw her step-mother and her father sitting on the couch, watching something on television. If you could really call it that. Karen was busy folding laundry and her dad was reading baseball scores in the paper.

She cleared her throat before declaring she was going for a walk.

"Okay, dear. Be back before supper." Karen said, looking up and smiling.

Caoimhe left the house, and began walking in the direction of the convenience store she saw on her way to the house when she first arrived. She had no money on her, but she figured if she found the convenience store, she would find other places to explore. If she wasn't mistaken, there was also a movie theater over there and a public pool that wasn't too far.

She folded her arms as she walked, trying not to let her mind wander too much. She knew once she did, she would enter quite a sad place. For Caoimhe, it was easier to be numb and not have to deal with the pain.

XXX

As she grew closer to the location not the convenience store, cars passed by her, some were playing music and others were filled with families talking about their weekend adventures. A part of her knew that there wouldn't be too many adventures this summer because her dad's job had been increasingly hectic lately. That was okay though. She was used to it. When they had visited her in Massachusetts, the family only stayed a few days, because that was all her dad's job could afford to give him off.

"Okay, okay! But if Babe Ruth didn't call his shot, I don't think people would still be talking about him."

Caoimhe was caught off guard by the voice. She listened a bit closer, as she stopped by an alley next to the convenience store.

"Bullshit! People would still worship him! He was the greatest!" She didn't recognize this voice but she was sure that the first one belonged to Scotty.

"Eh, I don't know. I just-"

"Well, this is coming from the kid that called him the great bambi when we first met." Laughter erupted from the alley. Caoimhe was about to walk down it, when she noticed the laughter growing closer. She turned on her heel and began to speed walk in the opposite direction.

"Okay, well, that was a big mistake. " Scotty laughed. The boys left the alley and Scotty caught a figure rushing away. He raised his brow, quickly recognizing the retreating figure. He wasn't sure if Caoimhe was sent to look for him, if she was out with their parents or if she was lost.

"Caoimhe?" The group of boys stopped and looked in the direction Scotty was looking. The girl didn't seem to hear him, as she kept walking.

"Who's th-"

"Caoimhe!" Scotty yelled, trotting after her. The other boys stayed on the sidewalk, looking utterly confused, besides Benny. He held out his bat, as one of the boys went to run after Scotty.

"It's fine." He said, making sure no one left the sidewalk. Scotty had already told him about the girl and figured it was best to let Scotty go after her, instead of having seven other strange boys run up to her.

"Well, who the hell is it?" Said Squints, a kid with a backwards hat and thick black rimmed glasses.

"Someone he's sweet on?" Bertram asked. Another kid with glasses, this one being a lot taller than Squints.

"Nah, it's his step-sister." Benny wasn't sure if he should have said anything but it was too late now. And, of course, they all reacted like he knew they would. They all turned to stare at him for a minute before looking back at Scotty and the girl. He had finally caught up with her and they seemed to be exchanging words.

"Well, do you want to come hang out with us?" Scotty said, looking at his sister, trying to read her body language. "They won't bite."

Caoimhe turned her head to look at the boys. Like it was rehearsed, all the boys smiled and waved at her. With a sigh, she looked back at Scotty and bit her bottom lip.

"I don't know…" She finally said.

"Ah, come on. Just meet them and if you want to leave, we'll walk you home."

That was, actually, probably a good idea because she wasn't sure she really knew how to get back home. On her way there, she did get turned around a few times. It was by a miracle and the help of family stopped at a stop sign that she found her way there in the first place.

"Um," she looked back at the guys and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Scotty waved over the guys and they all ran across the street, avoiding a car that was coming. The eight of them stood around her. She stood with her back towards the outside of barber shop, and she pursed her lips, not knowing what to say. Normally, Caoimhe wasn't this shy but this wasn't her normal scene either. She was in a different state and didn't know anyone there, besides her family. She was completely out of her element and Scotty was the only one that really understood how she felt. He was the same way when he moved there four years ago.

"Guys, this is Caoimhe. She's my step-sister, she came to live us." Caoimhe gave them a small wave, as her eyes focused on a small gap between two of the boys.

"Caoimhe," Scotti started. He motioned to the first kid and began to name them off. "This is Mike Squints Palledorous, Alan Yeah-Yeah McClennan, Bertram Grover Weekes, Hamilton Ham Porter, Timmy and Tommy Timmons, Kenny DeNunez and Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez."

Benny took a small step forward and extended his hand. "You can just call me Benny."

Caoimhe gave a weak smile, taking his hand to shake it. "And you all can just call me Caoimhe or Keevey. Either one, they sound similar."

"Caoimhe is an interesting name. Is it spelled like 'K-e-e-v-a?'" Bertram stated, raising a brow in her direction, as if his name was the most common.

"No, its Irish, so it's spelled a little weird." She said. "Its actually 'C-a-o-i-m-h-e'."

"Huh, cool. How'd you get that name?" Kenny asked.

"My mom named me after my great grandmother, she was the first to come to America and that's how she decided to honor her. I get a lot of weird looks because my name isn't something basic like 'Sandra' or 'Jennifer'. It is what it is."

"Eh, I like it." Benny said.

"Yeah, yeah, it's pretty." Caoimhe had to wonder if that's why they called him 'yeah-yeah.'

Scotty rubbed the back of the head, knowing full well that they would be oogling her later on, when they were all alone. He knew his sister was super pretty and it always seemed boys flocked to her. He wasn't sure if she ever had a boyfriend back in Massachusetts, but he wouldn't be surprised if she did. Her circle of friends was big and there was always some guy hanging around them. Regardless, he tried to move the conversation along.

"Yeah, so, we had to come and grab a baseball, someone misplaced ours," he said, eyeing Tommy, the younger of the Timmons brothers. "Did you want to come with us to the sandlot?"

A part of him hoped she would say no, but at the same time, he cared about his sister and didn't want her to sit at home and sulk.

"Um…"

"Awww, come on." Ham said. "We won't bite…"

Caoimhe opened her mouth to speak when Ham finished his sentence. "Hard."

Benny and Scotty both backhanded him in the chest. He took a step back and, throwing his hands into the air. Caoimhe narrowed her green eyes and raised a brow at him. He let out a laugh, still shielding himself from the guys. "I'm just kidding! I'm just kidding!"

"She's my sister, joke like that with someone else's." Scotty said, an annoyed looked etched on his face.

"We'll take you home." Benny said, glaring at Ham them turning his eyes to Caoimhe.

"No, no. It's okay. I can hang. Maybe you guys can teach me how to play… unless you don't allow girls."

Some of them seemed to be taken aback by the tone of her voice. She had looked angry but it quickly faded and her voice was calm. Caoimhe really couldn't be surprised that teenage boys here acted the same way they did back home. Others were more mature but most of them weren't. It took a special kind of boy to not thinking farting the national anthem was funny at the age of 17-18.

"Cool, let's get to the sandlot then." Benny had looked relieved that he didn't have to walk her back home. It was even more so confirmed when he almost took off running in the direction of the old baseball field.

During the walk there, Scotty hung back with Caoimhe. He took the time to talk to her and find out how she was doing. How she was really doing. He knew that she wouldn't speak to their parents about it, not yet anyways. That wasn't healthy, in his opinion. With something so tragic to happen to someone, he knew that pain needed to come out, not stay bundled up.

"I guess I'm fine, for now." Caoimhe shrugged. "Just not ready to talk about it yet."

They arrived to the sandlot a few minutes later. Caoimhe wasn't that impressed by it but then again, she should have known she wouldn't be. It was just an old, dusty diamond that she had heard a lot about. However, something in her mind painted it to be a nicer plot of land than it was. Off to the side of the diamond was an old lean-to with an equally old bench. She eyed it for a minute before one of the boys spoke up.

Benny nodded to Caoimhe. "I can show you how to throw if you want a play with us. We won't do anything that would get you hurt."

She pursed her lips together and cocked an aggressive brow. Did he think all women were delicate little flowers? Her step-father was a marine and her father, even though he worked in corporate America, was still a manly man.

"That sounds good …"

He jogged over to her, baseball in hand. Caoimhe looked up at him, as he moved to place the ball into her hand. "So you want to chuck it like you would throw paper."

He stopped for a moment and bit his bottom lip. "Ah… you've probably never had a paper route. Uhh.. okay.

He took a stance and moved his back arm and made a fist. It was supposed to recreate a ball, she supposed.

"Basically, put her arm like this, and once your arm gets to here," he stopped his arm Midway in the air and opened his fist, releasing the imaginary ball. "Let go and it should fly."

Caoimhe changed her stance and tone, taking on a more feminine and innocent way. She was going to play the dumb role for just a second. That's all she would.

Moving her arm back, with the ball in her hand, she looked to Benny for approval. He nodded before she flung her arm forward and released the ball. And, boy, was Benny right. It did fly. It flew so well that it hit the target that Caoimhe was secretly aiming for.

Everyone watched as Ham groaned in pain, after the ball had pummeled into his stomach. Caoimhe bit her lip and feigned helplessness. She bent over slightly, placing he palms of her hands against her cheeks in false shock "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

She straightened up immediately and folded her arms across her chest. "Im so sorry that you think you can make sexual jokes towards females just because you're a male and you, somehow, think it's onay and you're entitled to say and do as you please."

Scotty sucked in a deep breath and sighed. He should have known that his sister would pull something like that. She is quite outspoken and refuses to let people push her around. The other guys made faces, trying to stifle laughter. As much as they loved their friend, they liked to see when he got his just desserts for his womanizing comments. Benny walked over to her and patted her on the shoulder, a laugh escaping his past his lips.

"You're welcome to play with us anytime you want."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm going to head on home and finish unpacking." Caoimhe said, giving him a polite smile. "I'll see you guys around."

With that, she left the sandlot. She knew it would take her a bit of time to get home but she was okay with that. She wanted some time to herself anyways. Maybe she would process some things a but more on her way home.