Hey another Ten Days I hope everyone had a merry Christmas :D ice storm here in Toronto was BRUTAL! But we got through it, feels like all of ontario is out of salt though :p Anyways I hope you like this Chapter, its the break in!

Thank you so much to everyone that is reviewing, commenting, following, favorting, it is honestly amazing and I can't tell you how grateful I am for it 3

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: The sandlot is not mine.

BENNY POV!

"A darkness loomed over the Valley"

"Squints."

"All was quiet aside from Yeah yeah saying names."
"He's doing it again." Tommy complained as Squints kept talking.

"Squints lead his band of revenge hungry teammates-"
"Dude!" Ham yelled at him.

"They stand against the fence."

"Squints stop with the narration!" I finally snapped at him.

"Just trying to keep things interesting." He said holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"You're being annoying." Timmy said to him.

"See anything Toni?" I asked as we stood against the back fence leading into Phillips field, Toni was crouched on the ground looking out to see if anyone was around.

"This is ridiculous." Ham said we all turned to look at him.

"It's two in the morning who is out here?" he asked we all looked at each other and a moment later stepped away from the wall and just walked into their field.

"I don't think we should chance it only a couple should get the bat and the rest stand guard." Smalls said.

"Good thinking Benny and Sunshine go get the bat we'll stand guard." Ham said.

"Us?" Sunshine asked pointing at herself then me.

"Don't you get it? We're the sneakiest." I joked with them.

"Nah just if anyone's gonna get caught I'd prefer it was you two." Ham admitted. We glared at him. The rest of the team stared at him.

"What?" he exclaimed. "People love them. If they get caught they'll go easy."

"Yeah nice save." sunshine said rolling her eyes and started walking to the clubhouse.

We got there without any trouble and I opened the door. "Idiots." Sunshine muttered closing the door behind us.

The room was dark aside from the stream of silver light coming in from the two small windows. The clubhouse was just a change room but it also had all their uniforms and gloves and such in there. On the other side was a table holding a wooden bat that really just looked like all the others I've seen only it had black lettering on it and a carved smooth handle.

"That must be it." I said walking towards the bat.

"I don't like this Benny, not one bit." Sunshine said from behind me I looked at her.

"Its not breaking and entering, the door was unlocked-"
"No I mean. . . I just think that doing this, stealing a bat is not the right way to get back at them. Think about it, its just gonna agitated them and I don't want them coming to the field anymore. They get too under your guys skin." She said her hand on my arm to stop me from taking another step.

"We get under theirs too." I pointed out.

"But they don't hunt us down just to beat the hell out of us." she was referring to last week when I had hit Phillips for touching her. Her tone wasn't smart, it was logical, Phillips coming around was just going to piss us off more and result in another fight, which is not what she wants.

"No but they hunt us down to insult and tease us." I countered.
"I know what they do, but I don't think we should be giving them another reason to do that."

"Why is this popping up all of a sudden? You always want to get them back." I asked confused taking another step closer to her.

"I hate them Benny really I do, just after what happened last summer I don't want them around anymore. I don't want another summer having to deal with him." she ran a hand through her dark hair and frowned looking around the clubhouse at nothing in particular.

"It's not gonna be like last summer Toni. Is that what you're scared of?" I asked.

"Benny nothing keeps me from believing that if we push him far enough he will tell my dad about us." she admitted..

"Well maybe its time your dad knew." I muttered looking at the ground. It bothered me, it really did that Sunshine had to keep us a secret. I wanted to be able to meet her dad and although it sounded stupid I wanted her dads approval. I wanted him to trust me with his daughter wanted him to threaten me about hurting her. Not for my sake more for hers, to have the loving caring dad she wanted and deserved. She couldn't talk to her dad about anything cause all she could tell him was a secret.

"Benny I wish I could tell him and you know that."
"Then why don't you?" I asked my voice getting an edge.

"Don't start this up again please." she placed her hand on my cheek and pulled me to look at her. "I love you, I do, which is why I don't tell him, I don't want to leave you. And that's why I can't tell my dad." I knew that, I did. As far as her dad was concerned I was the kid that 'took advantage of her' and if her dad knew then Clara would know, she would demand they moved then. Toni had told me that Clara had been doing everything right to stay on her dads good side and if she wanted something she would get it.

"I know." I sighed kissing her forehead.

"This is still kind of childish though." she said gesturing to the bat.

"Since when are we mature?" I asked grinning at her.

She laughed and removed her hand from my cheek.

"Lets get the damn thing and get out of here." She said moving around me to get the bat, she picked it up and together we walked out of the clubhouse and back towards the back gate.

"Took you long enough." Grover said lighting up a cigarette.

"Yeah yeah, what took so long?" Yeah yeah asked.

"Hey we got the bat." I said taking it from Sunshine's hands and holding it up.

"Lets go I can feel myself getting dumber by the minute." Ham said. We all followed him out the gate and down the street towards the sandlot.

"Now what?" Sunshine said voicing what we were all thinking.

"We wait, for phillips to notice its gone." Squints said.

"But then what? Do we pretend we don't have it? Or show it off? What?" Sunshine asked.

"I say we show it off." Yeah yeah said.

"Nah we play dumb, say we don't have it but say it so they know we have it." Grover said taking a drag on his smoke.
"They're already gonna know we have it." Benny pointed out.

"I still think it will be funny to say we don't have it." Grover said.

"I think so too, we only give it back once they've cleaned the dugout." Ham said.

"What if they don't want to clean the dugout?" I asked aloud.

"Then they don't get the bat. Simple." Squints said.

Something told me that that wasn't as simple as he or anyone else thought and the way Sunshine looked at me she knew it too, it was going to be a long summer, back and forth. And as we neared the sandlot with that bat in my hands I almost felt guilty, that's what she was worried about and I just realized it now, its what she wanted to avoid but it was gonna happen.

"Later man still at eight o'clock." I said to Ham and smalls.

"Benny it's two am and you want us there at eight?" Ham complained.

"Thats right." I said, Smalls nodded and Ham grumbled something I'm sure he didn't want me to hear.

I turned around to see Toni looking up at her house I went and stood next to her thinking she was waiting for me but she wasn't exactly waiting for me her brow furrowed she looked up at her house. I followed her gaze.

"the lights on." she said. I then noticed that her dad's room light was in fact on.

"Want to come to my house?" I asked quietly, she nodded and placing my hand on the small of her back I led her to my house. We entered through the front door, and then went up to my room. I shut off the door then pulled off my t-shirt.

"You take the bed." I said she smirked and grabbed the extra blanket from the closet and a pillow from my bed and laid down on the floor.

"I was stupid for offering." I said climbing into bed myself and turned off the lamp light.

In the darkness I heard nothing but mine and Sunshine's breathing.

"Benny?" her voice asked in the dark.

"yeah?" I asked turning on my side to face her, though my eyes had not adjusted to the dark yet so I had no idea what I was looking at yet.

She paused before continuing. "when do you think they'll notice the bat is missing?"

"Probably right when they get there they usually practice at eleven or something." she paused for another moment.

"Does it ever bother you that they get everything? I mean they're the kids that would have a chance at a scholarship cause they have the money to go where scouts are and such and they don't deserve it." She said.

"Well Toni I think you're forgetting your family has money, you an go to sco3uting and all that if you wanted to." I said into the darkness my eyes started to adjust a little and I could see the silhouette of her on the floor. She laid there on her back looking at the ceiling.

"I'm not talking about me." she paused again. "I think you should go to a scouts tryout."

"Toni-"

"I'm serious, Benny you are the best ball player I have ever seen, people want to watch you play, and I think more people should be able to see you." she said.

"Sunshine you know its just a dream."
And it was, sure we had talked about it when we were younger, dreamed about it, heck, it was still a dream of mine but it wasn't practical. Money wasn't even the issue you needed to already be known and I was just a neighborhood legend. Only local towns knew me, the other kids had been being talked up to scouts for years I would just be a nameless face there. I was better off staying here and getting a job.

"For most people yeah it is, but I really think you should get out there and try."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" she asked shifting to look at me.

"Try out." she snorted a laugh.

"Yeah right."
"Toni you are one of the best pitchers I've ever seen, I think you could do something with that. Anything really."
"They don't let girls into the majors." she muttered.

"Yeah, you used to talk about being the first woman in the majors remember? Why couldn't you play?"
"Cause I don't have what it takes Benny, sure I could go there but no one is gonna take me seriously. Its you that has the chance." I propped up on my elbow and looked at her intently.

"Do you really think you don't have what it takes? I think you could be something great. Maybe not it majors but in something else the Olympics or something." I said and I meant it. Sunshine was a girl yes, but that didn't mean she was any less great then us I really think if they saw her they would give her a chance. It would be really hard but she was tough and I knew she could do it.

"Thats just a dream for me Benny. I'll probably coach a little league team when I'm older or something. But you have a chance." she repeated.

"No I don't you said your self I don't have the money for it." I said thinking that would put an end to it, and I thought it did when nothing was said for a few minutes.

"What if you had the chance? Would you take it?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"What if you could go see a scout or a scout could come here?"

"Like thats gonna happen." I said rolling on my back.

"What if it did? Would you try out?"

I sat up and turned on the lamp so I could see her expression.

"Toni what are you talking about?" I asked sternly. I knew her too well. Toni would do anything for one of us including something stupid or just too generous, I loved her for it but I did not want her going out of her way for a silly dream.

"Would you?" she asked again. "If a scout came or you could get to one?" she asked again I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I do not want you spending your money to get a scout here or get me to one if that's what your thinking." I said hoping that wasn't what she was thinking. Getting a scout here would cost a lot of money and getting me to one would probably double that price. They didn't come around here they would be hours away at high end collages.

"You could pay me back when you're in the majors." she said quietly.

"Toni!" I said harsher then intended.

"Well? Benny come on its not like I'm gonna do anything with it-"

"No!"

was she insane? I would not let her pay my way for a long shot chance.

"Benny-"
"I am not taking your money." I said sternly she sat up as well and looked at me.

"Benny do you not get that you have a gift? Its not gonna be some stupid investment I want to do this for you."
"I thought you didn't have any money, that Clara never lets you have any."

"My dads accounts are crossed checked in with mine, it happened when I turned sixteen this way when I was out around town I could pay for food and such. I also have birthday, Christmas and eventually graduation money. I also have a separate account in which I can use for clothing and all that when my dad isn't here. Every month more money is automatically placed into the account, and it adds up when you don't buy anything like I do. It's practically just sitting there."

"Toni I don't want you to do that." I said. It wasn't about the money really, well yes it was I didn't want her spending money like that on me, it was that it felt wrong. Like I was taking advantage of her. "Don't waste it on me."
"But-"

"No, just no, okay? Thank you, thank you for wanting to do it but just please don't okay? It's not right, I don't want you to do that for me." I said she looked down at the ground then up at everything but me. "Promise me you won't do it."

"I promise." she muttered. I got out of bed and moved to sit with her on the floor. I took her hand in mine and kissed her knuckles gently.

"If I was meant to play in the majors then something will come along, fate will represent a way for me to get there. If it does happen then I will take it, I just can't let you do that for me okay?"
"You promise you will take it?"

"I promise." I said kissing her cheek

"As long as you promise to take one if you get it." I said

"Alright." she smiled.

"No money involved though." she smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Alright good. Now that that is settled we really need to get some sleep." I smiled leaning in to give her a soft kiss on the lips I meant it to only be a peck but she slipped her arms around my neck and held me to her. I chuckled and placed a hand on her cheek loving that she was as nuts about me as I was about her.

Toni didn't talk about the future all that much, she rarely did because she was scared and I knew it. For me it was simple finish high school and probably work for my dad at the autoshop or with my mom at her catering business that just took off.

For Toni it was different, she had a million options as to where she could go or what she could be, all but one. What she really wanted to do. Stay in the Valley.

She wanted that more then anything and I knew it, she loved it here and wanted to be here forever with the sandlot and memories. But the fact of the matter is that although she keeps saying I'm the one with the chance to get out of here but she is. She has all the opportunities in the world but she didn't want them. The future scared her so much because she knew all this, she was scared that she'd be a grown woman and stuck with Clara and somewhere she never wanted to be.

However College was an chance I would never let her give up.

But we ignored that for the time being, cause I didn't want the think about it anymore then she did. Just remembered that we were there, together and in love and the future was something that hadn't happened yet and we were both grateful for it.

There it is, i'm happy to get this up for you guys I hope you liked it. :D

Reviews would be amazing, and thank you so much to those that regularly review you're all amazing!

Happy new year! have a great time with your family and friends, I wish you all the very best and I'm ready for 2014 to rock!.

Have a great week :D

-Lexi-joe.