BENNY POV

We did not think of anything. Two days had passed and still we had no gloves, our tree house and dugout were cleaned up, they at least kept that part of the deal. Smalls had let the whole thing with Ham go, since Hailey wasn't mad anymore.

At least that's what he said.

I had a hard time believing that she would just let it go like that. Smalls was at home, his mom wanted him to spend some time with his step dad and since we didn't have gloves we were okay with it. We spent the day walking around town wondering where we could get cheap gloves.

"Is that Hailey?" Grover asked pointing down the street.

"Yeah it is." Toni said in a confused voice. She was in a blue dress with a yellow shirt underneath and her gold hair was tied back in a pretty yellow ribbon. She looked younger then I knew she was but she was still pretty in the innocent way. She was carrying a piece of paper in her left hand and her eyes were locked right on us.

When we met her she stood in front of us, with the look in her eyes I thought we might burn to ashes in her presence.

"I realized something, you all don't like me." she said.

I was about to deny that when she held up her hand.

"No, it's true." she said. "And since Ham expressed how he felt about me the other day I took the liberty of writing down all my interpersonal and convoluted thoughts towards you lot." she said then handed over the piece of paper to Ham. He opened it and read aloud what it said.

"I hate you." that was it that was all it said. We all looked up from the paper and up at her.

"You hate us?" I asked.

"i thought you could read." She said crossing her arms.

"Hailey, why. . . what the hell is going on?"
"I think you're all a bad influence on Scott." She said. I looked towards Toni who looked as confused as I did.. Sure we weren't saints, but at least cared about him.

"He's known us for years Hailey, the smalls you like was made knowing us." Timmy said in our defense.

"The Scott I like is considerate and smart and sweet and kind, you're all the complete opposite."

"Hey, we're plenty smart! Might not be scholarship worthy students but we're smart." Ham said.

"You almost failed English last semester and you speak English." Grover said taking a drag on a smoke I hadn't seen him light.

"Grover why don't you just hit yourself with a bat five hundred times?" Ham asked in a obnoxiously sweet voice.

"Guys shut up!" Squints snapped.

"Look I understand that you all play baseball with him but Ham gets detention, Benjamin gets in fights, Thomas can't think for himself, Tawney hangs out with eight boys, Bertram is a smoker-"
"Just wait a damn minute barbie, who are you to be this judgmental about us?" ham asked glaring at her.

"Scott is your best friend and he can't even make you sound like descent people." she said. That was a lie I knew Scotty would tell her about us in a way he thought was good but she probably took the information in a negative way.

"I don't believe that for a damn second, Smalls is our friend." Toni said taking a small step closer. Hailey's posture was one that was strong, like she knew we wouldn't tough her.

It's not that we wouldn't it's that we couldn't. She was a girl, and not a girl like Toni in which she can defend herself, Hailey was Smalls girl, that had to be respected.

Besides you don't hit girls.

"So you were just pretending to like us this whole time?" I asked. She placed a finger on her nose like they do in charades when you get something right.

"Well actually no, I did try to get along with you all but after the lunch we all had I got different opinions on you."

"So what does this all mean?' Sunshine questioned. "You want us to leave Smalls alone? Cause we're not, hes our best friend."

"Yeah yeah and there's no way you're taking him from us."

"He's my boyfriend." she argued.

"And he's our best friend."
"He's mine." she said crossing her arms her face becoming red. Like a little gremlin, anger broke through her and everything changes, her posture her skin colour turned red and her face twisted in anger.

"Well you can't have him!" I snapped. The silence ripped between us, this was ridiculous, Smalls was our friend and she wasn't going to take him away from our lives not now and not ever.

"Look there's only one thing we can do." Squints piped up. "Truce. Cause as far as I see it, you tell smalls to stop hanging out with us and he'll drop you. We tell him the same thing about you and he'll drop us."

"So you're suggesting we be civil to each other?" She asked, realizing that he was right and she was not going to loose Smalls and neither were we.

"yeah." Squints replied.

"We don't have to hug or anything right?" she asked.

"Hell no!" Ham exclaimed.

"Fine. I hope all your blisters break open." she said turning around.

"I hope that pole up your butt goes right through your brain." Ham yelled after her.

We didn't like Hailey and now it was clear she didn't like us, but we all liked Smalls and although I was sure he wouldn't ditch us for Hailey And Sunshine said we should help him be happy I would do this. But I still wish she wasn't in our lives.

"This sucks." I whispered throwing an arm over Sunshine's shoulders.

"Tell me about it." she breathed leaning into my touch.

"Hey man tomorrow will be better." Squints said trying to lighten the mood.

"Lets head over to Champion's to see if we can get some gloves." Grover said stubbing out his cigarette.

"Tomorrow will be better." Sunshine repeated Squints words as if thinking them over.

"I promise it will be." I said kissing her cheek then taking off in a run ahead of everyone.

i know it's short and a little boring but the next chapter will be one of the most dramatic and gutwrenching i have written in this story so stay tuned for that :)

Thanks again everyone.

-L.J