Harper

A few weeks had passed. Nothing else had happened between the group, Benny was still acting normal around Harper. As if he didn't try to kiss her the other day. Chloe and Yeah-Yeah were getting along fine. Not as well as they used but still getting along. Maddie and Yeah-Yeah had grown a little bit closer. He was willing to share his gum with her, but not willing to hug her or stare at her or anything else that he used to do with Chloe. Chloe hung out with Logan more but still made time to be with the group and play baseball. Logan was slowly learning how to play and wasn't doing too bad. In fact, that's what they were doing today, playing ball.

Harper skipped up to the home plate and took a practice swing. She was up to bat, she had been practicing what Benny had taught her a few weeks ago, with keeping the bat even. Today she was confident in getting a home run.

"And here's the pitch!" Kenny said in a deep announcer voice as he released the ball.

Harper's eyes lit up and swung her bat. The bat made a satisfying cracking sound and the ball sailed way over everyone's head. Harper's mouth dropped open as she stared at the ball as it went over a fence to the hotel.

"Run Harper!" Grace urged.

Harper shook her head and jogged around the bases while everyone cheered happily. When she got back home Benny came up to her and ruffled her hair.

"Nice going Harper!" Benny smiled his beautiful smile.

Harper blushed and looked at her feet and mumbled her thanks.

"Wow Harper!" Scotty said in awe. "That was amazing! Way better than my home run last summer!"

Harper playfully punched her twin, "That's cause last summer you made a home run with dad's ball."

"Oh yeah," Smalls said quietly as he remembered.

"Hey!" Came Chloe's cheerful greeting. "What's going on?"

Yeah-Yeah rolled his eyes and gave a small groan at the sight of Chloe holding hands with Logan. Harper admired her best friend's outfit. She had on blue jeans, her black leather jacket with a white shirt underneath, and her black hair was pulled up into a messy bun with her gold glasses sitting on her nose. The only thing out of place was purplish marks on the side of Chloe's neck. Benny noticed them first, he stalked over there and pulled her jacket collar down so he could see them better.

"What the hell Chloe?" Benny exploded.

"What?" She pouted. "I didn't do anything."

"No someone else did something," Benny glared at Logan who wisely took a few steps back.

"Look man, I didn't do anything. She came to my room like that."

"Bullsh-" Kenny started to say until his sister Grace smacked him.

Chloe looked at the ground, Logan looked at the sky, and Benny looked like he was going to kill Logan. Harper decided to intervene.

"Well, I guess it did cause a few bruises."

"WHAT?!" The gang yelled.

Harper squeezed Chloe's hand, "Chloe and I were being idiots last night. We wanted to see if we could hit rocks with the bat. I threw some rocks too close to Chloe and they hit her on the neck. Logan was right, he had nothing to do with it."

With Harper smiling, Chloe batting her eyes, and Logan grinning the gang bought it. It took some explaining but after a few moments, Benny decided that they were bruises and nothing more. Chloe sighed and hugged Harper.

"Thank you so much, Harper. I love you. You didn't have to lie for me."

"I love you too and it's the least I can do after you set me up with your brother," Harper whispered back.

Logan came up behind them, "Yeah thanks, Harper."

"I didn't do it for you," Harper glared. "Touch her again and you won't have to worry about Benny and the gang beating you up. Cause I'll do it."

Logan shook his head and walked away.

Chloe took a small step back and changed the subject, "I have another date planned for you and Benny tonight."

"What?"

"It's the fourth of July. I'm going to get Benny to kiss you."

Harper felt excited but didn't trust the gleam in Chloe's gold eyes.

Chloe

How could this happen? Chloe silently wailed as peered at her neck. They of course weren't bruises but Benny was right about one thing. She didn't do this. Logan did, last night went she went to his room her shoved her against the wall, and kissed her everywhere. Logan was not all that he seemed. The first time it happened Chloe thought about telling Benny but Logan threatened to have news articles published about her parents neglecting her for acting. While it was true, Chloe didn't care and didn't want the world to know. The second time it happened, he threatened to do something to the gang so Chloe kept quiet about what was going on. So Chloe didn't say anything and continued to act normal around the gang. No one knew about it except maybe Harper who thought it was on purpose.

A sudden noise jolted Chloe out of her thoughts. She turned around and gave a small smile at seeing Harper.

Harper was wearing Chloe's short red dress that ended just before the knees. Her hair was braided into a fish-tail and there was a white flower pinned in her hair.

"You look so pretty Harper," Chloe smiled with all her teeth. "Benny's already up on the roof. The fireworks are set to go off at 8:00."

"What will you be doing?" Harper asked.

Chloe gave a sly smile and her eyes gleamed again, "Nothing important."

So far the only thing Benny and Harper were doing was talking with the occasional laugh on. The couple was sitting on beach chairs that they dragged up onto the roof. Chloe watched from behind an electrical box with Harper's camera in her hand. She wanted to capture any good moments for Harper to remember forever. The rest of the gang shifted from where they were hiding. Everyone was on the roof, wanting to see the moment. Suddenly it happened, Benny leaned close to Harper and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Then he leaned in and Harper leaned in too. Then they kissed, what was long-awaited finally happened. Chloe took a picture just as the first firework exploded.

They broke away from the kiss, even from where she was, Chloe could see her best friend smiling and blushing. Benny acted like it happened all the time and held Harper's hand.

"You can come out now blockheads," Benny said.

Chloe got up, skipped over, and waved the photo in her hand, "I got it. It's still developing though."

She handed it to Harper who started shaking it, "This was your plan?"

"Everyone was in on it, even Benny." Chloe shrugged.

"Way to go Benny!"

"Nice!"

"Aw, little Harper's blushing!"

"Will you two be a thing now?"

Harper giggled at the comments the gang was making. Last summer when the gang celebrated the 4th, Chloe was sleeping next to Yeah-Yeah. She took a quick glance at him. He was holding hands with Maddie but for a second, his blue eyes met her gold ones. Yeah-Yeah's eyes hardened then softened, then he looked away. Chloe did the same and walked over to the roof ledge. She sat down and admired the fireworks and the pretty colors.

"Chloe get down from there," Benny ordered softly. "I don't want you to fall."

His younger sister snorted, "I'm fine. If I can do a backflip on Kash while he's cantering then I can sit on a roof ledge."

"Quit being so stubborn. If you fall off a horse you get right back up. If you fall off a 300-foot building you die."

Feeling like she had something to prove, Chloe kicked off her shoes and stood on the ledge. Bending her knees she executed a perfect backflip and landed it without wobbling. Chloe turned to face her brother with her hands on her hips. Benny shook his head, Harper held his hand, Yeah-Yeah had a small smile on his face, and the rest of the gang looked at her in disbelief and fear. As if she was going to fall over at any moment.

Suddenly Chloe felt her feet slip as the building began to move. She landed on her arms, hanging onto the ledge with just her fingertips.

"Benny!" she wailed. "Help!"

In an instant, Benny was there pulling her up with the help of Yeah-Yeah. But the building was still bouncing up and down, Benny held Chloe in his lap.

"Earthquake!" Ham yelled then grabbed his sister Emily.

The group huddled together in the middle of the building, too scared to go back inside in case the ceiling collapsed. As soon as it started, it stopped. Everything stopped shaking and moving. The gang hesitantly went downstairs and looked at the rooms. Pictures were thrown on the ground, windows had been shattered, and a person was laying on the ground with his neck twisted. Harper gasped at the man, Emily cried, Grace looked away, Avery thew up and Chloe buried her face into her brother's chest.

"Benny! Chloe!" A woman's voice called to them.

Chloe tore herself from her brother and launch herself at her mom.

"Where were you?" She asked as she tried to scoop all the kids into a hug. "None of you were in your rooms!"

"We were on the roof mom," Chloe answered.

Her mother sighed in relief, "Well I'm glad that you are okay. But I have some news."

"What is it?"

"The earthquake was bigger back home. Kenny and Grace's mom is in the hospital with a broken leg, Kash is fine, Sasha and Dodger are safe but Axl is missing."

Okay here are some things:

1. Please let me know what you think. I need feedback. If you think that this a great chapter or whatever please tell me why. I'd like to know so that I can include that in my future stories

2. When I say "group" or "gang" that does not include Logan. That just means the Sandlot kids and their sisters. If Logan is with the group I'll clarify

3. Did you think that Logan was like that? Did you think that he was someone who'd harass Chloe and threaten her?

4. Remember, Axl is Chloe's rottweiler that she loves very much. If you don't remember, you should read my first Sandlot story to clear up your memory. Axl missing is going to be really important for the next few chapters.