SUNSHINE POV

Making friends wasn't high up on my priorities list, what was however, was finding somewhere in town that I could go to get away from Clara.

"Sweetheart are you going to buy something?" I turned around to look at the old man standing behind the cash, he was wearing a Yankees cap and had deep set wrinkles.

"Sorry." I moved away from the wall of baseball gloves to walk towards him.

"You looking for something in particular?"

"No." I said, "I was kinda just trying to pass the time."

He smiled a confused, but kind smile at me. "I don't get many girls in here just looking to pass the time. Not alone anyways." I shrugged, picking up a baseball from the box on the class counter, my eyes caught sight of something through the glass though. It was an autographed ball, signed by Babe Ruth.

"You know everyone loves a signed baseball, you know anyones birthday thats coming up? A boyfriend or a brother or something?"

I looked up at him then back at the ball. "No one that would want a knock off."

"Excuse me?"

"The signature, it's a fake isn't it?" His eyes widened and then narrowed in anger.

"What makes you say that?"

"Cause I've seen Babe Ruth's actual signature, and he doesn't carry the curve of the E all the way under Ruth." he furrowed his brow and took the ball from under the glass and held it out to me shaking it in his hand as he spoke.

"This here is an authentic Babe Ruth signed baseball."

"I'm sure you can convince people that it is, just not me." He looked at the ball in his hands and then back at me.

"What's your name?"

"Toni."

"Where'd you get so smart about signatures?"

"I told you," I set the ball I had been holding back in its box. "I've seen his signature. We grew up knowing a man that played with Babe Ruth for a while." This made him start to laugh, and I felt my anger coming back. He thought I was lying, and it was the funniest thing in the world to him.

"I like you, you've got imagination." I ignored his comment, "You got a dad that's really into baseball?"

"No I have eight friends really into baseball, I call them my teammates." I managed to get out through my teeth.

He continued to chuckle "You're a ball player huh? Which team?"

"I just moved here, they're back in Los Angeles."

"You know I heard the Eagles were still looking for players, you might wanna give them a call. I'm sure they'd love to see you play and hear all about your friend who played with Babe Ruth." This erupted a new chorus of laughter from him, and I had had enough, I stormed out from his store doing my best to slam the door as I left.

It had been like that since I showed up in town, I had spoken to all of three people and each one didn't seem to believe me when I told them I was a baseball player, especially when I told them

my team was back in another state.

I guess it wasn't that common a thing for girls to play ball, just like it wasn't in the Valley when I first showed up.

It pissed me off, but I also wasn't in the mood to have to prove myself yet again to another town.

I was walking much faster than I needed to, not caring who was near me, and that proved itself when a girl with long blonde hair ended up shouldering me as I walked past her.

"Watch where you're going!" She hissed at me. I flipped her off and continued to walk.

Walking down the street my blood was still boiling with rage, and I managed to come across a diner, which I figured would be better than running into people all day.

It was a small diner, with a few kids hanging around the back and some moms and dads having lunch with their kids.

I sat at the counter and waited to be served on.

"Have I seen you before?"

"No." I answered quickly.

"Didn't think so. I usually know everyone around here, I'm Laurie." Despite her just trying to be nice I wasn't in the mood for being pleasant. "What's you're name?"

"Toni."

"Toni?" She leaned on her elbow and gave me a big smile. "I heard of girls named Jordan and Dakota, but never Toni." at the look of my expression she decided to quit with the small talk and witty comments and straightened up. "What can I get you?"

I hadn't even looked at the menu, but I ordered anyways. "Can I just get a coke please." She nodded and took off towards the back, even though I could see the drink machine right in front of me.

I sighed and rested my chin in my hand waiting for her to come back.

There was a TV above me and the ball game was on. Yankee's Vs. Red Sox, I wanted to fall to the floor in annoyance.

"Are all you guys Yankee fans?" I spoke a little too loud cause I caught the attention of the two boys sitting a few seats away from me.

"You ain't or something?" I was taken aback because I didn't think they had heard me, but I shrugged and replied anyways.

"Not really, I'm a Dodgers fan." The two boys scoffed and rolled their eyes. "Well why are you a Yankees fan?"

"Uh hello? Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig-"

"So you like them just because they had some good players?"

"The best players, where the hell have you been?"

"I get that they have the best players, but all they do is buy their team, they don't do the work and become a good team. They just buy all the players they want and then win, they don't develop their team-"

"Dude." The second boy interrupted tapping his friend on the shoulder. "Why are you even arguing with her?"

My anger came back, he was just brushing off my opinions and knowledge on the subject because I was a girl. I stood from the counter in anger, Laurie still hadn't arrived so I headed for the door.

I hated it here, I hated their love for the Yankees, I hated the people, I hated how it looked a lot like the Valley and I hated everyones sexism. Even the women seemed to find it ridiculous that I was a ball player.

I decided that I was just going to go back to Clara's house and spend the rest of my day in my room and avoid possibly slapping someone.

Heading through the front door, I wasn't surprised to see multiple people sitting in the living room. Since we got here there had been people here non stop.

"Oh is that your daughter?" The red headed woman asked as I kicked off my shoes.

"Yes, Toni come here." Clara called to me the front door opened up into a large common space that acted as our living room and dining room, but the couches and chairs were to the back left and the dining room table was on the right near the stairs.

"I'm not her daughter." I said heading to the stairs.

"Toni!"

"What?" I demanded turning to face her just as I reached the first step. Clara stood from her seat and gestured towards a boy looking to be around my age.

"This is Curtis." I stared at the boy, he seemed embarrassed to be the centre of attention all of a sudden. "Him and his mom live down the street."

"Wonderful." I said dryly turning back to walk up the stairs but she stopped me again.

"Come sit down with us and get to know him. I was just telling Julie about all those delinquents you used to hang out with and Curtis is going to school on a scholarship-"

"Piss off Clara." I snapped, this time when I went up the stairs she didn't stop me, but she did follow.

I had made it into my room and collapsed on my bed when she came in closing the door behind her.

"Do you really want to spend your days here angry and wallowing in self pity?" She hissed. "When I bring someone into this house the least you can do is be nice to them?" I sat up on the bed and glared at her.

"The least I can do? You're acting like I owe you something! Within twenty minutes, you had me moving to a different state, leaving my entire life, including all my friends. I am not going to play along with your crazy attempt to play the victim and try to start over!" Clara was angry, she picked up a candle sitting on my desk and threw it across the room and into the wall. "Are you crazy!"

"You think I don't know what you, 'gave up' you talk about it all the damn time. You're the reason my husband left me and I should have you living on the street but I didn't do that."

"Oh am I supposed to fucking thank you for that? You're not doing me a favour Clara, you're stuck with me, and I'm stuck with you. You said it yourself, my dad is gone Clara, theres no reason for you to pretend to like me anymore, no one believes it anyways, stop trying to make it seem like we're some kind of fucking TV family." I stood from the bed then, I had hated this woman from the first meeting and her that was never going to change, she had disliked me from the moment I took out my baseball glove to show her and she had done a good job at playing house wife. Now we were moved away and she said it was about starting new, but she was still pulling all the same bullshit. "What the fuck were you trying to do down there anyways? Set me up with that boy? I love Benny Clara, you dragged me thousands of miles away and we're still together. Didn't you learn Clara?" I started to walk towards her. "Why you want to get rid of them, you don't tell them where you're going." I felt the sting before I felt the burning in my abdomen. Clara had slapped me across the face and kicked me hard with a stiletto heel in the gut, holding my face I turned my head back to look at her but she had already exited my room, if memory served correct, she was downstairs telling them that I was in a mood, and then tomorrow letting them know I had fallen down the stairs.

BENNY POV

Toni had been gone for five days.

Four days of non productivity for all of us. We were moping around, trying to keep our minds off of it and crying when we couldn't.

The whole town knew by now, everyone was talking about it and coming up with their own theories as to why she was gone, something I had to ignore or else I might punch someone.

"Well one of us is going to have to learn how to pitch." Ham said, very little emotion in his voice, no one responded.

"I miss her." Smalls sniffed, "It all happened so fast."

Grover pulled off his glove and tossed it to the side. "We all miss her."

"Hey Rodriguez." My head snapped up to see Phillips entering the sandlot. I cursed under my breath, I knew we were going to have to deal with him sooner or later but with the state we were all in there was no way we were going to get through it without throwing a punch or break down crying. No one stood, we didn't approach them and do our best to look tough and intimidate them, I didn't grab a bat and Ham didn't start yelling out insults. We all sat, slumped in our seats on the bench as him and his team came to stand in front of us.

"What?" I spat at him. He smirked slightly.

"Sunshine finally took off huh?" No one said anything. 'Had to skip town to get away from you? Ah well, we just wanted to come a challenge you guys to a game."

"Go away." Smalls said.

"Oh look, Scott Smalls actually speaks. So what do you say Rodriguez?"

"No." I said simply. "Go away Phillips."

"Ah why not? It-It can't have something to do with Sunshine being gone now can it?" I could feel my blood boiling my fists clenched in an attempt to keep my cool but it was Phillips. "Don't

tell me that a girl was the only thing making you guys half way decent. She was carrying the whole team and now that she's gone, you guys don't have any chance of beating us now."

"Phillips you need to leave." Ham said, he didn't say it in a rude way like everyone expected, he said it in an honest kind of way.

"I'm not gonna do what you tell me to Porter." Ham stood, and actually approached him, arms out trying to shoo him out of the sandlot.

"I'm not kidding. You need to get out of here before something bad happens. Just shut up and walk away."

"Oh I get it, Rodriguez fucked her and then she left him, didn't perform well-" He was on the ground holding his nose that moment. My hand hurt like a bitch but it was worth it, Phillips team hesitated, looking at our team that were now all on their feet and decided not to get involved, they knew what he said was crossing a line.

"Keep your mouth shut about her Phillips." I spat at him, he pulled his hand away noticing no blood, and for some reason that gave him the green light to keep going.

"How many guys do you think she's screwing in Florida? She's a good looking girl, God knows how many of us would have had her if she wasn't with you all these years."

I jumped on him then making sure to knock his head into the ground as I did so, bringing my fist down onto his face I hit him in the eye, and then again in the mouth. Blood filled spit flew

from his mouth and hit me in my face, he took the opportunity to push himself up and roll us over a few times until he was on top.

His fist hit my left eye and I knew he had gotten a good shot in, but he didn't get another. His fist came down again but I moved my head so it crashed into the hard ground beside me, he yelled out in pain, I grasped his collar and pushed him off me, climbing on top.

I didn't waste time, my fist came down, again, and again, and again. Phillips was groaning beneath me as his head rolled to the side and his eyes half closed.

I was about to hit him again when a few pairs of hands we hauling me away from him.

"Let me go!" I screamed at them.

"Benny, you're gonna knock him unconscious." Grovers voice spoke into my ear.

"I don't give a shit!"

"Yeah well a cop will if we have to take him to a hospital." Squints kept pulling on my arm until I was fully standing in the dugout and forced to sit down. I watched as Phillips team pulled him to his feet and practically carried him out of the sandlot.

"Never say anything about her again you hear me Phillips!"

They were gone within seconds and I could hear the screech of their tires as they sped away.

Smalls pulled a cold beer from the cooler and handed it to me for my eye. "Jesus Benny, you think that was a smart idea?'

"Did you not hear what he said?"

"Yeah, but he always says shit like that. We know it ain't true." I glared at him but didn't say anything, he was right, he was always right and it pissed me off. As the adrenaline left my system

I started to realize just how bad my hand hurt, and tried to flex it but couldn't. Guess there was zero chance of batting practice for the next few days.

"Hey Benny," Ham took a seat next to me noticing I had calmed down. "Can I ask you something?"

"yeah."

"Why are you still here?"

"What?" He shrugged

"I mean, Toni has been gone four days, you miss her like crazy, you're getting into fights with people, She left so abruptly you didn't get a real goodbye. You have a truck."

I looked at him, he was hinting at the one thing that had been at the back of my mind for days, I had just let her go and that was what was tearing me up inside.

"So, Why are you still here?" I stood up, I didn't have an answer for him, I handed the beer off the Smalls and headed for the exit f the sandlot. "You going after her?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

"yeah."