BENNY POV

"Benny you are going to get yourself fired if you don't start paying attention!" Scott yelled at me as he came around the car I had just let fall from the lift.

"Never mind that, he'll get himself killed, what the hell is wrong with you?" Nathan demanded, I was thankful that it was only us three in the shop today, tuesday wasn't usually a busy day so my dad was okay with leaving myself and two apprentices together.

"Sorry, I didn't realize that it wasn't secure before I started lifting it." I muttered before moving past them to make sure I did it correctly this time. "I've just been kind of out of it lately."

Scott and Nathan we're my choice of company, they were the kind of people that felt as though just because they received an apprenticeship then they were the best mechanics we had.

They had both gone to college, so they had that over me, but I was being paid and knew as much as I would learn in college anyways.

However, despite their egos, they were the tow guys I actually tolerated working with, kind of.

"You've been out of it for a few days then. What's going on with you?"

Thankfully I didn't have to answer Scott's question as the chime from the front room went off.

It was someone I didn't recognize, which was a little weird considering I rarely came across anyone I didn't at least think I had seen before.

"Hi." She smiled. Light brown hair falling to her waist, and large brown eyes above freckled cheeks. "I uh, I think I have a flat tire?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You think you have a flat?"

"It's still driveable, I guess, but I think there's a railroad spike in it or something."

"Did you drive over traintracks?"

"No."

"Okay, then how did one get in there?"

She shrugged. "That's how my friend Paola got a flat." She was the definition of beauty without brains. But at least she was nice.

"I'll take a look at it, you can either stay and wait or do you have someone to drive you home?"

A small blush came over her face to my confusion. "Are you offering to drive me home?"

Confused, I again raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh, no, do you have a friend to- you know what, take a seat over there, leave your keys with me I'll bring your car around and take a look, it shouldn't take long."

"Thank you so much!" she slapped her keys down on the desk and made her way over to sit in one of the many leather chairs we had available, in front of the small TV.

I took her keys and headed out to the shop again, only to nearly smack Nathan and Scott with the door. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Uh, looking at the insanely hot girl that just walked in. Is that Sunshine?"

"What?" I suddenly remembered that neither Nathan nor Scott were from here and lived a few towns over, therefore had never seen Toni before. "No, that's not her."

Though I did kind of understand, Toni did have long dark hair and pale skin but she had green eyes, not brown.

"Mind if I call dibs?" I wasn't sure if Nathan was talking to me or Scott, but I gave him a thumbs up anyways.

"Don't scare her off though, we need customers."

His middle finger was his response.

SUNSHINE POV

"Sunshine-" O'Niall groaned as I practically chased him around his office.

"You said that you owe me one."

"But letting you try out for the team. . .Toni-"

I quickly stopped him from saying no again. "You let me do the drills with them, whats the difference in me actually trying out? Give me a fair shot."

"So long as there is a softball team at this school, there is no reason for you to be on this team."

"Other than the fact that I don't play softball, I play baseball."

"Please stop"

It had been about a half hour since I had firth asked to tryout for the team and at first he had ignored me, but now he was finding every excuse not to have me tryout.

I wasn't that interested in trying out, I had seen who had made the first cut and I was not impressed with their choices, it seemed it didn't matter that they treated me terribly, if they could play, they were going to make it through the next cut as well. I figured, that if I wanted something I should ask from something ridiculous first. "Anything else, Toni, ask, but even if I let you tryout there is no way I could put you on the team so there's no point in trying out unless you can become a boy in the next few weeks."

I fought the urge to smile. "Fine. Anything else?"

"If it's within my power then yes, anything else."

I straightened my shoulders and stared him straight in the eye. "You send a scout to where I'm from, and view eight sandlot kids play."

"What?"

"Send a scout to the Valley and view some kids play ball. That's it."

He stared at me with a furrowed brow."Toni I'm not looking for sandlot kids who play once a week-" This time I groaned with frustration.

"I played with those kids every single day since I was twelve. They're good."

"Sandlot ball is different from real baseball Toni."

Slamming my hands on the table I actually caught his full attention. "We play on a sandlot, we can't afford some expensive field and to pay entry fees for tournaments. I came from there and there is talent still remaining there."

"tryouts are already in action, if I just bring in a random kid-"

"Then you'll be doing what you did for the kids whose dad's paid to get them in. I'm not saying you have to take them on, just go and find some talent and if you don't find any then leave. But they deserve the same chance as anyone else."

He sighed, picking up some papers and the putting them down right away, not sure what to say or to do with his hands.

"You trusted my judgement enough to help out with the tryouts, trust me on this. You will find talent there."

He sighed but waived a hand and muttered a "Fine. But I make no promises that we will offer anyone a tryout." I smiled, I got my way mostly because I had been in the office harassing him for a little over an hour, but it was an agreement and I knew that that was all Benny was going to need.

"Hello?"

"Smalls!" I was surprised with how excited I was to actually talk to him, it had been a while and although I knew that he understood why I wasn't calling all the time, I still felt guilt rising up within me.

"Toni? Hey guys it's Toni!" I heard a chorus of excitement in the background.

"Whose all there?"

"Uh most of us." My stomach dropped, if Benny was there then I didn't know what I was going to say.

"Is Benny?"

"Uh no." He sounded guilty of something. "He's working tonight, sorry, did you want to talk to him?"

"No. I don't I need to talk to you guys about something."

"Hi Toni!" It was Grover who was yelling into the phone.

"Hey Tone, it's Ham, we need a woman's opinion on something-"

"Ham! Give the phone back to Smalls."

"Just one second. If a girl is angry and says she never wants to talk to you again and then gets mad that you don't call her-"

I rolled my eyes and cut him off right then. "Ham I don't have time for this, I am calling out of state!"

"Well it's for Yeah Yeah, but he's too embarrassed to ask because its Sandra Montroe and we don't even know why he's so into her, she looks like a monkey." Although it was incredibly rude, he wasn't wrong, Sandra was a pretty horrid person, inside and out.

I suddenly realized why I had called and snapped at him. "Give Smalls the phone."

"Fine but think about it and get back to me." There was some rustling, some yelling and then Smalls voice came back on.

"What do you need Toni?"

I sighed in relief. "I need you to make sure that Benny is batting on Thursday between one and one thirty." Knowing Smalls was the only one who wore a watch, I could trust him to follow through on this.

"Why?"

It was then that my smile went from ear to ear. "I have a scout coming to look at you guys on Thursday." There was some silence as I assumed he was telling the guys about it, but that wasn't the case.

"That's not a good idea."

"What? Smalls I know that you guys are already set on your college plans and stuff but-"

"No Sunshine.. . . I understand why you're sending a scout-"

"The fuck did you just say smalls?" It was squints.

"Toni listen to me. I know why you're sending a Scout to look at Benny but it's not a good idea."

It was then that the phone was being screamed into by the rest of the guys, all incredibly negative things about a scout coming to the sandlot.

Somehow, Grover got the phone from Smalls "Sunshine, a scout cannot come to look at Benny."

"What the hell is wrong with you guys? This is an amazing thing, not just for Benny but for all of you."

"None of us are interested in playing for a college team Toni, besides we all know that Benny is the only one good enough. But that's not the point Toni, We are telling you that sending a Scout to look at Benny is a waste of time."

I was a little pissed off, Benny was talented enough to make the team, and I knew that they were his friends so I didn't understand why they were so against him being scouted.

"You guys need to explain, and explain fast before I decide not to call you ever again."

There was a sigh, some more rustling and then the Phone was back in the hands of Smalls. I suppose none of them figured they could explain it without pissing me off more, except for smalls.

"Toni?"

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"Sending a scout to look at Benny is a waste of time. It's been going on for weeks, he's moody, he's short tempered, he's moping around-"

"So he's in a mood."

"Toni, he hasn't been able to hit a ball to the fence since he got back, and hasn't been able to even hit the ball in days. He's fumbling ground balls, he's missing the bag, he's getting out on steals, he's not paying attention. He's completely lost all his talent, he's playing worse than Phillips."

"Why-" I stopped, Benny was extremely talented, being in a rut was one thing but Smalls wasn't one to exaggerate and if Benny was doing this poorly then there was obviously something seriously wrong. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

There was a pause from Smalls. "We didn't want to make you feel bad."

"What?" It was then that the Phone was ripped from Smalls' hands and Squints was now on the phone.

"Toni you need to cancel the scout alright?"

"I can't, he's already headed out there."

"Well call him and tell him to go back."

"Squints I can't do that, I made a huge deal about it, It'll look bad."

"Won't it look worse if you send them to look at a shit player?"

I let out a groan of frustration, running my hand over my face. "Come on it's Benny, just figure out whats going on with him and fix it, you don't just lose your talent."

"We know what's wrong with him Toni, and it's nothing we can fix right now."

"Well what is it?!"

Benny hadn't mentioned anything bothering him in our phone calls, and the fact that he was keeping anything from me really hurt. What could he possibly be going through that he can't tell me?

There was some more rustling on the other end of the line and Smalls was back on the phone. "Toni, I don't think it's a good idea to tell you."

"Scott Smalls you will tell me right now!"

"It's you, Toni."

"What's me?"

"He's here, and you're there, that's the problem."

"I don't-"

"You're gone Toni. He's depressed about it, and now he can't focus on anything and he's deteriorating. Don't get upset about it, once you're back it'll all go back to normal."

I didn't have time to wait two months, A scout was going to be there in four days.