A Thousand Paper Cranes
By Reiko Anne Nguyen
Date: July 29, 2009
Summary: Benny never thought he'd find another adventure quite like pickling the beast. Little did he know that freshman year would prove to be anything but ordinary. Varsity hazing trials, dead bodies, and town secrets are bound to be revealed.
Chapter 7: Charm Bracelet
"The Jet?" Benny asked with uncertainty.
"Well, it was either that, or Benny the Homerun Daddy."
"The Jet sounds awesome!" Benny said immediately.
August 31, 1962
Friday
"Give me your hand," Janie told Benny as they sat in the corner of the library, supposedly studying for evil Dr. Dameron's anticipated pop quiz.
"Hey, I gave you that for your birthday!" Benny said as Janie wrapped her charm bracelet around his wrist. "Why are you giving it back to me?"
"For good luck, of course! Keep it with you, and wear it on the day of your baseball tryouts. Trust me, it'll give you good luck."
Benny smiled as he shook his wrists, letting the charms wiggle from the silver chains.
"Now give me your hand," Benny told Janie as he grasped her right hand and began drawing on it with a black marker. Janie observed him curiously, wondering what he was doing. When he pulled away, she found two black lines and a sloppily drawn diamond in the middle of her fourth finger.
"That would be fifty dollars for the ring, please," Benny said as he held up his hand.
Janie gave him an astonished look before grinning.
"Fifty? But I gave you my bracelet for free! No, here, let me draw you one." Janie took his right hand as well and began drawing a simple black band.
"It looks weird," Benny mumbled as he watched her work.
"Well, stay still! Okay, now you need a watch. What time is it? Ah, noon. Perfect!"
Benny laughed as she continued to mark the circumference of his arm; a tiny clock marked twelve o'clock laid on the anterior side of wrist.
"That will be a hundred-and-fifty dollars, please," Janie retorted as she held her hand up. Benny observed Janie's handiwork. For someone who was loved musical arts, she was no Picasso.
"I don't like it," Benny said.
"Well that's okay. You like sunglasses, don't you Benny? I'll make you some for free! For free, I tell you!"
Benny began to pull away as Janie lunged towards him. He laughed as he dodged her and began running down an aisle of bookshelves, nearly running into the librarian and her heavy stack of books.
"Shhh! No running in the library," the librarian whispered crossly as she strode down the aisle.
Benny and Janie only stifled their laughter between their hands as they continued walking. It was when they were out of ear shot, however, that they began laughing out loud.
"What time is it?" Janie asked as she tried to regain her composure. Benny glanced at the clock she drew on his arm and grinned.
"Noon. Perfect!"
Janie giggled as Benny sloppily dropped an arm around her and started leading her back to their spot.
"No, seriously. I'm, um…supposed to be meeting someone here." Benny scrunched his brows, noticing Janie's sudden discomfort. "He said he would stop by a little before three-thirty p.m."
"He?" Benny asked in surprise. "Anyone I know?"
"Ah, yeah, sorta," Janie began to giggle nervously. "I got stuck doing a project with him for home economics, remember?"
In that instant, Benny began to gag. "No," he whispered. "No. Not him! Not Phillips! Janie, couldn't you have given me some warning?"
"I—forgot?" Janie shrugged as Benny pulled his arm away from her and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I hate that guy."
"I know."
"He's a dick."
"I'm sorry."
"I hate his guts."
"Who doesn't?"
"Did you know he—"
"Okay! I get it! Sheesh, Benny! It's not like I'm marrying him!"
Benny couldn't help but snort out loud. He had gone from frowning accusingly at Janie to suddenly flashing her one of his laughing grins.
"I like it when you smile like that," Janie said softly. Whether she was attempting to change the subject or not, Benny didn't know, but he rolled his eyes nonetheless and replied to her compliment.
"Smile like what?"
"Like that," she simply responded. "You've got a crooked smile, you know? Not to sound weird, but it's cute. Girls like it."
Benny's smile widened as he tried to hide the embarrassment. He knew Janie was trying to make him feel better, and he knew it was working. It was just a damn shame that he had to interrupt.
"Well if it isn't Rodriguez," Scott Phillips drawled.
In an instant, Benny's good mood had demolished, and he spun around to face his smirking enemy.
"Phillips," Benny nodded his head. "I just found out you were coming by."
"Yeah, I heard," Phillips said as he turned his attention towards Janie. "I'm surprised you didn't tell your little lover about our rendezvous, Janie. Was it meant to be a secret, my dear?"
Benny shot Phillips a rotten glare. The guy was obviously intent on ticking him off today. "I never thought I'd see you around our part of the neighborhood," Benny said casually. "Not since we last kicked your ass over the summer."
Phillip's disposition remained cool and relaxed, despite the insult. If there was one thing he and Benny had in common, it was their inherent ability to appear calm.
"You forget, I go to your school now. And besides, I'm not here to start trouble. I'm here to see Reynolds."
Benny looked back at Janie, who shrugged in defeat.
"She must have set you up to your own death then, because the Ham and DeNunez are nearby just waiting to pounce on your sorry ass."
"Oh," Phillips said dramatically as he placed a hand over his heart. "The betrayal! And here I thought she actually wanted me!"
"Sorry, Phillips," Janie said unworriedly. "It wouldn't have worked out between us." Phillips feigned another hurt expression before he grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him.
"But Janie, think of the baby!"
Benny's eyes snapped back at Janie, who covered her face with her hands and shook her head. He then looked back at Phillip's, ready to do more than just smack that smirk off his face.
"Relax, Rodriguez," Phillips said as he relished in Benny's annoyance. "I was talking about our baby for health class."
Phillips pulled out an egg from his pocket and held up for Benny to observe. It was white with a smudged, wicked face sloppily drawn on it.
"Oh, Phillips," Janie said gloomily. "What have you done to Antonia's face?"
"What have I done? I just gave you the prettiest baby egg in the world! She has your eyes, you see?" Phillips held the egg closer to Janie, a boyish grin spreading across his face. Janie, on the other hand, did not share his enthusiasm and cringed as she looked at the egg's face. It seemed as if it were looking in two different directions.
"And why are you carrying her in your pocket?" Janie cried. "I could slap you! Do realize the consequences if we break her? We'll be given another egg, and then we'll have to start all over! I do NOT want to extend this project with you as my partner, Phillips."
"Woman, relax! I'll carry her in my breast pocket, near and dear to my heart, okay? Don't slap me."
Janie crossed her arms and continued to glower at him. Benny wished she had slapped him.
"Alright," Benny spoke up again. "Now that we're done with introductions, I think you should hand over the project and move on, Phillips."
"Yes sir," Phillips mocked a salute.
Benny then leaned down to whisper in Janie's ear, telling her that he'd be heading back first so she could have a word with Phillips.
Janie felt thankful for Benny's quick understanding and smiled after him as he walked away.
"You know," Phillips said before yawning. "If you keep looking at him like that, he might find out how you really feel."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh please, woman. I can smell the hormones coming off of you. I like it when you smile like that," Phillips began mock her in a high-pitched voice. "Ooh, it's so crooked. It's so cuuute! Girls liiike it! And if you ask me, he's not that shielded with his feelings, either."
"Excuse me?"
"Babe, the guy looked like he wanted to chew my head off when I mentioned a baby. I've never seen him get worked up about anything."
"He's been under stress," Janie defended.
"Well then can you imagine what he would've done if we really got it on? I'd like to experiment on that. Your place, or mine?"
"Ugh, both! You go to your place, I'll go to mine."
"Don't be a prude, Janie."
"Phillips, I wouldn't touch you if you were the last man on earth and it was up to us to repopulate the world!"
"Way to be original, but that's not the first time I've heard that."
"Well sometimes, clichés are better left the way they are. Especially when they're built on fundamental facts."
"Well he's another cliché you might like. Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Girl and boy become best friends and fall in love."
Janie's guarded stance faltered a bit at his point made.
"Or," he continued. "Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Boy and girl despise each other. Then boy and girl fall in love. I think I like that one better!"
Just when she was beginning to tolerate him, he had to open his big mouth.
"I don't feel that way about Benny. We're friends. Best friends. He counts me as one of the guys."
"Keep telling yourself that, doll. I happen to think Rodriguez is a wuss for denying his real feelings." Janie snapped her head up, anger in her eyes.
"Benny Rodriguez is twice the man you'll ever be," Janie spat, feeling defensive for Benny.
And in her state of anger, she shoved Phillips, hearing a loud crack emit from his chest. At first, Janie feared she had broken something in his body. But when she saw wet, yellow goo drip through the fabric of his jacket, her hands flew to her mouth and she let out a squeak. She stared at Scott Phillips, who looked just as stunned as she was as he contemplated on what was worse: ruining his favorite jacket, or having to start the project all over.
"Reynolds, what the hell did I do to deserve this?"
"You tried to break my doll when we were four. And then you locked Benny in a trash bin. Remember?"
September 5, 1962
Wednesday
"Rodriguez, Benjamin," Benny heard Coach Banks call out his name during after school tryouts. "You're up, son." Benny stepped out of the dugout and grabbed the bat from the pitcher's box, feeling probing eyes burn his back as he practiced his swing.
"So that's the guy?" Benny heard some of the boys in the dugout talking loudly.
"Yeah, he pickled the beast. Where have you been in the last month?"
"You think he's as good as they say?"
"Not likely. You know how rumors are."
"True. He doesn't even look like the kind of guy who could bust the guts out of a baseball."
It didn't matter to Benny if people didn't believe he could outrun a giant mastiff, but the fact that people doubted the only skill he truly valued made him a bit defensive for himself.
He scanned the field, finding Kenny and Ham in the outfield, cheering wildly in support. The gesture was enough to soothe some of the pressure he felt.
Then he glanced at the charm bracelet that dangled from his wrist. He smiled, remembering that Janie had let him borrow it for good luck, and then he laughed as he recalled the number of times he had worn it even before tryouts had begun. Benny could have sworn it really did give him good luck, since he wore it during a quiz in Biology, actually managed to pass with a C instead of his usual F. He suddenly felt comforted, not because of the "luck" he was bestowed with, but the fact that he had his best friend's full support. With a new found confidence, Benny straightened his posture and turned his attention to the pitcher.
Standing on the pitcher's mound, with his light ash brown hair and crooked smirk, was Scott Phillips. At five foot six, he was just as tall and slim as Benny.
Bring it on, you pig-headed snot. Benny thought as he focused his eyes on Phillip and positioned himself into his ready stance.
He had never missed a ball before, and he wasn't going to start now, especially when Phillips was the one pitching it to him. The guy wasn't an amazing batter, but he definitely knew how to throw a good knuckle ball.
Thankfully, and surprisingly, Phillips only threw him a straight, which Benny hit with amazing force.
Not even bothering to watch how far the ball went, Benny sped past the plates, hearing the small crowd cheer in amazement. He wouldn't have to run back and forth between third and home bases anymore, as his ball gave him and his team mates a home run.
"Good job, kid!" Coach Banks said as he approached Benny and patted him on the back. He then bent down so that his face met Benny's and whispered, "Rest assured, son, you definitely have a spot waiting for you on the team." He winked, making Benny feel proud of his simple accomplishment. "Go ahead and run home. Your tryouts are done."
Benny watched the rest of the tryouts even after Mr. Banks let him go home. He wanted to assure himself that Ham and Kenny would be able to join him on the team and, so far, the possibility looked promising. Ham and Kenny were easily the best players at the tryouts—next to Scott Phillips, that is.
Halfway through the tryouts, Janie joined Benny on the bleachers, intent on unleashing the stress of being on the newspaper staff.
"I cannot believe how unfair Donna Pekarovski is." Janie fumed quietly as she paced in front of Benny. "How can she assign Third Reporter to Lisa? Her own sister! She's just a freshman, for crying out loud! And not to sound like a complete baby, but I am in Advanced English. Doesn't that give me some kind of—I don't know—precedence over Lisa Pekarovski?"
"What ever happened to being a good sport?" Benny teased as Janie plumped miserably on the seat next to him.
"I'm not trying to be rotten," she grumbled with a slight pout. "I just feel cheated for being assigned petty, mediocre columns on cafeteria coleslaw while Lisa reaps the benefit of having an older sister for editor-in-chief. And don't you try to defend Donna just because you've had a gigantic crush on her since the 6th grade."
Benny couldn't help but snicker at his best friend's whiny behavior. "Be thankful you don't have to try out to be on newspaper staff."
"Oh please," Janie snorted. "Tryouts would have been a lot fairer, in my opinion." She sighed in defeat. "I guess I'll just have to suck it up for a few years, which is a real shame. I was looking forward to writing my first official article on you."
"Me?"
"Yes," she nodded zealously. "I was going to title it, 'Benny The Jet Rodriguez: San Fernando High's Newest Star.'"
"The Jet?" Benny asked with uncertainty. "It's a little cheesy, don't you think?"
"Well, it was either that, or Benny the Homerun Daddy."
"The Jet sounds awesome!" Benny said immediately.
Author's Note: I have to give credit to the Korean show "Full House," for inspiring me to write out the fake jewelry scene from episode-something. You should all watch it with sub-titles. It's kind of cute.
Other than that, I guess I like this chapter because of Scott Phillips. I know that in the movie, we only see him as a jerk, and other fanfics portray him as a perverted sexual harasser, but as an individual character, we know almost nothing about him. With that in mind, I decided that Phillips was one of those characters I'd be free to develop into anything I wanted, and in the end, I decided to make him more…likeable.
Disclaimer: "The Sandlot" was written and directed by David M. Evans. I do not own anything related to the movie other than this fan written fiction and the original characters I have created through my own imagination. I assure you that this piece of work does not make any profits, nor will it be published in the future. Copyright infringement is not intended.