A Thousand Paper Cranes
By Reiko Anne Nguyen
Date: January 23, 2011

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 9: Running Away From Home
"He prayed that the darkness would be enough to camouflage the two of them.
He prayed that the Lord would grant them temporary invisibility.
He prayed, and he prayed fervently."

Mr. Reynolds brought Benny safely back home from Point Mugu, and before Benny could even explain the events of the day, much less step into the house, Rafe Rodriguez had already begun his verbal abuse.

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Benjamin? Do you have any idea how worried your mother was?"

Benny dared to glance at his mother, who sat in the dimly-lit background with a confused expression on her face. He was worried, she mouthed silently as she pointed towards her husband. Not me.

Benny laughed at his mother's lack of seriousness, but immediately sobered up as his father stood over him, covering his mother's view.

"It's past eight o'clock."

"I was with a responsible adult," Benny nervously defended himself.

"Well that doesn't matter, Benjamin. We owe Mr. Reynolds too much and, quite frankly, I'm a bit embarrassed that we're always in need of his assistance. Now tell me. Where were you after school?"

Benny gulped apprehensively as he tried to keep eye contact with his father. Pitifully, though, the best he could do was to stare at his PF Flyers, which had been dirtied heavily during his attempted escape from Point Mugu.

"I was with the varsity team," Benny hesitantly began. It was his responsibility, after all, to tell his parents the truth, and to report the incident to the school. It was the right thing to do.

Easier said than done, Benny thought.

Benny knew that if he rat out the varsity team, they would find a way to get back at him. Dylan Royce was not the type to back down with dignity.

"And I got into the team. They decided to take me out for a—an induction ceremony."

"An induction ceremony?" Gabriella Rodriguez gasped as she snapped up from her chair and approached her son. "You were beaten, weren't you?"

"I didn't say that, mom!" Benny exclaimed. "I didn't—well, I mean…I…I just. I wasn't beaten!"

"Oh, Benny, why would they do such a thing?" Mrs. Rodriguez took Benny's chin in her hand and began examining his face. "What did they do to you? Are you hurt?"

"No, mom. They didn't do anything bad. They just…kind of strapped me on a scarecrow post for a few hours. It was nothing."

Benny had to smack himself in the head. Yeah, they just tied me to a post for a few hours. I could have frozen to death, but whatever. There was just no way of making that situation sound normal.

"How stupid can they be?" Mr. Rodriguez scoffed in anger as he strode to the corner of the living room and reached for the telephone. "I'm going to report this incident to Roger McClennan. Maybe a few nights in prison will slap some sense into those boys."

At that instant, and before he could even think, Benny frantically popped out of his seat and raced to grab his father's arm. "Wait, dad! Don't call Chief McClennan!"

Mr. Rodriguez looked at his son in surprise. "Benjamin, I will not have my son be associated with hazing trials and immature know-it-all boys who can't control their behavior."

"But I agreed to it, Dad. It's not as if they forced me to do it. I could have said 'no' if I wanted." At the risk of being bullied for the rest of my freshman life.

Mr. Rodriguez looked at his son seriously as he began to think. "You know what, you're right. Those boys don't deserve a lot of blame. You obviously had the right to turn them down. Why didn't you?"

Benny was stumped. There was no way around it. He knew his father was going to have the last word on this one. He always did. "I—I don't know, sir."

Rafe Rodriguez nodded his head. "I am more convinced now than ever that moving you to Riverside would be the best decision. Loma Linda Academy is a wonderful institution that would never allow this kind of behavior to ensue under their noses."

Benny scoffed out of impulse. "Whatever. You talk about moving us there all the time, but we never do."

"Well it's for sure this time, Benjamin," Rafe responded more crossly. It was enough having his wife point out his tentative plans. He didn't need his son to be following suit. "I've already spoken to director of my firm, as well as the dean of the academy. You can expect us to leave the valley by Christmas."

Benny felt his knees buckle as the reality of his situation sank in. "No," he whispered more to himself that to his father. "No fucking way!"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not going to that stupid school!" Benny yelled at his father. "You can't turn me into Adam, dad! Jesus, you're just like grandpa!"

That did it.

Rafe's jaw hardened as he stood rooted to his spot, obviously attempting to keep his cool. But to what extent?

"Don't kid yourself," Rafe said coldly. "You will never be as successful as Adam. Not now, not with your silly baseball dreams." It was salt on an opened wound. "So just grow up, Benjamin. Grow out of this ridiculous phase of yours."

And with that said, Rafe Rodriguez turned a cold shoulder at his family and retreated to his den, unaware of just how much he had hurt his son.

They're just words.Benny told himself. But they hurt to the core, and he resisted the urge to actually cry.

"Oh, m'hijo," Gabriella whispered as she stood next to Benny and wrapped him in a warm embrace—an embrace he couldn't bring himself to return. "Please don't take to heart what your father said. I wasn't joking when I said he was the one worried about you, and he really was worried. He didn't mean any of the things he said."

Benny gently shrugged off his mother's arm, disbelieving every single word she had said. It was hard to believe that his father cared at all.

"Whatever mom. I'm outta here." Seriously out of here. Benny thought as he marched up to his room, slammed the door shut, and angrily stormed into his closet.

He wants me to conform to his ideals? Quit baseball and go to prep school? Hell no! Not if I can help it! Benny fumed as he grabbed a duffel bag and began stuffing it with clothes. He was so caught up in his anger—so intensely concentrated—that he didn't realize anyone had been watching him.

"What are you doing?"

Benny snapped his head around and found Janie stepping into his room. She had obviously entered from the balcony, and was no crossing the room to stand over him.

"I'm packing," he said, although it was more of a question than an answer. Not too long ago, he was hell bent on leaving; anything that would fight his father's influence to move. But at the sight of Janie, he knew leaving would be harder than he thought. "I—I think I'm running away from home."

"Running away from home?" Janie sighed as she took as seat at the entrance of his closet. "Benny, what happened?"

"It's a long story."

"We have all night."

"But I'm leaving tonight."

"You sound a little unsure, Benny. And as your best friend, I won't allow you to make hasty decisions."

Benny chuckled as he continued to pack. "What are you gonna do? Knock me out and tie me down on the bed?"

"In your wet dreams, buddy," Janie joked. "But seriously. Why are you trying to run away from home?"

Benny paused for a moment. Was there an easier way to say it? That they were going to be separated again for an indefinite period of time?

No. There was no shortcut around it. She had to know in order for her to understand.

"We're moving," Benny told Janie as he zipped up his bag and threw it over his shoulder. He winced as he felt the weight press against the soreness of his back. "We're leaving by the end of the year. It's official."

Janie sat frozen on the floor as the words registered in her head. Benny walked past her, feeling slightly guilty for delivering the bad news in such a blunt manner. But he had to go. The sting from his father's words still burned, and he needed to walk it off.

"I have to go now, Janie. But don't worry. I'll come back to see you."

"Why?"

"You don't want me to come back for you?"

"That's not what I meant. Just…tell me why you're running away from home. I don't see how that'll solve anything."

"Easy," Benny smiled. "If I'm not around by the time my dad wants to move, we can't move. At least, not until he comes across another promotion."

"So, you're basically hiding out for three and a half months? Where are you gonna go?"

"Can't tell you that," Benny said as he stepped onto the balcony and grabbed the nearby tree. "You'll be the first person my mom and dad will be questioning when they realize I'm gone. I can't let you lie for me. Besides. You're kind of a bad liar."

Then, without waiting for her expected retaliation, Benny climbed over his rails and down the tree, unsure of when he'd be coming back home.

There weren't many stars that shone brightly over the deserts of Southern California—not with the glam of city lights illuminating the entire Los Angeles County. It was a bare, moonless night, but it was welcoming to Benny, nonetheless. The sky, although empty of the sun that had earlier brightened its day, still retained a faintly orange hue, and the air, although slightly humid and warm, was made tolerable by the cool breeze that occasionally swept through the highway.

Benny had to admit that the atmosphere did well for his mood. It was as if the night had taken the initiative to console him itself. When he had first left the neighborhood, he was full of hurt and anger. Never once had his father spoken to him so callously. At least he was passionate about it, Benny snorted.

Now, however, as he was walking out of San Fernando Valley and past a barren desert near I-120, he was suddenly sick of being miserable. Even the thought of temporarily leaving behind his home and everyone he loved was emotionally exhausting, and he knew he had to find a way to cope with it if he ever wanted to sabotage his family's chances of leaving the valley for good.

But first things first. He had to deal with Janie.

"Janie, if you're gonna follow me all night, at least walk next to me so we can talk," Benny yelled over his shoulder with an amused smile on his face. In an instant, Janie was at Benny's side, a bit disgruntled at being discovered.

"How'd you know I was following you?" She asked in slight annoyance. But Benny only chuckled and tapped on the temple of his head.

"Intuition, Janie. I can feel you a mile away."

"Interesting," Janie replied with feign interest. "But now that you've caught me, I think it's time we finally talked. What happened to you in Point Mugu, Benny? I was really worried about you."

Benny's steps faltered as Janie pulled on his arm, forcing him to slowly stop. He winced slightly as her grip tightened around the sores of his arms, causing him to bite down in pain. This reaction did not go unnoticed by Janie, who suddenly loosened her hold on him and hastily pulled up his sleeves.

"Oh my God," Janie gasped, horrified at the dark red marks visibly marring Benny's smooth, tan skin. Even in the dim of the light, his blisters were clearly discernible.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Benny said softly.

It was a lie—an attempt to downplay his injuries. He didn't want her to worry, but it was pointless by now. She worried anyway, and he gave into her by telling the entire, unabridged story. By the time he had finished, Janie stared at him in disbelief, unwilling to accept Benny's defeat.

"You can't mean to tell me that you're going to let those scum bags off the hook?" Janie exclaimed in concern. "Benny, it may have been your decision to go through with the transition, but it's not like they really left you a choice."

"We always have a choice, Janie."

"But at what price? You know that Dylan Royce would have made your freshman year a living hell if you had rejected his offer. Rejecting their offer would have meant rejecting the team, and you and I both know that Dylan Royce and his stupid friends don't accept a refusal."

"I know that, Janie," Benny said in vexation. "But I still stand by what I said. I'm not turning in the varsity team. I could have rejected them. I could have quit the varsity team and joined junior varsity instead. I made the choice, and it was my mistake."

Janie shook her head in disagreement, but refrained from arguing back. As much as she wanted those varsity scum bags suspended from school, she had to respect Benny's decision. He had made his choice, and she knew he was going to stick with it. There was no dissuading him anymore.

Besides, she had to keep in mind of what Tony Olanowski would do if Benny ever turned him in. That boy had a growing grudge against Benny, and she suspected that it was all her fault.

"I'm sorry," Janie said as her expression softened. "If I had kept my mouth shut instead of challenging Tony on the first day of school, you probably wouldn't have beaten him to a pulp. And then maybe the varsity team wouldn't have targeted you to begin with. Perhaps I'm partially to blame for what they did to you."

"No," Benny shook his head as he held her shoulders and pulled her closer. "You listen to me, Janie. What happened today with the varsity team was not your fault. If anything, that trial had been going on for years."

"But you could have died, Benny!" Janie whispered in slight frustration. "Why can't you understand that? The varsity team could have killed you!"

"You're exaggerating," Benny said insecurely as her words hit him, but that did nothing to soothe Janie.

"I'm not exaggerating," she cried out loud as tears glossed her eyes. "What if a pack of wild dogs came and attacked you? Or a group of crows? You were in a wheat field, for crying out loud!"

Benny closed the distance between them and enveloped Janie in his arms, suddenly feeling alarmed at the realization.

"You're right, Janie You're right. But it's okay now. Nothing bad happened to me, you see?" Benny pulled away and let Janie observe him. He did not expect her to gasp, however, as she spotted the red marks that circled his torso.

Benny cursed under his breath as he realized he had forgotten to change out of Mr. Reynolds' jacket. The zipper had come undone, revealing the raw blisters that burned into his skin.

"It's nothing," he lied to her, but it was evident in her anxious expression that she doubted him, and Benny simply didn't have the energy to deal with it. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. "I think it's time you went home, Janie," Benny said as he began walking again. "Just keep yourself out of trouble, alright? I'll come back to visit you in about a week or two."

Janie scoffed in disbelief. "That's it? You're really going to leave me here?"

"You shouldn't have followed me," Benny said behind his shoulder as he continued to walk away.

"But what if I get attacked? What if someone kidnaps me? What if—stop walking, Benny! Wait for me!"

Benny heard Janie's footsteps approach him as he neared a steel bridge. He shook his head in exasperation, realizing that unless he walked her home, there was no way she would be leaving him. He turned around, just about ready to grab her arm and yank her back to Telfair Avenue, when a sight in the distance caught his attention.

"The heck is that?" Benny whispered as he squinted his eyes. An outline had emerged from the highway, moving towards him and Janie. It advanced quickly, and by the time Benny was able to make out the silhouettes people, it was too late to really run.

Worried, Benny pulled Janie to the side of the bridge, hoping this large group of people would not stop to pay them any attention. He prayed that the darkness would be enough to camouflage the two of them. He prayed that the Lord would grant them temporary invisibility. He prayed, and he prayed fervently.

But like most outrageous pleas he made to God, his prayers went unanswered, and Benny soon found himself face to face with a tall, balding man.

"Well, what do we 'ave here?" The man sneered at him. As if on impulse, Benny grabbed Janie in his arms and shielded her away from the group, one of them being a ridiculously tall giant.

"We don't want any trouble, man," Benny mustered to say with as much courage as he could. The crack in his voice, however, gave him away, and the older man only laughed at his false bravado.

"Trouble? We're not here to start a'ny trouble, little boy. Is ye who won share. Why not hand over the pretty lass behind ye and move on."

Benny glared down on the gypsy-clad man, all the while feeling fear reverberate through his body. He felt cold, and yet his head felt heavy and hot, as if the blood had instantly rushed to aid his over thinking mind. His fingers tingled with numbness as he tightened his grip around Janie's arm. He had to keep her safe.

"Did ye hear me, boy?" The man asked again. But Benny refused to budge—intent on serving as a barrier between Janie and this disgusting man.

"I heard you," Benny finally spoke. "And like I said, we don't want any trouble. We're just passing by."

"Just passing by?" The man scoffed. "I canna believe ye! You're two miles away from reaching the Ridgeback Desert, liar!" The entire grouped laughed in unison, flustering Benny even more. "Either ye'r sneaking out on a school night, or ye'r runnin' away from home."

The group feigned gasps of shock, further agitating Benny. He tried to remain still, but Janie's fidgeting gave them away.

"Did ye make sure to leave yer ma and pa a letter?"

"Yes," Benny lied. "They're probably out looking with Police Chief McClennan."

"Ooh, Police fuzz, eh?" The man chuckled. "I highly doubt that, lad. Take em' both!"

And with that, the group began advancing around Benny and Janie, who held tightly onto one another in fear of being separated. Their effort was wasted as the group immediately pulled them apart, and Benny found himself being thrown onto the ground. He watched as a midget straddled Janie on the dirt and stuffed a dirty handkerchief in her mouth.

"Leave her alone!" Benny yelled. But his breath was only wasted as a piece of clothe was shoved into his mouth, and before he knew it, he was being held down.

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.