A Thousand Paper Cranes 2
By Delilah Anne Marie
2009, March 11
Summary: Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the adoration and support of the love of his life. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be as innocent as Benny thinks.
Chapter 5: Striking Out
Benny walked Maddy back to the empty courtyard and found a bench for them to sit on. He was tempted to ask her what she had done to make Tracy and Felicia so angry, but thought better than to probe into personal questions. They sat quietly for a while before she meekly thanked him again.
"It's alright, Maddy. I mean, it's not exactly part of my schedule to rescue people, but it really isn't a problem. It was my pleasure to help you." He flashed her a smile for reassurance, and she smiled back with equal optimism.
"I'm just amazed, that's all. You saved me twice now. I don't think anyone's ever shown me that much compassion."
Benny raised a quizzical brow. "What do you mean? You're Alford Green's daughter, aren't you? I mean, you're from a family of socialites. So doesn't that mean you're, you know, social?"
"Well, that's how I should be," she honestly replied. "But my step mother usually sends me away to an all girls' school in New York. And even there, I can't seem to find the courage to talk to people. It's miserable."
Benny nodded his head s he tried to understand her. If she claimed life was horrible, he wouldn't doubt her. Not when she had tried to jump off a balcony. She was shy, that was obvious. And she wasn't exactly pleasing to the eye—not that it mattered to Benny, but it definitely mattered in a world where vanity influenced the media, which then influenced the people. Still, he couldn't understand how she could be so easily pushed around. She was rich, yes, but she definitely did not seem like a snot—or so Benny thought.
"So, is that why you're here in public school? Because private school makes you miserable."
"My parents paid so much money to send me to a good institution, and I dropped out because the kids weren't treating me well. I'm sorry if it sounds selfish. I don't want to seem like your typical, spoiled rich girl."
Benny nodded his head. "No, it's alright. You were being deprived of friendship. Maybe even respect. Basic things that make life tolerable. I don't think you're being selfish at all."
Maddy looked at Benny in silence, looking as if she was ready to cry. "You're so kind to me," she whispered. "I've never met anyone like you before. Thank you."
"It's nothing," Benny smiled again. "You know, I think you might come to like it here in San Fernando high school. Aside from Tracy and Felicia, there really are a lot of decent people. I could introduce you to my friends! You want me to?"
Maddy nodded her head in eagerness, and Benny helped her stand up. The bell had rung just as they were walking, making Benny speed up his pace. He didn't want Janie waiting for him too long, as she had tennis practice to attend to.
"Stay here," Benny told Maddy when they had reached the honors building. She nodded her head as she stayed in place and continued to clutch onto Benny's jacket.
Benny ran up the stone steps knowing Janie would be coming out of English Composition. He sighed with the realization that he would have to run up to the third floor to pick her up before dragging her back down to meet Maddy. Luckily for him, though, he spotted Janie stepping out the entrance doors and walking towards him.
"Benny!" She yelled from atop the steps before being enveloped by Benny's arms. "What took you so long?"
"It's a lengthy story," he said before giving her a short kiss. "Are you feeling Christian-y today?"
"What?"
"I need your help. I met a girl."
Janie's eyes widened as his latter comment gave her a double meaning.
"No, I mean I saved a girl from Tracy and Felicia. I need your help in making her feel welcome. She's new to our school."
Janie breathed out in relief and nodded her head in understanding. "No problem. Friendly is my middle name!"
"Oh really? Because I thought it was sexy," Benny wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
"Baka ja nai."
"I don't understand that taka waka thing you're saying. Now let's go." Benny intertwined his fingers with Janie's and led her down the steps towards Maddy, whose disposition suddenly seemed repellant.
"Maddy," Benny said gently as he and Janie stopped in front of her. "This wonderful lady here is my childhood best friend and the love of my life, Janie Reynolds. Janie, this is Madison Green. But you can go ahead and call her Maddy. She's new to the school, so I figured I'd introduce her to people."
"It's nice to meet you," Janie said with an exquisite smile before offering her hand. Maddy hesitantly shook it before quickly stepping away again. She was obviously not comfortable with Janie, and Benny was aware of it."
"Janie is actually really well-known around the school," Benny said, hoping it would make Maddy feel relaxed. "She's a member of the student body as our president, so if you ever have any questions about the school or if you just need help getting around, Janie's your go-to girl."
"Is there anything you're particularly interested in?" Janie asked, hoping she could help out. "If you'd like, I can introduce you to my tennis team."
"Flying objects hate me," Maddy murmured as she shook her head. "I'm not too graceful, either."
"Well neither is Janie, but that doesn't keep her from dancing ballet," Benny mused. "What about the newspaper staff? Are you into writing?" Maddy shrugged her shoulders. She was definitely going to be an indecisive one, Janie thought.
"Well, it's worth a try. Would you like to meet my staff tomorrow during lunch?"
Maddy shrugged her shoulder again. Her disposition was turning haughtier by the minute, but it was hard to tell behind her meek voice. "I suppose so," she answered.
Janie and Benny looked at each other and smiled. "That sounds like a plan. And then maybe afterwards, I can introduce you to our other friends." Benny thought of Ham, Squints, Smalls, and Lexi. They'd definitely do more than a decent job of making her feel welcomed.
"Well, I'm going to leave you girls to your thing," Benny said, hoping Maddy would open up to Janie. "I have a baseball game to prep for. You two will be cheering for me together, yes?"
Janie nodded her head as she accepted his quick peck on the cheek. "Of course. I'll spend a couple of minutes with Maddy before going to tennis practice. I don't think Coach Faye would mind."
"Thanks Janie. I'll see you later. Maddy." Benny waved to the two girls and began walking away. They were an unlikely pair standing next to each other the way they did. Janie was the flower. Beautiful. Serene. Seemingly gracefully. Maddy, on the other hand, was the weed. A stark contrast to Janie's more classic stature. But like a weed, Benny hoped she would grow to be strong and tough. He hoped that with his and Janie's help, she could develop into a confident person.
Benny didn't know why it was that he wanted to help her so much. It was a complex he developed after he welcomed Scotty Smalls to his band of friends. Perhaps it was the fact that as a child, Benny was shy and timid. He didn't have very much friends, and he didn't have much to look forward to. But when Janie introduced him to baseball, it changed his life. He found his calling, and it certainly helped him develop some self-confidence. He only hoped the same for people like Maddy.
After Benny had left Maddy with Janie, hoping a little girl-time would make her feel a welcome, he went to the baseball field for practice. The team had worked harder than usual in preparation for their next big game against Sweetwater High School—their rival school. Of course, ever since Benny had made the varsity baseball team again in his junior year, Sweetwater had never won a single game against San Fernando High. In fact, Benny had never lost the team a single game, much less strike out when batting. It was for this reason that Benny was able to uphold his initial fame as a local baseball sensation—a feat he still couldn't quite adjust to.
"Rodriguez," Scott Phillips shouted as he entered the dugout. "Today's a big day. You nervous about all those scouts?"
"Not one bit," Benny said as he flashed one of his crooked grins. Throughout the years, he had learned to tolerate his former nemesis, who had grown to become one of Janie's good friends. Of course, tolerating was still a far cry from befriending, as Benny and Scott continued to have somewhat "friendly" disputes when possible.
"That's the spirit. Now, I know you probably won't have any problems out there—being the incredibly talented baseball god with the beautiful girlfriend, I mean—but I thought I'd just warn you about Sweetwater's new pitcher. I saw him when I went to one of their games last week and…phew! The kid knows how to throw a serious knuckle ball!"
"Thanks for the heads up. And the unnecessary flattery," Benny said, not feeling the least bit threatened. "But I think those summer games with you only sharpened his skills.
"Glad to be of some service," Scott replied as he gave a mock bow.
Benny only rolled his eyes like he often did when he was around Phillips. The kid was a complete tease.
"Third batter!" Coach Rose called out before Benny could think of something clever to say. In his freshman year, Benny had achieved the position of first batter, which required that he be the fastest on the team. Throughout the years, however, Coach Rose had dubbed him the best slugger on the team and immediately promoted him to third batter. Benny's new job was to help drive the base runners, which was fitting considering the fact that he had the highest batting average on the team.
Benny ran out of the dugout and approached the batter's box, causing the crowd to cheer and wave their banners. He waved at Janie, who sat at her usual spot above the dugout, and found Maddy standing next to her. He waved at Maddy as well, causing her to smile shyly.
"Here," Glover said as he handed Benny the bat. "Watch out for that pitcher. He's got—"
"A serious arm," Benny finished his sentence. "Yeah, I know. I've been warned." Benny took the bat from Glover and prepared himself to swing, keeping his eyes on the boy standing at the pitcher's mound. He had expected someone intimidating to be standing in front of him. Instead, he found himself facing a short, scrawny teenager with a uniform pants too long to be considered neat and a mouse-like face. If anything, he looked inexperienced. Maybe even clumsy. Still, Benny wasn't one to let his prejudgments affect his decisions, and he was going to treat the kid like any other opponent he's ever had.
Benny approached the batter's box, hearing the cheers grow louder as he went to set position. He watched as the pitcher prepared himself, and found that all the bases had not been filled. Apparently, all his team mates had been struck out.
Benny blocked out the sounds of cheering in his mind and concentrated on the weight of his bat and the ball pressed against the pitcher's chest. He eyed the ball, watching it as the pitcher stepped back and raised his leg. This was it. This was the pitch.
On a normal basis, Benny would watch the ball as if it were in slow motion. He'd usually be able to detect what kind of pitch was coming his way. Knuckle ball. Curve Ball. Fast Ball. Slurve Ball. The list went on. But when Benny let himself blink an eye, the ball was already soaring his way, and he barely had time to register a swing.
"Strike!" The umpire yelled. A slight tone of confusion tinted his voice.
The crowd immediately ceased their cheering, and the sound of silence filled the stands. Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez had just struck out for the first time in San Fernando baseball history. And in front of scouts. The latter truth was what caused Benny to freeze. Never mind the fact that he struck out for the first time in high school baseball. There were scouts for the Dodgers watching him! He knew that if he wanted to impress, he had to hit one of his homeruns.
After earning another strike, Benny was lucky enough to hit a homerun, giving his team their first point. The following innings weren't any better. Although Benny almost always managed to hit homeruns for his team, it wasn't quite enough to win. San Fernando High School lost to Sweetwater.
"Good job, kid," Benny said as he offered his hand to Sweetwater's star pitcher. "People weren't kidding when they said you had a good arm."
The kid threw Benny a nasty sneer, unwilling to accept Benny's hand for a shake. "You should have believed them then," he retorted before walking past Benny and snubbing off the rest of San Fernando's team.
Benny grudgingly walked towards the dugout where Coach Rose softly grabbed him by the shoulder. He surprisingly wasn't upset about the fact that his record streak had been broken, and by a snot-faced kid, no less. No, what made Benny want to scream out loud was the fact that scouts were watching him, and he messed up. He had always dreamed about this once in a life time opportunity, and he always dreamed of succeeding. The turn of events simply wasn't what he had dreamed of.
"Rodriguez," he said in a surprisingly soft voice that caught Benny off guard. Coach Rose, who always barked and always had something to say to make a kid's life miserable, looked as if he was struggling with his words. "I want you to know you did a good job, son."
"You don't have to say anything," Benny said as he tried to smile. "Scouts don't really look at whether a game is won or not anyway. It's all about skill, right?"
Coach Rose only sighed before returning the weak smile. "Mr. Green wants to see you in my office. Go to him."
Benny hurried off to the gymnasium across the field, hoping to avoid other comments of sympathy. If Coach Rose was able to crack his rough disposition, who knew what a nice man like Mr. Green would say.
He didn't have to wait long to find out.
"What was that, Rodriguez?" Mr. Green said in a cold voice once Benny had entered the office. He leaned against the side of Coach Rose's desk with his arms crossed in front of his chest and, as usual, he wore his crisp business suit.
"What do you mean?" Benny asked, a little confused at the man's sudden change of behavior.
"I'm not sure if you understood what I meant when I said scouts would be watching," Mr. Green said coolly as he began walking towards Benny. "But you looked pathetic out there!"
Benny continued to give him a blank look, unsure of what reaction to have.
"You think I'm doing you all these good favors out of charity? Well think again, kid. I've got two, very unimpressed scouts waiting for me right now. If anything, it looks as if they've found a candidate in that Sweetwater pitcher. Kiss pro baseball goodbye, Jet," Mr. Green sneered as he pushed Benny out of the way and opened the door. "You've screwed us up."
And just before he could leave, Benny put his hand on the door, stopping Mr. Green from leaving. He had taken treatment like this before. He remembered the feeling of embarrassment and self-disappointment. But he wasn't going to take it, no matter how prominent his opponent was.
"I'm not some charity-case, Mr. Green. I can make a future for myself without you."
Mr. Green scoffed. "That's a laugh. Without me, you wouldn't have been able to come even one inch near a baseball scout! Do you have any idea what the statistics are for high school students being drafted into pro baseball? Cause let me tell you, kid, you don't have a chance."
Benny kept a serious face as he straightened his back and faced Mr. Green.
"Baseball isn't the only thing in life, Mr. Green. I have other dreams and a family who'll support me in whatever I do."
"So what are you going to do? Go to school? Get a bachelor's and a job with your mediocre grades? I've been there, Rodriguez. And if there's anything I've learned through the years, it's that you need money to get you places. College doesn't play for itself, kid. You're more likely to drive school buses or cut grass for living with your pathetical, middle-class family."
"I don't accept that kind of talk about my family," Benny said through clenched teeth.
"This is America," Mr. Green continued to sneer. "It's a free country, and I can say whatever the hell I want."
Benny laughed bitterly, amazed at how immature a grown man can be. "Yeah, well, that doesn't excuse you from being an asshole."
And then he left, proving to himself that he could stand up against a (so-called) great man.