i was eating the last bit of my bread and twirling my hair with my finger when i hear a knock at the door. "i'll get it!"  i exclaim to my parents. i walk over to the door and it's Benny. "let's go, get your glove and come on!" he speaks really fast. "what's the big deal?" i ask. "night game, come on!" he tells me and i grab my hat and glove, "i'm going out!" i yell before running outside with Benny. there's a bunch of round tables in the caldisac with several people and food on a long, rectangle table. there is banners everywhere and decorations on houses, all red, white, and blue. there's firecrackers and fireworks being set off, making the night sky colorful. me and Benny go to the rest of the boys' houses, round them up, and we all start running towards the sandlot, well, besides Ham, he's getting some food.

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𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀, 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲. 𝗪𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺. 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀, 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀, 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘇, 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.
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we started playing the game, the light of the fireworks brightening the field. as soon as Benny hits the ball and it goes flying, he drops the bat and starts running. of corse he gets a home-run, but not because he's good. because the rest of us were focused on the beautiful fireworks in the nighttime sky. they're so mesmerizing, absolutely beautiful. in that very moment, i had nothing on my mind. nothing. i'm just watching the fireworks boom into the sky, all different shapes and colors. i realize how much i have, and how grateful i should be. i'm surrounded by eight amazing boys, that make me laugh all the time without trying. i couldn't imagine my childhood, or even my entire life, without them. i'm surrounded by love, and happiness. and the best people i could ever ask for.

~next morning~

we were playing our usual game, and Benny gets stuck in a pickle. "PICKLE!!" Ham shouts. "yeah,yeah, get him!" Yeah-Yeah exclaims. everyone runs over to the pickle and Benny slips through and makes the home run, stomping on home plate and leaving a shoe imprint there, in the dirt that's piled on it. all the boys groan and i just laugh at their frustration.

we're laughing and groaning when Squints turns around, "oooohhhh nooooo" Squints exclaims and flails his arms. everyone turns around, including me, and everyone does the same as Squints, besides me. some boys on bikes were coming our way, and the boys clearly didn't like them that much. everyone throws their gloves on the ground and Benny throws the bat. we all walk closer to them, the gang stopping infront of us. Ham WAS NOT happy.

"ah, it's easy when your playing with a bunch of rejects and a- is that a.....GIRL?!" one of the boys says. "yeah,yeah, it is. what're you gonna do about it?!" Yeah-Yeah replies. "mhm." i say and walk farther up front to where they can all see me. i cross my arms and smirk, showing i'm not afraid. "ohh, she's fiesty, ain't she?" the same boy laughs. "shut your mouth, Phillips!"  Benny exclaims. "awh, y'all are standing up for your little girlfriend, huh? hey, girl, how's it feel to have eight boyfriends, eh?" Phillips looks at me. "pretty good, actually. how's it feel to be jealous of me because of my eight boy-friends?" i snap back, to which my team looks at me in dis-belief and smirks. "pfft, me? jealous of what? hanging with fat kid?" Phillips replies. "what'd you say, crap face?!" Ham yells. "i said you shouldn't even be able to touch a baseball! except for Rodriguez, you're all an insult to the game." Phillips answers. "come on! we'll take you on, right here, right now! come on! right, guys?!" Ham shouts and me and the rest of the group start shouting in agreement. "we play on a real diamond, Porter. you ain't good enough to lick the dirt off our cleats." Phillips answers.

"watch it, jerk."

"shut up, idiot!"

"moron!"

"scab eater!"

"butt sniffer!"

"pus licker!"

"fart smeller!" Ham yells back and Bertram sniffs the air, mocking Phillips, and laughs.

"you eat dog crap for breakfast, geek."

"you mix your Wheaties with your mama's toe jam!"

"you bob for apples in the toilet! and you like it!"

you can see Ham's face get red.

"YOU PLAY BALL LIKE A GIRL!" Ham screams to the biker. everything goes completely silent. "no offense, y/n." Ham adds. i smile slightly, showing it's okay. i mean, it's not everyday that you see a girl that loves baseball in 1963. they're all pretty, pink, princesses that wear skirts and dresses.

then me, Yeah-Yeah, and Squints start laughing, yet trying to hold it in. "what did you say to me?" Phillips scoffs. "you heard me." Ham snaps back. "tomorrow. noon. at our field. be there, buffalo-butt breath." Phillips demands. "count on it, pee-drinking crap face!" Ham replies. "yeah!!" all our team shouts, including me. Phillips scoffs and then him and his gang ride away on their bikes.

"yeah!!" some of the boys shout. "we're gonna kick their butts tomorrow!" i state (the obvious). "yeah,yeah, we are!" Yeah-Yeah replies and gives me a high five. "Y/n, that was SOOOO badass!" Benny says to me and playfully punches my shoulder. "it really was!" Squints adds and the rest of the boys nod. "thanks, but i was just standing up for me and my team." i answer with a smile and the boys practically tackle me into a group hug.

~time skip to the game~

"PLAY BALL!" Ham yells and puts his helmet on.

third person -
"hurry up, batter. it's gonna be a short game and i gotta be home for lunch." Ham states. Kenny throws the ball and one of the biker dudes, who doesn't even swing, and Ham catches the ball in his mitt. "you know, if my dog was as ugly as you, i'd shave him butt and tell him to walk backwards." Ham says to the batter, and he misses the second swing and Ham catches the ball. "the heater. here it comes. i dare you." Ham says to the same batter, to which distracts him and Ham catches the ball again, "three strikes, you're out!" Ham says to the batter. Phillips is next to bat. "hey, is that your sister out there in left field? naked?" Ham asks Phillips, and it distracts him and Ham catches the ball. "shut up, Porter!" Phillips yells at Ham, angry. "hey, hey, hey. i'm just trying to have a little friendly conversation." Ham lies. "come on. .......you think she'd go out with me?" Ham asks.

but, for Benny's team, it was the opposite, every player on that team had hit the ball with the bat first try. one of the boys had gotten to y/n before she hit the base, but she still hit the ball with the bat. Benny was the last one, and he hit the ball so hard that it went over the back fence, making everyone run to the next base that they were at, and their team winning.

y/n -
we all cheer and Phillips' team threw their hats and gloves onto the ground, angry. me and my boys do i big group hug as Phillips mumbles "i can't believe i lost to a GIRL."

"suck it up, Phillips, we both knew i was better than you in the first place." i teases him and him and his team run out of their field and me and my team cheer in happiness.

~time skip~

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𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗜𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆. 𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝘆𝘀. 𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲.
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we all run to the ticket stand, "hey, guys, guys, guys, it's all on me tonight!" Benny says. "yeah!!", "thanks Benny!!",and "yay!!" come from the eight of us. "nine tickets, please." Benny asks the ticket stand person, pays, and the old lady gives him nine tickets. we back a bit farther from the stand and Benny hands each ticket out to all of us. everyone starts to run up to the ride when Bertram squeals,

"AH crap! i almost forgot!"

"what?" all of us say and go back down the stairs to him. he rustles in his pocket and pulls out a small container. "chaw! i was saving it for a good time!" Bertram says. "what is it?" i ask. "Big Chief!" Bertram answers. "the best!" he adds as he sniffs the package. "geez, Smalls! i suppose you don't know who The Babe is either!" Ham says then everyone laughs. "it's plug, wad, chewing tobacco!" Ham finishes. " 'baccy, man!" Bertram continues. "what do you do with it?" i ask another question. Ham looks at me with disappointment. "you're killin' me, Smalls!" Ham exclaims as he grabs the package, pulls a piece out and shoves it in his mouth. "you chew it, of corse!" he says with a mouthful. "you do?" i question. "YES!" Ham replies. "yeah, sure, man. all the pros do it!" Kenny says, grabbing my shoulder from behind me and punching my chest playfully. "yeah,yeah. give you TONS of energy!" Yeah-Yeah continues. "let's dip!" Squints exclaims. "you got it, guys." Bertram says and grabs a piece for himself and shoves it in his mouth, then Ham snatches it and passes a piece around to everyone, including me. i shove a piece in my mouth and pass the package to Kenny, he passes it to Yeah-Yeah, Yeah-Yeah passes it to Squints, and so on. once everybody has a piece, "let's ride!" Bertram yells with a mouth full and everyone exclaims in agreement, running back up the stairs, handing the person our tickets, and getting on the ride.

all of us having different seats almost fills up the entire ride, but whatever. we all sit in different seats and the ride starts to go. we're all yelling and screaming in excitement and happiness, but that goes downhill really quickly. suddenly i start to feel really nauseous and like i'm going to throw up. the tobacco starts to taste disgusting in my mouth and my head starts to throb. i feel dizzy and the tobacco + the ride isn't helping.

i look around at the boys and they look crappy aswell, like they feel the same as me. Yeah-Yeah and Tommy spit it out first, followed by me and Squints, followed by Ham and everyone else. but it's to late. Ham leans his head over the side of his seat on the ride and pukes everywhere. same with the rest of the boys, and same with me. and when i threw up, it splashed all over some people that were passing by, and they ran away screaming.

the ride came to a stop and me and the boys got off and walked away like zombies, throw-up covering all of our shirts and outfits. all nine of us were covered in our own puke. Ham burps one last time, "much better." he mumbles and we all walk home, drenched in grossness.