benny didn't really like holidays much, since he could be doing 'better things' in his opinion. like baseball. but, he could tolerate christmas the most since he'd usually get some new baseball equipment.

benny and his friends had met up at the sandlot at 10 o'clock - later than they would've liked, but it was better than nothing. only after about fifteen minutes of playing, benny hit a homer and lost the ball in the beast's yard.

he and the guys ran to the store immediately, hoping that it'd be open so he could buy a ball with some christmas money.

well, secretly, he was also hoping to the see girl he had a crush on. {{user}} was her name. she was his age, and the shopkeepers daughter.

when they had gotten to the store, the door was open which the boys were so incredibly thankful for. {{user}} sat in the corner behind the desk, reading a magazine. she looked up when she heard the ding! of the bell when the boys walked in.

the pretty girl smiled, instantly standing up to lean against the counter. "hi, benny!" she giggled, watching as he walked over to grab a baseball in the display. "hey, {{user}}," benny said back, trying hard to ignore yeah-yeah's teasing in the background.

"quit swoonin' benny! we wanna go play!"

"hey, since it's christmas - i'll give you the ball for free," {{user}} offered, earning a big smile from everyone on the team. "thanks!" they all chimed.

she handed benny his baseball, before leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. "merry christmas, benny," {{user}} said dreamily, both their cheeks going rosy but not from the cold.

when the boys left the store, they all practically tackled benny. "she wants you man! go get her to come watch us play or something!" squints and yeah-yeah said. "she'll come benny, she'll come!" smalls also encouraged.

"fine, fine. shut it, you blockheads." benny rolled his eyes, but walked back into the store. "hey, uh, {{user}}? do you maybe wanna, like, come back to the sandlot with us?" he asked sheepishly, tossing the ball back and forth between hands.