![]() Louis was on the playground chasing a girl who had just pushed him when he realized they had run onto the ‘big kids’ playground. He had a vivid memory of the first time he saw Harry Styles. There were only two elementary schools in the entire town and he was lucky enough to have gone to the same one as Harry Styles. Pretty much since he was six and Harry was eight. Longer than he cared to admit to himself, before he even knew what it meant. He had been staring at Harry like that for a long time, years and years. Louis stared at him like he was staring at the sun, so bright that is was actually painful but too beautiful to look way. Grow it out all school year until it was ‘man-bun’ length and then cut it short for summer. He had cut his hair just before summer had stared, as was his ritual. Harry Styles, tinted Ray-Bans covering his emerald eyes, whistle around his neck, red swim trunks riding up his toned thighs, cherry red lips and oiling himself up like he was welcoming skin cancer into his body. Sitting atop the lifeguard chair watching over the kids and adults of their town. Louis was the first to enter the pool deck after paying his required $1 entry fee. They all ran to the pool, towels dragging and sunscreen in hand. This sentiment ricocheted back to Joey who decided that the community pool was the best idea given the current circumstance of 96 degrees and 60% humidity. Liam looked at Squints, aka, Louis and shrugged. ![]() Squints pushed his glasses up in his face and said, “Why don’t we call it a day and go to the pool.” They had had too much baseball given the current climate conditions. One this particularly hot and humid day, the Sandlot kids were done playing. Louis thought that was better but he couldn’t be sure. Louis had watched him last year, oiling and whistling, oiling and whistling. He had enforced rules like ‘No running’ and ‘No diving’ for two years. He was about to be a junior and had been working at the pool for two summers now. HE was Harry Styles, lifeguard extraordinaire. Sure it was a little grimy and a little dingy, but HE would be there, guarding their lived. They needed a break, that’s when Louis suggested the community pool. The humidity had reached an all time high (at least in their minds) and they were too sore and too tired to run the bases and throw the ball. Most days they played until their arms were sore from throwing or their legs were sore from running. Past the high school team, past the college teams. Joey was going places he was going to make it. Their determination is what made them so awesome. The sandlot kids played all summer and dominated all fall and spring. Hell, maybe the whole state of Florida knew it. They knew it and every other little league team in the county knew it. They liked being a group of misfits that fit with each other. Louis ‘Squints’ Tomlinson and his group of baseball riffraff were a sight to be seen but they were good, god-damn-it! They liked being the only baseball “team” that wasn’t really a team but knew how to play like one.
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