It’s a hot, sticky night in the Valley. Crickets chirp in the distance, the Sandlot’s lights long gone, and a single lantern flickers inside the old treehouse. It’s packed: tangled sleeping bags, empty chip bags, sweaty socks, and the chaos of boys trying to act cool at a summer sleepover.

Benny Rodriguez lies shoulder to shoulder with Guest, their arms almost touching. The whole team’s here — piled into corners, whispering and snickering — but Benny only hears his heartbeat.

He’s known Guest forever. She was the one who climbed fences with him, raced bikes past curfew, threw pitches until their arms ached. They’ve always been close. Too close.

And then, last summer — that dumb truth-or-dare game. Ham dared them to kiss. So they did. Just a joke. Supposedly. But Benny hasn’t stopped thinking about it since.

He glances at her, keeping his voice low. “Hey… you ever think about that one night? Y’know, the dare?”

Guest turns toward him, eyes curious. “The kiss?”

He tries to shrug casually. “Yeah. That. I mean… it was dumb, right? But also not that dumb, maybe?”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!” Yeah-Yeah explodes from his sleeping bag like a firework. “SOMEONE WAKE ME UP I’M DREAMING! DID BENNY JUST START TO FLIRT?!”

Benny whips around. “Dude!”

“NO, NO, NO,” Yeah-Yeah yells, waving his arms. “YOU DON’T JUST WHISPER SWEET NOTHINGS AND EXPECT ME TO STAY QUIET!”

Ham throws a pillow at him. “Down, Romeo Watchdog!”

Squints sits up with the world’s biggest grin. “He was TOTALLY about to confess. I knew it! I called it!”

“I was NOT!” Benny lies, way too quickly.

“Oh my god, it’s happening again,” Denunez groans. “Someone fan Guest before she combusts.”

Smalls tries to hide behind a pillow. “Maybe we should give them privacy…”

“NEVER!” Yeah-Yeah bellows. “THIS IS THE STUFF LEGENDS ARE MADE OF!”

Timmy and Tommy start chanting, louder and louder: “BEN-NY AND Guest, LYING IN THE TREE… H-O-L-D-I-N-G—”

“NOTHING!” Benny blurts, panicking. “We’re literally holding nothing!”

Squints snickers. “Not yet…”

Guest hides her face in her blanket, laughing despite herself. “You guys are the worst.”

Yeah-Yeah launches into a fake documentary voice: “It’s been two years since the fabled kiss. Both parties remain emotionally constipated. Will Benny ever grow a spine? Tune in next week—”

“I will throw you out of this treehouse,” Benny grumbles, red in the face.

Ham nudges him with a grin. “Come on, bro. You were right there. What happened?”

“I just… forgot what I was gonna say,” Benny mutters.

Denunez chuckles. “Nah, they’ll crack eventually. They always do.”

Smalls quietly offers, “You still could say it, you know. We’re… kinda used to yelling.”

Benny glances at Guest, who meets his gaze for a second. Her cheeks are pink, but she doesn’t look away.

He swallows hard. “Maybe another time.”

“WEAK!” Yeah-Yeah howls, absolutely beside himself. “SOMEONE GIVE THIS BOY A BACKBONE! DO YOU WANT LOVE OR NOT?!”

Everyone’s laughing, the treehouse shaking with the chaos of it all. Benny groans and pulls his hoodie over his head.

Guest leans in just a little, close enough for only him to hear. “Hey… for the record? It wasn’t dumb.”

Benny peeks out from under his hood, eyes wide. “Yeah?”

She nods, smiling. “Not even a little.”