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Bowling Ally
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When they pulled into the parking lot, a slow grin spread across Odessa's face. "You're taking me bowling?" she asked, though it was a dumb question. She hadn't been bowling in years. Rolling a ten pound ball down a lane was never something that had appealed to her friends, so she never had anyone to go with.

Liam got off the bike and grinned. "I thought it would be a good place to start tonight." He said. He hasn't been bowling in forever and thought that it would be fun to go with Odessa. "Are you any good?" He asked taking her hand and walking up to the door.

Letting Liam lead her inside, Des chewed on her lip. "It's been a while. I think I'm okay," she said hesitantly. Last time she had bowled, she was used to never scoring anything above one hundred. Then again, last time she had been twelve so maybe her skill had improved with age.

Liam nodded. "I'm probably not any good anymore either." He said. He walked up to the counter and paid for their shoes and a lane. The guy took their sizes and then came back with the shoes. "Lane four is open. You can take that one." Liam nodded and then took Odessa's hand again.

Des grabbed her shoes before they walked over to the lane. "Good, so I won't be the only one who is a complete and utter failure," she said with a teasing grin. She sat down to switch her shoes. Before she got up to pick her ball, Odessa sent a prayer up to the bowling gods that she would knock down at least a few pins tonight.

Liam changed his shoes and picked his ball. "Who knows. You may surprise yourself." He said. He went over to the computer and entered their names. "Wanna go first?" He asked. Even if she was horrible Liam planned on being more so. He wanted her to win.

"I guess," Dessa said, sliding her fingers into the holes of her blue ball. As she approached the lane, she remembered to count her steps before releasing the ball. There was a brief cracking sound as it struck the pins. "Four pins, beat that!" she said with a mockingly victorious tone. She was actually surprised she hit anything. It would have been a miracle if she knocked down two.

Liam chuckled. "You seem so surprised that you knocked them down Des." He said stepping up to take his turn. He took two long strides before releasing his ball. He knocked down six pins. There went his plan to let Odessa win. "I guess I'm not as bad as I thought."

Odessa booed when he knocked down more pins than her. "How dare you lie to me?" she said, as if she were totally scandalized. "You let on that you were terrible so I would go easy on you!" she concluded teasingly. She was pretty sure they both knew she probably wouldn't be doing much better for the rest of the game.

Liam rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry princess. I promise next time I won't be so good." He said smirking. He sat down on the bench next to her. "You thirsty?" He asked. He didn't want to buy any food because of the dinner he had planned for them.

"That's what I like to hear," she said with a broad grin. Standing up, she went to retrieve her ball. "I don't know. I guess I could go for a Coke or something," she said with a shrug. "Now no more distractions. If I'm going to kick your ass at this, I need to focus," she told him simply before turning to bowl.

Liam laughed and stood again. "As you wish." He said striding up to the good section of the bowling alley. He ordered two cokes and some chips. That should keep them from going hungry until the beach was all set up. He set the drinks on the mini table before going to take his turn.

Odessa sat cross legged on the bench, sipping her soda. As she watched Liam, it became clear that she was going to lose, since she was consistently bad. She didn't care, though. If knocking down a few pins and losing a few games meant she got to spend time with him, she would do it. It had been a major relief when she found out they still had more time together. Des wasn't ready to give him up.

Liam tried. He really did. But he couldn't seem to make himself miss the pins. It may have been a few years since his days of bowling almost every weekend but it felt like it was yesterday. He turned and gave Odessa a sheepish smile. "So maybe I lied about not being good at anything else."

Des shook her head at him as if she were disappointed, but a grin had crept onto her face. "And here I thought you were so honest. Anything else you want to tell me, Liam?" she asked, eyebrow raised as she went to pick up her ball to bowl one of the last frames.

Liam swallowed the grin slipping off his face a second before he caught himself. "Nope. Nothing." He said quickly taking his seat. "It's your turn Des." He said. He wanted to get away from her penetrating gaze.

Odessa studied him for one second longer before she approached the lane and let her ball loose. It knocked down her usual three pin, but she had gotten over complaining about her bowling skills, or lack there of. Liam's expression had confused her a bit. He had looked so panicked. Shaking her head slightly, she took a sip of her Coke before turning to him again. "Your turn."

Liam stood avoiding her gaze and took his turn. They continued until their game was over and Liam looked at the clock. The group should be done setting up by now. He turned to Odessa and grinned. "Are you ready for the real Surprise?"

Des put her hand to her chest to fain shock. "You mean bowling wasn't the real surprise?" she gasped. "Sure," she replied, though the little girl inside her wanted her to start jumping up and down excitedly, shouting, "I wanna know! I wanna know!"

Liam laughed. "Of course not. It was just something to pass the time." He took her hand and pulled her out to his bike, tossing their drinks in the trash before they left. "Now when we get there you can't laugh okay?" He knew it was cheesy but he had worked hard on it.

Dessa raised an eyebrow at him. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try not to. How does that sound?" she replied. He had her curiosity piqued now and she just wanted to see what it was that he was taking her to.

Liam shook his head but grinned. "I guess I'll have to take it." He said swinging a leg over and patting the seat behind him. He wanted to see her reaction and couldn't wait until they got to the beach. Waiting even this long had nearly killed him.

Sabrina drove towards the bowling alley, making sure that Nicholas stayed behind her the whole way. As she was searching for a spot she recognized the cars of all her friends and knew she was going to have to endure them coming up to her to ask her what had been going on with her and then she was also going to have to endure the questions about Nicholas's presence and that was something she wasn't sure she was up to but she was already here and there was no turning back now.

He stared at all the passing signs and roads, wondering just where they were going. What place do girls hang out at a lot? Stores? Salons? He sincerely hoped that this wasnot what they were doing. He didn't know what to expect but he knew Sabrina well enough that she wasn't like that anymore. This place they were going, it would be fun. His thoughts were confirmed as he saw the large sign of XLanes. A grin spread across his face as he searched for a parking spot. Eventually fnding one, he hopped off, leaving his helmut hanging off of the handle.

Sabrina parked and got out of the car, waiting for Nicholas to join her on the sidewalk before walking towards the doors. She stood there, twisting her hands together nervously, before taking a deep breath and grasping the door handle. The sound of bowling balls hitting the lanes and laughter traveled its way to her as she made her way to the counter to pay for the games and get shoes. She felt the stares like a thick blanket and tried her hardest not to pay attention to them.

He stared with amazement at the place she had brought him too. It had been so long since he had last been bowling. It used to be a special thing of his and his beother's. The two of them would go out in Birmingham every first Friday of the month for a night of fun and the local bowling lanes. Following Sabrina inside, he peered around at all the lanes and then the people. It had seemed that they had attracted some eyes in their direction. Feeling uncomfortable, he turned from their burning gazes and to the counter. "Size 9 1/2, please." He told the employee at the counter after asking for one lane. Slipping out his wallet, he peered at the prices above.

She smiled at the employee that was working the counter. "Hey Carl. You already know my size." Carl looked at Sabrina in shock. "Hey Rina. Long time no see." He got their shoes and waved away Nicholas's money. "It's on me. It's been too long since Rina has been here and she used to be one of our most valued customers." Sabrina smiled in thanks and grabbed her shoes and Nicholas's hand, leading him to one of the farther lanes so that less people would interrupt them.

He looked at the interaction between Carl and Sabrina, a feeling of jealousy emerging in him. There was always her old life, the people she knew and hung out with. He was just the weird kid she had befriended. What was he to compare? He protested slightly, as Sabrina moved them away from the counter with their shoes to a farther lane. "Do you see your friends?" Nicholas inquired out of curiousity. He ksnew that she wanted to face her fear but he too wanted to see her reaction to seeing her old friends. Where they even here?

Sabrina's eyes scanned the other lanes and she saw a group of people staring at them. Natalya was at the center of the group and the look on her face made Sabrina look away. "Yeah I see them." She said softly, moving over to the bench to put on her shoes. She could tell that she wasn't welcome here with them anymore and had a feeling that one of them would come over to tell her so. She didn't want Nicholas to see that and was starting to rethink coming here.

He found a spot to put his own shoes and slipped on the shoes from the counter. He never liked bowing shoes but they made the activity a hell of a lot easier to play. "Just ignore them. We're here to have fun." Nicholas touched her arm gently, ducking his head s he could whisper in her ear. With the loud noises around them, it wouldn't really have been any different if he spoke normally or even shouted. Squeezing her arm lightly, he stood to look at their starting bowling balls. "C'mon." Nicholas murmured, holding his hand out to her.

Sabrina looked up into his eyes and smiled, glad that he was here with her. "You're right." She said, taking his offered hand and standing to pick out her ball. She was surprised to see that the ball she had used for years was in the set. It even had her initials that her friends had carved into it still there. She was glad that she wouldn't have to search for it or use another ball, and grabbed it from the rack, running her hand over it lightly.

He moved beside her, looking at the racks of bowling balls. She had already picked hers out, the smile on her face evident. Raising his eyebrows, he tilted his head, looking over her shoulder. "It's got your initials in it." He observed out loud. It impressed him though. Most girls he met didn't like bowling or completely sucked at it. He only hoped that this meant she was a good player. Nicholas picked his own ball out, not too heavy and a bright purple color.

Sabrina hugged the bright green ball to her chest and nodded. "Yeah...I used to come here so often and was so good at it that they asked me to play with the league. I did for a little while but I didn't like it as much as just playing for fun so I dropped out but still came regularly." She smiled at the color he had chosen and couldn't help the slight laugh that escaped her. "Purple?" She asked, her mood lifting considerably by just being here with him.

Now he could definitely admit that he was impressed. She was probably a better bowler than he was. He held the bright purple bowling ball under his arm, leading her back towards their lane. The small laugh rang in his ear, allowing a lopsided grin to occupy his lips. "Purple is actually a very manly color." Nicholas deemed the ball, raising it in front of them proudly. It felt so nice to just relax and have fun with Sabrina, something he hadn't known how to do in so long.

Sabrina laughed again and shook her head. She tucked her ball under her arm and went to the score board. "What would you like your name to be? You get one chance so choose wisely." She said looking over at him. "This name will stay with you during all the times that you play with me." She knew that you could change your name whenever you wanted but that didn't make it as much fun. She had had the same name for years and even when she wanted to change it she stuck to the rules.

He joined her by the scoreboard, looking over her shoulder. A good name..."What's yours?" He asked her curiously. Her name would probably inspire some good ones for himself. He had several nicknames but he wanted to know hers first. The usual times that he went bowling with William and his sisters, they all just used their real names instead of any other. "Why don't you pick something for me, your Majesty?" He bowed his head teasingly, gesturing to the scoreboard.

A slow blush crept over her cheeks. She didn't want to share her name until he picked his own but she figured that she couldn't change it anyways. "Bowling BalleRina." She muttered, entering her name into the scoreboard. "Me pick your name?" She didn't even know what his nickname should be. She hadn't even picked her own. "Um you could be called..." She thought for moment and then figured that since tonight was about facing fears his should go along with that. "How about Sandman?" She suggested, thinking it fit what he told her about his dreams.

He chuckled at her nickname, biting his lips to prevent it from appearing louder. He liked the name and it fit her well. "It's cute...Bowling BalleRina." He teased as the name appeared on the scoreboard. He watched her with interest, her thinking face amusing him. He felt so relieved at what he had done today. Instead of being his rude and reserved self, he had owned up and become friends wth this beautiful girl. He nearly missed the next phrase in which she revealed his name. "Sandman...yes. I like it." Nicholas murmured, the meaning of it hitting him harder than she knew.

Sabrina elbowed him in the side, her blush getting more prominent. "I didn't choose it." She mumbled, entering his name into the scoreboard when he accepted her name for him. A smile flitted across her face in triumph and she turned to him. "Would you like to go first?" She asked, waving an arm in the direction of the lane. "And I promise to go easy on you." A slow wicked smile spread across her face as she thought about beating him. It wouldn't be hard but she would still go easy the first few rounds.

He raised his eyebrows in amusement as his new nickname appeared on the scoreboard. Their two nicknames blinked onto the screen, preparing the lane for the first bowl. "Oh, I think it will be I who is going easy on you." Nicholas smirked, adjusting his fingers into the correct position in the holes of his bowling ball. He was a little rusty, having not played the sport in so long but he hoped to not be a total embarrassment on his first roll. With a nod of his head, he strolled near the lane, his knees bent slightly as he tossed the ball at an average speed. He grinned as the ball knocked over eight pins, leaving two in the left corner.

Sabrina shook her head. Let him think what he will. She watched him warm up before rolling his ball down the lane, trying to get a feel for what his style was. That's what she did during the completions and it helped her know her opponents well enough to beat them. She raised an eyebrow when he knocked down the eight pins. "Eight? That's all you've got?" She asked teasingly. This was going to be easy. She was known here for her strikes but being gone for so long she wasn't sure if she would be able to live up to her name anymore.

He raised an eyebrow at her reaction, amusement displayed over his features. "An eight is not bad." He rolled his eyes, waiting for his ball to return. As the purple ball swung back, he looked at the blonde he was hanging out with. She seemed right at home here in the bowling alley. Another thing they had in common. He and his brother loved to bowl, so did she. It seemed the longer he hung out with her, the more and more things he found similar to the way he did things. Grabbing the ball, he smiled at her before rolling again. "Damn, a gutter!" He shook his head at the ball rolling down the gutter, before the pins were replaced with a full set.

Sabrina grinned. "It's not bad but it's the spare that makes it good." She replied, meeting his eyes as he turned to look at her. He seemed to be doing that a lot more lately and she didn't know how to respond to that. Breaking eye contact, she watched him bowl his second time and laughed at his exclamation. "Better local next time." She said sweetly, stepping up with her own ball in hand. "Come on. You were my lucky charm before. Don't let me down now." She whispered to her ball. Glancing to the side she could see that everyone in the building had stopped what they were doing to watch her. Taking a deep breath, she walked forward slowly, released the ball and watched it roll towards the pins. "Come on come on come on." She pleaded, nearly jumping in joy when it knocked down all ten pins.

Her teasing had more of an effect on him than he thought it would. He found himself staring at her longer than he needed too as she stepped forward to take her own shot. Despite this being a competition between the two of them, he wanted her to be a good player. He stayed back as she approached the lane with her bright green ball in hand, her initials carved in. The ball was released from her hand, rolling down the lane with incredible speed and angle. He cheered loudly as the bowling ball knocked over all ten pins at the end, her score with a X next to her name. Nicholas grinned widely as her ball returned to them, picking it up for her.

Sabrina could hear the cheers behind her and she felt like she had never left in the first place. She turned and saw Nicholas cheering just as loud as the rest of them and her smile grew. She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck in a hug. "I did it Nichols! I did it!" She still couldn't believe she hasn't lost her talent. Blushing, she realized what she had done and moved away from him, clutching her arms behind her back awkwardly. "Sorry." She said, taking her ball from him and hugging it to her chest like a shield.

The smile on her face had him hooked, stuck in his position. And then she was running towards him. Their bodies were entangled in a hug, her arms around his neck and his arms awkwardly around her waist. He would have been able to give her a proper hug had he not been so surprised by it all. "You're a natural, Bowling BalleRina." Nicholas grinned as she took her ball back. An equivalent blush was on her cheeks, compared to his.

Her cheeks reddened even more when he used her nickname. "Thanks." She said softly, turning to face the other people who had cheered for her. She cleared her throat and met the eyes of her friends. "Thank you for your praise." She called over. When her eyes met Natalya's, she flinched back. Natalya was looking at her with such hostility and she don't know how to react. Turning away quickly, she managed to bump into Nicholas. "Sorry...!" She gasped out, still in shock from Natalya.

He smiled softly at her reaction, clapping his hands along while the other bowlers cheered on for her. It was so unnatural of him to be going along with the crowd, most of the time being on the opposite side of the majority. He watched her closely as she seemed to notice something, flinching away in his direction. Catching her by the waist, his eyes widened at the sudden contact. He seemed to be bumping into her more and more, unintentionally of course. Nonetheless, they kept touching, sending smiles in the other's direction. "You okay?" He murmured with concern.

Sabrina's eyes rose to meet Nicholas's. She was surprised by the concern she found there and just wanted to sink into his arms but knew that it wouldn't be a good idea. Stepping back, she nodded. "Y-yeah I'm okay." She spared on last glanced in Natalya's direction before returning her gaze to Nicholas and smiled slightly. "I just saw something I hadn't been expecting." She went over to the rack and picked up his bright purple ball. "Your turn." She said as brightly as she could.