Page 10 of Finding Fate

4

Afternoon Out

That Friday, the four friends all had some time off. Already sunburnt, Isabel begged for a day away from the beach, so the teens spent the afternoon at the mall in Summer Grove. They browsed a couple of stores then hit the arcade.

“You’re going down, man!” Tucker taunted Jet as he tossed a ball into the hoop.

“Lucky shot, dude.”

“You wish.”

Jet tossed two balls in a row that bounced off the rim. “Damn.”

“Where’s your luck, man? Oh, that’s right, Annie’s got that shit locked up tight.” Tucker mocked as he made another shot.

“Dude,” Jet shook his head, irritated.

Tucker tossed a ball backwards, and it went straight through the hoop right before the time ran out. He caught Jet’s gaze, and his boast over the win deflated. “Sorry, that was out of line.”

Jet nodded, “Yeah, good game, though. Let’s see if the girls still wanna catch that movie.”

They walked over to find the twins in a cutthroat game of air hockey, tied six to six, and neither was taking any prisoners. The puck went flying towards Annie’s end of the table, and she smacked it back as hard as she could.

“I don’t think so,” Izzy bit out, managing to block the puck Annie had sent at blazing speed. It bounced off the walls of the table a few times before Izzy got a good shot, sending it flying back. Annie went for the block, but the puck zipped past a split second before she could stop it, giving Izzy the winning point.

“Awesome shot!” Tucker congratulated as she jumped in excitement. They high-fived, their hands lingering together just a second longer than necessary.

Annie slammed her hand down on the edge of the table, breaking the moment. “Crap, Izzy, you suck!”

“Do not!” She snapped, trying to ignore the blush she felt in her cheeks as Tucker looked studiously away.

“Ladies…” Jet stepped in before Annie could respond, “You both played well. Now, are we gonna catch that movie, or what?”

It was Tucker’s luck that day that the only movie the girls would agree to watch was a rom-com. Even more his luck that only ten minutes into the previews Annie and Jet were too busy sucking each other’s faces to be of any useful company.

“Seriously?” Izzy said in disbelief when she came back from the restroom. “The movie hasn’t even started.” She slid into the seat next to him, tugging her jean skirt into place.

“Don’t stare, don’t stare,”Tucker repeated his inner mantra of the day as she crossed her legs. He took a drink, trying to seem casual, and replied, “I don’t know how they haven’t just screwed already.”

“Tucker!” Izzy hissed, slapping his arm.

“What? You really think they’re not going to?”

“No, it’s just…” she paused, “It’s not the answer to everything.” She gave him a pointed look.

He sighed. “I thought we were past this. I apologized.”

Isabel looked down, tracing a fingernail along her cuticles. “I know,” she sighed, not sure why it bothered her so much this time. “Because he actually slept with her.” She stiffened, startled by the revelation.

Noticing her reaction, Tucker nudged her arm. “Are we okay?”

She looked up, her gaze locked with his for several moments as she struggled to make sense of her thoughts. This was Tucker, after all.

“Yeah, we’re okay,” she eventually breathed, turning her attention to the screen as the previews came to a close. “Let’s watch the movie.”

* * *

“You had the combination nachos grande?” the petite waitress with light blonde, highlighted ringlets asked as she approached their booth, the massive tray overflowing with a mountain of nachos balanced carefully on her arm.

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