Page 46 of Foul Territory
“Very funny.” I slap his leg. He takes the opportunity to hold my hand and balance it on his knee. It’s a little awkward but the gesture is nice.I think.
Nash steps up to the ball return in his lane. He’s laughing with his friend Gage when he notices me sitting here. His smile dims when he sees me holding hands with Joe. I knew he didn’t really want me to go out with him. I’m not going to let Nash ruin my date or my mission.
I don’t know how I’m going to be able to find out if Joe ismy Joeonline while we’re bowling but I’ve got to try. He didn’t take my bait with the creativity thing. I’ll need to try a different angle.
“This isn’t what you expected for our first date is it?” he asks.
“It’s fine. Fun I mean. It’s fine and fun.” I smile awkwardly. “I admit I wasn’t expecting a group thing but this is cool. Julia is nice and we can talk and get to know each other in between turns.”
“We can definitely do that,” he says, giving my hand a quick squeeze before letting it go. “My turn.”
“Good luck.”
Joe jokes around with a few of his friends on his walk up to the lane. With perfect form, he easily knocks down nine pins on his first try. He tosses a confident smile in my direction.
I sit on the edge of my seat as he stares down his last pin. He sends the bowling ball pummeling down the lane. I think for sure he’s going to miss the pin, but at the last minute the ball curls and knocks it down.
I jump from my chair clapping and let out a little scream. “How did you do that?” I ask after he’s finished being congratulated by all of his friends.
“Lots of practice. It’s your turn, babe. Are you ready?”
My insides jolt at the word babe. He says the term so casually it holds no meaning. It doesn’t make me feel special but more like another ‘babe’ on his roster.
When Koa called me baby my heart rate increased, my knees went weak, and damn if it didn’t turn me on. My body didn’t get the memo that it was all fake.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I retrieve my ball and get a feel for it in my hands. Swinging my arm back and forth a few times until someone stops me. Looking over my shoulder I see Joe with a playful smile on his lips.
“You almost took me out,” he teases.
“Sorry.” I wince.
“Do you want help?” he asks.
I stare down the lane for a moment. “I think I got it. You just throw the ball down there. I can handle that.”
“Good luck, babe.” He squeezes my shoulder while I try not to visibly cringe.Is it rude to ask him to stop calling me that?
I line myself up in the center of the lane, shuffle my feet to the line, wind my arm back, and let the ball go. It lands with a hard bounce and slowly rolls down the lane. It has justenough momentum to get to the pins before falling into the gutter.Damn.
“You got this,” Joe shouts from his seat. He takes a slow sip of his beer.
“Didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” Nash says from his lane.
“I didn’t either.” I sigh.
“He must not know you very well if he took you bowling,” Nash snickers, picking up his bowling ball. I yank mine off the return and cradle it with two hands. It’s not heavy. I’ve carried books bigger than this before. It’s just awkward. I’m not trying to break my toe.
“I know you aren’t educated in the aspect of dating, seeing as you've never had a girlfriend. Usually on dates that’s when you get to know each other. Furthermore, a lot of people like to surprise the other person on their first date with something fun to do.”
“As long as you’re having fun. Why don’t you try to knock down a pin this time?” he jokes as I set myself up at the line. Maybe if I start here I can throw it harder. “Oh and Sydney,” he says. I glance at my brother over my shoulder. “Stay in your lane.”
Nash can be such a jerk sometimes. It was at Koa’s fourteenth birthday party when my ball went bouncing across the lane like a rock skipping over lake water.
When you’re trying to get the cute boy to notice you, that is not the way to do it. I was so embarrassed. Koa was the only one not laughing. He was mad. I guess I ruined his partyand he probably didn’t want me there in the first place. I was the only girl thanks to big sister benefits. A nice little pity invite.
I throw this ten pound ball as hard as I can, picturing Nash’s head as the pins. I don’t even care if I knock anything down. That felt good. I walk away before the ball even makes it down the lane.
There is a bunch of clattering behind me. Joe’s eyes go wide. “Holy shit, babe! You knocked them all down.” He lifts me up and spins me around just in time to see the pins being swept off the lane.
