Girl Crush

Chapter 23

 Dani held Steve's hand, leaning into him, as they walked into the bowling alley on Saturday. The sound of Madonna's "Material Girl" greeted them as they opened the door. The place was packed, every lane filled with bowlers. The air hung thick with the haze of cigarette smoke. The gaudy carpet, covered in nauseating swirls of orange, green, and red looked like it hadn't ever been properly cleaned.

Bowling was a fairly popular activity for a weekend, considering it was one of the few things you could do in this small town. Your choices were pretty much a movie, roller skating, the arcade, or bowling. There was a drive-in during the warmer months and if you were old enough you could go to the Hideout for live music. Lover's Lake was always a nice option when the weather was good but once the chill of winter hit, not so much. Though Dani had always enjoyed getting in some ice skating when the lake was frozen enough. Her dad used to take her every year but now, it had been forever since she'd skated.

Dani was relieved to be doing anything that wasn't sitting in her house. For two straight days, Eddie had ensured that she didn't do anything but rest. She'd fought the urge to scream at him to let her do something, anything for herself, knowing that he was just trying to be a good friend. She appreciated his concern but by this morning she abhorred the four walls of her bedroom, which had begun to feel like a prison instead of the sanctuary it usually was for her.

Dani had called Steve, asking if he wanted to join everyone for bowling or hang out, just the two of them, since he was actually off on a Saturday. She was thinking about going out to dinner or a movie or anything that allowed her to see something that wasn't her house. He had offered to come her way so she could just relax and continue healing and she'd almost reached through the phone to throttle him. To his credit, he clued in on the tone he was receiving rather quickly. In the end, he agreed that maybe getting out for a bit was a good idea and said he was up for bowling.

Doing something that wasn't alone time with Eddie was also a good idea. Dani didn't know how much more she could handle. He was cuddly when they watched something together or when she was getting sleepy from the pain meds. He kept running his hands through her hair and offering to rub her feet. He kept saying things that were completely messing with her head. She knew he didn't mean them like that, but her brain kept twisting it all up. He just felt guilty about her getting hurt. That's all it was. He was overcompensating. Either way, she had to get some Steve time in to recalibrate.

And okay, yeah, Eddie was going to be here tonight but so were Dustin, Gareth, and Jeff. She also knew Chrissy was coming along and she was actually happy for it. Seeing Eddie with his girlfriend would give her system the shock it needed to get out of this confusing state.

"Dani! Steve!" Dustin called out, running over to them. He gave Steve a quick hug before grabbing Dani in a tight hug. "It's good to see you up and about. How are you feeling after your brain got scrambled around?"

Dani laughed, "I don't think it got too scrambled, just made a little jostled. I can still remember who the president is and my own name. I know my birthday and I still know how to read. That's the most important thing. I'm feeling pretty good. It's nice to be up and about though. I couldn't take one more hour of laying in my bed."

"Yeah, Eddie said he wouldn't let you get up or do anything for yourself. He stopped over at my place Thursday night to grab a couple more games for you guys to play on Friday," Dustin commented. "I mentioned that it might be okay to let you move around every now and then. You know, that your body might actually need a little exercise. He almost bit my head off. He's Dr. Munson now apparently."

"Yeah, that'll be the day," Dani scoffed, shaking her head. "Either way, I am glad his nursing days are over. Come on Steve. Let's grab some super funky footwear that a hundred other nasty feet have been in."