Nostalgia

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The odor of stale food lingered in the bowling alley. The foul air invaded Steven's nose, leaving behind an unwelcoming presence. The smell might've made some people grimace, but for Steven it wasn't too bad. Compared to the time he got a whiff of horse shit, this was nothing.

The place was dim, illuminated by the digital screens hovering from the ceiling. Steven's screen displayed a score of 120, which compared to a perfect 300, wasn't much to brag about. Although Steven came here on a somewhat regular basis, his progress had stagnated. In truth, he never tried to get better. Coming here was just an old habit.

"Hey Steven!"

He turned to see his co-worker giving him a small wave in the next lane over.

"Oh, Kayla."

"I didn't know you bowled, are you good at it?" Kayla asked, glancing to see his score.

"No."

"Oh, are you new then? When did you start?"

Steven sighed, "I've been here for years."

She scrunched her eyes together, not expecting that answer. There was a hesitation, probably unsure of what to say.

Steven didn't bother to fill the awkward silence. To him, small talk was meaningless.

"Hey Kayla!" a voice shouted, coming from a woman.  Kayla's friend most likely.

Steven could see a small sigh of relief on Kayla's face, glad for an escape from the situation. They both immediately jumped into a conversation, and it became as if Steven was never there.

As expected, Steven thought. Not like he really cared.

He started a new game, beginning by rolling his  ball down the oil-coated planks. Out of the ten bowling pins that stood, he only managed to hit one.

Steven sighed and tried again. This time, the ball went even more off course, slamming into the gutter at the edge of the bowling lane. It couldn't have been any worse.

Realizing he was losing his focus, Steven decided now would be a good stopping point.

As he packed his things, his cell phone started to ring. Immediately, Steven knew who it was.

The call was from Brian, an old friend from his high school days. He was the only person he seriously kept in touch with.

"What is it, Brian." Steven answered as he picked up the call.

"Wooow," Brian responded at the other end, "Steven, you sound dead."

"What do you mean, this is my normal tone."

"Nope," Brian disagreed,  "I know you.  There's your everyday depressed tone, and then there's your 'depressed as a deflated beach ball' tone."

"Oh wow," Steven mocked, "you know me so well."

"Something's bothering you alright," Brian pressed on, insistent on finding the answer, "you weren't this sad when your grandma died."

"You're making me sound heartless, I just didn't know her that well, that's all."

Just as Steven finished his sentence, he heard the cheer of a nearby family shouting STRIKE!

"Holy shit," Brian commented, overhearing the background noise, "you're at the damn bowling alley again."

"Yeah so?" Steven replied.

"How many times have I told you, this is an unhealthy habit, you gotta STOP this!"