Brother || Teen Wolf

Chapter 18 - Bowling

Scott had a giddy smile as he put on the bowling shoes. He took a second to admire them, the white, blue and red design pleasing to his eyes. A familiar laugh made him look up, anxious -- he didn't want any of his friends to think he had a weird bowling shoe obsession. Jamie and Lydia had just arrived, their arms linked. 

When the pair spotted him, Scott couldn't help but shiver under Lydia's inquisitive gaze. This was unexpected, Lydia usually barely acknowledged his presence. Maybe she was making an effort, for the sake of both Jamie and Allison.

"Guys, I got us a lane! Come on, I wanna play!" Allison happily announced, gesturing for them to follow.

Scott got up from the small couch and joined the raven-haired girl. He was scared of looking like a complete fool in front of the girl he hoped to date. Two hands suddenly clutched his shoulders, startling him.

"Don't overthink it, Scott," Jamie told him with a kind smile.

Scott frowned. Jamie was being nice to him? That was suspicious. Something didn't add up, he just knew it.

"By the way I may have told Lydia something was up with you so don't freak out if she asks you weird stuff or just stares at you for no reason," Jamie added very quickly in a sheepish tone.

So that was it. Scott was oddly relieved, he had feared something far worse. Maybe the recent, violent events had affected more than he thought. Was he becoming pessimistic, always waiting for a body to turn up or for bad news to ruin his day?

Scott dismissed the thought and focused on bowling -- he loved the shoes, but he hated the sport. He was last to play, which gave him plenty of time to assess his opponents. Lydia was first. The strawberry-haired girl picked a bowling ball with her left hand and stared at the pins confidently. She took a few steps and released the ball. It was a strike.

"That was sort of perfect form," Allison observed from her seat, impressed.

"Yup, that's Lydia for you. She aims for perfection, and usually she reaches it," Jamie answered while getting up. "Wait, was that cheesy?" he asked Allison suddenly.

"Sort of?"

The teen chuckled and grabbed a ball. He knew Scott was staring at him, obviously hoping his friend would be as bad as he was. He was about to be disappointed. Jamie threw the ball unceremoniously, hitting eight pins nonetheless and crushing Scott's hopes in the process. The last pins standing were on both sides of the lane, making it almost impossible for Jamie to bring them both down. He aimed for the one on the right and barely managed to hit it, bringing his score to a grand total of nine.

Scott gulped, mentally preparing himself to lose by a long, long shot. Allison was next. She high fived Lydia before taking place in front of their lane, looking at the pins with an intensity that would make anyone shrivel. She threw a spare. Scott was growing desperate, although he did his best not to show it.

"You look like you know what you're doing," he told Allison as she sat back on the couch.

"I used to bowl with my Dad," the girl answered with a fond smile. "When was the last time you bowled?"

"Uh, at a birthday party," Scott started. "When I was eight."

Allison giggled and pushed him towards the lane. Scott reluctantly made his way there, feeling a weight pressing on his shoulder with each step. He stared at the balls, not knowing which one to pick. Why were there so many colors? He decided to choose one at random. It turned out to be surprisingly heavy. He brought his attention on the pins at the end of the lane. They seemed so far away, and yet, he felt like they were taunting him. Ignoring the obnoxious little things, Scott released the ball. And it went straight into the gutter. Maybe he should have looked at the pins, in the end.