Better Than The Movies

Chapter Thirteen

"Let's hang out later," Destiny asks, interrupting my conversation about All American with Dylan. Kayden looks up from his phone, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Like as a group?" She nods with a smile showing her big teeth that boys seem to go crazy for.

"The bowling alley is half off on Fridays," She wiggles her eyebrows. "Remember the last time we went?" I groaned, remembering when we went two months ago.

Kayden and Erika laughed along with Destiny at my misfortune. The last time we went to that bowling alley I couldn't write with my left hand for three weeks. Long story short, I crushed my finger with an extra heavy ball and spent the rest of the night in the hospital.

"What happened last time?" Dylan asks with his mouth full of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

I give him a dry look before looking back at Destiny. "Why would you even bring that up? It's like you wanted me to say no."

"Please, you don't even have to bowl just come hang out for the night with your favorite people." That last part may have taken it a little too far. I try not to have favorite people except when they are characters in books like Sam Henry from Catching Jordan by Miranda Kennealy.

"Still no," I say, reaching over to steal one of her Doritos from the open bag on the table.

Her eyes light up. "What if I buy you food?" I never turn down food and how could a few hours of bowling hurt.

It's not like I have anything else better to do since Jace is on an overnight school trip to D.C. Thinking back to it the only reason she wants to hang out is because her boyfriend is out of town.

"Fine," The table cheers at my response. She shoves her bag of Doritos over to me and I happily eat the rest of them. I better not regret this.

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I regretted my decision as soon as I walked into Roll N Bowl. It's in the middle of a less than a great neighborhood with numerous junkies littered outside. The bright neon lights blinded me within seconds of stepping through the doors. Bad rap music was blasting through the bulky black speakers on the wall making it hard to hear myself think.

Roll N Bowl is famous for the pizza which isn't half as good as Papa Johns (in my opinion) and the fact that it's big enough to serve as a roller rink, bowling alley, and arcade. Teenagers from all around the city come to this spot on Friday nights for a night of good food and fun. I find it disgusting how many hookups have happened in the girl's bathroom that we were passing. The people in front of me paid no mind to the couple making out against the wall beside us. How was I the only one that realized the bacteria floating around ready to infect us all?

"Can you stop looking so depressed?" Destiny chides, appearing beside me.

"This place reeks of the boy's gym locker and desperation," I mutter, narrowly dodging being run over by a girl speeding down the narrow hallway in skates.

"Look alive," She slaps my back, making me stand up straight. "This is a perfect way to find you a man."

"Not interested."

"You need to put yourself out there if you ever want that Netflix shit," She refers back to my obsession with Netflix teen romance movies. "I can talk you up to..." She scans the room before settling on a light- skin boy with an amazing afro and light brown eyes that I never wanted to look away from. He's sitting by the snack bar with a few other equally attractive looking guys.

"He's-" I stop myself before I say something I don't mean. "Wait, no! Destiny I don't want a boyfriend and I don't need you to set me up!"