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The sun was setting and the sky had turned a deep shade of pink, contrasting beautifully with the neon lights of the bowling alley. The loud atmosphere could already be heard as I approached the building, feet throbbing from the long walk and hectic day at work. The smell of greasy food wafts towards me as I pushed open the door, making my stomach growl in response. The sound of pins being knocked down and the occasional cheer rang through my ears. The blast of cold air immediately hit my skin, cooling me off.
I made my way to the front desk and checked in to retrieve my bowling shoes. Melissa already informed me that she and Niall were there when I was clocking out of work, so I scanned the lanes for signs of any of them. My heart sank a little as I saw Harry, and Harry only, sitting on his phone, seemingly waiting for the others to arrive. Debating if I should just hang back until I see Melissa or Niall, but ultimately decided to just get over myself and approach him.
Hesitantly, I spoke up to gain his attention, "Hey," trying to sound casual.
"Hey," he replied, not looking up from his phone.
I nodded and sat down on the bench next to him. We both sat in silence for a few seconds, "Where's Niall?" I voiced, assuming he might have tabs on his friend, since Melissa hadn't responded to my text, questioning her whereabouts since she clearly was not here.
"He texted me that he was in the bathroom. Told me to get the lane and would be out in a minute." He paused for a moment, "he texted me that like ten minutes ago." Eyebrows scrunched, still scrolling on his phone.
"Oh. Melissa said she was already here with Niall," I scanned the floor once again, "but I don't see her anywhere."
"Wait" Harry exclaimed, voice higher now. He turned to me, for the first time since I arrived, eyes wide and eyebrows raised as if something just dawned upon him. "Dirty motherfuckers," He groaned.
Confused, I waited for him to explain what sudden realization he had. As if it is now so obvious, he stated, "they are probably fucking in some corner."
Matching his previous facial expression, "Oh shit. Yeah they probably are, '' I stuffed my face in my hands, trying to rid the image my brain was visualizing. Both of us burst out laughing at the thought, I slightly shoved Harry, playfully, "Gross now that's all I'm picturing" I informed.
With his head thrown back, hands clutching his chest, "God me too." He wheezed out, trying to catch his breath. Speaking of, in the corner of my eye, I spotted the two walking towards us, nonchalantly. I continuously smacked Harry's shoulder to get his attention and redirect it to notice them also.
Finally, they made their way to us. Melissa readjusted her dress, smoothing it out, while Niall runs his fingers through his hair. Both with flushed cheeks. Harry turned back to me with a smirk and a "told you so" look on his face. Both of us were chuckling again, but this time under our breaths.
Niall's booming voice interrupted my thoughts, "Hey, Ev! Harry!" his eyes lighting up. "Are you ready to bowl?"
Melissa followed closely behind him, her arm linked through his. "Yeah, let's get started!" she said, her smile infectious.
Niall looked around the room, his eyes taking in the neon lights and the sound of the bowling balls hitting the pins. "This place is awesome!" he said, his voice filled with excitement. "Sooo tiny change of plans,'' Niall's eyes darted between Harry and I, "for some crazyyy reason, they put it as team versus team instead of individual players."
"Oh whattt" Melissa feigned shock, then rushed out before Harry or I could speak, "Then I claim Niall as my partner." With the biggest glare I could muster, I shot it toward her way. Just by Niall's fidgetiness and Melissa's tone, I knew this was no crazy accident but was an intentional part of their plan. I tried to hide my displeasure, but I knew I wasn't fooling anyone, though Harry seemed amused by the situation.
"Whatever, Niall sucks ass, so you can have him. No chance of winning with him on your team." Harry spoke out. Niall stuck up his middle finger over at Harry, then proceeded to tell everyone to put on their bowling shoes to get ready to play. Once we all had put our stuff down on the table, shoes on and tied, we separated out into our respective teams.
"Ok team name is half the competition right there. Gotta be better than theirs," I explained, picking at my nails. Not really mad at this arrangement since me and Harry had gotten along without a fight since we arrived, but definitely still anxious and nervous about my nonexistent skill of bowling. Already knowing my lack of experience will ultimately result in us losing. Harry seemed very competitive, and I didn't want to let him down. No, I meant I didn't want to give him another reason to make fun of me. Yeah that's what I meant.
Harry began typing and hovering over the whole screen board. I got onto my tippy toes to get a peak of what he was writing, but as if sensing me behind him, Harry took his free hand to cover what was left of the screen. I whine out, not liking him having full control and not discussing with me, but what's new?
He spun to face me with a goofy face, almost as if he was trying to hold in laughter. I stared at him expectantly hoping he'd either explain what he was doing or show me. Though it was hard to keep a straight face when he wore such a contagious beam, as now I was fighting back a smile. Finally, he moved to the side to reveal the screen with fingers wiggling just lacking the "Tada". I burst out laughing when I noticed the team name he had chosen: PINHEADS
"Do you get it?" He glanced, now a cheeky smile present on his face.
"No" I lied.
"Shut up, yes you do." He rolled his eyes. Waiting for a reply, I didn't provide him one. "Like bowling pins" I raised my eyebrows, "Come on, you cannot be this stupid!"
I finally joined him with a smile, "Of course I get it, dummy. But team names have to do with the both of us, not just you, Pinhead." I fired back with a grin. Proud of myself, that I was able to beat him to his own punchline that I knew was going to be directed at me.
"Ha. Ha." He mocked back. I glanced over at Melissa and Niall to see what they chosen as their team name. Their screen lit up with the words: ROLLING STRIKERS. "Dozy name, ours is better" I heard Harry say proudly.
Then came the dreaded part - it was time to actually bowl.
Niall went first, adamant to prove Harry wrong. He stepped up with a silver bowling ball in hand, his eyes narrowed, and with a swift motion, he swung the ball onto the lane. In less than two seconds, the ball hit the ground, and found its way into the gutters.
"That was just a warm up!" Niall defended himself. He took his second turn, and once again, the ball rolled into the gutters. Their team earned zero points for that round. Niall stood in shock, then turned around when Harry roared in laughter, and went to sit down. Melissa consoled him with a pat and whispers into his ear.
Up next was Harry. He smugly proceeded confidently to the line, ready to go and show off his skills. I watched as he took a deep breath, adjusted his grip on the ball, and took a few steps forward. With a practiced flick of the wrist, he released the ball, which rolled down the lane with a satisfying thunk hitting seven pins, leaving three standing.
On his second turn, he aimed for the remaining pins. I observed as the ball hit the pins down, resulting in a, "SPARE!" Harry gushed, "That's a spare, baby!" He ginned in triumph.
Melissa stepped up to take her turn, holding an orange ball in hand, ignoring Harry as she passed by him. With full confidence, she swung and effortlessly knocked down all but one pin. She turned to showcase her gleam to Harry, then continued on to take her second attempt. And just like Harry, she got a spare. "IN YOUR FACE," she gloated. We all laughed at her pointing gestures she did towards Harry's and my team.
I felt a nudge from Harry, indicating it was my turn. I took a deep breath as I stepped up to the bowling lane, the ball in my hand feeling heavier than it did before. I wasn't a very athletic person, and I hadn't bowled since I was a kid. But here I was, at the bowling alley, trying not to make a fool of myself.
Shaking hands, trying not to drop the bowling ball, if it lands on my foot then I could get out of this, I tried to shut out my thoughts before I could talk myself out of playing, too late anyways. The pit in my stomach only grew the more I stared at the lane to the pins.
In some lame attempt of reassurement, I glanced at Harry (don't ask me, I just did. He is my teammate anyways so it's not weird. I still don't like him.) and surprisingly he wasn't glaring back. Instead, I got an encouraging smile, though I could tell he was itching to win. Yet it still eased my nerves nevertheless.
"You possibly cannot be worse than him," he pointed to Niall, "I mean, unless you also get two gutter balls, but I'm sure not you're not that incapable" Harry motivated me. What an odd pep talk.
"Oi" Niall yelped.
I took a few steps forward, lining up my shot, and tried to focus on the pins at the end of the lane. My heart pounded in my chest as I let the ball go, and I couldn't help but watch it anxiously as it rolled down.
"Come on, come on," I whispered under my breath, willing the ball to knock down at least a few pins.
It hit the first pin, and I let out a small cheer. But then it veered off course and missed the rest of them. I let out a frustrated sigh, not wanting to turn back and look at my friends. I could hear some mumbling behind me but did not dwell too much on it as I went for my second turn. The other attempt ended with the same result, knowing down only one more pin.
Harry was looking at me with a disappointed expression, and I felt a pang of guilt. I didn't want to let him down, but I also didn't want to embarrass myself in front of everyone.
As I sat down, waiting for my next turn, I could feel my nerves starting to get the best of me. I began overthinking everything, worrying that I'd mess up again causing us to lose.
But then Harry leaned over and whispered in my ear, "No gutter ball, so you're already better than Niall anyways." And just like that, I felt a sense of relief wash over me, even though we were trying to win.
The game continued on, and the competition only heats up more. Everyone took their turns again, and then it was back to me. I couldn't help but feel a little nervous every time it was my turn to bowl. So I took a deep breath, engrossed myself in the task at hand, and tried to tune out the noise around me. It was just me and the ball, and the pins at the end of the lane. I took a few steps forward, released the ball with a flick of my wrist, and watched as it rolled down the lane.
It wasn't not a strike, but I managed to knock down a few pins. Better than last time, and still not as bad as Niall.
I turned back to my team, aka Harry, feeling a little bit better about myself. It wasn't about being perfect, after all. It was about having fun and doing the best you can. But winning would be ideal, I mean that was the point.
As the game drew to a close, I felt pretty good about our chances. We had managed to stay neck-and-neck with Niall and Melissa's team, and it was anyone's game at this point. Melissa was holding her team down with her points, but as the game went on Niall did earn a good amount too.Harry of course had the most points in our team, majority from spares.
Even though it was the last round of the game, no one achieved a strike. In a flash, everyone bowled their last turn, leaving me to take my turn and end the game. The scoreboard was close, close enough that with at least eight pins, Harry and I could win this. No pressure.
I could feel the tension in the air. This was it - the moment of truth.
I braced myself, adjusted my grip on the heavy ball, and stepped forward. Palms sweating, feeling the need to win this more than anything. I glanced at the group, and I could see Niall and Melissa literally on the edge of their seats. Harry was standing wide-eyed in anticipation. He gave me a thumbs up. Shit it would be easier if he was being a jerk right now, so I wouldn't feel bad if we lose.
Turning back and I modified my stance, making sure my feet were shoulder-width apart and my arm was positioned correctly, similar to how I'd seen Harry do it, if it works for him it could work for me. Not wanting to drag this on any longer, I tuned out the bass-heavy music, the kids screwing around in the next lane over, the lights glaring off the alley polished floors.
As I prepared to release the ball, it was as if time slowed down. Everyone leaned forward in suspense. All eyes followed the ball as it rolled onto the lane making its way towards the pins. I held my breath, hoping for the best. And then, to my surprise, it hit the center pin head-on, sending it flying into the others.
A perfect shot.
It was a strike - straight down the middle, hitting the pins with a resounding crash. The pins went flying. I stood there in shock, my hands in the same position as it was when I let go of the bowling ball.
As the pins settled, the triumphant sound of the crashing pins was still ringing in our ears. I couldn't believe it—I had just scored a strike! My heart swelled with pride, and a radiant smile spread across my face.
I felt hands on my hips, spinning me around. I was met with Harry, who was in pure bliss. "That's how it's done!" he exclaimed. "Fucking hell, we won. We did it." He put me down, hands moved to my shoulders as he shook me with such force, probably not realizing, "You did it!" I was smiling so hard it hurt my face, but I couldn't care less.
As the game comes to an end and our team is declared the winners, I feel a sense of pride wash over me. He grabbed my hand and raised it in the air, as if we were champions in some grand tournament. Harry is clearly overjoyed as he continuously teases Niall and Melissa about their loss.
Niall, still in shock from my strike, could only manage a nod of acknowledgement. Harry released my hand and gave Niall a playful nudge. Mentioning how they were named, the Rolling Strikers, and did not manage one single strike the whole game.
"I can't believe you got a strike, Ev!" Melissa said, shaking her head in amazement. "That was epic!"
We all head out, walking back towards the apartment as a group, the buzz of an amazing night still lingering in the air around us. Niall takes a slight detour, leading inside a pizza shop. The jingle of the bell greeted us as we stepped in, along with the scent of freshly baked pizza which instantly made my stomach grumble in anticipation.
"Alright, folks," Niall announced as we all took our seats in the corner booth, "I'm treating everyone to some pizza," turning to specifically Harry and I, "Consider this your prize for winning. Free pizza!"
Niall was quick to order a variety of pizzas, making sure there was something for everyone. Pepperoni, Margherita, BBQ chicken, and even a vegetarian option claiming we needed variety. The waiter scribbled down our selections with a grin and disappeared into the bustling kitchen.
As the first piping-hot pizza arrived at our table, I couldn't contain my excitement. The cheesy aroma wafted through the air, tantalizing my senses. Melissa wasted no time in grabbing a slice and taking a big, cheesy bite. "Mmm, this is the stuff of dreams," she declared between mouthfuls.
The pizza disappeared slice by delicious slice, Harry eventually stopped his relentless teasing since his mouth was too occupied scarfing down food.
I couldn't help but smile at the thought of our victory. It may have been just a game, but it was a small triumph of not only bowling, but the development of mine and Harry's relationship. This definitely proved we could get along, and dare I say, enjoy one another's company, if we stopped being so adamant on hating each other.
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