The next day, I choose to take Lincoln with me to Bowlero's, where we decide to go bowling.
I don't know what movies could be playing, but I think I could just work out the dialogue.
Me: Looks like we're here, Lincoln.
Lincoln: I gotta say. Doesn't look so bad.
Me: You can thank the administration behind this building. Just try not to do anything to get on their nerves, or ruin the sanctity of this building and activity.
Lincoln: *facepalms* Srsly?
Me: Just saying. Be careful. Neither of us knows them. Not even personally.
Lincoln: True, but still...
Me: *looks around* No mafia member insight. Perfect.
Lincoln: Phew. No guns for people to shoot at me, no nothing.
Me: Yeah.
The two of us walk to the reception desk for bowling shoes, the receptionist not being sure about Lincoln, who is a cartoon.
Me: I think that maybe I could draw some for Lincoln. I'll need to learn how to first.
Lincoln: Not to worry, guys. *he pulls out some cartoon shoes he took the liberty of creating* I made these bowling shoes myself.
Me: A skill from Leni that paid off.
Lincoln: Yup. And these shoes fit me.
Me: Well, in that case, we have nothing to worry about for now. *whispers to Lincoln* But keep your vigilance for when and if Mafiosi arrive.
Lincoln: *gulps* Okay...
Me: *asks for a pair of bowling shoes*
Receptionist: What size?
Me: *checks my shoe size* 9.5 to 10.
Receptionist: *finds shows of those sizes, leaving me to try them on*
Me: *does so and finds the perfect size* What lane is available?
Receptionist: Over there. Two lanes are available. *he points to two vacant lanes on the far left*
Me: Thanks.
Receptionist: You're welcome.
The two of us walk over to one of the two vacant lanes, while two or eight cartoon kids walk in, having customized their own bowling shoes.
Receptionist: Um... hi? Welcome to Bowlero's. What can I do you for?
familiar kid: We came here to play a nice game. Any empty lanes for us?
Receptionist: The alley is very busy, but there is one lane left. And, no pun intended, it's on the far left.
???: Thanks.
Receptionist: You're welcome.
Meanwhile...
Me: I'm gonna get us some food. Wait here and make sure nobody takes our lane. *whispers* And remember to beware of the mafia sending agents here.
Lincoln: On it.
Me: *walks off to order food, with Lincoln getting a cheese pizza with bacon and mushrooms, and me getting non-buttered popcorn, classic fries, and the both of us getting two lemonades, each one a different flavor for myself and Lincoln to try*
https://www.bowlero.com/sites/bowlero/files/2020-09/Premium%20Retail%20Menu_No%20Pricing.pdf
familiar kid: You guys ever wonder... I mean, Lincoln and Kaden have been to many places. And coincidentally for many cases, friends of his were there as well. We might find them here.
???(Laird): *looking at the far left* Isn't that Lincoln over there? Strange. I don't see Kaden.
familiar kid: *looks in Laird's direction to discover Lincoln and gets shocked*
Meanwhile...
Lincoln is minding his own business when suddenly, something knocks him over and he feels someone hugging him, and sobbing, the voice of it sounding familiar. He gets up and sees who is hugging him. Clyde McBride.
Lincoln: CLYDE?!
Clyde: Lincoln! It's so good to see you. Please don't ever abandon me again.
Lincoln: I missed you too, Clyde. And I promise I won't. I hope you and I could sort things out.
familiar farmer: And with us as well?
Lincoln looks and sees the four girls from Adventure Park, with Liam, Zach, and Laird accompanying them. Seeing them here makes him feel a bit uneasy, though he decides to talk with Liam later on.
Lincoln: So... What are you guys doing here?
Ronnie Anne: We came here to try this place out for the first time. Though we expected to discover you being here like on that mountain, in Lake Kaweah, the gymnastics place, Adventure Park, and especially the aquarium in Monterey.
Lincoln: *remembers horrible events that took place at the aquarium*
Jordan: *gets worried* Are you okay, Lincoln?
Lincoln: I'm fine... I don't know... The moment you brought up the aquarium... I started remembering escaping with Kaden from hunters...
Liam: Oh. I get it.
Zach: We were all there. So were Hassan, Kat...
Liam: Your sister Lana was with us...
Lincoln: I need to ask you that later on. Just you and me.
Liam: Okay.
Jordan: Jenny was there, and so were Lori and Bobby.
Lincoln: Lori?! Girls. Did you tell them my apologies as I asked?
Ronnie Anne: We did.
Stella: All of us saw you and Kaden running from those people coming after you, so we decided to disarm and restrain them.
Lincoln: !!!
Sid: Thankfully the security and police were able to take them away.
Lincoln: Phew. At least I'm safe.
Clyde: I'm glad for that as well. I worry too much for your safety. *hugs Lincoln again*
Me: So do I. *everyone yelps for not expecting me to be right there* But not as much as Clyde. *to Clyde* You're clingy, but you shouldn't ALWAYS be THIS clingy.
Clyde: Oh. Hi there... uh... Kaden was it?
Me: In the flesh. I came back with food for me and Lincoln. Though the rest of you could chow down as well. I just need to get more drinks first.
Lincoln: I'll handle the task for you.
Me: Huh?
Lincoln: Might give you enough time to interact with MY original friends here, and new ones.
Me: Okay...
Lincoln walks off to get the drinks.
Me: ...
Zach: You okay, dude?
Me: Do I have to be? Lel. But seriously, I have nothing good to talk about.
Liam: Regarding how you were able to get Lincoln out of places with you so fast, despite not being a cartoon?
Me: To answer that question, Liam, I have my ways. Speed and distractions.
Zach: Like that skier group you got to stall me, Lynn and Rusty.
Me: My only usage of distractions. And before any of you ask, didn't Kat tell you guys my reasons for those actions?
Ronnie Anne: Yeah. Of course, she did.
Me: Wait. Shouldn't we be talking about this with Lincoln himself?
Lincoln: I'm back with the drinks. One of them is water for Clyde.
Clyde: Thanks, buddy.
Lincoln: You're welcome.
I and the others catch Lincoln up on my discussion.
Laird: Uh, guys, aren't we forgetting something?
Sid: What is it, Laird?
Laird: We're at a bowling alley.
Me: Oh, right. I just got an idea thanks to the eight of you showing up. We'll form teams of five to balance things out.
They take a liking to the idea.
Me: For my team, Lincoln is with me. And I'm letting Clyde in as well.
Jordan: How about me as well?
Ronnie Anne: And me?
Me: Okay. *looks at and apologizes to Stella and Sid, with them deciding to forgive me*
Lincoln: How ironic. *to Jordan* After that final field trip from when we were fifth graders, you and Stella could've been BFFs like me and Clyde, or Sid and Ronnie Anne.
Stella: We can still hear you, you know.
Me: Guys. I have a new idea. We save that conversation for another time. Not now, not later, another time. Sorry to sound impatient, but we have a game to play. And maybe music to listen to-
Suddenly, Rush starts playing Tom Sawyer on the speakers.
Lincoln: I heard this song once while in Visalia before the mountain trip. I have a liking for it. *singing along with Geddy Lee* A modern-day warrior, Mean, mean stride, Today's Tom Sawyer, Mean, mean pride.
Me: Woah. You're as good as Geddy.
Lincoln: Thanks. *singing along again* Though his mind is not for rent, don't put him down as arrogant. His reserve a quiet defense, Riding out the day's events. The river!
Clyde: That's awesome singing you gut there, Lincoln! Did you get it from Luna?
Lincoln: I did. *types his name in the second slot after I have typed my name in the first one, then sings along again* What you say about his company is WHAT YOU SAY about society. Catch the mist. Catch the myth. CATCH THE MYSTERY! Catch the drift.
Ronnie Anne looks in awe at how talented Lincoln is, while Clyde types his name in the third slot.
Lincoln: I think I'll relax my vocal cords for now. We have a game to play.
Ronnie Anne: *looks at the screen* Oh, right. *she types her name in the fourth slot, leaving Jordan to finish the job*
Me: Have the others typed their names in yet? *looks at the other screen to see Stella, Sid, Liam, Zach, and Laird in that order from top to bottom* I'll take that as a yes.
Zach: You never even asked us anything.
Me: Does it matter. Let's have some fun.
The two teams feast on the meals and drinks, leaving some liquid left for rehydration during the game. We then spend the game bowling, and Laird is the worst bowler at first, only to later get used to it. In time, one of the two teams has the most amount of points, but all of us choose not to gloat. On another note, I have also taken the liberty of streaming everything on YouTube. After playing, we leave the stadium and part ways, with Lincoln deciding to have a talk with Liam in secret.
Lincoln: You said something about Lana? Is she okay?
Liam: She is. She's still recovering from that roughhousing with those hunters at the aquarium, but she'll be fine.
Lincoln: Joy told me that you and Lana were becoming friends. I can actually see that happening, seeing that the two of you have a liking for animals.
Liam: You know the both of us too well, Lincoln.
Lincoln: Thanks.
Liam: Let me tell ya somethin', you ain't the only one that has talked to viewers. So have I.
Lincoln: Your first sleepover, when Jordan was having her pool party. I remember now!
Liam: Indeed.
Lincoln: Maybe we should talk about it with Kaden, and our other friends, including Jordan and her friends.
Liam: And maybe exclude your sisters since they had no part in the whole story. I just hope they all understand.
Lincoln: So do I. Anyway, I gotta go. Kaden might still be making plans for him and me I. *whispers to him* And he wants me to keep a low profile. *talks normal again* Bye, Liam.
Liam: See ya soon, Lincoln.
Lincoln comes back to me and we get in the car.
Me: Let me tell you something. I actually saw Friends in Dry Places, and while I can't stomach the idea of your friend group splintering, the release of that episode, the one episode showing your first several days of middle school, and the way that episode ended gives me ideas that Jeff Sayers might be starting an arc centered around you and your friends, regarding how you might not be together forever. Liam might've been dead wrong.
Lincoln: I already get the idea. I could've disbanded the group myself. I sort of did when I left it that fateful night.
Me: Hopefully you'll iron things out with them. If Jordan and a number of their cabin mates from that trip are there with the two of us, I might bring up how natural it can be for groups to disband. I'll also namedrop the exact groups.
Lincoln: Now that I think about it, I wonder how they forgot about things regarding those two episodes.
Me: Maybe the lack of consistent continuity for one thing. Maybe they were making do with having fun with other people they might not see again in Middle School, like Richie, Lance, and Trent. The only exception was Jordan, who is attending RWMS like the six of you. They likely thought that they could stand a few days of being apart from you in a school they're familiar with. When there are no activities regarding you- Actually, I'm making things up as I go along based on what I know.
Lincoln: I get it. They have their preferences, I have mine. I wonder if we could discover new things together like that news set. I wonder if they'd be okay with creating another friend group.
Me: Obviously without the intentions of replacing them. I just hope they don't get the wrong idea.
Lincoln: So do I.
Me: Also, you guys might still be friends with each other without being in the same group, even during a time of separation via meters, like you and Ronnie Anne when Maria moved her and Bobby to Great Lakes City. Unfortunately, it might be against my better judgment to say this. But someday, there might come a time in which when you part ways...
Lincoln: I'm gonna have to say goodbye to them.
Me: Either for good or until you see them again after a long time, like several years.
Lincoln: I guess I should go back to embarrassing loneliness, and for real.
Me: No.
Lincoln: ?
Me: Lincoln, the decision is a poor one. If I'm gonna be remembered, and if quotes of mine are gonna be remembered, then I will say this: "Not everyone is going to always be with and have friends. And not everyone is going to always be alone."
Lincoln: Does that statement apply to me as well?
Me: Indeed it does. I'll make sure the rest of them know when we see them. But remember, we're keeping a low profile.
Lincoln: Right.
The two of us arrive at our house and turn in for the night, with me having taken advantage of something for Lincoln to get involved in, which I'll get to in the next chapter.