Chapter 25: Bowling

Luke was in a bad mood. He wasn't yelling, or screaming. He wasn't snapping at anyone. In fact, he was overly calm and precise with his words; but it was there. Something had crawled up his ass, died, and festered, because just sitting next to him downstairs as he flipped through channels, I could feel the tension. It wasn't very pleasant.

Seth had left an hour ago, and Luke's current attitude was what I'd been greeted with after I took my shower. Of course, when I asked him if there was something wrong, he forced a smile and told me everything was fine. I wasn't used to this from Luke. I didn't like it.

"What did you do at work?" I asked, trying to get him to talk about whatever was bothering him. Obviously, he wasn't going to tell me directly. In response, he flashed me a look that suggested he knew exactly what I was up to. This wasn't surprising, because I never asked him what he did at work.

"I worked," he responded shortly.

"O-kay... Was traffic bad?"

"There wasn't any traffic."

"Oh. Did Chey piss in your room or something, because I've let her out a lot today..."

Okay, I was reaching.

"No, she didn't," Luke responded. He was beginning to sound irritated.

"Okay," I said, sighing, and stood up. If anything, I knew what it was like to be in a bad mood. If Luke wanted to be alone, I could give that to him. There was no way I wanted to add my name to the list of things he was irritated with--if I wasn't already on it. Of course, I couldn't think of any reason why I would be. I started heading upstairs, hoping to find something to do until Luke was feeling better, but when I heard him curse behind me, I paused and turned around.

"Rory, hold on, okay?" he said, sounding a lot more like Luke already. It was enough to have me heading back to the sofa.

"Did I do something?" I asked curiously, taking a seat next to him. Luke just stared at me for a long moment before shaking his head.

"No. Sorry."

I studied Luke for a moment, not sure whether he was being honest or not. He really did look put out about something.

"Luke? Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," he replied, nodding. He sighed. "I'm sorry; I'm just, having one of those days, you know?"

"What happened?"

"Just some shit. I don't know. There's some stuff I haven't really been dealing with and it sort of crept up and bit me in the ass today."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, hoping that he would. I wasn't used to a whole lot of things bothering Luke.

"Nah, I'll work it out."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," he insisted. "But hey, I'll pretend I'm in a good mood, okay?"

"Luke..."

"Please, Rory. Can we just sit here and pretend that everything's cool?" He sounded exasperated.

I gave him a measuring look, and then reluctantly shrugged.

"Okay."

Luke smiled again, but this time it seemed less forced.

"Thanks. So what did you do today?"

"I asked Seth to come over."

"Yeah, I saw that," Luke replied. "Are you sure you used to hate him? You guys seemed kinda cozy."

"We were not cozy," I insisted.

"You were flirting."

"Was not," was my immediate response.

"Do you wanna know what I think?" Luke asked.

"I don't think so," I replied honestly, and he playfully punched my shoulder. I had a feeling that he was going to tell me what he thought, anyway.

"I think you like him."

I considered this. Mostly, because I'd been lying my ass off when I denied that I'd been flirting with Seth. I had been. Only, I didn't want to admit it on the account of being so afraid that Seth would make some kind of move on me. True, there was part of me--mostly my eyes and my hormones--that was attracted to Seth. He was attractive. But, Aaron had been attractive, too, and that had gotten me into enough trouble. I really was afraid of Seth liking me. So in all honesty, I didn't even understand why I'd taken it upon myself to flirt with him, or why I wouldn't mind spending more time with him like that, for that matter.

"Rory?" Luke said, as if to challenge me when I didn't respond fast enough.

"Would it make me an asshole if I liked that he likes me, without actually liking him?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

I let out a breath, feeling oddly comfortable with being so honest with Luke.

"Aaron didn't like me," I explained. "I mean, he couldn't have. Not that much..."

"Rory..."

"I was just a stupid game to him, Luke."

"He did come looking for you," Luke pointed out. "Look, Rory, Aaron's an asshole. But, I know exactly how you feel. Sometimes with Aaron, it's hard to tell if..."

"He didn't like me," I insisted. "It kinda sucks, you know? Not that it matters anymore. With Seth, it's kinda nice that someone... I don't know."

"It's okay. I think I know what you're saying. So you don't like Seth?"

"I like hanging out with him," I admitted. "I just don't know if it's a good idea for me to like anyone right now."

"Okay," Luke replied after a moment of studying me. "But, Rory--Aaron's still an asshole."

"Yeah," I agreed, cracking a smile.

"Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"There's a lot to like about you," Luke said seriously, and then smirked. "Most of the time."

...

I sat at the kitchen table in front of the portable phone, turning over the piece of paper that I'd written Seth's phone number on. When I thought about hanging out with Seth, I thought more about going over to see if he was available the next time I was home alone and wanting company. The option of going out on a Friday night, with not only Seth, but possibly Angela, too, hadn't really occurred to me. I wouldn't have thought that I'd even consider it, knowing that Luke usually asked me if I wanted to go with him on Fridays. But I was considering it.

Don't get me wrong; if Luke would have mentioned going out, and asked me to go with him, I would go without giving Seth's invitation a second thought because I was comfortable with Luke--even if I was kind of tired of going to the park, not to mention my chances of seeing Aaron at the park seemed greater than anywhere else. And let's face it, Luke and his friends were always going to the park.

But, Luke hadn't mentioned anything. In fact, I had a feeling that all he wanted to do was stay in tonight. I, on the other hand, kinda felt like going out. Besides, it was an opportunity to make new friends, and if there was one thing that I'd noticed lately, I really didn't have many of those. Lately, I'd also noticed that I wouldn't mind having a few more. It had been a while since I felt that way.

I picked up the phone and started to dial. But not Seth's number. That went back into my pocket for the time being. I listened to the other line ring a few times before I heard Eddie's voice instructing callers to leave a message. I didn't. I figured that the message I left a half hour before was enough. Besides, it was almost seven o'clock and while Eddie had said he'd be home late, I didn't think he'd be back too much later. So, I hung up the phone, and stared at it some more.

"Are you trying to get hold of someone, Rory?"

I looked over my shoulder to see Jase, heading for the refrigerator.

"I was just trying to call Eddie."

"Ah. I tried to call him a few minutes ago, too. My guess is that he left his cell in the car. Did you try his office?"

"I got the answering service."

"Well, when I talked to him at lunch, he didn't think he'd be home for dinner--does chicken salad sound okay?"

"Sure."

"Good. Did you need something, Rory? Is that why you were calling Eddie?"

"Not really," I replied. "I mean... someone asked me to go bowling tonight. I was sort of thinking about it and I didn't know if I was supposed to talk to him, or..."

"Who were you thinking about going with?" Jase asked as he moved over to the table and took a seat one chair away from me.

"Um, Seth Fisher; he lives down the street."

A knowing smile that I immediately wanted to object to crossed Jase's face.

"I know who he is. Eddie told me he met Seth's parents."

"He said Angela Conner might be there, too," I added, not wanting Jase to get the wrong idea.

"Okay, where were they going to go bowling?"

"Seth said it was across the street from the mall."

"I know the place," Jase replied, nodding. "I go there with Eddie every once in a while. There are a lot of young people around your age there on the weekends." He said that last part like it was supposed to be a selling point.

"I wouldn't really know."

"Did you want to go?"

"I'm still thinking about it," I admitted. "I mean, they wouldn't be there until around nine anyway, and..."

"If you need a ride, I'll take you," Jase volunteered. "I think it's a good idea."

"I don't think I'd need a ride," I replied. After all, Seth had given me his number for a reason. Otherwise, he would have just said that I could meet him there.

"Well, if you decide you want to go, or that you need a ride, let me know. I really don't mind."

"Okay... um, thanks."

"You know, if you do go, I know for a fact the place closes at twelve thirty. If you wanted to stay until then we could move your curfew to one."

I hadn't decided if I was actually going or not, but that last thing did catch my attention.

"Can you do that?"

Jase laughed.

"I'm pretty sure I can. Actually, believe it or not, we do make exceptions sometimes, Rory. Like, if Luke wants to see a late movie, or stay the night at one of his friends. We just sleep easier when we know you're in the house by midnight. But, as long as we know where you are, it's not usually a problem."

"Yeah, Eddie kinda told me that last part," I replied sheepishly, and Jase smiled.

"You're doing okay," he said, but it sounded a little more like a question than a statement to my ears.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Jase continued to study me for a few moments, almost looking as if he expected me to say more, but when I didn't, he gave me a small nod.

"You should think about going," he finally said. "And it's really no problem if you need a ride."

...

I looked in the bathroom mirror, inspecting my hair. I'd been wearing it practically shaved for years, and not being one of those people open to change, I was ready to find a pair of clippers and get to it. Only, I decided that there wasn't enough time for that. So, I'd found some gel and spiked it up, noting that with the gooey substance in it, it had not only become hard to the touch, but it also looked way too shiny and a lot darker than it normally was. But, it didn't look entirely horrible, so I decided against jumping back into the shower.

I went back to my room, gathered my wallet into my pocket and then lifted my cell phone as I held up the piece of paper with Seth Fisher's phone number on it. It was eight forty-five, Eddie wasn't home yet, and I'd officially come to the conclusion that I was going to brave the bowling alley. I had the first two numbers dialed, and then hung up. But not because I was chickening out. True, I was a little nervous about calling Seth, but I was also determined. I'd hung up because of the sudden burst of loud music coming from the basement living room. It seemed entirely out of place, since right after dinner, Luke had announced he was going to bed. Jase had found this as odd as I had, and he'd actually followed Luke downstairs. When Jase came back fifteen minutes later and we did the dishes together, he hadn't said anything about Luke. But, he didn't have to. I'd figured that Luke was going to bed early because he was still in a shitty mood. I'd also thought about trying to talk to him again, but figured he was sleeping when I found his bedroom door closed. But apparently, he'd taken the world's shortest nap, or he'd rethought his plans to go to bed so early. I confirmed that when I found him in the living room on the floor, going through a stack of DVDs.

"We have, like, no scary movies," he informed me when he saw me there. "All I want is, like, a guy with a chainsaw or something, ripping people up."

"What are you doing?" I asked, and he looked at me like it was self-explanatory before he shoved the stack in my general direction.

"You pick," he stated. "I'll make popcorn or something--or do you wanna go swimming? I'm not really in the mood."

I paused, realizing that whatever Luke was going to do tonight, he expected me to do it with him.

"I thought you went to bed."

"Not tired," he replied, shrugging.

I knelt down on the floor with him, feeling a little awkward. I almost picked a movie, but stopped myself.

"Seth asked me to go bowling," I admitted, and Luke just stared at me for a minute before his eyes drifted from my hair to my clothes.

"Oh."

I don't have to," I said quickly, noticing disappointment in his voice.

"No. It's fine."

"Luke..."

"I just didn't know you had plans."

"We could both go," I suggested, liking the idea as soon as I said it. Luke, however, looked at me like I'd said something particularly offending.

"I don't make a very good third wheel."

It took me a minute to figure out what he meant by that, but when I got it, I quickly shook my head.

"It's not like that," I said irritably. "Angela's gonna be there, too--sometimes they go bowling when Seth gets off work."

"Oh," he replied, sounding a lot less hostile, now.

"Jase said I could stay out until one, since the place doesn't close until twelve thirty." I added, in a way of trying to convince Luke to come with me.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Do you wanna go?"

"You really wanna stay out that late?"

"I'll come back early with you if you want," I replied. "I mean, there could be a video store on the way back, right? They'll probably have something with a chainsaw and enough blood to make you sick."

"Good point," he said, cracking a smile.

I thought about how Angela was going to be there and decided to throw out another idea.

"You could always call Dave and tell him Angela..."

"That's okay," Luke cut me off. "When did you wanna go?"

"Seth said they'd probably start around nine..."

"Cool. You wanna tell Jase we're going? I'll get dressed."

...

"Why didn't you want Dave to come with us?" I asked Luke as I walked with him across the parking lot towards the lit-up bowling alley. Jase had been right. There were teenagers everywhere.

"What are you talking about?"

I rolled my eyes. When I'd suggested that Luke ask Dave to come with us, it hadn't escaped my attention that Luke had been completely uninterested in the idea. That seemed very un-Luke-like to me. Even for a Luke who happened to be in a really shitty mood.

"You could have asked him to come with us," I pointed out. "And aren't you supposed to have plans with him or something? It's Friday."

"Is that your way of telling me to get lost?" Luke remarked, and I frowned.

"No," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder to make sure that he wasn't going to suddenly take off on me. "I'm glad you came. Luke... shit, Luke. I just wanted to know why you're not hanging out with Dave tonight, okay? Just... forget it. You're really snappy tonight, you know."

"Sorry," he replied, sighing. "Look, Rory, I'm sort of not hanging out with Dave on purpose."

"You guys are fighting?" I asked incredulously.

"Not really fighting," Luke replied, running a hand through his curls. Dave doesn't even know I'm avoiding him, I don't think. I just... needed a break."

"A break?" I asked curiously. "Why would you need a break from Dave? He's... Dave." Even I liked Dave. Maybe we hadn't been the best of friends, but he was definitely Luke's best friend.

"Exactly. It's Dave. And, sometimes he has a really bad habit of only being able to focus on one thing at a time; and when that happens, it turns into borderline obsession and he gets really, really, really annoying to be around."

"Huh?"

"Angela," Luke responded irritably as we stopped outside of the double doors and faced each other. "It's Angela. Did you know that he used to just like her like a normal person would? I mean, he still couldn't talk to her, but he liked her, and he was okay with both of those things, you know?"

"Actually, I have no idea what you're talking about," I admitted.

"Ever since he thought Angela was going out with Seth, he hasn't just liked her. He's been obsessed."

"But Angela's not going out with Seth."

"I know, but something about the whole thing got to Dave and now... now, all I hear about is Angela, Angela, Angela! We don't talk about anything else anymore. Ever. He actually called me at work today to tell me about a shirt he bought that he thinks Angela will like him in. And she won't, you know why? Dave sucks at picking out clothes. Everything he looks good in--I picked out. Plus, he hates to shop! Now, he's shopping for something that he thinks he'll look good in for some girl who he doesn't even have the guts to talk to, let alone ask if she thinks he looks good in that stupid shirt. I swear to god, Rory, if I hear one more thing about Angela..."

"You do realize we're meeting Angela here, right?" I cut Luke off, honestly concerned. For Luke's part, he simply fell silent, looking both annoyed and baffled.

"Okay; if I hear anything else about Angela from Dave, I won't be responsible for my actions against any bystanders. I really don't have a problem with Angela."

"Just Dave talking about Angela."

"Now you're getting it," Luke replied, grinning, and then turned to follow another group into the building, placing a hand on my arm in the process to make sure we stayed together.

"So it's Dave's fault you're cranky?" I asked.

"Don't call me cranky," Luke warned.

"Fine," I agreed, smiling. "So, should I buy us a lane, or..."

"I don't think there are any lanes left," Luke interrupted as we both paused and took in the chaos around us.

It was crowded. A lot more crowded than I would have thought. Every lane was occupied and it looked a lot like the entire contents of a high school had shown up. There were no open tables, or even benches. I couldn't figure out what was noisier, the bad pop music blaring over the speakers or the humming of mixed chatter. I wanted to turn around and walk away from all this, but Luke's hand on my arm stopped me as he leaned in closer to speak so I could hear him.

"Over there," Luke pointed, and I looked in the direction. But I had no idea what he was pointing at until Luke started leading me through the crowd and a group at the second-to-last lane caught my eye.

Meg was the first one I saw, as she approached the lane with a purple bowling ball. Behind her, on a crescent-shaped bench surrounding a table and the scoreboard, sat Angela and one of the girls who I'd met at Brian's house. As soon as we reached them, Luke was sneaking up behind Angela and covering her eyes as he said something into her ear. I, however, hung back as I scanned the area for the one person who'd invited me there. When I felt a tap on my shoulder, I found myself smiling before I turned around to face Seth as he peered out at me from under another ball cap with a bemused expression on his face, all the while juggling four extra-large sodas in his hands.