Arson by Estevan Vega Page A

judge.”
    He nodded. She appeared so strong, almost impervious to each spying eye that found them. At least tonight. Smiling, he decided to get his head back in the game and try to forget about the unkind audience.
    When the shoot to his left spit up his bowling ball, Arson slid his fingers into place, took a deep breath, and thrust it down the lane. He studied its revolution with excitement as the ball collided into the right-side pin and then suddenly flipped to the other end. Another spare. Not the best, but he’d take it.
    â€œCould this be a chance at redemption?” Emery laughed, taken aback by what she referred to as obvious luck.
    â€œBrag all you want, but I still have a shot at winning this thing.”
    â€œMaybe on your planet, alien boy.”
    â€œHow do you do that? One minute you’re building me up with a compliment, the next you’re tearing me down?”
    The mask replied, “It’s a gift. I didn’t know you were so sensitive.”
    â€œI’m not.”
    â€œWell, don’t waste precious time trying to make sense of the female psyche, Arson. That’s a game you will  always  lose.”
    While Emery waited for a new set of pins, Arson went up to the counter at the front of the building to order nachos. There he noticed a big guy with tattoos on both his arms, skin darker than coal. Flashy necklaces dangled from his thick neck and got confused in the threads of unwashed chest hair. “Four beers,” Arson heard him say. “And three shots.” The bartender replied, “All for you, pal?”
    The burly guy just grunted back.
    To his dismay, Arson felt like lead had just been dropped inside of him. The big guy bit the chapped flesh of his bottom lip, sizing Arson up with eyes that said,  Don’t you dare look at me with that tone of voice .
    Using the last of his cash, he placed the money on the stained countertop, grabbed his order, and brought the nachos back to the table where Emery was erasing like crazy.
    â€œWhat are you doing? I worked hard at that to get the math right.”
    â€œOh, really? Would that include stealing my points?” She began penciling in the correct score to the best of her recollection.
    He sighed. “Guilty.” A sad look moved across his face, his lips droopy as they inhaled their first nacho. Instant hopelessness washed over him. While Emery worked diligently to fix the scores, Arson peeked down, trying to get a glimpse of her face. He found himself imagining her as one of the characters he’d read about in the comics. In seconds, her head turned and found him eyeing her.
    â€œCan I help you with something?” she said playfully.
    â€œNope,” he said, defeated.
    â€œArson, I have to admit that was pretty clever. But very low. What kind of girl would I be if I let you win by cheating?”
    He frowned. “What if I said I’d share the spoils with you?” He held out the nachos for a brief moment and then drew them back.
    â€œAn ultimatum. Now that’s a hit below the belt.”
    He shrugged.
    The sound of his crunching over the next three minutes must have felt like needles in her ear. He knew she wanted them and that it was only a matter of time before she gave in. But instead she folded her arms and faced the other away.
    After realizing that in a few minutes they’d have to give the aisle to somebody else, Arson held up a tissue as a sign of surrender. Rolling his eyes, he handed Emery the bowl of nachos. She took them, turned away, and lifted up her mask, but slightly so that he couldn’t get a clear view of her face. After swallowing one nacho, she dropped her mask back down and handed him the bowl.
    â€œAll that for one nacho?” he said, squinting.
    â€œLike I said, the female psyche is something boys can’t understand.” She got up and thrust another bowling ball down the lane.
    For the first time, she didn’t hit a single