where I was supposed to be. With my
best Scarlett O’Hara voice—which I had perfected because our ninth grade
teacher made us read the book, watch the movie and then perform scenes from it in
front of the class the last week of school before summer and we hated it since it
was worth like 20 percent of our final grade—I said: “Tell me, Graham Tucker,
or I will just die!”
Graham was smiling
when he looked back at me and I felt myself smiling. I didn’t have to pretend
to be someone else or hide any part of myself. He looked at me with the sparkle
and some fire, and I felt like I was flying. He did that to me, made me drop
all the pretenses and the masks and just be his Cass. Where was he taking me? Maybe
it was a date-date place. Maybe it was a friend place, but it could be a
date-date place.
“I’m taking
you to Rinkydinks.”
Rinkydinks?
Nothing said “friends” like ugly, plastic bowling shoes. My heart sank, but I
tried to keep my smile up. I leaned back against the seat. What was I
expecting? We’d had a moment, but Graham made himself clear. We’re friends.
That was all this was supposed to be, anyway. Get it together, Cassie.
“Rinkydink
Ted’s Fun Plaza is still around?”
“No, no,” he
said, shaking his head. “Not Ted’s anymore. It’s Barb’s,” he said. I laughed a
little. They finally divorced. Ted and Barb Dinkleman were the worst couple
ever. We used to go to their bowling alley in high school because they served
underage beer, let us use the gutter guards, and entertained us when Barb and
Ted would have fights on the floor. They used to yell across the alleys and
over the loudspeaker and once they even rolled balls at each other to see who
would trip or yell or walk away first. We had this friend named Lila who used
to find ways to make them start fighting.
“It’s just ‘Rinkydink’s’
now.”
“Why is this a
surprising story? They were destined for divorce.”
“That’s not
the surprising part. They got divorced because Ted fell in love with George.”
I gasped. “The
creepy maintenance guy?”
Graham nodded.
“Right? Anyway, Barb got ownership and rebuilt the whole thing. It has lasers
and black lights, a decent snack bar, an arcade—” Graham paused and he had this
sly side smile on his face and his eyes were wide. “—and Bobo the clown.”
“A clown?” I
asked. She always wanted a clown.
“No kidding,”
he said.
“That’s
crazy,” I said with a smile. This town was weird. I turned so I could see
Graham better and curled my legs up into the seat. His face was a little
scraggly today and I liked him with some scruff. It always made him look more
rugged. Not that I was thinking about that.
“What?” he asked,
voice rough.
“I can’t wait
to kick your ass in bowling,” I said instead.
“You won’t
kick my ass,” he said.
I shook my
head. “Do you remember the Summer of the Reckoning?” That was the summer before
junior year. We called it that because Lila and Adam broke up and we could only
be friends with one of them at a time. “I believe I won that competition
trophy.”
“Maybe I let
you win,” he said, his eyes wide and mischievous.
I stared at
him. “You didn’t.”
“Seriously?”
he raises an eyebrow at me. “You think I really didn’t see that sleeper pin in
the last frame?”
“The ball
wasn’t even near it.”
“Yeah, I
know,” he said with a half-cocked smile.
I slapped his
arm. “You let me win?”
“You were my
girlfriend.”
“So?”
“I wanted to
get laid,” he said. I slapped his arm again. “Hey! I was sixteen. You can’t
blame me for that.”
“I can’t
believe you,” I said as he put the car in park.
“I knew what I
wanted.”
I looked at
Graham and he was studying me too, his eyes burning into mine. I tried to look
away, but they captured me. I didn’t know what to say, and I tried to find the
right words but that only made me more nervous.
My head spun
as all the moments
best Scarlett O’Hara voice—which I had perfected because our ninth grade
teacher made us read the book, watch the movie and then perform scenes from it in
front of the class the last week of school before summer and we hated it since it
was worth like 20 percent of our final grade—I said: “Tell me, Graham Tucker,
or I will just die!”
Graham was smiling
when he looked back at me and I felt myself smiling. I didn’t have to pretend
to be someone else or hide any part of myself. He looked at me with the sparkle
and some fire, and I felt like I was flying. He did that to me, made me drop
all the pretenses and the masks and just be his Cass. Where was he taking me? Maybe
it was a date-date place. Maybe it was a friend place, but it could be a
date-date place.
“I’m taking
you to Rinkydinks.”
Rinkydinks?
Nothing said “friends” like ugly, plastic bowling shoes. My heart sank, but I
tried to keep my smile up. I leaned back against the seat. What was I
expecting? We’d had a moment, but Graham made himself clear. We’re friends.
That was all this was supposed to be, anyway. Get it together, Cassie.
“Rinkydink
Ted’s Fun Plaza is still around?”
“No, no,” he
said, shaking his head. “Not Ted’s anymore. It’s Barb’s,” he said. I laughed a
little. They finally divorced. Ted and Barb Dinkleman were the worst couple
ever. We used to go to their bowling alley in high school because they served
underage beer, let us use the gutter guards, and entertained us when Barb and
Ted would have fights on the floor. They used to yell across the alleys and
over the loudspeaker and once they even rolled balls at each other to see who
would trip or yell or walk away first. We had this friend named Lila who used
to find ways to make them start fighting.
“It’s just ‘Rinkydink’s’
now.”
“Why is this a
surprising story? They were destined for divorce.”
“That’s not
the surprising part. They got divorced because Ted fell in love with George.”
I gasped. “The
creepy maintenance guy?”
Graham nodded.
“Right? Anyway, Barb got ownership and rebuilt the whole thing. It has lasers
and black lights, a decent snack bar, an arcade—” Graham paused and he had this
sly side smile on his face and his eyes were wide. “—and Bobo the clown.”
“A clown?” I
asked. She always wanted a clown.
“No kidding,”
he said.
“That’s
crazy,” I said with a smile. This town was weird. I turned so I could see
Graham better and curled my legs up into the seat. His face was a little
scraggly today and I liked him with some scruff. It always made him look more
rugged. Not that I was thinking about that.
“What?” he asked,
voice rough.
“I can’t wait
to kick your ass in bowling,” I said instead.
“You won’t
kick my ass,” he said.
I shook my
head. “Do you remember the Summer of the Reckoning?” That was the summer before
junior year. We called it that because Lila and Adam broke up and we could only
be friends with one of them at a time. “I believe I won that competition
trophy.”
“Maybe I let
you win,” he said, his eyes wide and mischievous.
I stared at
him. “You didn’t.”
“Seriously?”
he raises an eyebrow at me. “You think I really didn’t see that sleeper pin in
the last frame?”
“The ball
wasn’t even near it.”
“Yeah, I
know,” he said with a half-cocked smile.
I slapped his
arm. “You let me win?”
“You were my
girlfriend.”
“So?”
“I wanted to
get laid,” he said. I slapped his arm again. “Hey! I was sixteen. You can’t
blame me for that.”
“I can’t
believe you,” I said as he put the car in park.
“I knew what I
wanted.”
I looked at
Graham and he was studying me too, his eyes burning into mine. I tried to look
away, but they captured me. I didn’t know what to say, and I tried to find the
right words but that only made me more nervous.
My head spun
as all the moments
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