played back for me. Him kissing me for the first time near
that fence. The look on my mom’s face when he came over for dinner and kissed
me at the door. The first time we had sex in his bedroom. The night of the
bowling challenge, after I won that trophy and we spent the whole night in the
room above the garage.
“We should go
in,” Graham said, finally breaking our gaze. I nodded and followed him out of
the truck, but I was pretty sure my heart was left on the floor.
The outside
was covered in some sort of metal, almost like a tin can, and there were bright
circles all over the walls, like polka dots. The old place was a boring shade
of brown, but this was fun. The building twisted and turned. It almost felt like
Wonderland.
“This place is
cool,” I said, getting out of the car.
“I know,”
Graham said. We walked side by side into Rinkydinks, and he bumped my hip as we
moved. My whole body flushed, but I knew it didn’t mean anything for him. I had
to get it together. My mind needed to be put on a leash.
“No letting me
win,” I said.
Graham opened
the door for me. “We’re friends now; no pretending this time for bonus points.”
Right. No pretending. We were just friends now,
even though I was pretty sure people who were just friends didn’t have all
these sparks. All of these questions and feelings and thoughts. Friends didn’t
have to pretend they were just that.
“No worries,”
I said.
Except if I
didn’t pretend, I’d never be able to stand near him without wanting to kiss
him.
20.
Graham
BARB DINKLEMAN COOED when I
walked up to the desk. Cassie waited beside me, oddly quiet. It didn’t matter.
Not talking was better. Bowling was a bad idea. I thought it was better than a
dark movie theater, but there was too much downtime in bowling, too much
talking. But in the car, it was easy. She was Cass and I was Graham and it was
fine. We could do this. We could hang out.
“Mikey, honey!
You’re here!”
“Yes, ma’am,”
I said. I hoped she wouldn’t make a scene, but she glanced between me and Cass,
flailing her bright bracelet-covered arms, and I could tell a scene was coming.
“We’re here to bowl, Mrs. Dinkleman.”
She waved me
off. “Call me, Barb, Mikey. You know you can do that.” She glanced past me to Cass.
I could tell she recognized her from the scrutinizing expression on her face—or
at least thought she did. I cleared my throat to get her attention.
“Barb, one
lane please, ma’am,” I said with a smile.
Mrs. Dinkleman
chomped some gum and smiled at me. “Of course, honey.” She pushed some buttons
on the computer, and printed me out a ticket. I really wanted to get out of her
way. “Lane Twelve. Need some shoes?”
“Size eleven,”
I said. I looked over my shoulder at Cassie.
“Eight
please,” Cass said. She stood beside me, shoulder-to-shoulder, and smiled. This
was normal for friends. Completely. Mrs. Dinkleman handed us the shoes and I
thanked her.
“Anything for
you, Mikey,” she said with a smile. Before the divorce, she never smiled. Cass’s
eyes bored into me as we walked to our lane. I could see the wheels turning.
How long would it take her to ask me about it?
We turned into
the lane, and put on our shoes. We didn’t really speak to each other, and I
kept thinking that this was the dumbest idea I could’ve had. I shouldn’t have
brought her here or even agreed to try this friend thing. Now what would we do?
“I’m going to
get a ball,” Cass said.
I nodded in her
direction, lost in my thoughts, and then put our names in the computer. We did
this once before, back when it was Rinkydink Ted’s, and our friends always gave
us couple names. Brad and Angelina. Bonnie and Clyde. Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Whatever they could think of. I stared at the blinking cursor. I wanted to do
that again, to be those famous couples, but we weren’t. Were there famous
friends? I typed her name instead, and it was wrong, so I backspaced.
Cassie
that fence. The look on my mom’s face when he came over for dinner and kissed
me at the door. The first time we had sex in his bedroom. The night of the
bowling challenge, after I won that trophy and we spent the whole night in the
room above the garage.
“We should go
in,” Graham said, finally breaking our gaze. I nodded and followed him out of
the truck, but I was pretty sure my heart was left on the floor.
The outside
was covered in some sort of metal, almost like a tin can, and there were bright
circles all over the walls, like polka dots. The old place was a boring shade
of brown, but this was fun. The building twisted and turned. It almost felt like
Wonderland.
“This place is
cool,” I said, getting out of the car.
“I know,”
Graham said. We walked side by side into Rinkydinks, and he bumped my hip as we
moved. My whole body flushed, but I knew it didn’t mean anything for him. I had
to get it together. My mind needed to be put on a leash.
“No letting me
win,” I said.
Graham opened
the door for me. “We’re friends now; no pretending this time for bonus points.”
Right. No pretending. We were just friends now,
even though I was pretty sure people who were just friends didn’t have all
these sparks. All of these questions and feelings and thoughts. Friends didn’t
have to pretend they were just that.
“No worries,”
I said.
Except if I
didn’t pretend, I’d never be able to stand near him without wanting to kiss
him.
20.
Graham
BARB DINKLEMAN COOED when I
walked up to the desk. Cassie waited beside me, oddly quiet. It didn’t matter.
Not talking was better. Bowling was a bad idea. I thought it was better than a
dark movie theater, but there was too much downtime in bowling, too much
talking. But in the car, it was easy. She was Cass and I was Graham and it was
fine. We could do this. We could hang out.
“Mikey, honey!
You’re here!”
“Yes, ma’am,”
I said. I hoped she wouldn’t make a scene, but she glanced between me and Cass,
flailing her bright bracelet-covered arms, and I could tell a scene was coming.
“We’re here to bowl, Mrs. Dinkleman.”
She waved me
off. “Call me, Barb, Mikey. You know you can do that.” She glanced past me to Cass.
I could tell she recognized her from the scrutinizing expression on her face—or
at least thought she did. I cleared my throat to get her attention.
“Barb, one
lane please, ma’am,” I said with a smile.
Mrs. Dinkleman
chomped some gum and smiled at me. “Of course, honey.” She pushed some buttons
on the computer, and printed me out a ticket. I really wanted to get out of her
way. “Lane Twelve. Need some shoes?”
“Size eleven,”
I said. I looked over my shoulder at Cassie.
“Eight
please,” Cass said. She stood beside me, shoulder-to-shoulder, and smiled. This
was normal for friends. Completely. Mrs. Dinkleman handed us the shoes and I
thanked her.
“Anything for
you, Mikey,” she said with a smile. Before the divorce, she never smiled. Cass’s
eyes bored into me as we walked to our lane. I could see the wheels turning.
How long would it take her to ask me about it?
We turned into
the lane, and put on our shoes. We didn’t really speak to each other, and I
kept thinking that this was the dumbest idea I could’ve had. I shouldn’t have
brought her here or even agreed to try this friend thing. Now what would we do?
“I’m going to
get a ball,” Cass said.
I nodded in her
direction, lost in my thoughts, and then put our names in the computer. We did
this once before, back when it was Rinkydink Ted’s, and our friends always gave
us couple names. Brad and Angelina. Bonnie and Clyde. Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Whatever they could think of. I stared at the blinking cursor. I wanted to do
that again, to be those famous couples, but we weren’t. Were there famous
friends? I typed her name instead, and it was wrong, so I backspaced.
Cassie
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