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“How did you know?” Vance asked and then groaned. “Mom.”
Gael grinned. “Yep, even saw the photos. You were very cute.”
Vance groaned again and collapsed onto the bench, which creaked alarmingly. Finn’s eyes widened. “Goldchampion?”
Gael waggled his eyebrows. “Three years in a row.”
“Wow!” Finn said in awe.
Vance sighed. “Yeah, then when I turned up for the qualifiers after the last year, I was banned from competing.” He stood. “Was fun while it lasted, though.”
Everyone was silent for the space of a heartbeat, knowing exactly what had happened to Vance in the year between winning and being banned from the sport.
“So, what time do you guys want to meet?” Talon asked and mock-punched Vance on his shoulder.
It was packed. And Finn wasn’t sure the poor girl giving shoes out wasn’t going to pass out when she looked up and seen their group standing there. It was even worse when Vance stepped forward.
“Umm, I’m not sure we will have any shoes to fit you,” she whispered. Finn thought she was gonna cry.
Vance just beamed. “That’s fine, ma’am. I brought my own.”
“Who has their own bowling shoes?” Sawyer hissed.
“Us, for starters,” Gael winked and stepped up next to Vance.
Finn was pleased. Despite it being busy, the lane next to theirs emptied quickly, and somehow no one else seemed to want it. Vance rubbed his hands and gently put down the black bag he was carrying. Finn peered over. “What’s in there?”
Vance opened it and reverently got out a gleaming black and purple bowling ball. It was huge. Finn doubted he would ever be able to lift it with both hands but cradled gently in Vance’s huge paws it looked like a tennis ball.
“Did you win your championships with that one?” Talon leaned over admiringly.
Vance shook his head. “No. It was a present from Mom and Dad after I won the last one. I’ve never used it.” He shrugged. “But it’s my birthday, right?”
Daniel shouted just then. “Finn, come and help me get the beers.” They both walked over to the bar. “You made his day.”
“Really?”
Daniel nodded. “They were talking world bowling championships at one point when he was a kid. Juniors, obviously.” Daniel stepped up to the bar and started ordering.
Finn sighed. Something else a mark on Vance’s face had ruined. He carried the two jugs of beer and Daniel brought the glasses. Vance was standing rubbing his hands gleefully as Gael sat and entered their names.
“Hey, dogbreath.”
Finn’s hackles rose at the derisive words, and he turned, expecting to see whoever was speaking watching their group. He was wrong, but he still didn’t like what he saw. One lane over past the empty one three teenagers plus another kid were playing. He was guessing they were all around fourteen years old. The boy they were all looking at—like he was something one of them had just wiped off their shoe—was a lot younger. Maybe ten, eleven, and seemed completely miserable.
One of the older boys sniggered as the boy looked up from where he was picking up a bowling ball just as a fourth teenager joined them.
“You don’t think you’re actually playing, do you? You haven’t got a partner.” The boy that had spoken originally informed him and bumped knuckles with the one who had just arrived.
“Yeah,” sniggered the only girl in the group. “You’d need the baby rails on.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” the younger one muttered and went to sit down at the small table. It looked like he was the only one without a soda and some chips as well.
“Hey, Matt, these shoes are too small. Go change them,” the obnoxious boy ordered and threw his bowling shoes at the kid. He fumbled the unexpected throw, and the girl rolled her eyes.
“Which is why we won’t let you anywhere near a bowling ball,” she decreed.
Finn blew a slow breath out and caught Talon’s eye. Talon had heard what had been said the same as every enhanced there. Finn only caught Matt’s reply because he was standing close. Finn really wanted to go over and tell them what he thought, but he knew the team wanted to keep their heads down and leave without any fuss. It was a huge ask just getting them all in a public place for Vance’s birthday.
