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“Bowling balls,” she said, recovering quickly. “I can’t work out what bowling ball I need. I’m crap at bowling.”
“You said a negative about yourself. I need three positive things right now,” Chris replied quickly. He pointed at her, but not in a threatening way. Instead, he was like a teacher that wanted to make you laugh while expanding your knowledge on something significant.
“I’m good at drawing, I’m curious, and I nearly answered my dad back after he made a dig,” she said quickly.
“You can’t use curious again.” He smiled with a wink. “But well done on the dad one. Good for you. In terms of the balls, let me help.”
She forced back a giggle at the idea that he was offering to help her out with balls.You are so embarrassing. You didn’t find that funny?Her inner voice asked annoying rhetorical questions too. It had a point, though. Thank goodness she hadn’t laughed out loud. He would have called her a kid.
Chris jumped straight into telling her about the balls. He shared knowledge in a way that wasn’t condescending or passive-aggressive. He helped her try different sized bowling balls and gave her pointers on the best stance and position and how to move her arms. She was learning quickly, and she’d retain it too. He was fascinating and informative yet made it practical. It was more than she could have asked for. Was he aware he had this skill in sharing knowledge? Chris and his dad went bowling once a month as their father-son bonding activity. He knew his stuff, and her confidence grew with each idea and piece of advice.
But why was he helping her?
“Do you want to come and practice on our lane before doing it on your own? My dad won’t mind,” Chris offered. Was his dad that kind? If Chris was anything like him, then she believed it. But he was the guy who’d gotten a bj from two girls, and he’d set a fire at school. He couldn’t be lovely.
“Yeah, maybe if my dad lets me,” Lucie replied before ducking her head. How embarrassing that she had to ask her dad.
“Hey, Lucie.” Emma swaggered up to them.
“Ems, thanks for earlier,” Lucie said.
Emma shrugged. “He pissed me off when he tried to embarrass you in front of Jess’s dad to make himself look better. Anyway, I took your go too. I got you a strike to rub it in when I bowl badly on my go. I want him to know that my bad performance is because of him. He sent me to find you. What are you doing with this guy again?”
Chris tensed beside her. “What’s your problem with me?”
“I know stuff about you,” Emma replied, squaring up to him even though he was a foot taller.
“You don’t know anything other than what some random told you. The way Lucie talks about you, I assumed you didn’t judge, and yet that’s all you’ve done when it comes to me. So ask me anything, and I will answer it, but let me save you some time by talking about the biggest rumours: I’ve never set any fires at school, I haven’t slept with a teacher, and I haven’t got any tattoos, although I will get one soon.”
Emma glared back at him and folded her arms slowly. “Whatever. I still don’t want you around my sister.”
Lucie sucked in her breath.
“Why not?”
“Because… because she…”
“Because she what, Emma?” Lucie asked, finding an angrier voice than she’d ever used on her sister. Lucie stood between Chris and Emma and stared her down.
“I don’t know,” Emma replied with a shrug. “You’re the hard-working one who doesn’t get into trouble.”
“Then trust that I know what I’m doing and that I won’t get into trouble now. All we’re doing is chatting,” Lucie replied.
“Fine.” Emma stood back, and Lucie turned to find Chris red-faced. Emma continued to scowl. “Don’t hurt her, okay, or I’ll get you.”
“I promise not to set fire to her books or tattoo her thighs,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. Lucie covered her mouth with her hand.
“Or get her to give you a bj in science.” Emma smirked.
Chris’s mouth dropped. “That one is still going around? Bloody hell. I should stop joking altogether.”
Emma shrugged and turned to Lucie. “Do you want a birthday glass of Coke? It will be fun to keep Dad waiting and piss him off a bit longer.”
Chris gasped. It was lucky she liked his goofiness, or she’d have been hiding because of his dramatic reactions. “It’s your birthday? Why didn’t you say?” Chris asked.
“It’s not until Sunday,” she replied, shrugging to dismiss it. She hated birthdays, and this was going to be her eighteenth. Everyone else from school talked about how drunk they’d get on their birthdays and the parties they’d be having. As the eldest in the year, she should have set a wild example. They wouldn’t be inviting her to their parties. Maybe she should ask Chris for ideas of what she could do in the holiday park to raise hell.
“This changes everything,” he replied ominously, but the dimples returned. Heat swept over the back of Lucie’s neck, and her palm was now so sweaty she nearly dropped the ball she was cradling. Why did everything get so hot when he smiled? She eyed him warily, but he didn’t say anymore and continued to offer a massive grin.
