At Mujus Bowling Arena, we were all seated, enjoying ourselves, Rick suggested that we hang out a bit.
"I remember my first time here," I said with a smile, then turned to look at Rick. "I broke your record."
Destiny smirked.
"I also made cool cash."
"That was just beginner's luck," Rick said as he folded his hands, and we all laughed.
Lila looked around, having never been to such a place before. You could tell from her expression that she was both surprised and confused.
"What is this place?" she asked, and Steve was quick to answer before any of us could process our thoughts.
"This is a bowling alley."
"What's that?" Lila asked, the term seeming new to her vocabulary.
"It's a place where the game of bowling is played," Steve replied.
"And what is bowling?"
"Well," he began, "it's a game where you roll a ball down an alley to knock over pins," he pointed towards the pins at the end of the lane. "Come, I'll show you," and they both went to the lane.
"Those two are made for each other," Destiny teased, and we laughed.
"So, Reta," Rick called, munching on fries, "tell us about yourself."
She froze for a moment, then said, smiling awkwardly,
"What's there to say?"
"I don't know.... Your real name, favorite food, color, where you're from, and more," Destiny said.
"Well, I'm from New York, as you already know. My real name is Retaan, but my friends call me Reta. I think my favorite color would be black," she said.
"You think?" I chimed in, looking at her suspiciously. There was something about her I couldn't quite place.
"You are mysterious," Destiny said with a suspicious look, then brightened up with a wild smile. "I like it."
Reta just smiled and bent her head to face the ground, and a silence grew.
"Hey, how about you bowl, Reta?" Rick suggested. "Zack did it."
"Yes, yes, let's see if she can break his record," Destiny whooped. "I'm betting a hundred."
I smiled, remembering Clovet urging me on my first tryout. She had told me to use my magic. God, I miss her a lot. If she were here, she would have bet three hundred on me.
"Well, I will break his record," Reta said confidently. "They don't call me the bowling queen for nothing." She then went over to the lane and picked up a blue ball.
"Wow, my money is on you," Destiny yelled excitedly.
"Looks like you have a competition, Zack," Steve said as he and Lila came back.
"Beat her, Zack. I bet two hundred on you," Rick said.
I went to where Reta was and took another ball.
"You first," I permitted, and she rolled her ball, knocking down all the pins.
They all cheered and clapped as she continued her impressive streak.
"Wow, looks like your record is smashed," Destiny said.
"Let's see about that," I said, and had my shot. I knocked down all the pins again and again, even more than she did.
"Looks like it's a tie," Lila declared as they cheered us both.
I went outside while they were taking shots. God, I really miss Clovet. I was drinking wine when Reta joined me.
"Feeling uncomfortable?" she asked, sipping her drink.
"Nah, I'm just missing my sister. This place reminds me of her a lot," I replied.
"Oh, I didn't know," she said, looking sorry.
"It's okay; it's not your fault anyway," I said, trying to brighten the mood. "So, how did you learn to bowl?"
"I learned from my dad. He was a champ," she said. "What about you?"
"You do not want to know," I said, and we both laughed.
"Let me guess, magic?" she said slyly, and I acted surprised. "Come on, everyone knows about the battle a few months ago. But why were they after you?"
"Who knows?"
Silence swept through, and I noticed that she was continuously staring at me.
"You look interesting," she said softly, coming closer.
"Okay," I said, trying not to act weird. Then she came up to me, running her hands up my chest. I held her hands, stopping her from touching me, and we looked into each other's eyes.
"Do you want to get out of here?" she asked in a whisper.
"Erm... Sorry, but I have a girlfriend," I said, dropping her hand and leaving.
It pained me to say I had a girlfriend, knowing fully well that Tesla and I weren't together anymore. I guess I didn't want to let anyone in ever again.
That night, Lila and I went to my place. After my encounter with Reta, I decided to face my fears head-on. I still had the keys to my apartment. When I got there, I stood at the door for a moment.
Lila, sensing my distress, asked,
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
I sighed and replied,
"I have to."
I inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it. The door unlocked, and I opened it slowly as waves of memories from that day hit me.
It was so terrible that I didn't want to come in, it reminded me most of our breakup.
Still lost in thought, I felt a soft hand tapping me from behind, bringing me back to reality. It was Lila, looking more concerned than usual.
"Hey, it's okay," she said, holding my hands. "Two heads are better than one. I'm here for you.", and With her help, I entered.