Vinny and Ali are a little caught up in conversation, not far from me, and neither has noticed that Crew’s turn is over.
“Hey, cousin Vinny!” I exclaim. “It’s your turn!”
Vinny looks over Ali’s shoulder and groans. “Just as the nickname couldn’t get any worse.”
Nicknames are my love language—well, that and quality time. They’re how I welcome people into my social circle, and I’m not very picky about who I’m friendly with. Vinny hates his nickname, however, because he associates it with the mafia—a group of people he doesn’t fuck with, whatsoever.
I still use it anyway, even if it’s not entirely original, and Vinny knows I mean well by it.
The four of us continue with the game, and by the time we’ve reached our tenth frame, I’m in the lead, though I don’t have that fifth strike like I hoped for at the beginning. Crew is right below me, but only because the remaining two are not as competitive as I am.
“I forgot this was supposed to be a group date,” I mutter as my eyes steer away from the happy couple, who started making out after Ali hit her first strike of the night.
This is more of a group hangout, and two of the members of the friend group happen to be dating, while the third can’t stand my guts. Feels like hell with bowling alleys.
Thankfully, it’s my turn, and I grab my bowling ball from the rack with my left hand. I place my three fingers in the holes of the ball and with my other hand, I touch the surface and stare at the reflection of myself.
I look stressed out. Then again, I’m in my final winter quarter of university. I could easily be sitting at my computer on campus right now, figuring out the bug in my Capstone project, or even at the beach, but I chose to be a menace to society.
Normally, I’m not a fan of group hangouts because if I’m around big groups long enough, I can get severely overstimulated—and an overstimulated Carly is not something I’d wish on my worst enemy—but maybe it’s a good thing I agreed to this. Nothing relieves stress like knocking shit down.
After lining myself up at the alley, I take my turn and earn myself another strike. I try to go bowling every once in a while, but with school, time just hasn’t been on my side. Luckily, I never lost that spark.
“Couldn’t you at least try to be terrible at this?” Vinny groans playfully. “You’re making us normal people look bad.”
I practically howl in laughter because Vinny currently sits at the bottom, having not earned himself a strike. “Maybe you should try hitting the pins instead of the gutter,” I retort.
“Face it, y’all. Carly’s never lost a game since we moved here,” Ali informs the boys. “Accept defeat while you’re at it.”
“Never,” Vinny declares, earning a round of laughs from all of us—even the ever-stoic Crew lets out a chuckle. I never once thought I would see this guy smile, but now that I have, I can clearly say that his smile is not one meant to be hidden. Yet, it is.
Some things can’t be captured by a camera, and this moment is one of them.
When our eyes meet, I notice the brightness around them for a split second before the darkness masks it. What is this guy’s problem with me? Maybe I shouldn’t have called him out on his crush on Ali, but I feel that if my best friend is involved, I should know about it.
There’s no way I’m ruining Ali’s relationship with Vinny because those two are written in the stars. They have the kind of love you would read about in books or see in movies. Anyone who has seen the way Vinny looks at Ali—like she’s captured the entire galaxy in her hands—could figure that out.
Nothing could stand in their way, and they can overcome every obstacle with ease.
It’s the kind of love that I want for myself when I’ve got all my shit together.
The question is: what does Crew want? Does he see that for himself, or is he drowning in his emotions to the point of no rescue? I guess time will tell.
The best part of watching is the moment when everything begins to unfold, and all the answers are revealed in front of us.
As the game continues, I spare an occasional glance at Crew. Sure enough, all the signs are obvious. Did he really think I wasn’t going to see it?
I’m not blind. Medically and figuratively speaking, my vision is perfect.
This is one of these things I shouldn’t be thinking about right now, how another guy likes his best friend’s girlfriend. I’m trying my utmost best to take my brother’s advice, and I’m kind of failing.
Which is silly. Carson is the same guy who threw a pie at his girlfriend’s face when they first met (true story). Advice from him is not one that I should be following, but his love life is working out for him.
“Carl?”
I blink to find Ali staring at me. “What’s up?”
She looks at me funny. “Are you overthinking again?”
