I barely sleep, if at all, and I make myself stay up all day so I can actually sleep tonight. I take Lauren and Luke bowling, even though I don’t want to because Luke is supposed to steer clear of germs. He loves bowling. I don’t, but evidently all my friends do, so everyone is coming. Obviously not all in my car, but all to the same place. Kylee follows behind me in her car, which contains Amy and Jacob. In my car are Fox, the twins and me. I’m not going to bowl, because I don’t find public humiliation is fun, and neither is Amy because she thinks there are too many germs in the shoes and she’s always conscious of what she looks like, but Kylee, Fox and Jacob are bowling. I’m going to get Lauren and Luke a different lane because they need bumpers and the lanes aren’t going to allow three 17 year olds whip ten to twelve pound bowling balls and flimsy bumpers. I pay at the counter and grab their shoes.
“Those are ugly!” Lauren whines.
“So what? You’re just bowling, who are you trying to impress?” I ask. She motions for me to come down to her level.
“I have to impress Jacob!” she whispers. I roll my eyes.
“I’m positive he thinks you’re adorable, ugly shoes or not,” I say.
“Really?”
“Want me to ask him?”
“No!”
“Jacob,” I say, standing, “Don’t you think Lauren is adorable, ugly bowling shoes and all?” He suppresses a smile and kneels down in front of her.
“I think you’re beautiful.” She turns beat red and stomps away. We all try to laugh quietly, even Luke. I scoop him up and tickle him.
“And what are you laughing at mister?” I say, he laughs harder.
“Come on, let’s bowl,” Fox says, carrying two six pound balls for Lauren and Luke.
We’re in the lanes all the way at the end of the alley, away from everyone else. Good, I think, no one to bother us. Luke is wearing a hat to hide his bald head. Lauren likes to wear hats too. She’s been like that since they were tiny babies. Luke has seven, Lauren has four, three of them being some shade of pink. Today he’s wearing a blue one, and Lauren is wearing her only purple one. She’ll only wear skullcaps which is hard because they don’t really make skullcaps for little girls. Luke wears his snugly on his head, but Lauren likes her to look more like a beanie, which is probably because Fox wears beanies regularly. I have to use barrettes to secure them to her head, but they look cute on her so I don’t mind doing it. She doesn’t like Luke to be alone. They bowl two games, and Luke is still keeping up, so I invite everyone back over. Kylee can’t because she’s got to go to her brother’s court hearing, and Amy and Jacob are going on a date, which leaves me alone with the twins and Fox. I almost reluctant to go back with him, but I know Luke likes him so I don’t really mind. I’m just sick of him telling me that I need not be alone.
Luke stays up the entire ride home and talks all the while. About nothing in general, just whatever pops into his mind at that particular time.
“It’s great to see him with so much energy,” Fox mumbles. I nod. “Are you alright? You’ve barely talked all day.”
“I’m okay, just tired,” I say.
“Wake up,” Lauren says, kicking my seat.
