𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 (𝘤.𝘩.)

1.

I never thought I would fall this hard. All for a boy I met at a bowling alley.

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

I pull into the parking lot of the bowling alley, checking my phone to see if my friends were there yet. I decide to walk in anyway, only to see a new guy cleaning off my usual lane. I make my way to my locker, then to the counter where the manager, Bruer is. "Hey Liz, new hire's taking a bit to clean off your lane. Need a drink?" He asks as I walk over to him. I shake my head, leaning up against the counter beside him. I watch as the new guy finishes and walks over to us. "Chase, this is Lizabeth. Her and her Mom come in every night to bowl, and she works here. Her shift starts in about an hour, so she'll be with you for the rest of the day." Bruer explains. Chase looks me up and down. "Hey." He states simply before walking away. "He seems like a real gem." I mutter to Bruer, before going to sit down and put on my shoes. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see my friends Gina and Rhyan coming my way. "Hey Bruer!" Gina yells as she runs toward me. "There's a new guy." I sigh, gesturing toward the staff closet he disappeared into. "Gross. Is he at least hot?" Rhyan questions, setting her things down on the floor. "Maybe? I guess you'll have to decide that for yourself." I carefully deliver my response.  In about an hour, we're done playing and the girls go home. I head to the bathroom to change into my work clothes, and come back out to the counter, waiting for the first crowd of people to come in around noon. "I'm gonna head out for the day, you know what to do. Lindsay will be by later with food deliveries. Get to know Chase, he's actually pretty cool, Liz." Bruer says, lurking by the exit. I nod, and he walks out. Five minutes later, Chase appears next to me. "Bruer showed you around and everything?" I ask nervously. "Yeah, what's your name again?" He questions back. "Call me Liz. You can start to open the snack bar now. How old are you?" I ask. "I just turned 18 yesterday. Uh- can you help me with the snacks?" He blushes. I get up, and he follows behind me. "Happy Birthday! Well, we're almost twins I guess. My birthday is tomorrow." I laugh as I begin to explain the snack bar. "What school do you go to? I moved here over the summer and haven't seen you round campus at all." He asks, focused on stacking cups. "I actually graduated last year, a year early. I'm enrolled in community college now." I tell him, almost embarrassed. He furrows his brows, his lips turning to a smirk "Really? Didn't quite see you as a college girl." He laughs to himself. I nod, my face heating up now. "Where did you move here from?" I ask. He turns to me quickly. "Connecticut. It doesn't matter though." He answers coldly. I hear the bell ring up at the counter, and I use that as an excuse to leave. I turn back to him as I walk away, and he gives me a semi-apologetic look. It gets busy for the next couple of hours, and we barely see each other. What happened that was so bad in Connecticut? Is it really just that he doesn't want to talk to me? We leave for lunch at the same time, and make eye contact from across the parking lot. When we come back from break, it's never busy. He keeps his distance from me anyways. When Lindsay comes round at three, we both go help her unload the truck, then spend the last two hours of our shift in the kitchen, organizing and cleaning. Just before we leave for the night, he pulls me back into the kitchen. "I'm sorry about this morning. I'm here for a new start, and I hate talking about the past." He tells me quietly. "I get it. There's a reason I moved here, too." I tell him reassuringly. On the drive home, I think about my birthday tomorrow, and when I'll get to see Chase again.

SO EXCITED TO FINALLY RELEASE THIS TO YOU GUYS!!! I LOVE YOU ALL AND SEE YOU NEXT CHAPTER <3 

wc: 748