KALIKABUZA

Chapter 18

"It's a game!" I say for the hundredth time.

"No, it's a sport!" Macy shouts back for the thousandth time.

I scoff. "How is bowling a sport? You don't have to jump or run or anything!"

"Chess is a sport, and you're sitting down the whole time," Macy states.

"Bullshit, chess is a game too," I cross my arms and walk a step ahead of her. We are going to the bowling alley, which is a huge building between the haunted towers.

"It's more like a mental sport, Duke. A game is like... Monopoly or Clue. You kind of think, but it's mostly luck. Chess and bowling are all about strategy and special moves. You gotta train to get good at it."

She's such a smartass. We enter the alley and are told which lane to go to. "Well... unless everyone in this team are pro bowlers, we'll have to do things my way to win. No arguments like yesterday in volleyball."

"My dad bowls," Macy says. "He took me bowling a few times."

"Oh geez... so you're good at everything?" I say without looking. I start to put on the ridiculous bowling shoes that the counsellors give us. Why do we have to wear them? My Nikes are totally clean, they won't stain the floor. I feel like I'm wearing clown shoes. I look at Macy, who eagerly puts on her bowling shoes. "So I assume you'll beg me again to let you play today?"

Macy winks. "Oh, please, please, please let me play! Puh-lease!"

I scoff. "Fine. I've bowled maybe twice, so I'll play as—"

"Actually," Macy says, "you can play everyone for this. There are ten frames in bowling, each with two attempts. So each teammate can do one frame."

"Yeah? What if one of our geniuses here screws up like they did against the Hot Rods yesterday?"

"That's why there are two attempts per frame."

"What if you guys mess up both attempts?"

"Don't be so negative, Duke! Have a little faith in your team!" Macy says with a smile. "We're winning the Tournament after all."

"By five points! And TBH, that can change in an instant. We gotta win today and increase our lead." I stand tall. "Got it, Team Swag?"

"Yeah, bro!" Mike calls out.

"We'll win this shit!" Anissa cries.

And everyone else agrees.

If the bowling alley seemed big from the outside, it looks twice as big from the inside. Damn! The walls are covered in neon-coloured murals of the rides of the park; and the ceiling is black with glowing stars and planets. There are thirty-two lanes—that's what Nate said at Dynamo Dome. So every team will play the first round at the same time. Good, that means we won't have to wait around to play like yesterday.

'Good morning in Kalikabuza, and hello to anyone else listening in. This is Kabuza 92.0 with yours truly, Amy Simcox, and DJ Werfroza. This is Day Two of the Kalikabuza Tournament. Today we are kicking it off with some good old-fashioned bowling. Thirty-two lanes, thirty-two teams, five rounds to the final, and one winner! Sounds exciting, doesn't it, Wer?'

'Absolutely, Amy!'

'Today we'll see a high of twenty-eight for the afternoon, but some cloudy cover in the morning. Not as hot or sunny as yesterday, but things will definitely heat up inside bowling alley, at the heart of Kalikabuza! Wer, you're the expert, what differences are there in the rules between sports days and game days in the Tournament?'