At Luxford Academy, the elite boarding school for the ultra-rich, Adriana and Nicholas have been bitter rivals since childhood. Forced to live in the same dorm, their once-friendly pranks have escalated into daily clashes-sharp insults, constant bic...
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The bowling alley's atmosphere buzzes with energy, but your focus is solely on the heated exchange. The bright lights and constant thud of balls hitting pins fade into the background as your argument with your enemy escalates.
"You always do this!" I exclaim, frustration evident in your voice. "Why can't you just let things go for once? We're here to have fun, not to rehash old drama."
He crosses his arms, standing defiantly on the other side of the ball return. "I'm not the one bringing it up," Nicholas snaps back, his tone icy. "But if you're going to keep making snide remarks, I'm not just going to sit here and take it."
Aurora, trying to play mediator, steps between us two. "Hey, hey, come on, guys," she says with a nervous laugh, glancing around to see if anyone else is noticing. "Can we just chill out? We came here to bowl, not to argue."
Matteo , sitting with a soda, adds, "Yeah, let's not ruin the night. We're all friends here, right?" His voice wavers, attempting to inject some warmth into the tense situation.
Nicholas rolls his eyes. "Friends? Really? It doesn't feel that way when you're constantly trying to one-up me," he says, gesturing with frustration.
I clench your fists, trying to keep my composure. "Maybe if you weren't so competitive about everything, I wouldn't have to," I retort. "This isn't about winning. It's about having a good time."
Dione holding the pizza slice steps forward, desperation creeping into her voice. "Seriously, can we just take a break?" She pleads. "Let's grab some nachos or something. This isn't worth fighting over."
I take a deep breath, feeling the weight of the situation and the eyes of my friends on me. The initial anger starts to give way to exhaustion. You look around at the worried faces of my friends, the flickering neon lights, and the vibrant alley bustling with carefree laughter and cheers from other lanes.
"Fine," I mutter, glancing at Nicholas. "Let's just... drop it for now. We're here to bowl, not argue."
Nicholas hesitates, then nods, though his jaw remains clenched. "Agreed. Let's just try to enjoy the night."
With a collective sigh of relief, the tension in the group begins to dissipate. The peacemaker,also known as Emilia leads the way to the snack bar, cracking a joke about how the only thing more competitive than your arguments is the quest for the last mozzarella stick. Laughter, albeit a bit strained, ripples through the group.
As I grab a bowling ball and prepare for my next turn, the argument lingers in the back of my mind, but the shared determination to salvage the night takes precedence. The familiar weight of the ball in my hands and the sight of pins lined up down the lane offer a comforting distraction, a chance to focus on the game rather than the conflict.
The pins crash down as my ball strikes, and for a moment, the tension melts away, replaced by the simple pleasure of the game.
Anywho away from that turns out Theo and Aurora planned on a bowling trip.
