After Hannah Baker- Zach Dempsey's New Life

20: Bowling

Ryan got her cast off Thursday night. Friday morning she walked up the driveway and smiled slowly shaking her leg at me with a smile.

Later during lunch Ryan was telling us the plan for tonight. 

"I'll tell Mom that I'm going bowling with a group of friends and that I'm staying the night at Mercedes when I'll be staying with Zach after bowling," Ryan said quietly, "And Zach's friend Justin is going to come to, just in case Bear shows up at the bowling alley and tries do something," she said then looked at Mercedes and Ethan.

"Are we going to go out to eat before we go bowling?" Mercedes asked.

"Sure, where do you want to go?" Ryan asked all of us.

"What about Buffalo Wild Wings?" Ethan asked.

"I would like BW's," I chuckled. Ryan smiled then leaned against me while looking at Mercedes.

"Sounds good," she answered with a smile.

"We can meet at my house," I said when Ryan wiped off her mouth finishing her food.

After school, Ryan and I climbed into my car.

"You're dressed nice," Ryan smiled then slowly pulled on my shirt.

"First impressions count," I smiled then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She chuckled then looked back at May when she climbed into the car.

"What are you guys doing tonight?" May asked when we started driving home.

"We're going to go bowling with some people," Ryan said happily.

"Who?" May asked.

"Ethan and his girlfriend and Justin," I answered.

"Oh," May nodded then sighed.

Mercedes and Ethan were waiting in Ethan's mom's van when I pulled into the driveway. May climbed out and went inside ahead of us.

"Are we going to hang out here for awhile?" I asked Ryan before we climbed out of the car.

"If that's okay with your mom," she shrugged while climbing out of the car. They followed me inside then upstairs to my room. Justin was playing video games sitting in his sweat pants.

"How's the job search going?" I asked when Ryan sat down on my bed and Ethan and Mercedes sat in a chair in the corner together.

"Turns out, there's no one hiring around here," he said then nodded still looking at the TV.

"Walmart is always hiring," Mercedes chuckled.

"Most of them won't hire me," Justin corrected himself.

"Did you try the frozen yogurt place?" Ryan asked.

"Have you seen the uniforms they make you wear?" Justin asked pausing the game and turning to look at Ryan. "I'll look stupid," he shook his head.

"You don't need the outfit to look stupid," I chuckled. Justin glared at me while Ryan, Ethan and Mercedes laughed.

"Only the new people wear that," Ryan said when everyone stopped laughing, "I only had to wear it for two weeks," she shrugged.

"You work at the frozen yogurt place?" I asked confused.

"I did last year," she answered then smiled. "I work at Burlington now," she said.

"I need a job," I chuckled then sat down next to her.

"Work at the frozen yogurt place," Ryan said with a chuckle. "It's right across the street from Burlington," she coaxed lightly.