Peripheral Vision | ✓ [NOW PUBLISHED AS HUNTINGTON AVENUE]

Chapter 35

C H A P T E R  T H I R T Y - F I V E (the final chapter *sniffle*)

Zach's P.O.V.

"Zach, how long are you going to stand there? It's your turn," Luke exclaimed teasingly.

It was a Friday night, and the five of us decided to go bowling, because why not? I don't think I've ever tried, and it's been quite evident the past few rounds.

Currently, Luke was in first, then Marco, Ryan, Kelsey, then me. The entire night, Luke's been joking that I'm getting beaten by a girl, but I honestly don't care. I'm glad Kelsey's doing better because if she wasn't that'd be awful.

"Sorry," I replied with a chuckle. "I'm just thinking how it wouldn't even make a difference in the score if I didn't play at all," I joked.

"Nah!" Ryan interrupted while holding a neon green bowling ball in his left hand tucked under his arm. "We're just here to have fun, aren't we?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I stated, grabbing a purple ball from the rack.

My right hand still felt quite a bit irritated, so I had to use my left for bowling, which is probably another reason I'm doing so badly, or I just can't bowl to save my life. I'm going with the second option.

I lined myself up with the lane and took a few steps forward. It didn't take long for me to practically trip over my own feet and almost drop the ball onto my shoe.

Flooded with embarrassment, I laughed it off as well as I could, and I heard more laughter from behind me. Kelsey then approached, took the bowling ball from my hands and released it down the lane, knocking down almost all the pins.

"I can do it myself, you know," I teased as Kelsey looked over at me proudly.

"After you practically face planted a minute ago," she retorted with a laugh.

"I did not," I defended myself semi-confidently.

"Did too."

"I think I know the difference between a trip and a face plant," I replied playfully as I walked over to the table where Luke, Ryan, and Marco were sitting, since it was Kelsey's turn, apparently.

"Somehow, you managed to do a mix of the two," noted Luke with his signature grin. "That's talent."

"Thank you, Luke," I responded sarcastically as I sat myself down at the table next to him.

Luke then leaned over towards me, a serious tone to his voice. "How's everything going?"

"Things are going quite well, actually," I replied with a genuine smile. "My sister doesn't hate me and is following me around everywhere, so I guess that counts as good."

"Yeah, I would think so," Luke exclaimed with a bit of a laugh, patting me on the back.

"Strike!!"

Kelsey's loud yell snapped me out of my conversation with Luke. I looked up at Kelsey, then the lane, and sure enough, all ten pins were knocked down and she was striding over towards us with a proud smile across her face.

"That's ten pins better than I did," I noted with a grin, giving her a high five with my good hand. "That's great!"

Kelsey plopped herself down in the seat next to me with a playful smirk on her face. "Thanks," she replied with a bit of a giggle.

After a few more rounds of my pathetic attempt to knock down a single pin, we all finally decided to call it quits and check out the arcade that was also in the bowling alley. Mostly, there were video games, but there was a pool table or two and an air hockey table.