Bittersweet // Complete

24

This is part two of a double update. Make sure you read chapter 23 before this one!

I trained my eyes to stay solely on my lane, now sighing as Dan kissed Finn square on the lips for a gutter ball, "It's okay, you'll get the next one."

"I suck, obviously," Finn pouted.

"Oh you baby," Eleanor teased, ruffling his hair, "You should ask Bri for help, she's helped me a lot."

Hearing my name, I headed over, chewing down the fries I was holding. The greasy goodness was making me incredibly happy, so I was skipping rather than walking, something that didn't go unnoticed by Finn's observant eye, "You're incredibly happy."

"I am," I reached out to grab the orange ball, tucking my fingers in the holes, "So the trick is to keep your feet aligned to the center pin, and use that as a guide to drop the ball."

Finn copied my exact movements awkwardly, fingers struggling to release the ball at the time of dropping it, effectively sending it to another gutter. Oh damn, he had no hand-eye coordination at all. I looked at the scoreboard. I was in the lead, with Dan following closely behind. Eleanor was next, not too far, but Sophie and Finn seemed to be competing for last place. Sophie had never loved bowling as much as Eleanor and I had, and she only came along to cheer us on and munch on the food.

I noticed she wasn't eating much today, so I sat next to her, snuggling into her shoulder. She was quick to return the love, resting her head on mine. Grabbing a few fries off my plate, I shoved it in front of her lips. She shook her head, "I'm off carbs for a while."

"Well that's not the only things fries are good for," I countered, having seen her slip down this slope before, "The salt contains minerals your body needs to fight diseases, and to keep your nails and hair healthy. The carbs provide you energy to function throughout the day-"

"Okay doctor," she rolled her eyes, taking a single limp fry for her observation. The poor thing cracked in the middle, doubling over in her hand. We laughed before she stuffed it in her mouth, instantly moaning as the taste. The day Sophie said no to fries would be the day the world collapsed. We closed the game with me leading by one point, officially winning over Dan after ages. He'd been leading the last few times we had shown up here, so I was reclaiming my throne.

Finn and I exchanged high fives when Dan was throwing a fit over losing. We were talking about our shared love for annoying him when Sophie skipped over, "We're going to Pizza Palace for dinner."

"Fuck yes!" An appreciative moan escaped my mouth before I caught myself, immediately blushing.

"The soccer team invited and Dan doesn't know how to say no apparently, neither does El," she explained. I looked up at the goofing crowd, spotting Eleanor with Jeff's hand around her, and Daniel doing a rather complicated series of handshakes with Alex.

"I think I'm gonna go home," I felt crickets chirp in my stomach, well aware of Noah's burning gaze tearing through my head. I looked up, meeting his eye, and he had a huge smirk on his face. He typed something on his phone before tucking it in his pocket, and I knew he had sent me a message. I wasn't going to see it.

"No, you have to stay!" Finn insisted, "I want to know every embarrassing detail you have about Daniel." I should have said no. I should have opted to text him instead, or grab coffee later next week. I should have done a million things, but I melted for his puppy eyes, choosing to stay. I walked silently behind everyone as we piled into the different cars, grateful that Finn had called dibs on me. Daniel was a crybaby as Finn made him sit in the back, trying to threaten me with his narrowed eyes.