No Promises

chapter nine

RIKER AND LENA pull up in the spot next to us shortly after we park. It doesn't take long for us to get set up inside and get two lanes. Stevie having decided long before we showed up that tonight was going to be a battle of the sexes. The boys against the girls, and I'm already so glad we decided to do this. Stevie's birthday being in the summer giving us just the right excuse to spend more than just a few hours together now that we're apart indefinitely.

"So, Lena, we get to come to your wedding, right?" Isla asks with a hopeful grin.

Lena throws her head back with a laugh as the boys approach our lanes, Riker offering her the rental bowling shoes. The two got engaged at Christmas a year ago, and they're planning for a Thanksgiving wedding, both too focused on school to do it any other time.

"What's so funny?" Riker questions as Felix sinks down into the plastic seat next to Stevie. Greyson coming to a stop next to me at the bowling ball rack, holding out my bowling shoes before setting Isla's down next to her. I offer a small smile in return as I scoop them up, holding them up to chest.

"Isla's asking if she and Robyn get to come to the wedding," Lena explains.

Riker throws us a look over his shoulder and laughs. "In your dreams."

"Don't listen to him," Lena says. "Of course, you're coming."

"Yes!" Isla excitedly jumps around next to me, a wild smile on her lips as our attention goes to getting our shoes on. She grabs my arm and gently pulls me toward the lone bench backing onto our lanes, the bench double sided and placed together with the others to create a horseshoe. "What's going on with the two of you?" she asks quietly as she leans over to tie up the laces on her shoe.

"What are you talking about?" I ask at her sudden shift in topic as I bring my foot up onto the bench, holding my knee to my chest.

"You and Greyson," she whispers, keeping the conversation between the two of us.

"I still don't see what you're getting at."

"The little look when he gave you your shoes?" She raises an eyebrow. "Why are you being so secretive?"

"Secretive? Isla, I smiled at him." I laugh quietly. "What do you think is going on?"

"It wasn't just any smile though," she say, tightening the laces on her shoes as she twists to face me. "It was your Chase smile."

"My Chase smile?" I roll my eyes. "I don't have a Chase smile, and even if I did, I definitely didn't use it on Greyson. Not that I'm even sure what that means."

"You definitely did, and he had the same flirty look."

"Oh, my apologies!" I hold my hand up to my chest. "He brought me over my rental shoes. He's most definitely in love with me. He also brought you yours, so, I guess he loves you too?" I ask and she pins me with a glare.

"What are the two of you yammering on about?" Stevie asks, twisting in her seat as she gets up to put our names into the system. I squeeze Isla's shoulder as I get up and walk around to join our group of friends, sinking down into the seat next to Greyson.

"Nothing."

"Liar," Greyson calls my bluff as he moves to rest his arm behind me.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He hums. "You're up."

I lift my gaze to check the screen, taking notice to the order Stevie put us in. Each up against a boy, all except Isla, because of our odd number of members. The spot usually filled by Riker's twin brother, Isaac, who is in Rhode Island for school. He's the only member of the Alexander family to leave California for school, but I have no doubt it'll last very long.