Chapter 17 #3
Kane pulled back, licking his lips. There was something there in his eyes. Something that told me that tonight was going to change our relationship.
Inside the bowling alley, music blasted from the speakers while colored lights moved over the lanes.
The smell of pizza, hot wings, and fried food filled the building.
Bowling balls crashed into pins, people yelled over missed shots, and kids ran around like their parents hadn’t taught them how to act in public.
Kane walked to the counter and paid for our lane before we picked up our shoes. The red and blue shoes were ugly and worn out, but coming up how I did, it really didn’t bother me. I had worn shoes all the time.
He showed me how to enter our names on the screen. Kane walked over to the rack and picked up a few bowling balls, testing their weight. I picked up one. The weight caught me off guard, and the ball almost slipped.
Kane laughed loudly.
“It slipped,” I lied.
“It slipped because it’s too heavy.”
“It’s fine.”
“Put it down before you break your foot on your birthday.”
I ignored him and carried it toward the lane with both hands. I stood at the line.
“Don’t throw it,” Kane called from behind me. “Roll it.”
I nodded, listening to his words.
“You holding it like you about to chest-pass it.”
I glanced over my shoulder. We laughed in unison.
Facing the pins again, I took three steps and released the ball.
It rolled straight for about two seconds before curving toward the gutter.
“Come on,” I whispered, leaning my body to the left as if I could guide it.
The ball dropped into the gutter without touching a single pin. Kane didn’t laugh. He played his turn, knocking them all down. When it was my turn again, I chose a lighter ball.
Kane stepped behind me and placed one hand on my waist. With the other, he adjusted how I was holding the ball. My entire body went stiff.
“Relax,” he murmured near my ear.
“I am relaxed.”
“You holding your breath.”
Because you’re pressed against me.
I kept that thought to myself.
Kane guided my arm backward. “Keep your wrist straight. When you step forward, swing your arm and let the ball go. Don’t force it.”
I followed Kane’s instructions, releasing the ball smoothly this time. It rolled down the middle of the lane and knocked down seven pins.
I jumped and threw both hands in the air. “Yeaaaaaah!”
On my second roll, I knocked down two more.
One pin remained standing, but I was still proud of myself.
This was actually fun. We were having such a good time, we stayed for at least three hours.
Kane won all the games, but I was getting better and better each one.
All I had to was work on my form. I tried copying Kane because his was perfect.
He had to almost drag me out of the bowling alley, promising before we both went back to school, we’d come back.
My mama did the best she could with my birthdays even though it would just consist of a small cake used with her food stamp card and taking me to Goodwill or another thrift store so I could pick out one thing, but Kane has given me the best birthday ever.
I didn’t need a trip out of state or the country.
He knew me. He knew all it took for me to have a lit ass birthday was to have fun.
I didn’t need anything else. I didn’t even need the shopping he did for me.
I didn’t give a damn about material shit. I just needed my favorite person.
I watched as the tall building pass as Kane drove. He wasn’t driving toward the projects. There was no telling what else Kane had in mind tonight, but a yawn slipped out before I could catch it. From the perimeter of my eye, I saw Kane glace at me.
“Sleepy?” he asked.
“A lil,” I answered, yawning again. Kane lightly snickered.
“You want to take a quick nap and then go out to eat?”
I peered out the window again. “Where are we going? You passed the projects minutes ago.”
Kane slowed down and turned into a road that led to a newly built hotel. My stomach clenched.
“My are we here?” I asked.
Kane smiled without looking in my direction. “You said you were sleepy.”
“What’s wrong with my bed?” I sat up straight and looked out the window at the nice hotel. It was very nice and appeared very expensive.
“It’s your birthday, and I’m tryin’ to spend the entire day with you. Even if that means taking a nap. Get out.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
You’ve fell asleep with Kane plenty of times, Scottie, I said to myself, but tonight just felt so different. I couldn’t shake that feeling.
“I…I don’t have anything with me, but the clothes we got from the mall.” I was still sitting in the car. Kane didn’t respond. Instead, he shut his door and rounded the front of the car. He opened my door.
“C’mon, Slim,” he mumbled. “I’m tired too. You actin’ all scared to be with a nigga.”
I smiled and held back a laugh as I stepped out of the car. Kane used to talk somewhat proper. Okay, not proper-proper, but he didn’t talk all niggerish before college. I liked this Kane. That tattooed covered nigga that put a bitch in her place behind me. Vani would be proud.