Building on Lies (12 page)

“ I’d forfeit the game if Nellie flashed me!" Joaquim joked, and I punched him in the arm.

We were joking around, doing bowling cheers, when I felt Ro’s hand grip my arm.

“ What the hell," she whispered into my ear, and I knew it was serious, because Ro never cursed.

“ What is it?" I asked her, thinking maybe she’d hurt herself.

“ Look, but don’t look. Over by the rental shoes. It’s Channing and Ty”, she whispered.

I gave her an incredulous look, but she just opened her eyes wide, warning me not to talk out loud.

“ Nellie. Seriously, they’re headed this way," she hissed, and she pulled me down into our chairs.

I felt my palms go sweaty. What in the world were Channing and Ty Sutton doing at the Egg Cove bowling alley? Ardsley kids rarely showed up at the bowling alley. In fact, the only times I ever saw people from Ardsley Park at the alley was when there was a birthday party for some little kid, and even that was rare. The bowling alley was strictly an Egg Cove form of entertainment. The A-kids had their country club, fancy hotel, and private beach they hung out at.

I tried my best to not look to see if it really was Channing and Ty. Maybe Ro was wrong. Maybe it was just guys looked like the Sutton twins, as crazy as that sounded.

“ They’re with Bethany Grant," Ro whispered, pretending to smooth my hair.

“ Bethany Grant?" I repeated, wanting to look but not daring. Instead, I focused on Joaquim, who knocked a twelve pin.

“ Yay!” I said, trying to sound excited.

He looked at me with a confused grin, because I wasn’t supposed to be cheering him on . Ro and I were playing against him and Tommy, but I was so flustered I’d forgotten.

“ Hey Tommy, Joaquim. What’s up?" Ty Sutton loped toward our lane, a friendly grin on his handsome face.

Joaquim and Tommy just gaped at him. Ty Sutton wasn’t like other A-boys. He was always friendly, and most everyone agreed he was very laid back, especially for an A-kid. As far as I knew, he didn’t hang out exclusively with any one crowd, like Channing did. But he didn’t make it a habit of hanging out with Egg Cove kids often, either.

“ Hey, Ty. What’s up?" Tommy said, recovering. He gave Ty a hand slap in greeting, but he didn’t bother to greet Channing or Bethany.

Joaquim greeted Ty as well, but there was no mistaking the hesitance in him.

“ You guys know my brother? Chan? And this is my friend Bethany," Ty said, casually, as if he hung out with Joaquim and Tommy everyday.

Channing gave each of them a head nod in greeting, while Bethany flipped her long golden hair and smiled flirtatiously. Ro glanced at me, and made a face.

“ Um, yeah. That’s Nellie and my girlfriend Ro”. Tommy awkwardly finished the introductions. Ty waved at us, but Channing kept his face turned toward the lanes.

“ I know Nellie and Romina. We’ve got a class together," Bethany said, and she walked over to us. She grabbed our scorecard off our table. “ What do we have going on here, girls?”

“It’s quite obvious, my fair Bethany," Ty said, rubbing his chin. Looks like we have a classic boys against girls bowl-off. And if I’m not mistaken, these girls are getting their asses waxed. Royally”.

“ I think you’re right Ty. Should I offer these fair damsels my assistance in kicking ass?" Bethany asked, pretending to be thinking.

“ You can offer. But then again, I think they’re losing pretty bad already, and they don’t need you to bring them even further down Losers Lane," Ty mocked.

Bethany turned to us, hand on her hip, eyebrows raised. “ Whaddya say, girls? You want a chance to make these little boys cry?”

Ty scoffed, and even Tommy and Joaquim looked amused.

“ Sure, why not?" Ro said, reluctantly. She turned to me, but I just shrugged. Channing still hadn’t looked at me.

“ So, can we join?" Ty asked Tommy and Joaquim, and even though I know they were just as bewildered by the whole situation as we were, they nodded.

“ How about you, man?" Tommy asked Channing, who was still standing around like he would rather be anywhere else in the world.

“ I don’t bowl," Channing replied curtly.

“ He’ll just be an innocent bystander…a witness to their destruction, if you will," Ty said smoothly, pointing at us girls.

“ Oh, Tyler," Bethany chuckled. “ When are you going to learn to watch that mouth of yours? It’s like you deliberately seek out your own destruction”.

It was hard not to laugh at Ty and Bethany’s banter. Soon, we were all bowling in earnest. Bethany was good, so good in fact, we were caught up to the guys after a few. She and Ro came up with a cheer, and they did it any time one of us scored.

Ty was no slouch either. He made a big deal of pulling Tommy and Joaquim aside for exaggerated pep talks, and he had both guys laughing so hard it was as if he’d hung out with them forever.

I kept glancing at Channing, but he wouldn’t look at me. Not once. He kept his eyes focused straight ahead, or he would pretend to watch some other bowlers in the next lanes.

The boys won the first round, and they gloated so much Bethany pretended to throw up.

“ Enjoy it, because the next one is ours!" she said, rolling her eyes.

“ Dudes, let’s grab these losers, I mean...the girls... something to eat. It breaks my heart to see them looking so pitiful," Ty said, giving us a fake sympathetic smile. “ Let’s buy them some hot dogs as consolation prizes”.

“ I want mine with the works!" Bethany called after them. Channing got up to follow them, but he looked ill at ease. I wondered what in the world he was doing here.

Bethany sat down in between me and Ro, and let out an exhausted sigh.

“ Girls, come on. We got our asses beat so bad, it was embarrassing. I know those guys are all hot, but lets focus ," she said, teasingly.

Ro laughed, but all I could do was smile at her awkwardly. I didn’t know what Bethany was about, and I wasn’t going to join in on “her us against them” scenario just like that. Bethany hung out with Samantha, which meant she was enemy lines.

“ Ro, do you mind if I have a chat with Nellie?" Bethany asked suddenly.

Ro narrowed her eyes, suspiciously.

“ About what?" she asked, her voice hard.

“ Yeah, about what?" I repeated.

“ About Channing. Duh”. Bethany looked at us as if we were stupid.

Ro and I exchanged glances.

“ What about Channing?" I asked, slowly, my guard up.

“About how he’s crazy about you," Bethany said, softly. She looked me straight in the eyes, and I knew she knew.

“ Hold on. What are you talking about?" Ro said, jumping to my defense.

Bethany looked around, then dropped her voice. “ Why do you think we’re here? Trust me, there are plenty of things I’d rather be doing on a Friday night”.

“ Too good to hang out down here in the Cove?" Ro asked, sarcastically.

Bethany rolled her eyes. “I’ve only got a few minutes to talk before the guys come back. Nellie, what are the chances you’ll get back together with Channing? How much do I have to pay you to get that boy out of his misery?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on her face. It was as if Channing were some hopeless loser who could never get a date in his life.

“ Wait, so you’re here because of Channing?" Ro asked.

“ He’s really stressed out," Bethany said. “ Seriously, we have never seen him so upset. He thinks you’re seeing um…what’s his name… Joaquim?”

“ Joaquim and I are just friends," I said, shaking my head.

“ Well, Chan thinks there maybe something more between you two. You mentioned in Sociology you’d be here tonight with Joaquim. It was Ty’s idea to come down here and spy on you,” Bethany explained.

“ Spy on me!" I gasped.

“ Yeah. We were going to sit somewhere where we could see you but you wouldn’t see us”. Bethany looked a bit sheepish. “ So Chan could see if you and Joaquim acted like a couple. But then Ty said we were being weird and creepy, and he wanted to bowl, and what better way to spy than to actually sit here with you guys”.

“ Ty is crazy, isn’t he?" Ro said, but it was more of a statement than a question.

“ Yeah, he’s got a few screws loose”, Bethany laughed.

“ I can’t believe Chan would do all this," I said, annoyed that Channing didn't trust me, but also thrilled that he was jealous.

“ He really really likes you, Nellie. I mean, really," Bethany said.

“ What about Samantha? Isn’t she your friend?” Ro asked, bluntly.

“ Yeah, she’s my friend. But Channing is like a brother to me. I’d do anything to see him happy," Bethany replied. “ Even if it means betraying one of my girlfriends”.

“ The guys are on their way back," Ro said, before I could respond to that. The boys returned, carrying trays with hot dogs, fries, and soft drinks.

Bethany and Ro got up, but I stayed seated. Channing still wasn’t looking at me. He had a hot dog in his hand, and he stared at it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

Joaquim came and slid in beside me. He put a hot dog and a Coke in front of me. “ You’re going to need fuel to be able to beat us in the next round”.

I smiled, and thanked him.

He leaned in close and spoke low so only I could hear. “ What’s up with these guys showing up here anyway? How weird is that?”

I took a bite of my hot dog so I wouldn’t have to answer. “ Wow, this is good!”

“ I mean, first Channing hunts you down in the lunchroom. He calls you on your cell. And now he shows up here. It’s like he’s stalking you or something”. Joaquin glanced over at Chan, who was still absorbed by his hot dog.

“ No way, Joaquim. We barely know each other," I lied. “ He’s just here because his crazy brother is here. Everyone knows Ty Sutton is kind of out there”.

“ Ty’s a really cool dude. Nothing like those other A-guys. But his brother…he’s a different story. I mean, look at him. He looks like he’s afraid he’ll catch something," Joaquim said, sounding disgusted.

Channing did look uncomfortable, but I knew the real reason. He missed me as much as I missed him. My heart broke seeing him look so out of place, wanting to talk to me but not being able to. He was probably wondering what Joaquim and I were whispering about.

“ I don’t know, Joaquim. He’s not as outgoing as his brother, but he doesn’t seem like a total bad guy," I said, hoping I sounded nonchalant.

“ Well, as fun as it is to hang out with Ty and his little girlfriend, I kinda wish they’d get lost. And take that stuck up jerk with them. This was supposed to be just a fun night for me and you and Tommy and Ro," Joaquim complained.

“ We can hang out at Ana’s party," I reminded him. “ Just relax, and try to wrap your brain around the fact we are so going to beat you this time around!”

He pretended to laugh uproariously. “ Oh, really? We’ll see”.

Ty sauntered over to us, casually chewing his hot dog. “ You’re eating kinda slow there, Nellie. You afraid to jump back in the game?”

“ Uh, I don’t think so!" I retorted. “ I was just telling Joaquim we girls are so going to beat you. We were only going easy on you before”.

Ty pointed to my food, and laughed. “ What’d they put in your hot dog that’s got you talking crazy, girl? Maybe I should go back and tell them to give me some”.

“ You talk a big game, Ty Sutton," Bethany said, coming up to us. “ I think you need to shut up before you have to end up eating your words, along with your hot dog!”

Bethany turned to me. “ Nellie, walk me to the bathroom? Ro’s too busy with her man over there”.

I glanced over at Ro, who was sitting on Tommy’s lap, feeding him a French fry. She caught my eye and she leaned her head in the direction of the bathroom, subtly.

Bethany grabbed my hand. “Lead the way, dearest!”

We walked past Channing, who was still munching on his hot dog like a cow chewing cud. “Chan, I left my sweater in the car. Can you grab it for me?”

He gave her a confused look. His expression was so befuddled and clueless I just wanted to kiss him right there. But I looked away, and pretended I was annoyed.

“ It’s pretty warm in here. Are you sure you need your sweater?" he asked, still not looking at me.

“ Yes, I’m sure. Go get it," Bethany insisted.

“ Beth, we’re parked so far away," he said. “ And it’s cold out there”.

“ Chan, please. Get my sweater," she said, slowly as if she were talking to a toddler. “ I’ll wait for you by the front entrance”.

Channing finally seemed to understand. He nodded, then got up.

“ The bathroom’s this way," I said to Bethany, leading her in the direction of the restrooms, which were on a side corridor just off the front entrance.

“ Walk me there, and then go out the back door and meet Chan in the parking lot. We’re parked the third row over," she said, quietly.

“ I can’t! Someone might see us," I told her.

“ Who’s going to see you? It’s already dark out, and beside that, it’s freezing. There’s not going to be anyone outside. Just slip into the car. We brought Ty’s Range Rover. It has tinted windows," Bethany said.