Mark woke up early on Saturday. It wasn't that he set the alarm, it was the weekend, after all. He was just too excited about the day to want to waste even a moment of it. He rose energetically out of bed to wash up and get dressed. By the time he headed down for breakfast he could hear Rebecca moving about as well.

Considering how deeply he depleted his funds just 3 days ago, and then again yesterday with the dinner at Beth's house, it was fortunate that they received their allowance last night or he'd be too broke to even take the bus to and from the bowling alley, let alone pay for anything while he was there. He ate happily at the dining room table while contemplating how everything seemed to perfectly line up to facilitate his date.

When Rebecca finally came down she was still wearing her pajamas. Mark, on the other hand, was already fully dressed to go out with tan pants and a green, blue, and white plaid shirt.

"Good morning", he greeted her when she sat down to eat. She didn't answer, and instead played with her food, barely tasting it. Mark watched her for a while, feeling amused, and reflected on the difference experience makes.

"Don't have much of an appetite, huh?", he commented.

Rebecca shook her head miserably. Mark smiled at her gently.

"Don't worry, it will be fine. Once you get started you'll forget all about your nervousness and have fun". It was nice to be able to play the role of the wise older brother and dispense his sage advice from the vantage of greater experience, and besides, this whole episode gave him another thing to hold over her, and another opportunity to assert his authority over her after all her teasing. After today he shouldn't have any weaknesses left for her to exploit, not once he confirms with Stephanie that they are really dating.

Rebecca gave Mark a tight smile, but she still didn't speak.

"Why don't you go get dressed so that we can leave early? You don't want to wait until mom and dad get up, right?", Mark suggested after watching Rebecca play with her food for a long time. Rebecca's eyes widened and she hurriedly left the table and went back upstairs. When she finally came down she was wearing her fancy turquoise dress, and her hair was brushed and held neatly in place with a shiny white bow.

Mark used the time that Rebecca was upstairs to clear the table and wash the dishes, so as soon as Rebecca was ready they put on their jackets, gloves, and hats and left the house.

It was a cloudy day, but fortunately the weather forecast said that there would be no rain, so they left their umbrellas at home. They walked quickly to the bus station, and patiently waited for it to arrive. They stood silently side by side, hands in their coat pockets, their breath forming clouds of mist in the cold morning air.

When the bus arrived it was almost empty. They sat in the back and settled in for a long ride.

They got off the bus across the street from the bowling alley and hurried over. They were extremely early for the date, but they hurried inside anyway to take shelter from the cold. When they did, a dual blast of hot air and loud music greeted them.

The duo looked around hopefully. There were some small groups of kids, a family, and some people who looked like professionals, but for the most part the place looked empty. However, the people they were looking for were not there. Although it wasn't any surprise, they still couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

"So what would you like to do now?", Mark asked Rebecca. Although he was the adult here, it was still her party. Rebecca shrugged.

"How about some air hockey?", he suggested. It was cheap enough, and besides, it should help shake her out of her nervous mood. Mark also liked it because it had some similarity to soccer.

Rebecca considered for a few moments, then nodded and they walked over to the arcade area. It was filled with a variety of game machines, although Mark couldn't help but wonder why people would come all the way here to play video games when everyone had a computer or console at home. Air hockey, on the other hand, was something harder to come by and therefor a much more worthwhile activity for an outing.

They played several games. At first Rebecca was sluggish, and Mark scored easily. However, with each game Rebecca's concentration and reactions improved, until finally she managed to score a goal.

"Yeah!", she exclaimed with shining eyes. It was the first thing she said since she woke up that morning. Mark smiled to himself.

They continued playing for a few more rounds, and Mark continued to consistently beat her each time, but she managed to score a few more goals. At last Mark called an end to the game. He was getting bored of beating a little kid and needed to save some of his money for the main event.

The place was still rather empty, so they chose a bowling lane and settled down for a long wait.

It was perhaps 15 minutes later that a uniformed employee approached them.

"Hello. Would you like to start a game?", he asked, clearly he was sent to urge them to either pay or leave.

"Not yet", Mark replied with a smile. "We're waiting for some friends to join us first". Rebecca looked at him sharply. What he said had obviously upset her, but he didn't know why. Once the employee was gone, however, she exploded.

"What do you mean 'some friends'!?", she furiously whispered at him. "How many people did you tell? I told you I want to keep this a secret!".

"So that's what it's about", Mark thought.

"You're boyfriend is coming, right? That's already one person", he started saying in a reasonable tone, but she cut him off.

"Obviously! But who did you tell!"

"Just one person. It's alright. You'll see", Mark tried to reassure her, but his attempt fell flat. Rebecca crossed her arms and legs and turned away from him in a huff.

Mark sighed. He could try to explain, but he didn't want to, so instead he busied himself with watching the entrance, waiting for Stephanie to show up. He was sure that once she did Rebecca would understand and forgive him. Several minutes later his eyes lit up, and he smiled and waved hesitantly. Stephanie smiled and waved back.

"Hi, I hope you weren't waiting for too long".

Rebecca held her head turned resolutely turned toward the bowling lane, in the opposite direction to where Mark was sitting, so she didn't notice the new arrival until she heard her voice. When she did she turned her head sharply, expecting the worst, but was surprised instead to find Mark's "not girlfriend" standing before them alone. She was wearing a white blouse with blue flowery embroidery, a blue skirt, and tall tan leather boots, looking elegantly casual.

Rebecca's expression softened, then turned sly.

"You said she's not your girlfriend!", she exclaimed accusingly. Stephanie's face reddened.

"That's because I didn't ask her out yet!". The shade of Stephanie's coloration deepened, causing her head to bear a vague resemblance to a tomato, but she smiled shyly at Mark's words.

"So where's the boy you were supposed to meet?", Stephanie quickly changed the subject.

"It's still early. He didn't get here yet", Mark answered. Stephanie sat down across from him, and he mentally berated himself for sitting at the edge of the row of seats next to Rebecca. If only he left a seat open next to him perhaps Stephanie would have sat there.

Mark didn't know what to say, and his two companions seemed not to have anything they wanted to say either, so they sat in silence until a dirty-blond boy with a bowl-cut showed up, wearing faded blue jeans and dark blue t-shirt. Noticing him, Rebecca jumped up excitedly and exclaimed "Ray! I'm here!".

"So that's the boyfriend?" Mark wondered. It seemed a little disappointing that the date Rebecca so eagerly dressed up would show up in the most casual clothes. "Maybe he didn't have anything better to wear", Mark tried to be charitable, but somehow ended up thinking of something even less complimentary.

"Who are all these people?", Ray seemed a little disturbed by the company.

"It's just my brother and his girlfriend, so this is a double date!" Rebecca excitedly exclaimed while hanging on to Ray's arm. What happened to being angry? Ray didn't seem to be particularly impressed, though, so in the interest of smoothing things over Mark decided to interject.

"Actually, it's our first date too. Right, Stephanie?". Stephanie smiled and nodded. Mark wondered when she would return to her normal color. He hoped it wouldn't be too soon. She looked cuter this way. Ray seemed to relax just a little.

"So how do you want to do this? Play all together, or we split up?", Mark asked. After a short discussion they decided to divide into two teams, couple vs couple. For each frame one team member would do the first roll and the other would do the second roll, and in each frame they would switch who went first. They all went together to the counter to pay and get their bowling shoes, before returning with one of the workers to their lane to set up and start the game.

Ray carefully selected his ball, then, holding the ball with his left hand. He smoothly swung and released it while bending his right knee.

"Damn", Ray exclaimed, but Mark didn't see why until the ball made contact with the pins. It hit the 4th pin and plowed on through the 7th and 8th. The fallen pins knocked down the 5th and 9th, but that was it. 5 pins were left standing, 3 in the front and 2 on the right. That didn't seem to bother Rebecca, though. She clapped and cheered as if Ray just bowled a strike. Did falling in love cause her to go soft in the head, too? It wasn't the first time they played, and she knew that wasn't a great shot.

Rebecca selected her ball and approached the foul line. She quickly drew back her right arm, then sent it forward and released the ball. She watched tensely as the ball struck the 3rd pin and 6th pins, sending the 6th pin into the 10th. The 1st and 2nd pins were left standing, earning the elementary-schoolers a decent 8 points for the frame.

"Nice", Ray congratulated Rebecca, who beamed at him in response. If it wasn't for his opening statement when he first arrived, Mark might have thought he was a monosyllabic neanderthal. He mentally shook himself. Where were these thoughts coming from?

Mark took his turn at the lane. He tried to channel his skills at passing and kicking in soccer toward his delivery, but soccer was played with the feet while bowling was played with the hands. Still, his aim was good enough. He hit the the 3rd pin, and the cascade of falling pins knocked down the 7th pin. The 4th teetered but refused to fall, and the 1st and 2nd were left standing as well. Still, not too bad. Better than that Ray guy. Now all Stephanie had to do was hit the 1st pin at a bit of an angle from the right, and they'd have a decent chance of getting a spare.

Mark turned around and smiled at Stephanie, who smiled back. She took her ball to the foul line. She sent the ball rolling straight down the lane, a little to the right of center. Mark watched intently, fists clenched, as the ball sailed right passed the 1st pin, not even touching it, and released a disappointed sigh. At 8:7 it may have been only a 1 point difference, but it still meant that Ray's team was already ahead in the game. Still, he smiled at her and raised his hands in a gesture of "what can you do?".

Rebecca approached the lane with her ball and took a few moments to breathe and aim before taking her shot. The ball rolled straight and fast, passing through the 6th pin to mow down the 9th and 10th, but that was it. Rebecca turned to smile apologetically at Ray, who shrugged casually, as if to say "no matter, it happens". Couldn't he muster up his voice and actually speak the words, though? Perhaps he just didn't have the confidence of doing any better?

When Ray took his shot he only managed to take down the 4 remaining pins in the back, confirming Mark's disparaging thoughts. He smirked at them while they weren't looking, then relaxed and focused his attention on Stephanie. Her figure was quite lovely while she bent over to make her delivery, and he regretted not paying proper attention to it last time, foolishly choosing to watch the ball instead.

Stephanie straightened out while watching the balls movement, and a moment later Mark tore his eyes away from her to view the results. 1 pin. Just 1 pin. She might as well had sent the ball into the gutter. Mark's eyebrows rose in dismay, but he quickly smoothed over his expression as she turned around.

"Sorry", she quietly apologized.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get better with practice", Mark tried to comfort her.

At this rate they were definitely going to lose badly to Ray, and that wasn't something Mark was willing to tolerate. He didn't know why, but he had to win. As he stood before the foul line he focused intently on the lane, the feel of the ball in his hand, the way he wanted the ball to move down the lane and slam into the pins, imagining how they would fly and give him a spare.

"Stop being so dramatic and throw your ball already", Rebecca whined. Mark ignored her and took a few steps back, then rushed forward to put some extra momentum behind his delivery. He felt that it was perfect. The ball zoomed down the lane, struck the 1st pin from the right and plowed through the rest of the pins on the left hand side. It was beautiful.

The 6th pin was still standing.

"God damn it!", he silently roared inside his head. Just 1 pin to seriously wipe the floor with that Ray kid. Then he smoothed over his features and straightened up.

"Nice shot!" Stephanie cheered quietly.

Mark turned around and smiled broadly at her, then went to take a look at the score board. So what if he just barely missed a spare? At least they were ahead in points, since he raised the score to 16-15. Even if Stephanie didn't contribute much, perhaps he could hold the fort on his own.

Ray took his time preparing for his shot too. Perhaps Mark's antics affected him or if he just wanted to show off, but his performance seemed to worsen, or maybe it was just his luck. The ball passed through the 2nd pin, knocking down the 4th, 5th, 8th, and 9th, and leaving the 7th all alone in the corner opposite the other pins.

"Oof!", Ray grunted. Mark smiled at Stephanie, who was sitting on the chair right next to his.

"That will be a tough one to clean up", he said while trying not to sound like he was gloating. Why was he competing with an elementary-school kid? He didn't know, but something about Ray was just bothering him.

Stephanie eyed him amusedly.

"It's just a game", she said, then leaned in to whisper in his ear. "You can let them win".

The feeling of her breath in his ear sent an excited shiver all the way from his ear down his back. He instantly wished she would do it again.

He put his mouth to her ear.

"Is that what you're doing?", he asked as quietly as he could.

She pulled back and smiled at him.

"Well, you don't have to try that hard", he complained. Stephanie leaned in again to whisper to him, and he noticed her curves from a new and interesting angle.

"Okay", she breathed into his ear.

While they were talking Rebecca already took her turn. Mark was so distracted that he missed it entirely, including the replay. Once he recovered his senses he took a look at the scoreboard on the screen and saw that she got 3 points, putting the score at 23-16, then regretfully got up to take his turn.

He didn't plan to do it again, yet he still ended up taking his time preparing for his shot. When he released the ball he could instantly feel that something was off, and he was right. the ball veered too much to the left, missed the 1st pin entirely, barely scraped the 2nd pin, which caused it to teeter and fall. He got a clean impact against the 4th and 7th, which took down the 8th. Just 4 pins.

Mark sighed, but decided not to feel too bad about it. Stephanie was right. This was Rebecca's and Ray's date. They should be considerate of the children and not lower themselves by competing with them. It's just that something about Ray seriously riled him up, and he didn't know why.

Stephanie smiled at him encouragingly, discreetly applauding his restraint, not realizing that he was aiming for a strike to wipe the floor with that kid. He sat down next to her and thought about the strange emotions he was feeling.

Stephanie took her turn, and Mark frowned in contemplation while watching her. Her white calves, now free from her boots, stood out against the light brown of the parquet floor, almost seeming to shine in the not-so-bright light of the bowling alley. He appreciated their color, shape and the way they moved as she crouched to make her delivery. Every detail of her had become fascinating to him.

Stephanie's ball went almost right down the middle of the lane, taking down the 1st, 3rd, and 5th pins. The 9th and 6th teetered, but refused to fall, giving them 3 more points. The game was now 23-all.

When Stephanie turned back Mark was still frowning. She seemed a little unsure as she sat down next to him.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing. That was a nice shot", Mark tried to dismiss the topic and unconsciously turned his head to look at Ray. Stephanie smiled in understanding.

"You're a good brother, you know". She said, startling him.

"What are you talking about?", Mark turned to see Stephanie smiling at him. What did what she said have to do with the situation? He turned back to watch Rebecca taking her turn. She managed to knock down 7 pins, then immediately after seeing the result hurried over to Ray's side, anxiously seeking his approval.

"What's so great about that jerk that she needs him to tell her she did well?" Mark thought darkly.

"Uhm, not bad", Ray mumbled. That's it? 'not bad'? Can't you say something a little better?

Ray took his turn. The situation Rebecca left wasn't easy, with the 4th, 7th, and 10th pins still standing. He carefully concentrated before sending his ball down the lane. His aim was right on the mark, hitting the 1st pin slightly from the left. The ball kept on going to plow through the 7th pin, while the 4th flew over to the other side, knocking over the 10th pin. It was a beautiful and unlikely shot, which earned Ray and Rebecca's team a spare.

"Yeah!" Ray shouted with clenched fists. Rebecca cheered wildly and even Stephanie applauded.

"Damn", Mark thought. He didn't like the idea of this jerk kid with a dorky haircut looking good in front of his little sister. What if he took advantage of her? What if she started relying on Ray instead of him?

"So that's what it was!", he suddenly realized what Stephanie meant. It's been a while since he felt protective of his little sister, and jealousy over her was a new experience. Knowing what he was feeling helped, but only a little.

Mark stood to watch Stephanie take her turn. As she stood before the foul line she carefully took aim, pulled back her right arm, then sent it forward and released the ball while crouching, all in one smooth motion. In that moment she completely looked the part of a skilled player.

The ball rolled swiftly toward the pins, but it was too far to the right. It crashed into the 6th pin from the right, taking with it the 9th and 10th pins. The ricochet knocked down the 5th pin. 4 points.

Mark let out a sigh. She had delivered the ball to decent spots before, it's just that nothing much came of it because he already knocked down many pins. With her pose right now he expected much bigger results. Still, he could hardly criticize others after his own embarrassing failure, so he put on a smile and congratulated her.

As Mark stepped up to take his turn he wondered if Rebecca ever felt that way about him. She did start to get bitchy right around the time that he and Beth started going out. They used to be closer before that. If Rebecca could get used to him having a girlfriend then he could get used to her having a boyfriend, right? But still, that Ray kid had a kind of stupid look to him that was begging for a beating. Mark couldn't be so rude as to refuse, right?

And yet Ray was just a kid. He should act the part of an adult and not be so petty. Besides, Rebecca was growing up, and she would eventually start dating and even get married some day. He had to start getting used to the idea that she wasn't going to be a kid forever. She already had a life of her own. Maybe he should go easy and let Ray win.

Mark took his shot while various emotions and thoughts clashed in his head. Right from the moment the ball left his hand he could feel that something was off. The ball veered to the left, approaching the gutter. Mark prayed that it wouldn't fall it, and for a moment, it seemed his prayers were answered. The ball traveled several meters along the gutter, but then, just before reaching the pins, it fell it. The screen played a mocking animation of failure. The score was now 27-33, And Ray's team still had the bonus from the spare coming up.

Mark returned to the sitting area with his shoulders slumped. Stephanie met him half-way.

"Sorry about that", he mumbled. Stephanie touched his arm lightly, jolting him.

"Don't worry about it. It's just a game". From the corner of his eye he could see her smiling gently at him. It wasn't about the game itself, though. It was putting up an embarrassing performance in front of her and the others.

Ray passed Mark on the way to lane. He looked intensely focused.

"Show my stupid brother how it's done!"

Mark gritted his teeth in irritation. Could she not pour oil on the fire, please? Stephanie noticed his reaction and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the seats. She didn't let go even after making him sit.

Ray stood in front of the foul line for several seconds, his right hand supporting the ball as he held up in front of his face while staring at the lane. While Mark watched Ray's performance he gradually cooled off, and started noticing the soft, warm little hand that was clutching his. He turned to smile his gratitude at Stephanie just as Ray made his move. He almost snapped his head back to watch, but forced himself to focus on Stephanie. There were more important things than whether or not Ray embarrassed himself. He hoped he would, though.

Stephanie met his eyes and they stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Mark suddenly became aware that she was no longer blushing and hadn't been blushing for a while, and felt a mixture of disappointment and satisfaction. She seemed so cute with a red face, but now that she was back to her usual color it meant she was starting to feel comfortable about being together with him.

A loud crash interrupted his thoughts and broke the intimacy of the moment. They both turned to look at the source of the noise just in time to see the last of the pins toppling over. Ray got a strike. Couldn't that insensitive clod wait a few more seconds? He was so rude to interrupt just when they were having a magical little moment. Mark's irritation returned while Rebecca shrieked excitedly over Ray's big accomplishment.

Stephanie let go of his hand, releasing him to take his turn. Mark walked over slowly to reluctantly take and shoot his ball. At that moment he didn't care so much anymore about the game, he just wanted to go back to that seat and hold Stephanie's hand some more, and maybe do a little more than that too. Why did they have to play this stupid game? Oh, right, it was because it was his excuse to invite Stephanie to go out with him in the first place.

Rebecca's chattering rang loudly in his ears while he made his delivery. It was a careless throw, but he got lucky. The ball just barely missed the gutter to take out 2 pins on the right edge. Mark sighed and stepped sideways into the empty neighboring lane to get a sideways view of Stephanie as she took her turn. If he was stuck playing this stupid game he might as well get something good out of it.

She made her delivery swiftly, her body dropping low, causing her flaming coppery hair and her skirt to seem to fan up while her right knee just barely missed hitting the floor. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of a slight bounce in her chest.

Stephanie straightened up and watched the ball intently while it rolled, but Mark watched her. Every part of her was lovely to his eyes and made him want to get closer, but he remained standing in place. There would be time for that later, once they ditched his little sister.

It was only the sound of the ball striking the pins that drew his eyes away from her, and he turned to see the results of her effort. 5 pins down. Together with his measly 2 that gave them a decent score for this frame, but that was nothing on Ray's strike. Unless Rebecca and Ray performed miserably in the next frame they would open up a wide gap thanks to the bonus they would receive. They were already firmly in the lead as it was, with a 19 points gap even without it.

Mark gathered his courage and took Stephanie's hand, although it didn't require as much after she has already taken and held his for so long.

"That was a nice shot", he said to her as they got out of Rebecca's way. "I knew you'd get better at this".

"Thanks. It's not my first time, you know", She answered.

"I could see that by how you move when you throw the ball". Stephanie merely smiled.

A loud crash interrupted them as they were sitting down. They stood up and saw that Rebecca had also bowled a strike. With 2 strikes in a row Mark and Stephanie were now deeply in trouble.

"I'm sure you'll do even better this time", Mark tried to encourage Stephanie without putting pressure on her. He may tell himself that it was just a stupid, annoying waste of time, he could even have a moment of despair, but he still wanted to win.

Stephanie graced him with another lovely smile before walking away. A few moments later she returned, beaming at him, after knocking down 7 pins. Mark offered her a high-five, which she met with a smack. Her hand felt so small and light, almost as if it wasn't there, but suddenly he felt a whole lot better about himself. Here he was playing games with a beautiful girlfriend who seemed to actually enjoy them. Life didn't get much better than this. Maybe he should invite her for a 1 on 1 game here another time.

He sauntered over to the lane, ball in hand, and surveyed the situation. Stephanie left him 3 pins in a triangle in the right corner. It was a little uncomfortable to reach for a right-handed bowler, but he could do it. He took a moment to picture the ball's course in his mind, and then, before he could lose his clarity and get distracted, he sent the ball on its way.

The ball danced on the edge of the gutter, a little further right than what Mark intended, but did not fall in. With a satisfying little crash it knocked down the last 3 pins, earning Mark a spare. Mark struck a victory pose, clenching both fists in front of his face like a tennis player who just scored a point.

"Yes!"

The next frame went disappointingly well for Ray and Rebecca. Although they failed to so much as get a spare, they still managed to get 4 points at the top of the frame, adding bonus points to both Ray's and Rebecca's strike, and 5 points at the bottom of the frame, adding to Rebecca's strike. The score was 95-44. Although they haven't taken their turn yet for the 7th frame, Mark and Stephanie had only a very small chance to catch up.

Mark glanced over to Ray and found the little jerk smirking at him. Being the bigger man be damned. Stephanie might be right about how he should go easy on the kids, not be jealous over his sister, whatever, but this kid was simply infuriating.

"I'll show that little mushroom not to mess with adults!", he thought, fuming.

He put a little bit more force into his shot than usual, but luckily he aimed well. 7 pins went flying, leaving 2 pins on one side and another on the opposite side. It wouldn't be too bad if only Stephanie could get a spare. He doubted that would happen, though.

His doubts were proven correct a few moments later, when Stephanie scored 2 points. It was the best they could hope for with the situation he left her. They stood back to watch the other team take their shots. Ray swaggered over to the foul line, casually took his shot, and casually collected 3 points. Together with the points Rebecca won their earnings in that frame totaled 7 points.

Mark gritted his teeth. Those two seemed to think that the game was over, and their early celebrations were irritating him. Although the difference stood at 42 points there were still 3 frames left. They could still catch up.

"I'm not giving up on winning", Mark quietly growled at Stephanie. She seemed amused at his attitude.

"Alright", she answered.

She concentrated on her shot, trying her best to earn a strike, but ended up only knocking down 6 pins. Still, the remaining pins were all grouped together on the left. Mark cleaned them up to earn them a spare, reducing the gap to 32 points, not counting the bonus. He was not letting Ray win this.

Ray and Rebecca bowled casually like they had no care in the world, yet earned another 3 points each. They were mocking him. He just knew it. He concentrated with all his might and squeezed out 8 points. Stephanie went for the spare, but missed. The score was 108-86 for the lousy kids.

Mark ran calculations in his head, trying to find a path to victory. With a 22 point gap it would practically take a miracle. Even pro bowlers would have difficulty catching that up in just the 10th frame. Still, even amateurs got lucky some times. 2 strikes and a few extra points in the last bonus ball and they might make it.

Rebecca didn't notice her brother's thoughtful expression. She simply went up to the lane, threw her ball, and earned 6 points. She didn't notice her brother's expression darken afterwards. Nor did she notice her brother's face crumple in despair after Ray's 2 points. All she knew was that she was having fun with her boyfriend, and that they were far in the lead.

"It's just a game", Stephanie tried to comfort Mark. He took a deep breath. 3 strikes in a row for a tie game. That's what they needed, and there was no way they were going to get it. The odds were just too small.

"Let's just have some fun, okay?", Stephanie added. Mark nodded, but there was a sour taste in his mouth. He realized that while using today as an excuse to ask Stephanie out worked, making this their first date was a bad idea. He didn't know he'd react so poorly to Ray, or show such an embarrassing side of himself to Stephanie. He needed to focus on her, not on some gnat that was buzzing around them. Maybe that was the secret to how Ray and Rebecca got together, maybe he was so irritating that she couldn't ignore him.

Mark tried to shake his thoughts loose and focus on Stephanie again. No one knew where exactly he was looking anyway, so he watched the exposed parts of her legs again. Her delivery caused the upper parts of her thighs to become exposed, and he wished he could lean lower to take a better look, but he wasn't alone. They looked so white, and smooth, and soft. It was as if they exerted a magnetic pull on his hands. Fortunately they were far out of his reach, giving him time to control himself before he was directly presented with the temptation to touch.

The crash of ball against pins drew him out of his trance, leaving him feeling mildly disoriented. Then he heard a loud shriek. Stephanie was jumping up and down, throwing her hands up in the air in celebration. It took him a moment to tear his eyes away from the bouncing of her chest to see the beaming smile on her face. She ran to him.

"Did you see that? I got a strike! I never got a strike before!"

Mark felt a little guilty for missing it, but he didn't want to put a dent in her happiness, so he put on a big smile. It wasn't too difficult, as he felt her happiness infect him too.

"It was amazing! Congratulations!", He exclaimed.

She wrapped her arms around him, and after a brief hesitation he returned the hug. She was so small and light in his arms, but even though her body didn't provide much warmth, embracing her filled him with contentment. It didn't last, though, as Stephanie broke it off after a few seconds.

"It's your turn now", she reminded him.

"Oh, right, I forgot". He'd rather continue hugging than continue the stupid game, but perhaps there will be another time, and he didn't want Stephanie's hard-earned strike to go to waste. He'd better make the most of it.

Mark concentrated like he'd never concentrated before and delivered the ball with speed and precision. It plowed through the 1st pin, knocking down the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th pins. It was a well-placed shot, but he was just simply unlucky. The game was essentially over. Mark and Stephanie lost.

Stephanie stepped forward to take the final shot of the game. She managed to get the 3 pins that remained in the right corner, leaving the 7th pin as the lone survivor. The final score of the game was 116-105, but for Mark the score difference felt much bigger.

"How about we take a break?" Stephanie suggested. The rest of them agreed, and they strolled over to the concession stand to buy some snacks and drinks.

By implicit universal agreement each of the couples sat separately. Since the place was mostly empty it wasn't hard to find a lane far away from everyone else. Mark made sure his back was turned to Rebecca and Ray. As long as he was being so unreasonably sensitive about their relationship he needed to try to keep the two kids out of sight. He didn't want to let anything get in the way of enjoying Stephanie's company any more.

During the excitement of the game he found it easy and natural to interact with Stephanie, but now he found himself once more struggling to figure out what to say to her.

"Do you play a lot of Bowling?", he asked.

"Just once in a while with my family", Stephanie answered.

"Is this really the first time you ever got a strike?", Mark was genuinely curious. Stephanie nodded.

"Sometimes I get a spare, but I never got a strike before".

"I usually get 1 or 2 per game", Mark said. "This is actually one of the worst games I've played in a long time".

"Do you go bowling a lot?", Stephanie asked.

"My dad likes to take us all bowling every one or two months", Mark replied.

"So, do you like soccer?", Mark suddenly switched topics. Ever since he saw Stephanie at the soccer game he'd been wondering why he never saw her at a game before. Was it the first time she came? She said it wasn't, so did he really just never notice before?

"Yes", Stephanie replied.

"Since when?". Mark didn't remember Stephanie ever being a soccer fan. Stephanie slightly reddened.

"Since last year", she said.

"Why the sudden interest?" Mark asked. Stephanie tried to hide her blush by taking a long drink from her large soda cup. They continued chatting, but Stephanie never answered the question.

Once they were all done they got together again for another round of bowling. This time they divided into boys vs girls. While playing together with Ray Mark realized that the kid wasn't so bad, but he still couldn't help getting irritated by him.

When they were done bowling they went to play in the arcade. Finally they ran out their budget for the date and left. They bid farewell to Ray outside. Stephanie lived in Roosevelt Square, and there were no direct buses there from Hillside. In order to get home she'd have to either take a bus to Elmwood High and then walk over a few blocks to a stop near Beth's house, or she'd have to take a bus directly to that same stop, get off and switch. Either way she'd have to go to Elmwood.

"Where are you going now?" Mark asked her.

"Home, I guess", Stephanie answered.

"Then let's go together", Mark said. Stephanie smiled back at him. He really couldn't get enough of those smiles. Rebecca gave no reaction to their exchange. She was still too absorbed in thoughts about Ray.

Mark and Stephanie sat together in the back of the bus. Mark gathered his courage and took Stephanie's hand in his own. Stephanie one-upped him by moving his hand and resting it on her thigh. She covered it with her hand. Her leg felt soft and warm through the cloth of the skirt. It seemed like a small thing in light of the things he had done recently, but it was thrilling, perhaps because he was doing it with his girlfriend, or perhaps because they were being intimate in public. Then he forced all thoughts of other things out of his mind. He was here with Stephanie now. That was all that mattered.

After getting off they saw Rebecca safely back home. Once the door closed behind her Stephanie turned to Mark.

"So what do you want to do now?", she asked.

"I dunno. What do you want to do?", he replied. He hadn't thought that far, and now that he did try to think he found himself short of ideas.

"Let's go eat lunch", Stephanie suggested. It was already past noon and since breakfast they haven't eaten anything more than a snack from the snack bar at the bowling alley, so they were both starting to get a little hungry. Mark agreed, and after a short discussion they went to a coffee shop.

Although he felt a little nervous about encountering people who knew him, Mark felt so much more free and relaxed without the extra baggage of the baggage of the couple of brats. Luckily he didn't have any run-ins with anybody despite the place being packed.

When they finished eating they went out for a walk in the park. The park surrounded a natural stream, and at one end that stream was dammed to form an artificial pond. There were multiple paths both following the stream and going off into more overgrown areas along the banks. In and near the water they could see a few ducks, a flock of geese, and even a couple of swans. It could have been so peaceful if not for the sounds of children shouting at the nearby grass field and playground. Still, the scene was beautiful and tranquil, made all the more so by the fact that he was walking through it hand in hand with Stephanie.

After an hour of leisurely strolling through park and taking several photos together they had thoroughly explored every nook and cranny it had to offer and made their way toward the exit. When they were almost out of the park Stephanie pulled Mark aside.

"Thank you for inviting me today. I had a great time", she said with rosy cheeks. Mark didn't know if it was from the cold or from what she was saying.

"Me too", Mark responded.

"So I hope you invite me again". Stephanie wanted to make sure Mark was getting the hint.

"Sure, next time Rebecca has a date I'll make sure to invite you", Mark said deadpan.

"That's not what I meant!", Stephanie reacted before realizing he was joking. Mark smiled.

"I have to go now. It's getting late and I still have work to do at home", she said regretfully, then she looked around, saw that they were alone, leaned up and kissed Mark on the lips.

More than anything else, Mark was surprised. He was used to thinking of Stephanie as someone who hung back. Someone who was shy, reserved, quiet, not someone who would take the initiative. Yet again and again she has taken the initiative with him. However, his surprise didn't stop him from wrapping her in his arms and kissing her back.

They kissed slowly and delicately, exploring and studying each other's lips. It was the first time they shared a kiss, after all. They kept going at it for several minutes, and only broke apart, breathless and red-faced, when they heard people approaching. Then they walked over to the bus stop. They waited together, smiling at each other shyly until the bus came. They waved goodbye at each other until the bus pulled away and they couldn't see each other any more.