Wild Collision (Us 4)

He swipes another and pops it in his mouth. “Nope.”

Fox returns and this time it’s him snagging one of my fries. I frown. “If you guys keep eating all my food you’re going to buy me more,” I say in a tone with no room for argument.

“Sure thing.” Hollis swipes another fry.

Fox takes another too and I waggle my finger back and forth. “Swiper no swiping.”

He rolls his eyes, chewing my fry. “What’s with you guys and the fox jokes today. You’re on a roll.”

“You’re easy to rile up which makes it fun.” Rush reaches over to ruffle his hair.

“Play nice while I’m gone children,” Cannon says, standing to take his turn.

I pick up my hotdog and before I can take a bite I shriek because all of my fries are gone.

I shove the paper container my fries were in into Hollis’s chest and he grabs it. “More potatoes, peasant, and make it snappy.”

He cracks a grin. “You’re cute when you’re hangry.”

“You haven’t seen hangry.” I narrow my eyes into deadly slits. “Fries, now,” I bark.

He stands and makes a dramatic bow. “Yes, my Queen. I live to serve.”

“You,” I point at Fox, “go get your own damn fries and make sure he does too. I’m not here to share.” Fox sits there for a moment staring at me. “Now.”

He scurries after Hollis over to the food part of the bowling alley.

Rush snickers. “Seeing Hollis whipped is hands down the greatest thing ever.”

“He’s not whipped,” I defend.

“Oh, he’s whipped all right,” Cannon adds, sitting down once more. I check the screen to see his score. Rush and I are still in the lead and he’s going down. I don’t lose at bowling. Ever.

If I can’t make it in the music industry I could always become a professional bowler—if it’s even a thing. Surely it is if people get paid to play football and basketball, right?

Kira takes her turn and then it’s Hollis’s turn—Rush takes it for him since he’s not back yet, cursing when he gets a strike for him.

Then it’s my turn.

I lift the bowling ball up, assessing the pins. I swing my arm back and let the ball go. It soars down the alley and…

“Strike,” I scream, turning to Rush and performing my happy dance, finger guns included. “You’re going down,” I tell him for the thousandth time as I sit down. Fox and Hollis are back and the table is now covered in … I pause to count the boxes of fries. “You bought twenty servings of fries, why?” I level my gaze on each of the boys.

“This way you can’t say we’re stealing yours.” Hollis shrugs. “There are plenty to go around.”

“Such a smart ass,” I grumble. “But at least there are fries now.”

I may or may not hoard three of the containers close to me. I only got a few fries out of my last order, so I’m making sure this time I actually get some.

“This is fun,” Kira says, drinking from her root beer. “We should go out as a group more often.”

I snort. “You’re only amused by our childish behavior.”

“True,” she dips her bottle in my direction, “but it is fun too.”

I have to admit she’s right. When I first met the band I never imagined I’d see them as anything other than a nuisance. Now, I’d call them friends. I guess it shows you should always give people a chance, even if at first they don’t seem like your kind of people. Sometimes you find hidden gems. I found four of them and happened to fall in love with one.

It’s funny, I’ve dated in the past, but I never told any of those guys I loved them. Even when I dated Will for six months we never said those words to each other. I guess we both knew it wasn’t going to last.