< HSoS 8 | High School Of Scenes | HSoS 10 >

< HSoS 6 | H So S Timeline | HSoS 8 >

Heka is tapping his foot to 'Hey Mickey' when he spots Furud walking into the bowling alley. He waves. "Hey killer, how'd it go?"

Furud "You know me, Hek, how could it go wrong?" He grins broadly. Up for a few lanes?

Furud " "

Heka "You know I only come here to hand you your ass." He also hands Furud a pretty girly-ball with blue and yellow streaks. It's 7 pounds.

Yed scores another turkey in the background.

Furud chuckles. "Yeah, yeah." He takes the ball and turns it in his hands. He tosses it back at Heka. "And I wonder how rumors start, huh?"

Heka puts the ball back and picks out one for himself. "Just don't let anyone see that...thing...you do when you get a couple of strikes in a row."

Heka "Your secret's safe with me." He grins. "Chili fries or potato skins?"

Furud snorts, "Oh come on, it's a manly dance. Chili Fries... Hey, isn't that that nerdy from school over there?"

Heka "The one Zavi narrowly rescued from drowning last summer?" Heka imagines him all covered with sand. "Think so."

Yed bowls a 7-10 split. "Dammit!"

Furud calls over "I'd like to see you pick that one up!"

Yed "Haha!"

Yed awkwardly clears his throat and makes for the ball return.

Furud elbows Heka, "Check him out."

Heka watches, after glancing over at the bar - it's Jenny! - and waving her over.

Yed "They're looking! They're looking!" Yed whispers as he thoroughly dries his hand over the little fan thing.

Yed looks over his shoulder to see if he still has an audience.

Yed picks up his ball, plants the ritual kiss on it, and assumes the stance.

Yed It rolls! Rolls! And knocks over the seven only. A buzzer goes off.

Yed Penalty.

Furud "He shoots! He... fails."

Yed "Haha!"

Furud raises a brow. That is not the usual response to mocking.

Yed turns away and sits at the score table.

Heka turns to Jenny. "Hey Jenny penny, can we get some of your special chili fries? Also a root beer, and I think Furud would like a virgin pina colada." He gives her his very best charming, starry-eyed grin.

Furud "I heard that!" Furud shouts at Heka.

Yed takes off his bowling glove and makes his way to the snack bar.

Yed "Hi Jenny," he says. "Hey, Heka! How's your leg?"

Furud grumbles beneath his breath, then stalks up to the counter and punches Heka in the shoulder. "There's only one kind of virgin I like. And it ain't a pina colada."

Yed "Haha!" Yed laughs a little too loudly.

Heka chuckles.

Furud "What the hell is wrong with you, kid?" Furud rounds on Yed.

Yed backs up a step. "Nothing, nothing! Just, um..."

Yed "Diet Pepsi please? Small."

Yed keeps his distance.

Furud narrows his eyes, then abruptly smiles and puts his arm around Yed. "So what's your name, kid?"

Yed brightens noticeably. "Hi! I'm Yed. I'm friends with Heka."

Yed "My mom hit him on his bike with her car last year. Hey man, remember that?"

Heka winces. "Reluctantly. How're things goin', you training for the big regional tournament?"

Yed "Oh yeah, yeah! I was batting 100 or whatever when I, uh, screwed the pooch on that split. What're you guys doing here?"

Furud "Bowling, of course."

Heka elbows Furud. "Be nice! You know, just gettin' our gutter on."

Yed "Yeah, me too! I, uh, already said that."

Yed thanks Jenny.

Yed "So you guys wanna join in my game?"

Furud "You payin?"

Heka "Sure, might as well. Have some fries."

Yed "Yeah, I'm here for the next two hours anyway. Thanks!"

Yed "Membership discount, you know. Put it on my tab, Jenny?"

Jenny "Sure, hon."

Yed "Thanks. I like your hair today."

Yed quickly grabs a couple fries and makes for his lane.

Jenny "Well, thank you sweetie."

Furud picks up some manly bowling shoes and saunters after Yed.

Jenny puts her hand up to her hair a little, and then goes back to the bar.

Furud artfully slouches in one of those spinny, attached-to-the-table chairs

Furud "So what's your name, Kid?"

Yed sits at the little console and puts his initials in. "You guys wanna go first?"

Yed "I'm, uh, Yed."

Yed clears his throat.

Yed "Again," he says quietly.

Furud "Oh, yeah. Well you can't expect me to pay attention to everything.

Heka spins a chair around and leans over the chair back. "So I haven't seen you around school a lot lately, Yed. You've been traveling or something?"

Yed "You might, uh, say that."

Jenny "Here's your drinks, boys. One root beer, and a Diet Pepsi for Pins here." She winks at Yed. "You'll be waiting on those chilli fries a while, I'm afraid, our fryer's broken down."

Yed honestly chuckles.

Furud "Pins?" He laughs.

Yed "She's never called me that before."

Jenny "Ooh, yes, Yed here's quite the player, aren't you, Yed? I saw you bowl 270 last week."

Furud "Izzat so?" He looks up at Jenny and smiles. "Well well."

Yed "Yeah, 270. Missed the first one."

Jenny She smiles indulgently. "I sure hope you boys have brought your A game today." She chuckles. "I'll get those fries to you soon as we get the backup fryer going, boys. Enjoy your game, and you just holler if you want anything."

Yed waves, even though she's just like four feet away.

Furud "I always bring my A game. I just suck at bowling."

Jenny misses this response as she has by now wandered back to the bar.

Yed "What about Merope? She's pretty good. I thought you two were, um, a thing."

Furud "Oh, yeah." he waves his hand airily. "We were." He glances over at Heka, "We just didn't work out. She's a nice girl though."

Heka doesn't say anything.

Yed "Wait a minute, did Jenny call me a player? Did you guys hear that?"

Heka chuckles. "Yeah, she did. My advice? You need to bang her."

Furud grins. "Yeah, Kid. She's totally hot for you."

Yed coughs loudly. "Um, what?"

Yed "... Seriously?"

Furud "Oh sure, go ask her out."

Yed "You guys are sailors, right?"

Yed "Or wingmen or whatever?"

Yed "Back me up."

Furud chokes on a laugh.

Furud "Yeah, Wingmen."

Yed checks his hair in his bowling ball.

Yed "What do I say? I haven't exactly, uh, asked lots of gals out."

Furud "Well, you could ask her what time she gets off work."

Heka "Is there a cop nearby?" Heka looks around. "You could yell, 'Stop thief! Officer, that woman stole my heart!' "

Heka "Only don't actually do that unless both of you are drunk. Listen to Furud."

Furud laughs

Yed "What??"

Furud "Just do whatever comes naturally."

Yed "Okay, yeah. Yeah. Thanks."

Furud "Drink something." he adds helpfully. "So your throat isn't dry!"

Jenny is walking over, fries on a tray in hand.

Yed grabs his Diet Pepsi.

Jenny "Ok, here we go, special chilli fries for my special guys!"

Yed "Jenny!"

Yed stands up.

Jenny "How's your game tonight, Yed?"

Yed "How, uh, how long do you take, um, to get off?"

Jenny Jenny stops dead in the middle of bending over to put down the fries.

Furud tries not to laugh.

Jenny "Um.. I'm sorry, Yed, hon, I must have misheard you there." She smiles. "What did you say?"

Yed "Maybe after you get off we could go get some food, even though I realize you work in a snack bar, so maybe something to drink, like a coffee or something?"

Yed "Or maybe not, maybe we could just talk, I mean I'd drive you home but I walked here."

Yed "Or whatever."

Jenny stands stock still for a few moments.

Yed clears his throat. "Or whatever."

Jenny "Um... oh, you meant when I finish work. Well, I'm helping close up today, hon."

Yed "Sounds great!"

Yed "Um, yeah. So, like, tomorrow maybe?"

Jenny "Um... oh gosh, bless you Yed, you're such a sweet boy."

Jenny looks around for a few moments.

Yed "I'm very chivalrous."

Furud gives Jenny an encouraging look

Jenny smiles in wonder at the boy. "Yes you are, Yed. I'll tell you what, Yed, yes, we shall get a coffee. Tomorrow. I have a break at 9, will that be ok?"

Heka gives Jenny a 'thank you' look.

Jenny smiles encouragingly. "You and I can have a nice chat. Won't that be nice?"

Yed "Nice! Great. I'll, uh, see you then."

Yed looks at Furud and Heka nervously.

Jenny "Sure!" She smiles again, in a slightly forced way. "Okay, I'm holding up you boys and your game, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Yed." She walks off, with rather more haste than usual.

Heka waits for Jenny to leave, and then, "Well, that wasn't so bad, right?"

Yed The bottom falls out of Yed's drink, soaking his shoes in aspartame.

Yed "Yeah," says Yed. "Easy."

Furud thumps Yed on the back. "Good job, Kid."

Yed picks up his ball, kisses it, and rolls a strike.

< HSoS 8 | High School Of Scenes | HSoS 10 >

< HSoS 6 | H So S Timeline | HSoS 8 >