* Chapter 22 *

"Wake up Sleeping Beauty," I heard Meg tease as she stood over me while I was waking up the next morning.

"What time is it?" I asked as she headed for the kitchen when I sat up slowly.

"7...now get up! We have lots to do today," she said as she walked out of the kitchen and headed to her room.

I really didn’t want to get up, but after stretching for a few seconds, I slowly stood up and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

"Hurry up," Meg shouted through the door as I was getting out. "We have to be there in twenty minutes."

"Dang it!" I screamed as I pulled some clothes on and quickly pulled my hair into a bun before putting some make-up on in a hurry.

"You ready?" Meg asked when I walked into the kitchen to find her sitting at the table reading some sort of ad from a newspaper.

"Yep," I answered as she watched me sit in the seat across from her. "So, did you have a fun night last night?" I asked with a smirk and watched her face turn red.

"Yeah," she answered with a grin as she got up, walked towards the front door and motioned for me to follow. "We’re going to be late if we don’t get going."

"I’m coming," I said as I got up and headed for the door.

We hopped into Meg’s car, stopped by the Mickey D’s drive-up for breakfast, and zoomed towards the studio. We got there around 8, so not many people were there. After eating our food, we set out to the room that had become so familiar within the last few days.

"We’re only going to be recording one song today," Meg explained as she handed me the music and put on her headphones to listen to the demo. "It’s a duet."

"Ok," I said before I too put on my headphones to listen to the song that we’d be doing.

We listened to it a few times before taking the headphones off. We warmed up a little bit before jumping into the recording of the vocals. It was a beautiful and romantic slow song. It didn’t take us that long to finish because it was so simple and pretty at the same time.

"I want that song as my first single," Meg said to me after we got into her car. "Do you care if it’s my first single? It’s by far the best one we’ve recorded so far."

"I’m very flattered that you think it’s that good," I replied with a smile as she started the car. "I agree about it being the best one."

‘What did she mean about being the best one we’ve recorded SO FAR? I’m going home tonight...there is no more recording’ I thought to myself as we drove down the road.

"So, whatcha want to do now?" Meg asked.

"I dunno," I answered as I glanced at the clock that read 10:30.

"How ‘bout bowling?"

"Sure."

"Ok then...bowling it is," she said with a smile as she continued to drive.

I was off in my thoughts as Meg pulled into the parking lot that only had a few cars in it. My mind jerked back into reality as I heard Meg turn the car off. We went in, got shoes, bowling balls and found a lane off in the far end of the building. There were only about ten other people in the massive bowling alley, mostly ladies that looked like they were in their fifties, so we pretty much stayed to ourselves.

"I’m going to get this place bumping," Meg said as she pointed to the jukebox by the snack bar.

"Ok," I answered as I took my sparkling metallic purple ball out of the resting tray. "It’s my turn anyway."

I stepped up on the lane and took my first try. I only knocked down 7 of the pins so I had to wait for my ball to come back before I could take a second try. When I heard Christina Aguilera’s ‘Genie in a Bottle’ come over the speakers I smiled and turned around to see Meg walking back to our lane. I let out a little laugh as she did a trademark CA move (the Egyptian/genie with hands above her head and then a stomach roll) to the music, bowed when she saw that I was watching, and then sat in her chair.

"Cute!" I exclaimed as I turned slightly to pick up my ball.

I rolled a spare and then took the seat that Meg was sitting in as she got up to take her turn. I wiped my hands on the Mudd’s that I was wearing before I pulled off the open black short sleeved button-up shirt that I was wearing over a white fitted tee.

"By the way," she said facing me while she picked up her midnight blue ball that had glow-in-the-dark spots on it. "I hope you don’t mind, but I called a few people and told them to meet us here."

"Who?"

"It’s a surprise," she said with a sly smile before she went to take her turn. "You’ll see when they get here."

"Fine," I said as she rolled her ball down the lane and watched as she got a gutter ball. "That was precious," I said as she turned and walked back to where I was now standing.

"I know," she said happily before she sat down at the little scoring stand.

I again stepped onto the lane and picked up my ball in my right hand. I lifted the ball to my shoulder and gracefully swung it back as I took a few steps up to the lane line. When I got closer to the lane, I brought my right leg back just like the pros do on TV. After the ball left my hand, I stood up straight and watched as the ball sailed into the set and knocked down all the pins.

"Yes!" I yelled out in excitement as I shot my hands up in the air above my head. "Strike!"

I brought my hands down to my side and shouted another ‘Yes’ as I watched the machine sweep the pins off the lane. I turned around quickly to see Meg sitting on the chairs laughing and two other people sitting next to her. I was instantly embarrassed.

"You are the people?" I asked with raised eyebrows as if I was disappointed, pointing at them as I walked past and grabbed my black shirt.

"Yep," Meg said as she smiled at Howie while I quickly put my black shirt on and buttoned it half way up.

I walked to the row of chairs for the other lane next to ours that used the score table and sat down so I faced the lanes.

"Your turn."

I must have sounded a little bit annoyed at who was there when I said that because before I knew it, Meg was standing in front of me, blocking my view.

"Lighten up," Meg said with a silly expression on her face. "I thought it would be fun."

With that said, she turned and grabbed her ball to take her turn, only to roll another gutter ball. I couldn’t help but laugh as she let out a small groan in disgust before she went to the tray to wait for her ball.

"Hey!" Meg exclaimed. "Be quiet Miss pro bowler!" she said pointing at me.

"I am in no way a pro bowler," I replied as she picked up her ball.

"Then where’d ya learn to bowl like that?" Howie asked as Meg rolled again.

"My mom used to be on a bowling league in Utah before she had my two youngest siblings...I used to go with her during the day while she played. And then when I went to High School in Utah, there was a bowling alley across the street so we had bowling as a couple of our sections in PE," I said. "We would bowl for three week sections every 6 to 9 weeks. The lady that owned the alley taught us the correct way to bowl and the rules and stuff, but that was like 5 years ago."

"I wish my school would’ve had that!" Meg exclaimed as she sat down next to Howie.

"Yeah well...I haven’t bowled for like a year and a half," I said as I got up to get my ball. "I’m definitely no 300 point bowler."

"You could’ve fooled us," I heard Nick say before I stepped onto the lane.

"Thanks," I said as I slightly turned my head towards them and then turned back to concentrate on the lane.

I rolled and knocked down 8 pins, leaving the two remaining pins in a 7-10 split. I knew that it was the hardest split to knock down...I’d missed it any times before.

"Ew! Tough shot," I heard Howie say as I just stood at the foot of the lane for a few seconds before going to retrieve my ball from the tray.

"Oh?" I asked as I raised my eyes to look him in the eye. "You wanna try?"

"No, no thanks," he said as he shook his head from side to side.

"Ok then," I said before I stepped onto the lane.

I could tell that all eyes were on me as I stood there, ready to roll. I raised the ball to my shoulder like I had so many times before. I moved towards the lane and set the ball rolling with a slight spin. It rolled down the left side until it was a few feet away from the pins. When it was about two feet from the 10 pin, it curved right, just like I had intended it to. It sailed into the outside edge of the pin, which then sent the pin hurling through the air. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as I watched the pin collide with the other one and they both fell into the gutter.

"Phew," I said as I relaxed a little bit before turning around to go sit down.

"Wow!" Nick and Meg said at the same time as I started to walk towards them.

"I sure wasn’t expecting to make that shot," I said with a relieved smile as I sat down at the score table.

I could feel Nick’s eyes watching me as I kept mine glued on the ball the Meg had just rolled down the lane. I didn’t really want to look at him and I definitely didn’t want to know why he was staring at me. The smile that was on my face soon faded away as I sat there and watched Meg grab her ball to roll again.

"Um, I’ll be right back," I said as I stood up while Meg reached for her ball.

I turned to walk away before she could ask where I was going. I didn’t even know where I was going! I walked up the few steps that went from the hardwood and vinyl lane area to the carpeted floor. I walked over to the snack bar and sat on one of the fifties style bar stools. It looked more like a mini café than it did a snack bar. I stared at the menu that was posted up above the counter for a few minutes before realizing that I wasn’t all that hungry. I had really only sat down here because it was somewhere to go.

"Hey Liz, it’s your turn," I heard Meg say from not too far behind me.

I swiveled around on the stool and saw her walking up to where I was sitting.

"Um, let one of the guys go for me," I said before turning back around.

"Ok," she replied.

"May I help you miss?" a gray-haired woman from behind the counter asked with a smile.

"Um...actually yeah," I replied with a smile in return. "May I please have a small Mt Dew?"

"Sure thing hun," she said before turning her back to get my drink.

My hair was giving me a headache, being all pulled up so tight, so I took out the scrunchy, ran my fingers through it quickly, and let the damp strands hang down my back.

"Thanks," I said as she set my drink on the counter in front of me.

I drank it quickly, due to the fact that it was rather small and I was very thirsty.

"How much is it?" I asked as I reached for some money from my pocket.

"Dollar even."

"There ya go," as I handed her a five and hopped off the stool. "Keep the change," I said before walking away.

What was I thinking? I just gave that lady a four-dollar tip. ‘She was really nice. She deserved it’ I thought as I walked over to check out the selection that they had in the jukebox. There weren’t really many songs that I didn’t know...most were songs that people would expect to be in a jukebox. I saw that the last song that Meg picked was playing, so I put in four quarters and picked a few songs to listen to.

"Welcome back," Howie said cheerfully as I walked back down the steps to the chairs where he and Meg were sitting.

"Nick’s taking my turn," Meg said as she watched Nick roll her ball down the lane. "And your turn is next."

"Ok," I replied as Nick walked by and started to sit next to me.

Before he could sit down, I was up and reaching for my ball as ‘No Scrubs’ came over the speakers. This song always put me in good spirits. I didn’t pick up my ball, but instead I started singing along with the song.

"A scrub is a guy that thinks he’s fine...Is also known as a bustah. Always talking ‘bout what he wants...just sits on his dumb ass...No, I don’t want your number...No, I don’t wanna give you mine. No, I don’t wanna meet you no where. No, don’t want none of your time. Cause no, I don’t want no scrubs...A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me," I sang out loud before finally picking up my ball.

I did a cute little ballerina turn so that I was facing the lane before stepping up onto it. I rolled my ball down the lane, but I only knocked down 4 pins. I didn’t really care...I was too wound up in the song.

"Dang! What’d they give you over there?" Meg asked sarcastically.

"That’s a secret," I said with an evil grin as I walked back to pick up my ball from the tray.

Meg and Howie laughed as I grabbed my ball and rolled again, this time knocking down 4 more pins.

"Dang! My bowling skills are wearing off," I said jokingly as I took a seat next to Nick.

He just looked at me with his eyebrows raised like I was an idiot.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said as he turned to watch Howie bowl for Meg.

"No," I said as he watched Howie. "Really...what’s wrong?"

This time he turned and looked me in the eyes. He must’ve had a lot on his mind, because he only looked me in the eyes for a few seconds before looking beyond me. I could tell that he didn’t really want me to know what was wrong, but I wanted to help.

"It’s a big mess...I don’t think you’d understand," he said before turning his head to look at the ground.

"Ok," I replied. "But let me know if there’s anything I can do to help."

He nodded before turning his eyes back to mine.

"Thanks," he said softly before giving me a small hug.

"No problem," I said as I stood up to go bowl my last tries. "That’s what friends are for."

I got another strike followed by knocking down 6 pins and then 2 more after that. I really didn’t care what my score was...I wasn’t bowling my best anyway.

"So, wonna get some lunch?" Howie asked after he glanced at his watch.

"Sure," Meg blurted out before she realized what she had said.

She looked aver at me, then at Howie, and back at me.

"Don’t worry about me," I said when I noticed her worried look. "You can drop me off. You guys go and have fun," I insisted as I pulled the bowling shoes off my feet and slid my own shoes on.

"You sure?" Howie asked as I stood up with the rented shoes in hand.

"Yeah," I answered as the others stood too. "I have to pack anyway," I said as if it was no big deal.

It was a big deal though. I wanted to go with them, but I knew that I had to get ready to go. ‘Man! I wish I wasn’t leaving so soon’ I thought to myself as we returned our shoes and then headed for the door.

"I’ll take you to Meg’s," Nick offered as we neared the cars. "Where should I meet you guys?" he asked Meg and Howie while I climbed in the passenger seat of his Durango.

"Uh, how ‘bout that little café by the mall," Howie suggested.

"Ok," Nick replied before getting in.

I was silent for a few minutes as we drove. I wonder how he knew where I was staying.

"Nick?" I broke the silence.

"Yeah?"

"How did you know I was staying at Meg’s?"

"I’d rather you didn’t know," he replied as we pulled into the parking lot.

I didn’t really know how to react to that response, so I just sat there until he turned the truck off.

"Thanks for bringing me back," I said.

I leaned over and gave him a little hug while he gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Your welcome," he said as I slid out of the seat and shut the door behind me.

He watched me walk up the steps and unlock the door just like I had the night before when AJ was here. How did everyone know what was going on besides me? I knew that Meg didn’t tell them that I was staying here, so how did they find out? Did they have one of their guards or someone follow me or maybe even both of us? ‘I have no idea’ I thought to myself as I walked into the apartment and shut the door. I turned to the window and watched Nick pull out of the parking lot. ‘He’s such a nice guy’ I thought. ‘He needs a girlfriend.’

The next hour and a half seemed to fly by as I gathered my clothes and things into my bags. When I was done, everything was in a pile at one end of the couch by the door, ready to go. After remembering what AJ said about dressing ‘casual...nice casual’, I changed into a khaki skirt and a white short sleeved button up shirt with a navy blue GAP sweater that had a white and maroon stripe over it. I had white socks on with a pair of black Doc’s that were an ankle cut version of the boots that I bought just a few days ago. ‘This outfit makes me look like a preppie schoolgirl!’ I thought to myself. I sat down to take a breather for a few minutes, so I reached over to the remote and turned on the TV. I flipped through the channels until I landed on MTV. I watched it for a few minutes while a CA (Christina Aguilera) video played. I was about to turn it off when a BSB video came on next. It was their newest ‘SMTMOBL’ video. ‘They all look so sad’ I thought as I watched. ‘So sincere...so honest...so mature...so fine!’ I finally concluded as I watched the last few seconds. I turned off the TV as an N*Sync song came on afterwards. I got up and was about to head towards the kitchen when there was a soft knock at the door. I practically ran to it in anticipation. I stood there for a few seconds longer before opening it so I didn’t seem so anxious.