Chapter 36

Alice shot daggers at David, her face all red, and snapped, "I called you brother. Don't push it."

David noticed her flushed cheeks, slowly let go, and shoved his hands in his pockets. The warmth from her cheek still tingled on his fingers, making him feel kinda awkward.

Alice rubbed her cheek, thinking this guy had no clue how to be gentle, pinching her face so hard it swelled up.

She put the bowling ball back, grabbed her card and clothes, and wandered off to another spot.

"Hey, gal in the white sweater, come play a game!" someone hollered from the corner.

Alice glanced over but ignored them.

"Gal, don't mind them. Come play cards with us. We just need one more. You in?"

Just as Alice was about to reply, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders from behind and pulled her away.

David nodded and smiled at the guy, "Sorry, my girl doesn't know how to play cards."

The guy awkwardly smiled and backed off.

David nudged Alice towards the spiral staircase.

Alice frowned and looked back. "I know!"

David glanced down at her, "Even if you do, you'd lose. Losing would embarrass me. You think I'd let you play?"

Alice was fuming. "I was the champ at Nathan Brown's arcade!"

David grabbed the handrail with one hand and wrapped his other arm around Alice's shoulders, pushing her upstairs. He spoke calmly, "An arcade and a place like this are worlds apart. I'm not saying the arcade's bad, but places like this are more adult. Here, you might not always find someone who plays fair and can afford to lose."

David pushed her in front of the basketball machine and swiped the VIP card twice.

"How about this," David tossed the basketball up and looked at Alice, "If your score's higher than mine, I'll grant you one wish."

Alice's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Anything?"

"As long as it's within my power."

Alice nodded seriously, "Let's just get it started."

David looked at the hoop and played with the basketball.

This distance was a piece of cake for him. As long as he found his old rhythm, making twenty shots in thirty seconds wouldn't be a problem.

But...

The basketball hit the rim and made a sound.

Alice watched the hoop intently, trying to recall the shooting posture of the boys on the basketball court. They could easily make three-pointers, so she thought this distance should be simpler than a three-pointer.

However, she used to vent by playing the game of smashing the hoop, and now she couldn't play seriously.

When time was up, Alice made 9 shots, and David made 18.

David saw Alice's dissatisfied face and smirked, "Best two out of three. The first round was just a warm-up, it doesn't count."

Alice shot a cold glance at David, "Just wait, I'll make you regret it."

In fact, David didn't regret it.

Best two out of three.

Unsurprisingly, he won two rounds.

David probably felt he was a bit too harsh, being so ruthless and not going easy on Alice, hurting her pride.

Just as he was thinking of a way to cheer Alice up.

Alice suddenly snorted coldly and said two words, "Childish."

Alice stretched and glanced at David nonchalantly, "You're so serious for this. How childish you are!"

David was both angry and amused. "You can't win, so you're starting to act up, huh?"

"I'm not," Alice refused to admit defeat, "You chose something you're good at and I'm not. It was unfair from the start."

"Fine." David, usually all uptight, decided to roll with Alice's vibe today. "You pick a fair game, and we'll go again. If you win, the deal still stands."

They headed downstairs, one after the other.

Dylan had been eyeballing the second floor so long his eyes were watering, finally spotting them coming down. He was starting to wonder if David was up to something sneaky with Alice.

"What were you doing up there?" Dylan squeezed between them, slinging an arm around each, acting all buddy-buddy.

"Competing."

Dylan looked confused. "Competing in what?"

If he remembered right, upstairs was just a small game room. Kids loved that spot.

David glanced at Dylan's hand on Alice's shoulder and said flatly, "Move your hand."

Following David's gaze, Dylan felt like his hand was about to get chopped off.

Knowing David's temper from college, Dylan laughed it off and pulled his hand back.

Alice scanned the hall, checking out all the facilities, and finally settled on the bowling alley.

David nodded. "Okay."

Hearing about the competition, Desmond quickly gathered a crowd to watch.

"Competing? What's the deal?" Desmond elbowed his way to the front, nudging Dylan.

"How should I know?" Dylan was annoyed. David seemed different lately, and he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad change. He needed to call Gavin later.

David took off his jacket and hung it on a chair. Before the game started, he walked over to Alice, ruffled her hair, and said, half-gentle, half-cocky, "If you can't handle it, just forfeit. Don't push yourself."

Alice's anger flared. She pointed at David, "Just wait, I'll make you cry!"

David went silent.

Desmond couldn't help but laugh.

Dylan snapped, "Don't laugh!"

Alice picked up the red bowling ball and shot David a challenging look. "You first or me first?"

"Ladies first."

Alice grinned. "Then get ready. I'm not going easy on you."

David didn't take her seriously, thinking she was just throwing a fit.

But when Alice threw the first ball, David's smile froze.

"Holy crap, a strike!" someone in the crowd shouted. "This girl knows her stuff. Her form and technique are spot on. She's definitely a pro."

Desmond and Dylan exchanged glances, both turning to David.

David's smile vanished, replaced by a serious look.

First round, 1:1 tie.

Second round, 2:2 tie.

Third round, 3:3 tie.

Fourth round.

"Evenly matched," Dylan said.

"Tell me about it. Alice is pretty good," Desmond said, feeling a bit proud. "But how long has it been since David played bowling?"

Dylan rolled his eyes. "Not to mention the bowling, he's 26 but lives like he's 46. No drinking, no smoking, no partying, always focused on educating and watching over kids. He needs to see a neurologist."

Desmond rubbed his chin. "Actually, there's a race tomorrow."

Dylan asked, "What race?"

"Uh, a car race?" Desmond said, feeling guilty.

"Street racing..." Dylan suddenly erupted, pinning Desmond to the ground. "Are you nuts? Organizing a car race! What if David decides to join on a whim!"

Desmond covered his head, almost in tears. "I just wanted to plan some fun! To liven things up! If you don't want him to join, just don't tell him!"

Dylan stood up, dusting off his knees, and gave Desmond a cold look. "Keep your mouth shut."

Desmond quickly mimed zipping his lips, promising to stay quiet.