Page 141 of Pride High 2: Orange

“You’ll have to turn soon!” she squeaked, hoping it would make him slow down.

“Which street? The next one?”

“Yes!”

“No problem.” Troy tightened his grip on the wheel. He zipped back into the proper lane but didn’t slow as the stop sign neared.

Mindy grabbed on to anything she could find and braced her boots against the footwell. The car shot into the intersection just as Troy yanked on the emergency brake, the tires squealing as the back of the car slid around ninety degrees. Then he released the brake and hit the gas again, having successfully made a right turn.

“How cool was that?” Troy shouted with a wild grin.

“Very cool!” Mindy shouted back, even though she felt slightly nauseous. “Now would youpleaseslow down?”

Troy glanced over, saw her expression, and eased off the gas. The roar of the engine gradually dropped back down to a purr.

“I didn’t mean to freak you out,” he said. “I only wanted to show you what I can do.”

“And now that you have,” she replied, still tense, “you never have to show me again!”

Troy winced. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I remember the first time my dad took me racing. I was just a kid and ended up bawling my eyes out. But only at first. It’s scary like a roller coaster but just as fun. Once you get used to it.”

“I do like theme parks,” Mindy said. Maybe not the roller coasters as much as the tea cup ride, but she understood the allure of such things. When in a controlled environment. And certified as safe. “We have a great one here called Worlds of Fun.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked. “That’ll be our second date.”

“They’re closed until spring.”

“Our twentieth date then,” he amended with a smile.

Mindy laughed. “That works. Although I better drive us there. I’ll actually be old enough by then. Oh! Take the next left.”

Queen Marie Lanes was on the west side of town, the steepled roof making it appear more like a church. Which is why her father’s bowling league team had named themselves the Holy Rollers, despite not being particularly religious. He always joked that they didn’t have a prayer and would need a miracle to win. Although she decided not to share this tidbit with her date, especially when they pulled into the parking lot and he said, “This is where all the cool kids hang out, huh?”

“Sure is,” she lied. Mindy hadn’t been there since she was a little girl, and even then she preferred playing Ms. Pac-Man to actually bowling.

“Stay right there,” Troy said after he parked. He got out of the car and hustled around the front so he could open the passenger-side door for her. Such a gentleman!

“Thanks,” she said, feeling warmth on her cheeks that she didn’t try to hide. “That’s very sweet of you.”

“I know how to treat a lady,” Troy said proudly as he shut the door behind her. “This is going to be fun. Are you any good?”

“At bowling?” Mindy asked before laughing humorlessly. “No. In fact, I don’t know how to bowl at all.”

“Didn’t you say that your dad was in a league?”

She had, during the school week, which meant he’d actually listened to her. And remembered what she’d said! “Yes, but the shoes were always a dealbreaker for me.”

He started to laugh before stifling it. “Really?”

“Sad but true,” Mindy said, smiling to show him that it was okay. “It’s silly, I know. But you have to admit that bowling shoes are ugly. And Ireallydidn’t like the idea that someone else had been wearing them.”

“Is that going to be a problem tonight?” Troy asked with a grin.

“I don’t know. We’re about to find out!”

The interior was just as she remembered. A long counter to the right gave way to a dining area. On the left were three dozen lanes, most of them occupied. Troy took out his wallet and went to the man behind the counter. To her surprise, he had called ahead to make a reservation. So thoughtful!

“I wear a size eleven,” he said, glancing at her with a dopey smile. “The little lady here needs your cleanest freshest pair of shoes. What’s your size, Mindy?”