We started off walking around in the mall, Leigh dragging me into every shop we saw and making me try on the outfits that I liked even if I wasn't gonna buy them. If Ash hadn't already bought me an outfit, I would have been looking for one now. But since I didn't have to worry about it, I could spend my money on something else. 

I expected Leigh to be the kind of girl that told you that you looked great in everything even if you didn't, too afraid to hurt your feelings and tell you the truth. But she turned out to be really honest, commenting on whether a dress made me look too pale or too flat, too short or too boring. Granted it was a bit disheartening but when this girl compliments, she really compliments. It's the kind that makes your cheeks burn and it embarrasses you because you think it's not true even if it is. I'm glad that she's honest with criticism though, like a real friend, not someone that pities me. 

'That black really doesn't suit you, Ev. It's kind of a depressing colour. But it really makes your waist and hips look toned- and I'm talking supermodel toned.'

When Leigh tried on outfits, I tried to mimic her way of feedback- being as honest as possible but always ending it with something positive (and true). She had on an olive green top with some bleached jeans. I thought for a while. The top complemented her complexion, and Leigh had this beautiful warm and dark chestnut skin. Her legs were a perfect shape in those jeans, not too stout but not too lanky either. I glanced at her again. There was nothing wrong with Leigh, no flaws to report, no lock of her coiled auburn hair was askew. 

'You look great,' I tell her honestly and she sort of frowns.

'Are you sure?' She looks in the mirror herself 'I feel like my ass looks a little weird...'

'I'm sure,' I nod. I never thought of Leigh as the insecure type. She smiles at me when I assure her she looks fine and we change back into our normal clothes and head to another store. It's the same one Ash took me last week and I can tell this is the place he bought me the new dress from. We weave through the shelves and racks together, making a stop at the discount rack because Leigh mentioned something about seeing a cute top that was on sale here the other day. I helped her look for it but we weren't close to finding it. 'Maybe someone already bought it.'

'What if they didn't? What if it's still here?' she replied like the 'glass is half full' person she was. Dammit, just use the word optimistic; you shouldn't have anything against it. 'If only I had some money on me that day I saw it, I would have bought it then.' She slumped a bit against a shelf, and I could tell she was starting to lose hope- something I'd never seen her do. 

'It's okay, Leigh,' I put a hand on her shoulder like it's supposed to heal her. It was my turn to be optimistic. 'Maybe someone that works here misplaced it on another rack? I'm sure if you ask them, they could help us find it?'

'You're right,' she agrees, that little bit of light that'd escaped from her returning. She walks up to one of the employees who was hanging some shirts on a rack, tapping them on the shoulder. She gives her a briefing of her situation and the description of the top. I stand by Leigh's side as the clerk begins to speak.

'Ma'am if it was in the discount section and it isn't there anymore then it must have already been sold.' She replied apologetically.

'Are you sure? Can't you check again? Isn't there any more in stock?' Leigh busied her with questions. 

'No one would have moved it to a different section. I'm sorry, I'm afraid there isn't much I can do.'

'It's okay, thanks for the help anyway,' I tell her and the clerk glances at me for a second before speaking again.

'Did you like the dress your friend got for you?' She asked eagerly though it took me a little too long to understand what she had asked me. She was talking about Ash, she was talking about the outfit he bought for me, she was talking about it right in front of Leigh.

'I'm sorry, I'm not sure I know what you're talking about,' I lie nervously, feeling from the hints of change in Leigh's expression that she was beginning to take an interest in what was going on.

'You know, that boy you were with the other week with the dark hair and hoodie. He came back yesterday to buy you something. Did he show you yet?' 

'I think you're mistaken,' I laugh nervously, feeling a bead of sweat form on my hairline and physically drip down as Leigh exchanged curious glances with the clerk. I just recognised right now that she was the same clerk that we saw when I came here with Ash. 'You must be thinking about someone else. I haven't been to this store in a long while.'

She squints her eyes and I hope that my new haircut can support my lie. I sigh in relief when she finally utters 'Maybe so. I'm sorry for the bother.'

We both walk out of the shop, not having bought anything from it. Leigh and I take the elevator to the ground floor where the food court and other cafes and restaurants are and we search for the one that best suits our hunger. Since we hadn't purchased anything yet, we still had a lot of money altogether and decided to leave the mall and eat at a fancy and expensive restaurant located a few blocks away. We agreed that we'd both chip in and Leigh mentioned that we'd use whatever's left for a session at the bowling alley. 

'It's either that or watching a movie in the theatre across from it,' She added. The first option seemed to be the one that took up the least amount of time so I went with that one. Leigh flashed her signature smile 'It'll be the best way to end this little day out!'

A pizza was the only thing we were both brave enough to order 1) because there was a danger of the rest of the unknown foods tasting horrible and we didn't want to take that chance and 2) because if we got a pizza we could both share it. For our starter, we had a salad that was drenched in olive oil and topped with too many olives to count. Leigh said something about it being more like a Greek dish than an Italian one. 

'How do you know that?' I ask while swallowing an already pitted olive that I was stupidly searching for its seed in my mouth.

'I watch the Food Network sometimes,' She admits.

When the pizza finally arrives, Leigh hates that she's eating more slices than I am but I assure her I usually eat less anyway. I'm holding a slice and watching the melted cheese roping down the edges, I glance at a couple sat opposite us with the cliche bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in the middle. I look up at Leigh and feel embarrassed to say 'This isn't a date, is it?'

'It's not,' she assures me 'I told you before we're just friends. And besides, it's clear you might like someone else.'

'What? What do you mean?' I try to say it normally but my voice trembles towards the end out of nervousness. 

'You know, the guy who bought you a dress?'

I'm not sure how to respond 'She was talking to the wrong person!'

'Come one, Ev,' she smirked 'You were playing with your hair when you spoke to her. You do that when you lie sometimes. It's something I've noticed.' 

I stop playing with the loose lock of hair and put my hand over my cutlery instead. 'Can we change the subject, please?'

'If it bothers you that much then sure,' She smiled and adds a rather mischevious grin I've never seen her make before 'But I'm still keeping it in mind for future discussions.'

*****

The Bowling Alley had tubes of fluorescent lights on the ceiling, about three-quarters of them didn't work or were switched off. It was at the back of a building that could have been a warehouse at some point. There was a surplus of arcade games at the front of the building so the main crowd were 12-year-olds running around with tokens spilling out of their pockets. There were only five other people bowling though- an old couple and trio of guys that looked like they were presumably in college.

I've been here once before, a long long time ago. I could remember that my dad would bring me here when he didn't have work. I tried not to think about it too much. 

'Wow, you're really good at this, Ev!' Leigh exclaimed as I hit another Strike. 

'Thanks,' I say casually, picking the dark blue bowling ball I  had been using after it came back. I may not have played in a long time but I still remember the techniques my dad taught me to knock down all the pins. 

Leigh picked up her pink bowling ball and bowled 'I have a good feeling about this one,' she told me enthusiastically as we watched it roll down the alley, expecting it to knock at least seven or fewer pins. To our surprise, it rolled to the edge and missed every one of them. We both looked at each other and burst into giggles.

'Here, watch closely,' I told her as I fixed my stance, ready to bowl. She observed my movements carefully as I ran up to the alley and releases it, knocking down all ten pins. Leigh flashed an excited smile and clapped, even if she'd already seen me knock them down before. The third strike caught the attention of the college boys playing on the lane next to us.

'That's pretty cool, kid,' One of them said. He had dark skin and wore a yellow hoodie with acronyms that must have stood for the university he attended. 

'I know right?!' Leigh added and I could tell she was excited at the fact that a couple of older boys were talking to us. She took this opportunity and did all she could to get them to talk to us for longer. I let her do what she wanted while I stood there beside her because I didn't want to start talking to people I didn't really know. She asked them what college they went to and started talking about her own plans of applying for college. 

'It's a really good campus,' another one spoke; he had monolid eyes and amazing hair 'It's hard to get into, though.' 

'Yeah, it is. But you girls look like you're good at working hard.' I couldn't tell if that was a compliment or an innuendo. Leigh was on the flirting stage of her chatter, complimenting the one I presume she must have found to him the hottest. 

'Do you work out?' She asked and I could almost see the actual hearts in her eyes.

'Nah, not really,' he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand 'We're all big fans of junk food.'

'Speaking of junk food, here comes Tyler with the burgers,' They all looked over their shoulders and so did Leigh and I.

'Sorry for the wait, guys, the line was really long,' Tyler said, holding a carrier bag with at least four boxes of burgers and fries in one hand and a cardboard holder with four soft drink cups in the other. I hid my face when I saw him; I wasn't expecting to ever bump into him and I sure as hell didn't know how to react when I did. 

Tyler put down the food on the benches and stood with his friends who were still talking 'This is Leigh and her friend Evelyn who happens to be an expert at bowling. Maybe even better than you, Tyler,' They introduce us to him even if we don't need introductions; he knows who I am and from the descriptions, I've given him he probably recognises Leigh as well. There's no point trying to hide behind her now when he can clearly realise it's me. But he doesn't say anything straight away.

'I'm Tyler,' he extends his hand to Leigh who happily takes and shakes it. He glances at me and extends his hand again and I awkwardly shake it. 

'What are you guys doing at this arcade anyway? I could have sworn there's a better one uptown with an even bigger bowling alley,' Leigh mentions.

'Yeah but Tyler says this one's better,'  the guy in the yellow sweater replied 'His dad used to take him here.' I see Tyler give me an uncomfortable glance but I ignore it, not caring. 

Another guy points at both me and Tyler before speaking 'Since your both so good, why not verse each other? Like two on two? We'll see who's the better one!' Leigh starts clapping again, suddenly passionate about the thought. The other two boys just cross their arms and nod. 

We both walk up to the lane, choosing a ball. 

'Can I talk to you for a second?' Tyler whispers to me while I ready my stance, making sure only I'm the one that hears it. 

'Later,' I tell him, watching all the pins knocking over.

(A/N Haven't updated in a while so apologies. School has started again so I may update even less frequently than I already do. But who knows, I love procrastinating so there still will be updates. Thanks for reading)