It was a Friday night and Mariana, Jesus, Zac, and Lexi all decided to go bowling. Lexi was in town and she, Mariana, and Jesus met up with Zac at the alley.

"Hey," he greeted them!

"Hey," Mariana walked over to him, pecking his lips and the 4 of them went to get their bowling shoes and a lane."

"Quit it," Mariana said playfully! "I'm trying to put in the names," she giggled as she slapped away Zac's hand for about the fourth time.

Mariana was entering the names into the scoreboard, or at least trying to, as Zac tried hitting other keys while Mariana typed. It had taken her 3 times to type in Lexi and as Zac continued to tap other letters, she had typed in his name as Zax.

"It is staying that way," she laughed.

They laughed together having fun. But their laughter was quickly interrupted as Jesus shouted over to them.

"Hurry up, Mariana! It doesn't take that long to enter 4 names."

Mariana looked at Jesus with furrowed brows. She turned to face the computer and put the cursor behind Jesus's name. She hit backspace and typed Doofus in place of Jesus' name.

"Ready to lose," Mariana questioned challengingly?!

"Strike," Jesus swung his arms up as he hit all 10 pins!

Lexi clapped her hands together.

"Killed it," she high fived him with both of her hands and they joined hands as they walked back to their seats.

"Beginner's luck," she said as she walked up to get her ball.

Mariana concentrated; she threw the ball and waited. 6 pins.

"Boo," Jesus called out, as he was lightly slapped in the shoulder by Lexi.

Mariana focused more her second turn. SPARE!

"Woo," Mariana jumped waving her arms above her head, an action said to be quite nerdy by Jesus. Zac had smiled at her mild dance party.

It was now Zac's turn. He stood in front of the lane waiting nervously. Truth be told: he wasn't the greatest bowler and he didn't wanna look lame in front of Mariana. He tapped his left hand against the ball nervously, looking in every direction, but the pins. He walked up and released the ball from his hand, stumbling as it left. The ball went straight down the gutter. Zac's face dropped.

"You'll get 'em next time," Mariana encouraged, "just aim for the middle."

He went to get his ball for his second throw, trying to calm down and prepare to hit some pins. He tried to have a better form in his throw this time. He threw it, placing one foot behind the other. Just 1 pin, he hoped... Gutter. He went back to his seat, felling defeated and ashamed. Lexi got up to take her turn.

"We still got a long way to go; don't worry," Mariana tried making him feel better. A long way to go, he thought.

They had just finished the ninth frame. Zac had hit all of 11 pins: 1 in the third frame, 2 in the fifth, 7 by luck in the sixth as Mariana tried giving him pointers at the exact moment he let go, and 1 in the seventh frame.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get something to drink; do you guys want anything," Zac asked, excusing himself from the embarrassing situation?

Jesus shook his head. "Can you get me a water," Mariana asked?

Lexi had just finished her turn as Zac went to get the drinks and Jesus went up for his turn.

"He is not having fun at all, is he," Lexi sat down by Mariana?

"Jesus," Mariana asked clueless?

"No, not Jesus; Zac," Lexi said gesturing her eyes in his direction.

"Oh! I mean, I know he's not bowling so great and he seems a little embarrassed about it, but do you think he completely hates this?"

"He wants to impress you," Lexi stated surely. "You're not doing such a good job of making him feel like 'the guy'," she told Mariana.

"The guy?"

"Yeah; guys need to feel, you know, macho," she made fists with her hands, "they need to be better than you in sports and... guy stuff."

"Why," Mariana asked?

"It's a guy thing," Lexi said quickly as Jesus was finishing his turn.

Jesus came back to his seat as Lexi smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder. Mariana then got up for her turn and Zac came back just in time.

"Oh; this ball is so heavy," Mariana pretended to struggle as she lifted it.

Lexi shook her head, trying to hold back laughter, as Mariana took her advice way too extremely.

Zac was too busy setting her drink down to notice. She walked up to the lane and awkwardly rolled the ball down it. Zac furrowed his brows in confusion. The ball slowly made its way toward the pins. She still ended up knocking down 2 pins.

"Wow, Mariana, that was.. great, Jesus stood up clapping his hands together in mockery, still think you're gonna win?"

"I still have another turn left, you know," she said in annoyance.

Jesus sat back down, she got another ball, and shifted in her wedges throwing the ball directly into the gutter.

"Now would be the appropriate time for the slow clap," Jesus stood again as Mariana hit no pins. Mariana made her way back to her seat between Zac and Lexi and took her water. "Thanks," she said.

It was Zac's turn again. He took a sip of his drink and slowly made his way to pick up a bowling ball. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and threw the ball in his awkward stance. It rolled speedily down the lane very near the gutter, looking like it was about to be 0 pins again. Mariana watched it roll, her hands folded under her chin. Suddenly, the ball curved toward the middle and slowly, but surely 9 pins fell forward on the shiny, wooden floor. Zac was in complete shock and his jaw dropped as he stared at the pins lying there.

"Ahhhh," Mariana screamed and ran up to hug him!

Realization sunk in and he picked her up and spun her around in his arms. She pecked his lips mid-twirl. People looked at them as if they were crazy. He continued to spin her. Lexi had already jumped up when the pins knocked down; she had a huge smile plastered to her face. Jesus still sat, but couldn't help but grin; Lexi looked down at him and he tried to hide it, rolling his eyes. Zac set Mariana down and she continued to cheer.

"Okay," Jesus snapped them out of it, "Zac still has one more turn left."

"Right," Mariana remembered.

Zac went to take his second turn, still on a high from his first. He was feeling confident now and even put some effort into his formation. He released the ball and it sped down the lane. It looked like it was going to get the last remaining pin, but instead it curved at the last possible moment. Gutter. His smile faded.

"You got 9 pins," Mariana shrieked reminding him! She ran up to him and he lifted her off the ground yet again.

After bowling, they all got something to eat at the alley and they sat down talking and laughing. Later, Lena picked them up and took them home, agreeing to take Zac home in an hour.

Zac and Mariana stood at the front door, finishing their kiss.

"So I was gonna ask, before all the excitement.. um.. you seemed kind of.. off.." Zac tried to question her.

"Yeah," Mariana said knowing where he was going with this, "I thought you weren't having fun, because.. I don't know, you weren't bowling so great and I wanted you to feel better.. to feel like 'the guy' and…"

"The guy," Zac asked, cutting Mariana off from her rambling? "I didn't know I wasn't one," he said laughing.

"No," Mariana struggled to get out what she was trying to say, "I just thought…"

"Mariana," Zac cut her off, "I'm not some competitive guy who needs to beat his girlfriend at every sport to prove some sort of.. manliness.. and, yeah, I felt a little.. embarrassed… but, I had fun…the entire time… with you. Mariana leaned up and kissed him.