HOW NOT TO LEARN HOBBIES
Chapter Two
"Cosmo Picks Up a Spare"
"Okay, Cosmo," Amy Rose said one day, "tennis obviously isn't your game."
"Tell me about it!" Cosmo moaned.
"So today we'll try bowling!"
Once at the bowling alley, Cosmo promptly tried the heaviest ball in the building.
Crash! The ball fell to the floor, and Cosmo went right with it.
"Okay," Amy said, "that ball is too heavy for you. Here, try Cream's."
Cream was smaller than Cosmo, so that seemed like a good idea. But Cream was a lot stronger than she looked. Cosmo could barely lift it. "I think I need something lighter, Amy!" she said.
"Man, Cosmo," Amy complained, "even Tails can use that ball, and he's a wimp!"
"Hey!" Tails said.
"Hay's for horses, grass is free, buy a farm, and you get all three!" Amy said. "Chris' grandfather taught me that." She turned back to Cosmo. "Now let's get you something you can use!"
They finally managed to find Cosmo a bowling ball that wouldn't throw her when she tried to throw it. Amy led Cosmo, Tails, and Cream to the alley. Sonic had been invited, but had remembered what had happened at the tennis court, and had disappeared early that morning.
"Now, watch, Cosmo," Amy said. "We'll all show you what to do." Amy threw her ball first. Six pins went down. "Now bad!" she said. She tossed her ball again. Three more pins fell, but one didn't even wobble!"
"Doggonit!" Amy yelled. "Okay, Cream, your turn."
Cream knocked down three pins, then threw a gutter ball. "I'm not very good at this," she admitted to Cosmo.
Tails ended up knocking down seven pins. "Don't get nervous, Cosmo," he said, "but it's your turn."
"Oh dear!" Cosmo said. She pulled her arm back to throw the ball. It flew off her hand.
"Hit the dirt!" Amy yelled as the ball went flying. It hit the claw machine.
Ding! Ding! Ding! A purple teddy bear fell out of the claw machine.
"Hey, Cosmo!" Cream cried . "You won!"
"I wasn't even playing that game!" Cosmo said, embarrassed. "Is everybody okay?"
"Here you go, Cosmo!" Cream said, handing Cosmo the teddy bear.
"Um…thanks?" Cosmo said.
"Try to hold onto the ball this time!" Amy complained when Cosmo got back with her ball and bear.
Cosmo threw the ball. It went straight into the gutter.
"Well, that happens all the time," Cream said. "Try again."
Cosmo threw the ball. It went straight into the gutter.
"Okay," Tails said, "next time, try moving more to the left."
"Yeah," Amy said, "I think you're throwing your arm to the right."
On Cosmo's next turn, she stood on the far left side of the alley. Unfortunately, she also tried to avoid moving her arm to the right. It went so far left, her ball went down the next lane.
"Hey!" the guy bowling in the next lane said.
"I'm sorry, Mister!" Cosmo cried. "Maybe I should quit before I cause another disaster!"
"Don't be such a wimp!" Amy said. "Now get your ball, and try again!"
Gutter ball.
"I think my ball hates me," Cosmo said.
"Good grief, Cosmo!" Amy cried. "You already talk to trees and bushes and flowers! Don't go start talking to inanimate objects now!"
"Sorry," Cosmo said. She threw her ball. One pin fell down. "Oh, finally!" Cosmo sobbed. "May I please quit while I'm ahead?"
"Permission denied!" Amy said. "We're bowling ten frames, and we have eight to go!"
Cosmo hugged the teddy bear she'd just sort of won while she waited for her turn. She was so worried, she promptly threw the bear down the alley instead of the ball.
Strike!
"Cosmo!" Amy yelled. "I don't know what game you're playing, but it sure isn't bowling!"
The next several frames went more or less smoothly. By the ninth frame, Amy's score was 116, Tails' was 98, and Cream's was 85. Cosmo's was 38, and that even counted her teddy bear strike.
"It's okay, Cosmo," Cream said as the Seedrian went up to throw the ninth time. "The first time I played, I only bowled 42."
Cosmo made her twelfth gutter ball, then knocked down five pins.
"There, you see!" Cream said happily. "You just beat my first game by one point, and you still have one more turn!"
Amy's final score was 130, Tails' was 106, and Cream's was 91. Cosmo threw her first time. Gutter ball.
"That's thirteen!" Cosmo said. "I hope that's not a bad omen!"
"Just don't panic," Amy said. "When you panic, you do stupid things."
"You can do it, Cosmo!" Cream cried.
"We believe in you!" Tails added.
Cosmo threw the ball. Unfortunately, she was so nervous, she barely tossed it, and it stopped before it reached the pins. Then it started to roll back.
"Try it again, Cosmo!" Amy yelled.
The ball knocked over the rest of the pins.
"You picked up a spare!" Amy cried.
"Oh dear," Cosmo said. "Is that bad?"
"It means you get to go one more time," Tails told her.
"But, I thought that was my last time," Cosmo said. She was now really confused.
"Throw the ball already!" Amy yelled.
So Cosmo threw the ball for the last time.
She got one pin.
"Too bad," Amy said. "Get your ball while I figure out your final score."
Cosmo picked up the ball. Unfortunately, the laces of her bowling shoes hadn't been fastened properly, and had come untied. She tripped on her shoelaces, dropping the ball. It landed right on Amy's foot.
Ka-Runch!
Amy shrieked in agony.
"Oh! Oh, Amy, I'm so sorry!" Cosmo cried. "How can I ever make it up to you?"
"Put your head right there," Amy said, pointing at the table where she had been keeping score.
"Cosmo, no!" Tails and Cream both shouted.
Too late. Bam! Amy konked her with her pico-pico hammer.
When Cosmo woke up, Amy and Cream were both gone. Tails was applying a wet cloth to her head. "Wha-where's Amy? And Cream?"
"Cream helped Amy home," Tails said, checking the bump on Cosmo's head. "I think she's be okay in a couple of days. How do you feel?" He ran some tests to make sure she didn't have a concussion.
"Tails?" Cosmo said as she and Tails left the bowling alley. "Did Amy say anything when she left?"
"Only that you should stay away from her for awhile," Tails said. "I'd do that if I were you. Why?"
"Well, I was just wondering…" Cosmo trailed off. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."
"What is it?" Tails asked. "Go ahead. You can ask me anything."
"Well, I was just wondering…" Cosmo said again. "Um…"
"Yes, go on," Tails urged her.
"What was my final score?"
The End
Next time, Amy takes Cosmo to miniature golf. What can go wrong?