Avaric's ball spun down the lane and slammed into the collection of pins. "Another strike," Fiyero scowled. "Better hope your luck holds out."

"Oh, it will." Avaric threw his arm around Elphaba's shoulders. "Got my good luck charm here."

Fiyero grunted as he retreated to the ball return. His disapproval presented so strongly that Elphaba shifted away from her pseudo-date before she caught herself. She rubbed her arms. "Still tied?"

"Yep." Galinda stared down at the sheet. "Fiyero and Avaric at least."

"How far behind are we?" The pretty blonde pulled an ugly face. "So…miserably?"

"Even added together."

Avaric set his chin on Elphaba's shoulder and his arms around her waist. "You're not bad, you know. Just need a little guidance."

"Is that so?" She arched an eyebrow. "And what makes you such an expert?"

"Besides my perfect game compared to your–"

She spun in his arms and clapped a hand to his mouth. "Alright, I get it. I guess we finally found something you're better at. Too bad no one cares about bowling."

"Sacrilege," he demanded as he freed his mouth. "And I'm pretty sure I can hold my own at some other things, too. Shall we investigate?"

She started to bite back a retort, but Fiyero sighed. "Are you two quite done? It's your turn, Elphie."

Elphaba snatched the nearest ball and advanced to the lane. A couple quick steps, and she flung the ball with what she could only hope would be enough force to frighten a few pins into surrendering early on.

The ball coasted down about half the lane before careening inexplicably toward the gutter.

Typical.

She stalked back for another ball when Avaric intercepted her. "Your form isn't terrible, really. Your timing is what's off."

"Good to know." She brushed past him and grabbed the next projectile.

Avaric caught the ball out of her hands before she could return to the line. "Here, try keeping your arm back." He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her wrist, "Like this."

A few practice swings in, and Elphaba had to admit his way felt more natural. "Fine. I guess I can try it."

He grinned by her ear. "Anything else I can help you with? Your slide motions perhaps?"

Fiyero grumbled from his seat. "Or maybe you should just choose a better ball."

She glanced back at him, and Fiyero's glare could have chiseled granite. "Sorry. Did I take yours? I never remember to check."

"Nope. That's mine, pet," Avaric purred in her ear. "But I don't mind you handling-."

"Of course." Fiyero fumed. "I knew you wouldn't last the night without a balls pun."

"It's a gift." Avaric turned to Elphaba with a roguish grin. He inched a thumb down her cheek. "Kiss for luck?"

"I don't believe in luck."

"Don't worry." His mouth hovered a breath away. "I'll believe enough for both of us."

She opened her mouth to argue, and Avaric took his opportunity. His lips dipped low to slide against hers. A trail of shivers followed his fingers as they teased her jawbone and neck. For all his faults, he was indisputably a talented kisser.

She leaned in a fraction of an inch before she caught herself, and Avaric deepened the kiss. It took all she had not to gasp as he liquidated her entire skeletal structure. She fell forward into him. How did he do that?

She nearly dropped the ball when Fiyero growled, "Can you just bowl already? Don't hold our game hostage to your hormones, Ric."

"Can you blame me? Who would possibly pick bowling over kissing this beautiful creature?"

Fiyero opened his mouth to retort, but Elphaba intervened. "Look, I'm going, alright? I'm going."

She paused a couple steps from the lane and tried to focus on the smooth, relaxed timing that Avaric had suggested - a difficult task thanks to her thundering pulse and Avaric's unfortunate skill. Focus. Concentrate. Relax. She tried a few practice swings.

"Watch your elbow," Avaric called from his seat.

"She doesn't need to worry about her elbow; it's her knee." Fiyero called to her, "Flex your knee, Elphie."

"Shoulders back, El. Nice and smooth."

"Keep your back straight."

"Not too slow."

"She's not going too slow." Fiyero grunted. "But maybe she should."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"Guys!" They swiveled to face her. "Could you shut up for five seconds and let me bowl?"

She spun the ball down the lane in her closest approximation to Avaric's instructions, and it managed to topple eight pins, her record for the day.

Avaric jumped up with a shout and collected her in a tight bear hug. He twirled her in a circle twice before he set her down, grinning.

Before she could even catch her breath, Fiyero pulled her to him for his own congratulatory embrace. She froze, overwhelmed by the warmth of his arms around her. He dropped a kiss to her crown and squeezed her closer.

"You know," her voice muffled with Fiyero's chest, "I just knocked over eight pins. It's not like a saved a kitten or declared world peace."

Fiyero laughed and ruffled her hair. "Sure it is. What's world peace ever done for anyone that bowling can't?"

She blushed at their closeness, and her thoughts shifted unbidden to Avaric's kiss. Would Fiyero's be like that? Of course it would. It would undoubtedly be better.

Her thoughts must have shown in her face because he quirked a smile, "What?"

"Nothing." Elphaba averted her eyes, and caught sight over his shoulder of Galinda melodramatically struggling with the ball. "I think Ga-"

"What?" Fiyero released her as Galinda shot a quizzical glance back at the others. When she got no reaction, she pouted. Elphaba took a breath, but Fiyero spoke first, "You okay, Elphie? You look hungry. We could get dinner after this."

Avaric lounged on the top of a drink table, his smile hard. "Already trying to make an exit?"

Galinda tucked the ball low and tapped it with just enough force to make it roll. It edged down the lane like a snail going uphill in a snowstorm. "Fiyero, I think I did something wrong. Do I need to flex my knee, too? Did you see? Fiyero?!"

"I'm watching you honey," Fiyero called over his shoulder. "You're doing great."

"If I didn't know better," Avaric continued, "I'd think you were scared."

"Scared?"

"Of how badly I'm about to beat you."

Galinda dropped the heavy ball so it rolled backwards. "Oh, goodness! I'm sure that's not supposed to happen."

Fiyero barked a laugh. "In what alternate world could you ever beat me?"

"I could beat you with my eyes closed." Avaric punctuated his challenge with a pointed finger straight in Fiyero's chest. Fiyero's eyes narrowed, and Elphaba slid in between them before it could escalate further.

"Guys," Elphaba tried to shove Fiyero's head to look at his neglected girlfriend whose pretty blue eyes now watered with frustrated tears.

"Not now, Elphie." Fiyero tugged her wrist away. "Seriously. What have you ever been better at?"

Avaric sneered. "I'm the one kissing Elphaba, aren't I?" He slipped his arms around Elphaba's waist, pulling her back against him. "Obviously I'm better at the things that count, if you know what I mean."

Elphaba shook herself free as Fiyero's face paled. "You better watch your mouth. She deserves some respect."

"That's rich, coming from you."

Galinda sighed, tears brimming over her eyelashes, and flung the ball down the lane. It smashed into the pins, knocking them all over. A moment of shock passed, and then Galinda squealed. "I got a strike! Fiyero! I got a strike!" She bounced up and down, but neither boy so much as turned. Her smile dropped. "Fiyero?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fiyero growled, and Avaric smirked.

Galinda tried again, "Didn't you see? I got a strike!" She wrapped her arms around herself. "Doesn't anybody care?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean." Elphaba sighed and pushed Avaric back. She grabbed Fiyero's jaw to physically turn him to look at Galinda, but Fiyero knocked her hand out of the way. Avaric's eyes flashed. "You hypocritical ass."

Fiyero snatched Avaric by his collar. "What did you say?"

"You heard me."

"That's it." She shoved her way between the two to where Galinda sat spinning the ball on the ground. "You boys enjoy your date." Elphaba hauled her roommate up and linked arms with her. "We're going home."

"What?" They spun to gape at her. "What do you mean?"

"You obviously enjoy each other's company more than ours."

Galinda tilted her chin higher at Elphaba's words. "Yeah," she sniffed. "If I wanted to be ignored, I'd go to a ignorification rally."

"Um, right." Elphaba blinked. "Anyway. If you two are going to be stuck on each other all night, we have better things to be doing."

Abashed, both men looked down. "Sorry," Fiyero offered.

"Yeah, sorry, El," Avaric muttered.

"Look, we're stopping. We'll stop. I promise. Please stay." Elphaba bit her lip. She'd never been able to resist Fiyero's pleading. "Don't go. I won't say a word to him. Just you and Galinda. Deal?"

Elphaba looked to Galinda, who nodded. "Deal."

"Okay." Fiyero cleared his throat. "So whose turn is it, then? Galinda's?"

Galinda shrieked in frustration and stormed to the bathroom. Elphaba sighed.

Perplexed, he waved his hands in the air. "What? What did I say? Isn't it?"

The next half hour found him apologizing fervently from outside the girl's lavatory with no better idea of his transgression. Elphaba and Avaric sat side by side on the table, awkwardly eavesdropping on the spatting couple.

Avaric rubbed the back of his neck. "For what it's worth, I really am sorry, too. I didn't mean to ignore you."

"Whatever."

"I mean it." Avaric leaned back on his palms. "I shouldn't have let him get to me."

She spun to face him. "Why is that? What is your deal with each other?"

His lips pressed into a white line, and he jerked his head away. "Nothing."

She crossed her arms. "And why won't either of you admit to it? Seriously, what is it?"

Avaric was quiet for so long that Elphaba hopped off the table. He caught her wrist, and she spun back, glaring. But her complaint lodged in her throat at the change in his voice.

"I guess," his voice so low she had to lean close to hear it above the crash of the pins in the background. "It might be a little…"

"Little what?"

He avoided her eyes and made a face. "Jealousy."

"Jealousy?" The volume of her voice drew his eyes back, and she repeated it softly. "Why would you be jealous?"

His lip twitched. "Fiyero's the golden boy. Everyone loves Fiyero. He's so great, so noble," he mocked bitterly. "Noble my ass. He may be a prince, but he's not better than me. Why should he always get the easy way? Why should he always get the girl? He is human, you know. I know it's hard to believe, but Fiyero actually has flaws. Tons of them."

"Everyone does. But Fiyero's a good guy. Why shouldn't he be liked for that?"

"Sorry." Avaric rolled his eyes. "Forgot who I was talking to. Fiyero's number one lapdog."

"Hey!"

He turned to face her and took her hands in his. "You know you could do a lot better, right?" She stared at him. "You deserve someone who appreciates you."

"He-"

"Who would pick you," he interrupted. "You shouldn't have to be the back-up singer."

"I…" She couldn't find any words to answer him, and she fidgeted under his gaze. "So why would he be jealous of you?"

A dark cloud rolled through Avaric's face. "Right." He pursed his lips, and just like that the earnest, open face dissolved into his typical smirk. "Who wouldn't be?"

"I mean, did something happen?"

"Nope." But Avaric's eyes betrayed him. She wanted to press for more, but he slipped around her waist. "Why? Would you like to give him something to be jealous about?"

She sighed at the reemergence of annoying Avaric. "I'd rather get out of here." His eyes widened, and she blushed at how that sounded. "I meant…" She abandoned her sentence before she could give him more ammunition and untangled herself from his arms. "I'd better help Fiyero. We'll be here all night before he figures out what he did and how she'll forgive him."

Avaric caught her again. "And?"

"And I'm bored. I don't want to spend all night in a bowling alley."

"Bored?" Avaric cupped her cheek. His eyes caressed her lips hungrily. "I'm pretty sure we can fix that."

She shivered as her thoughts escaped undirected to his earlier interrupted kiss. "Cut it out." But her chastisement fell flat, even to her ears. He grinned and edged closer. She cleared her throat. "Galinda…"

"Has Fiyero."

Another inch forward. "But he'll-"

"Do just fine without you."

"Avaric…"

He let his breath ghost over her lips. "We are supposed to be making Fiyero jealous, after all."

"Ugh, don't remind me." She sighed. "Do I have to?"

He rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

"What did you think?" She leaned back on her palms to gain some much-needed air. "That I'd be thrilled you're blackmailing me?"

"Let me get this straight…" He hovered over her, and her stomach fluttered. "I'm such a great mastermind that I've actually managed to manipulate you into doing anything you didn't want to do. You. You. Really."

She blushed.

He brushed his lips lightly across her cheek to whisper in her ear. "That is possibly the best compliment you've ever given me."

"Well, I didn't mean to."

She could feel his smirk against her cheek. "Even better."