CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

I fell so fast, can't hold myself back.

We had just got settled into the bowling alley. I was putting my bowling shoes on and he was bending over, tying his shoe. I looked up and couldn't help but stare at his butt. I was in some crazy fantasy.

He looked back at me, a confused look on his face. "Are you looking at my butt?" He laughed.

My eyes got wide, and he stood up straight. "No." I said quickly. He laughed. "Liar!"

He continued to laugh, and my face got redder. "I was not, Joeee!" He smiled at me.

"Well prepare to stare more…" He said, picking up his ball. He rolled the ball down the alley, and it went into the gutter almost immediately. I giggled.

"Yes…you're totally so much better than the last time we went bowling…"I laughed.

He blushed lightly, looking at me. "I'm just warming up…"He said, going for his second time. He knocked down two pins.

I giggled. "Good job!" I stood up, looking enthusiastic. I put my hand up for a high five. He made a face at me and sat down. I giggled, now picking up my bright pink ball. I rolled it, and to my surprise it didn't go into the gutter. I knocked down three pins. I did a little dance, going back for my second roll. I knocked down another four pins. I turned around and smirked at Joe. He rolled his eyes, smiling wide at me.

"You're such a showoff…" Joe laughed. I rolled my eyes. "You love it." I stuck my tongue out at him as he got up to go again.

At the end of our first game I had totally pwned him. He smiled to me, sitting down beside me. "I let you win…" He laughed. I rolled my eyes.

"So do you want to get something to eat?" He asked.

I nodded, standing up. He took my hand and we started walking towards the food court section of the bowling alley.

"Next game I'm not going easy on you…" Joe said, smiling at me.

"Yeah, yeah…" I laughed, holding onto his hand. There was a newsstand beside the food court and I spotted a teen magazine. I smiled to him. "Let's see who you are dating this week…" I said, letting go of his hand. I grabbed the magazine and started flipping through it. My eyes got wide at the headline.

"Joe and AJ back together?!?" Swept over my eyes and I felt like I was going to fall over.

I felt Joe step closer to me. I looked at the pictures which were AJ and Joe walking around L.A. They were walking close. There was a pit at the bottom of my stomach and my face looked distraught. "You and AJ?" I whispered, my voice cracking.

"You can't believe what you read in magazines, Amy." Joe said quickly. My eyes wandered down to a picture of him and AJ hugging. I wanted to throw the magazine across the bowling alley. I wanted to stomp on her face and tear the pictures into pieces. That was MY Joe. MINE. Not hers.

He looked around, seeing people. He looked uncomfortable. He took the magazine from my hands, putting it back on the shelf. He took my hand, leading me away from the food court.

"There is nothing going on between me and AJ." Joe said, his eyes locked on mine.

"I didn't know you were hanging out…" I said, my voice weak.

Joe looked sort of irritated. "That was weeks ago…" Joe said. "We haven't seen each other since." He promised me. "It was just a friends thing…"

I still wasn't convinced.

"Besides, you need to stop acting like I can't like anyone else. YOU like someone else for crying out loud." Joe said.

My jaw dropped. "That's not fair!" I said. "I can't help that!"

I made my best grr face at him. It wasn't good at all. It was rather pathetic actually.

He laughed at me. "Look Amy…I lov-…"

My eyes got wide.

"I really like you. Not AJ." Joe corrected. We were both quiet for a few seconds.

"Soo…."Joe said. "Guess we better get back to the food…" He mumbled, walking back to the food court. I walked beside him, trying to hide my grin.

After we got our food we were sitting back at our bowling table. The whole time we ate he was acting crazy and telling jokes. I was giggling like crazy and cracking up. He told a funny joke in the middle of me taking a drink of coke and I spit some of it out of my mouth. He started laughing hard, and I swallowed the rest that was in my mouth. I turned red, and wiped it up with a napkin.

He continued to be hilarious until after we finished eating. He watched me.

"I don't really feel like playing another game of bowling…" He said. "I'm going to show you my secret hiding place…" He said, smiling wide.