“Hi, Gabby,” I said coldly. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to say that I was watching you. You bowled good.” I saw her wink, and then I was tapped on the shoulder again. When I turned around, there was a guy standing there whom I had never seen before.

“Whatchoo doin’ talkin’ to my girl, little boy?” he asked me.

“I was just getting ready to leave, so if you’ll get outta my way, I’ll be going now,” I said, and tried to get around him.

“You’ll leave when *I* say you’re leaving!” he yelled and stepped in front of me.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble, I just want to leave with my friends,” I said, still trying not to start a fight.

“What’s wrong? You yella?”

“He is not!!” I heard from behind him. Katie had stepped up, and surprised the guy turned around to be hit in the face by her.

“Oh, the big man needs to be helped by his little girlfriend, huh?” he said as he reached up to feel his jaw.

“She’s my cousin!” I said and hit him in the nose. “And it runs in the family!” I added as I turned and walked away.

“Come on, guys,” Katie said as we walked closer to them. “Let’s go get some food. I’m starved!!

“You always are!!” I said trying to lighten the mood. We got a cab, and on the way to the pizza place, Lexy asked me who it was that had walked up to me.

“It was no one important,” I said, but I saw Katie starting to open her mouth, so I elbowed her in the side so that she wouldn’t say anything.

“No one important? Jack, she set you up!!” she replied.

“Look, I really don’t wanna talk about it right now, ok? Please just drop it?”

“OK,” she said, but I could tell she was dying to know more. We got to the pizza place, and as we were deciding what to order, a pretend fight broke out.

“Katie’s paying, so I say we get 20 pizzas!!” I said.

“Jerk!” she retorted. “I’m not rich!!”

“You’re the one who lost the bet. Oh yeah, don’t fill up, I told Ma that we would bring some home and eat with her.”

“Don’t you know by that I never fill up?” she said jokingly.

“That’s right!! Bottomless pit here needs 20 pizzas just for herself!!” Everyone started laughing, and Lexy asked if we always got along this well.

“Well, I was born the day before him, so we grew up together ‘till my family moved to Cali last year. We were always together.”

“Yeah, she thinks she *so* cool because she’s a whole day older than me,” I added, “But the whole family knows that she isn’t cool at all.” Gabe glanced over my shoulder, and all of a sudden stopped laughing.

“What’s wrong, Gabe?” Jen asked, noticing.

“Uh, nothin’” he replied. Katie glanced up, and I heard her say “Uh-oh” under her breath.

“Let me guess, we were followed?” I asked without even having to look.

“Yeah, how did you know?” Katie asked me.

“My luck hasn’t changed since we broke up,” I told her quietly. Suddenly a loud commotion broke out across the room. Everyone turned to look to try to see what was going on.

“Listen, jerk, I told you to leave me alone!!” someone said as I saw the guy from the bowling alley pushing someone around.

“I just want to know where this Jack Downey is!!” he said as he pushed the other guy.

“I don’t know a Jack Downey!” the other guy said. Suddenly Gabby looked up, and saw us watching them.

“Jake, there he is. Over there,” she said and pointed at me. Jake started to walk over, but the manager of the pizza place stopped him.

“Listen you little juvenile delinquent,” he said, “I want you outta here, and I never wanna see you in here again!”

“Hey!” he said pointing at me, “This ain’t over yet!! You’ll get what’s coming to you!!”

“I said OUT!” the manager cut him off, and shoved him out the door.

“I’m goin’!!” he said as he went out the door, and walked off. I glanced at my group and shrugged, not too worried. We finished our pizza, and started to walk out. As I got outside, I heard someone call my name.