With Their Eyes Filled With Stars

.24.

I bite my lower lip and focus my eyes, my hands are steady yet I feel shaky underfoot. There is a bead of sweat forming on my brow as I furrow it further. A tapping sound signals to me that's it's over. I have done it.
"Did you really just carry all eight of our drinks over? In one go?" PJ chuckles as I sink onto one of the hard wooden benches beside Evan.
"Look, okay, no one clearly was going to help me! And this therefore proves I am amazingly talented!" I smirk, folding my arms and sitting back.
PJ sighed but also gave a short chuckle before starting to pass the drinks out to the correct people so they can either drink them or place them on the tables behind them.

"LOOK AT THAT! HOW DO I HAVE THIS MUCH BAD LUCK!?" Dodie wailed, stomping back and sitting on a bench. I turn my head and frown a little; her bowling ball had passed straight through the gap between the pins.

It is the following day, i would say morning but by the time we were actually all ready to leave the house it was twelve, and all of us have decided to come bowling together.
We are half of the way through our first match and obviously I'm winning by a mile! Okay, im winning by four points but only because Chris managed a really good shot last time.

The leaderboard currently stands at;
1)Me
2)Chris
3)Emma
4)Evan
5)PJ
6)Dodie
7)Luke
8)Phil

We are all pretty close together at this point, only a few marks between us. Except for poor Phil, who frankly just can't bowl to save his life. No matter how hard he seems to try, he can only scrape a few points each time.

"Phil! You're up buddy!" PJ grins, slapping his back supportively. Phil gives a tiny smile before silently raising to his feet and making his way over to the bowling balls. All the others continue their conversations but I stop and watch Phil as he skims his hand gracefully over them all until eventually lifting a dark purple ball.

He lets out a silent sigh as he makes his way over to the lane where a fresh set of pins had been set for him by the machinery.
Phil lets the hand with the ball drop to his side; the other one pushing through his dark fringe. He breathes out before doing a few steps, pulling back his arm and letting go of the ball.

The ball flies majestically- for about a split second before dropping to the shined floor and moving at a horrendously slow rate towards the pins. Phil huffs and crosses his arms as we all turn to watch the ball roll slowly into the gutter.
He shrugs a little and heads back to fetch another ball.

"Maybe next time, Philly!" Chris smiles wide, giving him a double thumbs up. Phil gives a small half-hearted smile and a laugh which isn't Phil's, it's an uncomfortable laugh and too obviously forced.
Another ball is raised into his hand. The pins are reset. Phil lifts his arm behind him ready to throw the bowling ball.

"Phil." I say, making him jump a little as I'm suddenly standing behind him. Offering out my hands, I take the ball out his hand and he furrows his brow in pure confusion.

I love it when he gets confused, he turns into a young lost puppy. His lips pout a little, his eyes go wide and he tilts his head ever so slightly to the left; just enough to make his fringe slip a little out of place.

"Come here; let me show you." My voice is quiet as I allow one hand to hold the bowling ball and the other to take his into mine. He lets me guide him towards me, making his back press against my chest so my arm can snake around his waist and sit on his belly.

Phil turns around his head a tiny fraction so he can see my face in the corner of his eye. I turn to gaze into his bright blue eyes, watching them be illuminated in different colours by the changing lights of the bowling alley.

"Hold onto my wrist as I throw..." I whisper and I instantly feel his small cold hand wrap around my wrist. "This will show you how to do it.."

Phil nods slowly, pressing himself a little further into my chest. He turns his head to look down the lane at the ten pins staring back at us.