Why Couldn't It Be Me
"They let him go?!" Kate winces as I shout in her ear. After the game, each player had returned to the locker rooms to shower and change. Kate had shown up late, though, and with an odd look on her face. We were at my house now, so that we could get ready for the other plans of the night. Bowling. With Wanda, Vision, Yelena, Kate, and me. What could possibly go wrong?
"I know, but they deemed it an animal attack. Steve isn't an animal as far as they know, so of course they let him go." Kate explains, tossing my one of my nicer black shirts that left my shoulders exposed and had holes in the cuffs of the long sleeves for me to place my thumbs in. Apparently, what took her so long to make it to the locker room was that she was eavesdropping on Sheriff Barton - per usual, honestly - and overheard him saying to release Steve from custody. We're the ones that got him arrested, so I can't help but feel like he's going to come after us for it - or at least come after me.
Frowning, I start to change into the shirt. What if Steve makes good on his promise to kill me? I didn't expose myself as a werewolf at the game, but I came pretty close... Then of course there's us getting him arrested... "That's not even the worst part. I don't even think he did it anymore." Kate says as she borrows a cute purple sweater from me that technically was hers anyways, snagged from her closet last year when I had stayed the night at her place. "What do you mean, you don't think he did it anymore?" I ask, dumbfounded. We were both there when we dug up the body. He's the only other known werewolf in the area. How could it not be him?!
"I mean..." Kate sighs, going to my bathroom to fix up her long dark hair. "They identified the body as James Barnes, and supposedly that was his childhood best friend." She comes back into the room and gives me a look. "Either he didn't do it, or he didn't mean to."
Scoffing, I shake my head. None of what she said rules him out, to me. "Just because that was his friend, doesn't mean he didn't do it. Or that he's not the one that turned me."
"Look, I'm not saying he isn't the one who turned you. I don't know who did that, I have no clue. But..." She pauses, giving me another look. "What if it were you and me? What if it was my body that was found?" My face instantly pales, memories of back in the locker room after practice, that day that I hurt Vision, swimming through my head. I very well could have killed Kate, and the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt her. "Yeah..." Kate says, looking over my face with a soft, sympathetic look in her eyes.
"Okay, so maybe it wasn't him. I'm not saying it wasn't, but just maybe... Either way, he's likely going to come after us. I played at the game when he told me he would kill me if I did, and we got him arrested for the murder of his best friend. We're fucked."
With a grimace, my best friend nods along in agreement to my words, and I finish getting dressed by pairing my shirt with a nice dark pair of skinny jeans and my black converse before heading into my bathroom to fix my hair and makeup. I do a simple natural look, mostly darkening the outline of my eyes just slightly with minimal eyeliner. My hair, I leave down - loose waves falling down my back and framing my face on either side nicely. I sigh as I look at my reflection in the mirror. As much as I love Yelena, and would really love to spend time with Wanda, I just don't want to go tonight. The only saving grace being that Kate is able to come with and I can play matchmaker with her and Yelena. Smirking, I head back into my room.
"Are you ready to go bowling?" I ask, looking Kate over from head to toe as she's laying back on my bed like a starfish waiting for me. "Because I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
Kate lifts herself up and rolls her eyes at me. "Yeah, let's go. I can't wait to see Vision with his hands all over Wanda while she ignores you, despite what you said happened at the game." I grimace, picturing the tall blonde boy's hands all over his girlfriend under the guise of helping her bowl, before I give Kate an eye roll of my own. "I'm telling you, she was cheering for me. Her voice is what helped me get control back so I could win the game and not go feral on everyone there."
"Yeah, yeah. Sure."
"Oh, shut up and come on, Bishop."
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"You made it! I thought for sure you were going to hide yourself away, or something." Yelena says when Kate and I walk up to her in the bowling alley, wrapping her arms around me for a big hug. I roll my eyes and playfully shove her as she pulls back, and she sticks her tongue out at me before turning her attention to Kate. "Hello, Kate Bishop." She says with a smirk, accent wrapping around each word beautifully and attitude changing slightly from how she greeted me as she unabashedly looks Kate up and down, causing the other girl's cheeks to tint pink. "I'm glad you could join us, too."
"Hi, Yelena." Kate says softly and with a small smile of her own, looking unusually shy for a minute. I cross my arms and look between the two girls, Kate with her purple sweater and black leggings - her dark hair pulled back into a tight and high ponytail and standing much taller than Yelena with her blond waves in a loose and messy ponytail and wearing a black vest with many pockets paired with some dark, tight jeans. They look so different from each other, though I can't deny that they'd be absolutely adorable. They're still just standing here, looking each other over and Yelena's smirk is continuing to grow.
"Are we going to bowl, or are we going to just stand here, and eye fuck each other all night?" I chuckle with a raised eyebrow, and both of their attentions snap to me with equal glares. It works to break whatever trance they were in, though, as Yelena starts to lead us towards the lane we'll be using tonight, since we've already traded in our shoes. Wanda and Vision are already there and sitting in the seats provided for our lane, and they look up as we make our way to them. Vision's arm is around Wanda's shoulders, and I can't help but grit my teeth at the sight of his casual claim on her. "How nice of you guys to join us." Vision says in a polite tone, an odd smile plastered on his face.
I can't help but frown at his behavior. He's never nice. Maybe it's because he's in front of Yelena and his girlfriend? Wanda offers us her own polite smile as she nods along. "You played well tonight, congratulations!" She says, a gleam in the jade of her eyes. She seems genuine and I can't help but feel a surge of pride from the compliment, so I grin and duck my head as I thank her. "Thank you, Wanda." I say softly, my gaze locking with hers for a second.
Vision's face twitches out of the corner of my eye, but I ignore him and just continue to look at the auburn-haired girl beside him. Kate elbows me subtly as Yelena steps closer asking if Wanda or Vision wants to go first. "What was that about eye fucking?" Kate whispers in my ear, and my face flushes as I knock my shoulder into her as she giggles. We take our seats across from the others and Yelena just shakes her head at us with a small smile on her face from her position next to Wanda now since Vision decided to go first, his girlfriend watching him as he grabs a ball and walks confidently up the lane before he swings his arm back. He releases the ball, and it spins as it rolls down the waxed lane before sliding into the gutter.
He pauses for a moment, and all of us try to hide our smirks while glancing at each other as he makes his way to grab another ball for a second shot. Wanda offers him a kind, encouraging smile as she looks at him, and he seems to puff out his chest as he turns around and goes to try again. This time, he manages to hit a few pins. His girlfriend excitedly claps for him, giving him a bright smile as he comes back to sit next to her and Yelena stands up to take her turn. His arm goes back around Wanda, and he smirks at Kate and I across from him as she leans against him to watch Yelena. Kate barely bumps me to get my attention off of him and we both turn to watch Yelena as she makes her way up the lane with her ball, my hands clenching into fists as I exhale slowly.
"Go, 'Lena!" I call out, smiling as she looks back at me to waggle her eyebrows before turning back and rolling the ball down the lane. It veers slightly to the left but doesn't go as far as to be a gutter ball. She manages to knock down half the pins by tapping into the one on the far end and causing it to quickly shoot out and hit the others, and she pumps her fist as she makes her way back towards us to grab another ball. She makes her second shot and knocks down the other half of the pins, and we all cheer for her as she comes back to us. Next up is Kate, who grins widely as she hits a strike on her first try. She blows Yelena a kiss as she comes back to her seat, and the other girl smiles back with a blush tainting her normally tan skin.
It's Wanda's turn now, and she stands up with a smile and a wink at the rest of us as she goes to grab her ball. Before she can make a shot though, Vision makes his way quickly to her. "Let me help you, babe." He says, wrapping himself around her from behind and guiding her arm as she swings it. The rest of us share a look, as we can tell Wanda looks slightly irritated at the situation when she only manages to knock down a single pin. She goes to grab another ball, and again Vision takes it upon himself to help her make the shot. It's a gutter ball, this time.
"Ooh, better luck next time, baby." Vision winces, grabbing Wanda's hand to lead her back to her seat. "It's your turn now, Dianna. Let's see what you got." He says as they sit themselves back down, Wanda's face blank as she watches the rest of us. I gulp and stand up for my turn. I've never bowled before, and I know that I'm about to make an absolute fool out of myself. I grab a ball and make my way up the lane slowly, feeling the group's eyes on me as I try to line up a shot. I swing my arm back...
And I release the ball a tad too early, causing it to bounce and roll back towards the others. Vision laughs outright as I my cheeks flame, and I quickly go and grab the ball to try again.
The other send me encouraging smiles as I return to the lane and line up another shot, and this time I manage to get the timing right as the ball rolls down the lane correctly. Only, it's still a terrible shot. Almost immediately, the ball goes into the gutter. I keep my head down as I go to grab another ball, continuing to hear Vision's chuckling at my expense and feeling their eyes on me. I swing my arm back and release the ball again, and again it goes immediately into the gutter. Sighing, I make my way back to my seat in defeat as Vision stands up for his turn, still laughing at me. "Wow, Dianna. Bowling really isn't your thing." He smirks as we pass each other, and it takes everything in me to not deck him right then and there as I continue to my seat and sit down next to Kate. She pats me on the shoulder as Yelena and Wanda send me a couple of soft looks, Wanda sporting a small frown as she turns back to Vision.
It goes on like that for a while. Kate stays in the lead for points as she seems to be a god at bowling, eventually going up with Yelena to give her some pointers on her aim and technique as they talk softly to each other and start sitting next to each other. It makes me happy to see them so comfortable with each other, honestly, though I'm jealous because I seem to be left alone. Every turn I've taken has not gone well, either. I haven't hit a single pin, though I have managed to get the ball down the lane only now, no other mishaps with releasing too early. Vision keeps going up to help Wanda with her turn despite not doing very well himself, which ends poorly every time for her, and we can tell she's starting to lose her patience as her smile becomes a thing of the past and a fire seems to rage behind her normally kind eyes. It's her turn again now, actually, and Vision attempts to stand up automatically before Wanda seems to have finally had enough and snaps at him quietly.
"I can do it myself, Vision." She snaps, head tilting as she glares at him. He scoffs and slowly sits back down before crossing his arms and watching her. She sighs and goes to grab a ball and take her turn, glancing back at us all with a small shake of her head before pulling herself together with an air of confidence. She lines herself up, swings her arm back, and...
She hits a strike.
She immediately spins back around and makes her way back to us before the ball even hits the pins, a pep in her step and a smile on her face. Vision's jaw is dropped, and I try to hide a smile behind my hand as Kate and Yelena openly cheer for her before returning to whatever conversation they were having before Wanda had denied Vision's help. It's no use, Vision glances at me before snapping. "Your turn. Maybe try to actually hit a pin this time, it is the point of the game, after all." He practically growls out before huffing and turning to look towards the shoe counter, avoiding glancing at Wanda as she returns, frowning. With a scowl, I pull myself up and make my way to grab a ball, just ready for this night to be over. I slowly trudge my way up the lane and sigh heavily as I start to prepare myself, but before I can roll the ball, there's a tap on my shoulder. "Hey..." Wanda says softly as I turn to look at her.
"Hi..." I breathe out, brows furrowing as I quickly glance towards the others behind her at their seats. Vision looks livid that she's up here with me. "Don't worry about him." Wanda says, glancing back and rolling her eyes. "I thought you could use some help?" She asks softly, head tilting to the side as she looks at me with an almost hopeful look in her eye. I swallow thickly as my gaze returns to her. She looks like she's genuine, not offering help out of any sense of malice at all. I exhale shakily as we make eye contact, and I slowly nod.
A smile breaks out on her face, and she hesitatingly reaches her hands out to turn me towards the pins again before stepping up behind me. "So, you want to make sure you swing with just the right amount of force. I've noticed you've been doing it just a bit too hard, so the ball spins out too much and that's why it hits the gutter." She guides my arm back carefully before guiding it back forward. "Kind of like that. Think you've got it?" She says before taking a step back to watch me. I nod and make an attempt, trying to do exactly what she told me even though my brain feels like it's filled with cotton thanks to her proximity. She had her hands on me... Gods, I am so gay. The ball spins out again, and though it makes it further than I had all night, it still hits the gutter before having a chance to actually knock down a pin. Sighing, I go to grab another ball while Wanda stays there and waits for me.
"Real nice, Dianna. I think you'd have better luck if you threw yourself down the lane, though. Maybe then you'd actually hit something." Vision taunts as I grab another ball, and Yelena and Kate both glare at him. "But then again, probably not." He smirks, leaning back in his chair and looking down his nose at me.
I stomp back towards Wanda, who at this point looks absolutely fed up with Vision, which is a nice change of pace even if it is unusual for her to not just be on his side. Stepping back up to the lane, I try to shake off Vision's antics and just focus on what Wanda showed me so maybe I can actually hit something and feel a bit better about making an absolute fool out of myself tonight. Before I can do anything more than stand there, Wanda seems to decide on something and quickly steps up behind me again - only much closer this time. She's a couple inches taller than me, and it shows as she leans her chin against the side of my head and whispers in my ear. "I'm sorry about him. Sometimes he's just..."
"An ass?" I helpfully supply before my breath catches when she places her hands on my hips. I can feel her nod against me as she chuckles. "You're going to need to step out with this leg," she taps one of my legs. "And twist a bit as you swing your arm back. Twist the opposite way when you bring it forward and release the ball. It helps with momentum." She says, breath tickling my ear and causing a slight shiver down my spine - one that she must be able to feel. She clears her throat slightly before guiding my arm back with her, keeping hold of me the entire time with one hand on my hip and the other against my wrist as she curls her arm against my own, her body pressing into me a bit further. "Breathe, and picture someone you maybe want to punch." She says, and I do as she says as my arm swings backwards with hers. I inhale deeply, getting ready to likely fail again as my arms starts to swing forwards with hers. "Or maybe picture someone naked." She says even softer, lips ghosting against the shell of my ear, and my eyes widen in shock as an image of her without any clothes on comes unbidden to my mind. I release the ball at the end of the swing, twisting my body slightly without even thinking about any of it, and for once I finally hit a pin.
I hit a strike. The girls back at our seats cheer loudly for me, and I smile wide as the metal bar comes down to sweep away the fallen pins. Wanda slowly steps back, giving me the space to turn towards her, and she looks almost bashful. There's a fierce blush tinting her normally pale cheeks a bright red, spreading to the tips of her ears and down her neck from what I can see. She offers me a bright smile, but she avoids eye contact with me. "Thank you." I whisper happily to her, fidgeting with the cuffs of my shirt where my thumbs go in the little holes there as I look down at the ground. "Of course." She almost chokes out, and I quickly look back up at her only to see her blushing more before she finally looks at me. "Anything I can do to help." She breathes out, and we slowly make our way back towards the others while walking side by side.
Vision does nothing but glare at me as he gets up for his turn and Wanda glares right back at him for me as she retakes her seat and he goes up the lane. "Ты краснеешь, Ванда." Yelena says in a teasing voice, and Kate and I just look at her in confusion. "Ни слова, Елена. Если вы не хотите, чтобы Наташа узнала о вашей маленькой влюбленности?" Wanda replies back to her with an eye roll, causing us to switch our attentions between the two girls, even more confused. Yelena groans and sticks her tongue out at Wanda, just for her to do it back. Kate and I share a look before shrugging and watching Vision.
Regardless, tonight certainly seems to be looking up again.