Capítulo VII- Boliche Biónico

      Adam, Leo, and Patience set up the pins for bionic bowling. Adam already wore his bowling attire including the shoes. They waited for Bree and Chase to get back from work. They recently got a job a couple of days ago after a quarrel between them. Bree wanted some alone time far from Adam and Chase and Chase wanted to work at Tech Town because it was the only place he felt his genius was appreciated.

     "Hey guys, check it out. We just got our first paychecks from Tech Town," Chase gloated, holding up the envelope.

     "Nice! What are you going to spend it on? A video game? New kicks?" Leo pushed up his sleeves and nudged Chase. "A birthday gift for a sibling who wants a video game and new kicks?"

     Chase shook his head softly and inhaled, smiling, "Nope. I'm gonna open a savings account." Everyone but Patience sent him looks of shame.

     "I want to like you," Bree pat Chase on his back, "but you make it so hard."

     Patience's lips curled up, shrugging, "Well, I think it's a smart idea."

     "Thank you, Patience," Chase smiled. "The job also comes with perks," he drew his new phone from his pocket.

     Patience's eyes widened, "No way, those phones aren't out until later this week. How'd you get one?"

     "Well, Patience, as a rising star of the Tech Town empire-"

     "We all got one," Bree interrupted wielding up her phone. Patience waved to Bree as she left the lab. 

     "People are already lined up for the big release Friday. You should've seen the crazy looks in their eyes when I walked by with this thing." Leo intensely stared at the phone and Chase gestured at him, "Yep, that's the look."

     Leo seized the phone from Chase's hands. "This version's got a new auto-centering feature to help you take better selfies." He stretched his arm out, snapping a photo of himself. Chase and Patience peered over the phone to see the terrible picture. They both pursed their lips and looked at Leo. "Yeah, I don't photograph well."

     Adam held up a bowling ball across the pin set up, "Point that bad boy over here. You're gonna want to record this perfection." Chase and Patience sauntered over to Adam, Leo pressed the camera app to record. "I'm Adam Davenport, and this is 'Bionic Bowling.'"

     Leo walked around them recording and giving a description of them. "Adam is six-foot-two, a rare combination of incredible strength and not much else." 

     Chase and Patience stepped back, he tucked his hands in his pockets and she crossed her arms, shifting her weight. Adam aimed the ball and deeply exhaled. Instead of rolling the ball to the pins, he chucked it knocking all the pins down. Patience laughed at the unexpected action. 

     "Oh, yeah!" Leo cheered.

     "Whoo!" Adam raised his hands in the air.

     Chase slightly shook his head, unimpressed. Patience ran to the pins and rolled the ball towards Chase. She quickly set up the pins again with Leo for Chase's turn. Leo hit record and Chase introduced himself.

     "I'm Chase Davenport and this is 'Molecular Kinesis Bowling'," he smugly glanced at Adam. 

     Leo narrated as Chase got into position, smugly looking at the camera, "A native of Mission Creek, Chase's hobbies include being a tattle-tale and creeping out girls." Leo zoomed into Chase's face. He sent the camera a look and Leo shrugged.

     Chase placed the bowling ball on the ground and used his molecular kinesis to knock the pins down. Eight out of the ten pins were knocked.  "Oh! Oh, the dreaded 7/10 split!" Leo drew the phone closer to Chase, "Devastating. Just devastating."

     Adam mocked Chase making whimpering noises. "Hold on, he's got this," Patience defended.

     Chase rose his hand and moved the ball to knock down the two last pins. "You were saying?" he taunted Leo and Adam. Chase and patience grinned and high-fived.

     Leo and Patience quickly fixed up the pins and rushed back to Adam and Chase. Leo pressed record. "I'm still Adam Davenport, and this is 'Blastwave Bowling.'" He dropped the bowling ball and moved back.

     Adam charged his blast wave. He released it launching Chase to the pins knocking every single one of them down. Patience's hands clasped over her mouth, she slid next to him turning him over on his back. Adam and Leo hovered over them and Leo pushed the phone towards Chase's face, "And we have a loser!"

     Bree, Leo, and Patience traveled along the sidewalk of the school, heading to their class. A black limo stretched in front of the school and Bree, Leo, and Patience's eyebrows furrowed entering the main hall. "Whose limo's blocking the bus lanes?" Leo asked.

     "I don't know, it wasn't here earlier," Patience recalled.

     "Me either, but I've always wanted to ride in one. They look so classy," Bree added.

     A trumpet buzzed from outside. A man rolled a red carpet and Perry's clicking heels stopped as she stepped on the smooth material. Her rich leopard print overcoat hugged her physique and a fluffy pink scarf hung over her shoulders.  "Mornin', sewer sacks!"

     Bree sighed, "Then again, looks can be deceiving."

     "Sorry about blocking the bus lanes," Perry apologized. "Can't walk too far in these. Haven't worn heels this high since I did the pageant tour."

     Leo rose his eyebrows tilting his head at Perry, "You were in beauty pageants?"

     "Yep, never won though. Apparently, it's not a talent to squat-lift a 250-pound barbell while rocking a bikini."

     "Really? I wish I could squat lift a 250-pound barbell, I could only do 182," Patience admitted. Bree and Leo's eyebrows rose, surprised by her strength.

     "It's amazing how far protein could take you," Perry flexed her biceps. She turned to the driver, "Here's a fiver, Butch. Keep the heater pumping," she winked at him.

     Bree asked, "So, how did you get a limo?"

     "Daddy Davenport just gave me a big chunk of hush money for keeping your bionic secret. Perry pulled out a chain with the letter 'P' from her coat, "I'm wearing your college funds, kids! Gather 'round, pus pockets. Since I have come into some recent moolah, I have decided to start giving back...to myself. I hereby announce that I'm retiring as principal effective the end of the week."

     Patience frowned, "Wait, what do you mean? But you like being principal."

     Perry scoffed, "Barely. But now that I have a big ol' stack of cash I don't need to anymore."

     Leo's eyes widened and he blurted out, "Yes! I dreamed this day would come! Oh, it's time, people." He took out his phone and played upbeat music. He shuffled in place and danced around, waving his hands in the air, holding onto his phone tightly.

     Leo nudged Bree and Patience who held amused smiles. He posed in front of them and Principal Perry. Perry grimaced, "Are you done? 'Cuz I gotta wash that off." She removed the school's logo lid off the circular bench. 

     Steam escaped the gap of bubbling water. Agape, Bree questioned, "You bought the school a hot tub?"

     "No, I bought it for me and I'm taking it with me when I go. Much like the vending machine." Perry slid her swim cap on her head and unbuttoned her coat. She threw it and the scarf to Bree, Leo, and Patience to hold. 

     The only thing left was her one-piece red and white striped bathing suit. The remaining students in the hall left and Perry dipped into the hot tub, "Oh, yeah. Take that undiagnosed skin condition."

     Bree, Leo, and Patience immediately discarded Principal Perry's clothing from their arms.

     The following day, Adam, Chase, and Patience strolled down their school's stairs. Perry's hot tub lid was off and Adam smiled, "Ooh, hot tub's empty." He pointed at Chase, "You better take your phone out of your pants. I'm gonna throw you in."

     "No, no, trust me. You don't wanna go in there," Patience said, cringing.

     Chase pat his jeans and his eyebrows furrowed. "My phone," he glanced between Adam and Patience, "It's gone."

     "Perfect, let's do this," Adam clutched Chase's shirt.

     "Stop!" Chase pushed Adam off. "It has our bionic bowling on it! If someone sees it, our secret will be exposed.

     Patience asked, "Don't you have a password set?"

     "No, I forgot to set it up. I must've left it back at the store." The three sighed in frustration. "Come on!"

     Normally Patience wouldn't agree to skip school, especially because she would never get away with it and Dante would scold her, but she was sure he would understand once she explained what happened.

     Of course, today Adam didn't drive them to school so the group of three sprinted to Tech Town. Luckily they were already in town and didn't need to run from their house. They arrived at the mall and weaved through the long crowd of people in line for the new phone.

     Scott's eyes adverted to Adam, Chase, and Patience cutting through the line. "Chase! It's not even your shift, and you're here. I'm impressed."

     "I'm not here to work, actually. I think I just left my phone on the prodigy bar."

     "Oh, you mean our packing area?" Scott pointed to the stack of hundreds of packed ephones on the counter.

     "Ahh. Someone must've packed my phone with the others. We have to find it!"

     "And by 'we' you mean you and Patience? I just came to watch you freak out," Adam admitted, smiling.

     Scott grinned glancing at his tablet and back to his employees, "All right, it's game time!"

     Chase pled, "Scott, can you delay opening for a minute so I can find my phone?"

     "Let me run it up the corporate ladder." His arm escalated with every tick, "Tick, tick, tick, tick, no. Release the herd!"

     "No!"

     The crowd didn't care if Chase was in the way. Adam clapped, "Oh, yeah! Now, this is the show I bought tickets to." Chase was shoved around by the crowd and Patience reached for his wrist and tugged him out of the mob.

     Scott spoke to his earpiece about a complaint and left the counter. His lanky figure maneuvered through the crowd of people. Patience was sure she heard Caitlin scream near the front of the line. Scott came back, he had Caitlin in his arms and she whined, "She started it!" Patience's eyes grew wide eyeing the bundle of hair in Caitlin's hand.

     Scott placed her in front of the packing area. "Caitlin, guard the phones and don't let anyone touch them. Gotta go find whoever this belongs to," he held the patch of hair Caitlin ripped off and walked off.

     "Man, we're never gonna be able to look for the phone with her on guard," Chase's eyebrows knitted, sighing.

     Adam pursed his lips, shaking his head, "Nope. But hey, look on the bright side."

     Chase questioned, "What's the bright side."

     "I don't know, I'm just trying to be a more positive person. I don't know how Patience does it."

     Patience shrugged, "I don't either. I probably get it from my dad."

     "Eh, probably." Adam got distracted by the tablets behind him.

     Chase and Patience stood in the middle of the store, Scott came back with empty hands. Patience suggested, "Maybe next time Scott leaves, we search the phones."

     Chase's shoulders slumped, "How? Unless we want a bald spot, we can't get past Caitlin."

     "Or we search people's phones instead of wrestling with Caitlin."

     "Okay, we just have to wait for an opportunity."

     "And if that doesn't work I'm gonna need a hair tie and swimming cap if I don't want a bald spot."

     "Are you really going to-"

     "Gosh no, I'm gonna hold her back while you look through the phones. I'm not going to risk losing you or Adam and Bree again."

     Scott placed his leg on the circular bench of the store and turned around, "Uh-oh. We got another scuffle in line. Some old rich guy tried to take a cut-sy and that's a Tech Town no-no. I'm gonna need some muscle," he set his foot on the ground glancing between Caitlin and Chase. "Caitlin, come with me."

     Chase took offense to Scott's statement, he forgot about it and told Adam, "Okay, he's gone. Make up an excuse to look at customers' phones."

     "What do I say?"

     "I don't know! Be creative."

     Adam nodded and turned around. He greeted the random man and pointed at his phone, "Can I borrow your phone? My car broke down and I need to call a tow truck. You see, my wife's making me dinner and she gets upset when I'm late and-" the man tried to hand his phone to Adam, but he refused. "Whoa! Hold on. I'm not done. She's making me lasagna and it's my favorite. Okay, now."

     The man gave him his phone and Chase and Patience exchanged glances. "He's a little too detailed but he's got the spirit," Patience pursed her lips.

     "As long as he's asking. We need to hurry," Chase pressed.

     Patience drifted towards a woman. She put on a kind smile and questioned, "Could I borrow your cellphone to call my dad, my phone died?" The woman handed Patience the phone. She grasped it and searched through the gallery.

     It was empty and Patience gave her back the phone, "Sorry, I just remembered he's supposed to pick me up in 10 minutes." She gave Patience an odd look before continuing to check out.

     Adam, Chase, and Patience spend a good five minutes searching through people's phones. People began getting suspicious of the three and they kept running out of excuses.

     "Man, we can't keep this up," Chase paced to Adam and Patience. "We gotta get to the boxes before the customers get to them." The three sped walked to the packing counter and Caitlin blocked Chase and Patience's pathway to the phones. "Can we just-"

     Caitlin glared at the pair, her eyes bore in their eyes, "You are messing with the wrong girl on the wrong day."

     Chase and Patience surrendered, backing away from Caitlin. Patience quickly braided her hair to the side and tied her hair with the hair tie around her wrist. "So, how do you wanna do this?"

     Adam put a hand on Chase and Patience's shoulders, "As much as I want to see you tackle Caitlin, you don't need to. Don't worry, we're gonna find the phone. No one will ever know, including Mr. Davenport."

     "You're right," Chase relaxed, "Thank you."

     Adam chuckled, waving across the mall, "Hey, look who's here. Hi, Mr. Davenport!"

     Patience and Chase leaned back, looking in the direction Adam waved at. Mr. Davenport waited impatiently in line. Chase screamed and charged to the piled-up boxes. Caitlin screamed in horror moving out of the way. He knocked the boxes down and swiftly looked through the phones.

     Patience ignored the stares they got and searched as many cellphones as she could. While they sought the video they gave the people their new phones. "Sorry for the mess," Patience smiled at the customers, "I hope you have a great day." 

     Adam, Chase, and Patience received dirty looks from every person they encountered. None of the phones had the video of their bionic bowling. Their hope of finding Chase's phone crumbled as they gave away the cell phones. They slowed down on the last couple of them.

     Chase set the last one down, "Man, we've checked every single phone. I can't believe I did this. After all, Mr. Davenport has done to protect our bionic secret. I blew it."

     Chase turned to the hand on his shoulder, Patience sent him a small smile, "It's okay. It was an accident and we did our best to find your phone."

     Chase sadly smiled at Patience, eager to place his hand on top of her's. His mouth twisted and said, "Thanks, Patience."

     "Nah, nah. I'm warning you," Scott blocked Mr. Davenport from getting into the store. "Don't even think about causing any more trouble. I have a really high scream and I'm not afraid to use it." He let Mr. Davenport pass.

     Adam, Chase, and Patience advanced toward him. "Mr. Davenport, can I talk with you?" Chase stepped in front of him.

     "Unless you wanna give me a free ePhone, I don't want to hear it."

     "I think you do. I messed up. I may have-"

     "Go home, everybody," Caitlin announced, "The sale's over! We're out of phones!" The customers groaned in annoyance.

     Mr. Davenport pointed at the last phone on the counter, "What about the display model?"

     A girl scrolled through the phone and Leo's terrible selfie popped up on the screen. "Oh, no, no, no, no! Leo!" Chase exclaimed.

     Adam's face scrunched up, smiling, "Oh, he really doesn't photograph well."

     Scott placed his hands on his hips, "Yeah, I suppose we could sell the display model."

     Everyone in the store lunged at the girl holding the cell phone. She crouched down to avoid the crowd but Caitlin got to her first. She shot up, holding the cell phone in her hand, "Stop it! Look at you people! It's just like the last pretzel, except it's a stupid phone! This is why I hate crowds! You're all loving gadgets when you should be loving each other!" She threw the phone and stomped on it, repeatedly.

     Scott tapped Caitlin's shoulder, "Caitlin, you're fired."

     "May I ask why?" she calmly asked. Scott threw her over his shoulder and carried her out of the store.

     Mr. Davenport faced Chase, "So, what did you want to tell me?"

     "That," Chase paused, "if you want to buy something for Tasha, you might wanna hurry 'cause the mall closes at 9:00."

     Mr. Davenport tensed and spun in a circle, looking around the store. "Patience, you've known Tasha longer than me. Help me find her a gift."

     Patience grinned ear to ear, "Oh, I know just the perfect thing." She turned to Adam and Chase, "Come on, boys. We're going shopping." Patience hooked her arms with Adam and Chase, they had no choice but to follow her and Mr. Davenport.