The Bowling Bet Excerpt from EXES & FOES copyright © 2024 by Amanda Woody.   I approach the pins, swing back, and let loose. The ball rolls halfway down the lane before careening sideways into the gutter. To my dismay, I hear Juliet yell, “That was a practice shot! You got this!” Of course she’d start paying attention right when I flub my first throw. Before embarrassment can reach my face, I swivel around and bow, causing both Alice and Juliet to clap for me. “I threw it into the gutter purposefully,” I say, hopping toward the ball return. “So you’ll feel okay when you take your first turns.” “I appreciate your sacrifice,” Juliet says with a grateful nod, and she snags her shimmering pink ball, climbing the steps to her lane. I spy the opportunity for a moment, and I grab my ball as well, meeting her at the lane to her right. “Who’s going to win this turn?” I ask innocently. “You.” “Why’s that?” “I have astigmatism,” Juliet says. Oh. Uh. I can’t find a way to make a joke about eye defects, so I say, “You saw my first throw, didn’t you? But let’s have some fun…