Owen

A Game of Balls

I'd never been to the restaurant Mina had driven to. It was a town over smashed between the highway and the side road. You could easily drive past it and never really notice it, the most interesting thing about the place was volleyball nets strung outside.

We were in a back room that led to the doors to the volleyball courts, a couple pool tables spread out in the room. No one was back there except for us, everyone else dining in the other room. I'd ordered a coke, Mina just got water. She was currently chalking the end of a pool stick.

I sucked at pool. The last time I played was over the summer at Drew's house. The thought of him, drastically made my mood drop. Any elation I had felt from successfully getting in and out of Mina's car gone just like that.

"The name of the game is pool." Mina's voice broke me from my thoughts, her hand out stretched with a pool stick in it.

"I suck at pool." I warned as I took the stick from her.

She looked at me straight in the face, completely serious. "I'm really good."

I snorted, of course she was. "Perfect."

"You at least know how to play right?"

I nodded, watching as she chalked another pool stick, blowing the extra dust off when she was satisfied. She racked the balls, quick and efficient. I wondered just how good "really good" was.

"You want to break?" She asked, not looking at me as she put the plastic triangle away. I had no idea what it's official title was called.

I shrugged. "What the hell, might as well show you how little competition you'll have."

She backed up, giving me room to roll myself up to the pool table. I was uncoordinated with the pool stick, smacking it against everything including myself before I got it positioned in a somewhat normal spot. I leaned forward a little, resting it on top of my hand like I'd seen Drew do countless times before. The end of the stick was tucked under my arm, wedged into my arm pit which I didn't think was normal but the whole thing felt weird to me to begin with.

There was no way this was going to connect on the first try. But I sent the pool stick forward anyway, completely missing the white ball. I took a deep breath, this was embarrassing. I had no game, whatsoever. I tried two more times, missing the second time and grazing the ball the third. I was frustrated needless to say.

"You weren't kidding, you do suck." Mina said, amusement in her voice.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You're funny."

Before I knew it, her hand closed around mine, adjusting the pool stick so that my index finger was on top, the stick resting on my thumb.

"Here, now try."

I shoved the stick forward, it actually connected with the ball for a change, spinning to the right slowly.

"Closer." Mina said.

"But not close enough." I muttered.

I was about to tell her just to break the balls otherwise we'd be there all night. I couldn't foresee myself magically getting better any time soon. I'd always been shit at pool.