I chalk a cue, line up a shot, and just… play.
The familiar rhythm calms me.
Backhand grip.
Angle.
Breath in.
Breath out.
Then the movement behind me starts.
Whispers.
Giggles.
Shoes clicking on marble.
I don’t turn around.
I know that sound.
Girls pretending they aren’t following me, circling like sharks scenting blood in the water.
They want answers.
They want proximity.
They want gossip.
All of it.
But they sure as hell don’t want the truth.
I sink a ball and chalk again.
One girl giggles louder. “Leo, you look so serious tonight.”
Another: “Is it true? About you and Jade?”
I ignore them.
Let them stew.
Silence is more powerful than any answer.
I lean over the table to take another shot?—
And that’s when Bianca decides to make her move.
She glides up behind me, all perfume and confidence, and leans in so close her lips almost brush my ear.
“Leo,” she whispers, “did you really think taking our phones was going to do anything?”
My jaw tightens.
She lets out a soft laugh.
