Pricks and Pool Sticks (Closed)

[Chris White]

Chris was great at football, baseball, and basketball, but his sporting talents were not limited to a field or a gym. He was also quite good at sports played on tabletops, like pool. And today, Chris was in need of a bit of cash. He was running low, and since he was unemployed (his sports take up too much time for work), he didn't have a steady income. He didn't really need one since he lived with his parents in Pilot Ridge, but like liked having some cash to spend on things his parents wouldn't approve of... like cover charges at bars and alcohol.

Sporting a gray tank top, a pair of jeans, and a red baseball cap, he made his way to the student lounge when his last class ended. There, he met up with another boy and they quickly began talking. Minutes later, he pulled the remainder of cash out of his wallet and placed it on the edge of a pool table. The other boy pulled cash from his wallet and put it down as well. They were going to play a game of pool, and the winner would take all the money.

Chris stretched his arm out, doubling its length in a matter of seconds, to grab a pool stick while the other guy set the balls up on the table in the triangle. Chris placed the cue ball on the surface and when the other boy was down, he lowered his stick, lined up a shot, and launched the ball. The white cue ball slammed into the others, scattering them around the table wildly. A solid ball was pocketed, meaning those were the balls Chris had to target for the rest of the game while his opponent would target stripped balls.

The rest of the game played out, and for the most part it was extremely close. When it neared the end, Chris' opponent had the advantage until he scratched. Chris took advantage of the opportunity by sinking the rest of his solid balls and then the black 8 ball. His opponent was pissed and stormed out of the room angrily, leaving Chris with twice as much money as he had before. Chris had a cocky grin on his face, almost like he knew he was going to win from the beginning.

After pocketing his money, Chris set the balls up on the table again to play around casually on his own. He was quite satisfied with himself.

[Elisia Lark]

Elisia wasn't usually one for sports, her fathers had raised her as the princess they knew she would be. Not a spoiled princess, just a very girly one that liked to dance and sing. That being said, she had been taught one sport that didn't necessarily mean she had to get sweaty or bruised or anything really, by her brother, Robbie. Pool was a sport that even princesses could play and this one happened to be extremely good at playing pool.

Today wasn't a day that Ellie had planned on practicing in the student lounge, she was simply listening to a few songs that she had thought of for her and Jack to sing if they ever did do a talent show together. Ever since he had said that, she had been completely all for the whole thing. Not to mention it would be completely adorable if they did sing together more.

As she sat in one of the chairs she watched as the pool games went on, one in particular. There was a boy, a cocky one from what she could tell as she watched him play and another boy who were playing for money. They were both fairly good, but Elisia knew she was more than capable of beating either of them. The game finished within a few shots and the cocky boy won the money.

Elisia wasn't one who wanted money, in fact she would have been fine without money, but it was the lesson behind it that she was dying to teach this boy. Styling a pair of skinny jeans and red blouse, she shoved her ipod in her pocket, headphones dangling around her neck and she walked up towards him, "Uhm, e-excuse me. Do you think you could teach me how to play? I saw how you beat that guy and well I've always wanted to try."

[Chris White]

Chris smirked at the girl that approached him. His eyes scanned her over, top to bottom, inch by inch, while spending a lot of extra time on her chest, waist, and legs. Those were the features that always attracted his eyes, and if she turned around, there would be another feature catching his attention as well. Chris loved women, especially hot ones, and the girl in front of him definitely fit that description in his opinion. Hammel wasn't the best school in the world for athletes, but it definitely had its fair share of hot chicks roaming around.

"Sure, I can teach you how to play," Chris said as he perked up a bit and held his head high, "maybe I can also teach you a few other things later." Chris confidently walked with his chest stuck out and grabbed the girl a stick. He had his swag meter turned all the way up. "My name's Chris, Chris White," he said as he gently handed her the stick he picked out for her, "what's your name, beautiful?"

Chris walked around the table and gathered all the balls before setting them all down in the triangle in the center. "You should watch me shoot first, then you can try," he explained as he put the cue ball down and removed the triangle. He then walked around her, his eyes glancing down below her waist. She sure did have a feature that caught his attention, a nice one, too. He bit his lip to stop himself from saying nice ass something too vulgar.

"Watch and learn." Chris lowered his pool stick like he has done hundreds of times before in his life, lined up a shoot, and send the ball flying. It was a natural, fluid motion to him. However, pool wasn't his best sport. He was good, very good, but there were plenty of people in the world that could beat him. He still managed to make it look easy though. "You want to try now?"

[Elisia Lark]

Elisia didn’t think she was ‘hot’ or otherwise attractive. It wasn’t that she thought she was ugly, but very few times did she get told that she was pretty. Of course it was because she blended in with everyone else. That being said, she didn’t really know how he was going to react to her and the way he puffed up like a peacock, well she was pretty sure he’d do that with any girl around. Most cocky guys did.

His infliction was useless on her due to the fact that she was very naïve and innocent minded. So all she could do was nod slightly in confusion. He grabbed her a stick and she took it, thankful that he had actually picked the one that would be best suited for her. He introduced himself and she gave him a slight smile, “I’m Elisia Lark, but people usually call me Ellie.” She practically ignored what he called her because she didn’t really believe it. Guys said stuff to make girls feel better all time right? Hence the reason why all married men when asked if a dress made their wife look fat say no.

He insisted that she watch him shoot first and she nodded. Clearly he knew what he was doing, but she saw a few flaws with his technique. He was aiming for a straight on shot and the best way to go about breaking was at an angle. It was how she’d been taught by Patrick and she was fairly sure it worked best. Still, she said nothing. Watch and learn? He really did think he was good if he was telling her to watch and learn, but then again, he didn’t know she could probably beat him easily.

He took a shot and the motion was pretty natural, at least he didn’t stutter like most people did. Nothing went in this time, but that could happen to anyone. Giving an ‘impressed’ nod, she smiled, “Wow, you’re really good.” Chris asked her if she wanted to give it a try and she awkwardly stepped towards the table, “Uhm, how do you hold this thing?” She asked trying to play dumb. Thing? Elisia had to mentally shake herself to keep from rolling her eyes.

[Chris White]

"Ellie, huh?" Chris gave her a warm smile. Complimenting on names was one of the easiest ways to impress a girl (in his experience at least), which is why he always thought of a compliment for them, even for the horrible names. "That's a pretty name, but if I was your dad, I'd name you Bella because you're a beauty." He laughed a bit at himself. "And don't worry, you're much better looking than that Twilight chick." Chris just couldn't help himself sometimes.

When Ellie threw out a compliment, Chris' ego shot through the roof. She was fueling the fire of his cockiness. "Yeah, well, I'm pretty good at a lot of things, too. I could show you some of my... other skills later on if you'd like." Oh boy...

"Here, let me help," Chris said as he got behind her and positioned himself where her back rested gently against his chest. His hands smoothly ran down Ellie's arms to her hands where he guided hers where they needed to go on the stick. Even though he was up close and personal with a girl who was pretty much a stranger, Chris was confident with his actions. "There you go," he said when her hands were in the right places, "you already looked like a seasoned pro - an extremely cute seasoned pro."

Next, he helped Ellie line her pool stick up against the cue ball and let her free. He took another opportunity to ogle at her bum for a few seconds before speaking up again. "Just pull the stick back a few inches and then push it forward when you're ready."

[Elisia Lark]

His compliment on her name really didn’t have any effect on her. She just didn’t find him attractive in a way that any amount of flirting would help his case. The only thing on her mind was how easy hustling him would be. This guy didn’t have the tiniest clue that she could play pool better than him and that was the point of all of this act. At least she knew if she ever wanted to go into acting she’d be really good at it. “Oh well that’s a relief, I mean she’s pretty and all, but being prettier than her is definitely better.”

The last thing she had to do was feed his ego, it was already big enough and anyone would be able to see that. Unfortunately, compliments were needed in order to keep this guy thinking he was actually better than her. Too bad for him though, she still didn’t pick up on any of his innuendos, he was pretty SOL. Elisia smiled regardless, but said nothing.

Chris came up behind her and got a little close to her bubble. It was actually like in her bubble and she was thoroughly creeped out by it. She didn’t freeze though, she dealt with it until he finally got out of her bubble, once her hands were positioned rather awkwardly placed, not at all how she usually had them. His words had her smiling, if only he knew that what he was saying was more accurate than he thought.

She pulled back the stick and let it slide forward easily, but too slow to really do anything. “Well darn, I guess it’ll take me a while to get as good as you. How about this, as a little incentive to get better, we bet on it?” Ellie turned around to lean on the table and looked at him innocently.

[Chris White]

Chris had to hold back a giggle when she hit the ball. "Great job!" he said as sincerely as he could, "I've seen people completely miss their first shot. Actually hitting it is a good start!" If Ellie wasn't a female, Chris would probably be laughing his ass off and tossing out every insult he could think of. He wasn't going to do that for her though, especially since he optimistically hoped their interaction would eventually move from the student lounge and into a bed.

"You want to make a bet?" he asked with a surprise expression on his face. "Are you sure about that?"

Chris was conflicted. He didn't know if he should deny her or take her up on the bet. He didn't want to embarrass her or anything like that, but at the same time, it was hard for him to resist a little competition. Then, a bright idea entered his mind. "How about this," he began to bargain, "if you win, I'll give you five bucks, but if I win, you owe me kiss." He grinned at her and winked. "On the lips, too," he clarified, "and for at least five seconds. And if you like it, I'll let you kiss me for a lot longer." Oh yeah, he was beginning to think that he was a genius.

[Elisia Lark]

His enthusiasm was really quite pathetic, and he would be a terrible actor. She placed a smile on her face anyway and faked her own excitement, “I can’t believe I actually hit it! I mean, I was so sure I wouldn’t.” God she sounded like an idiot and it was girls like that that she preferred to never talk to. The ones that fell for guys like this. Seriously, she was sure if she wasn’t a ‘hot’ girl, he would have been laughing up a storm.

He asked her about the bet and she nodded, “Yes a bet. I am sure that if I have some competition, maybe I’ll do better ya know?” She asked with a hopeful expression. Oh c’mon, just take the bait already. She could see that he wanted to. Guys like him were the types that were always up for a competition that they ‘knew’ they could win. Funny thing was, Ellie knew he wouldn’t.

As the idea entered his mind, Ellie waited and watched him as he explained. Five bucks? Seriously? That was a little lame, but hey it was more than she had walked in with. And hustling was hustling as Robbie always told her. If he won…it took everything she had not to frown and gag. The only guy she wanted to be kissing was definitely not him. But she wasn’t going to lose, and she had to keep that in mind. Chris continued and the deeper he went into details, the stronger the urge to roll her eyes got. “Deal. Gosh, I guess it’d be a win/win scenario for me wouldn’t it?” There was her attempt at a flirtatious and somewhat snarky comment. She didn’t do it often, but some people could nudge that little bit of an edge out of her.

[Chris White]

"Competition really brings out the best in people," said Chris as he began setting the balls up on the table again, "I know that first hand. Competition is what I thrive in." He laughed a bit at Ellie's comment about it being a win/win situation. She was absolutely right. "It is for me, too. Even if I lose, I at least got to meet a pretty girl." Oh, he thought he was so fly sometimes - filled with so much swag.

Once Chris finished arranging the balls, he pulled out a five dollar bill and placed it on the edge of the table for Ellie to see. "Ladies first," he said as if he was a gentleman. He figured he had this competition in the bag, and it wasn't much longer til he'll be getting a kiss from a beautiful girl (or so he thought).

[Elisia Lark]

Elisia tried not to scoff at his words. This guy really did think he was a smooth talker. It made her want to laugh because really he was the type of guy that Robbie had warned her against. The one that would say anything just to get a girl to like him. Ellie couldn't picture Robbie being like this though even if he told her that he had been. She just couldn't see it in her brother. "Well, we'll have to see just how good it'll be for the both of us after this won't we?"

He offered for her to go first and she figured the best way to go about this would be playing as if she really had learned just today, and progressively show him up. Unfortunately, the break was her favorite part and instead she decided to blame it on beginner's luck. Elisia lined up for her shot, angling the position of the ball slightly to the left. She bent down across the table and pulled the stick back, shooting it right into the cue ball. The pyramid shattered and several striped balls went in. "Oh wow, did you see that?" She asked in mock shock.

[Chris White]

Chris' jaw dropped after her first shot where several stripped balls were sunk. He was utterly astonished by what he saw. She had form and grace to her shot, something that a beginner who has only taken one shot prior would not have. She either had some meta-power helping her, or... Chris realized that he could have possibly been hustled... by a girl! That was just as bad as a kick in the balls. On the bright side, he only risked losing five bucks.

"Beginner's luck, huh?" he said grin. "I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be hustled by a girl," he admitted. "Don't get your hopes up though, you didn't win yet." Chris was just trying to psych her out. Based on that one shot along, he knew his odds of winning were actually quite slim. She was like a black widow, and he was the prey. It was still her turn, and Chris knew that she had a chance to sweep the table. Maybe he wasn't going to get a kiss after all. Damn...

[Elisia Lark]

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for him to catch on. Not as dumb as he looks folks. Honestly, she almost felt bad for hustling him, that was the difference between her and Robbie when they hustled people. He thought it was funny, she felt guilty. Still, it wasn't like this guy didn't totally have it coming. He was cocky and arrogant thinking he could take advantage of a girl at such a game. He had it coming hardcore.

Chris was bluffing and she knew it. In order to save his ego he had to pretend like he still had a chance, but they had both seen the shot and that wasn't even as hard as she usually would have tried. "Aww, c'mon Chris. You had to see it coming." She gave him a sheepish smile and lined up for her next shot, sinking it in the corner pocket. "You never know though, you could still win this thing," Once more she bent down and took another shot, this one ricocheting off the wall and missing the hole. "See?"

[Chris White]

Chris didn't see it coming, at all, he never would have imagined that a girl would be able to beat him in pool. Being hustled by a girl was even worse. "I saw it coming," he lied, "why do you think I only bet five bucks?" He hoped Ellie would look past what she said before and would be convinced that he saw it coming. It would definitely save his ego. "I'm smarter than you think I am."

He watched on as she lined up and scored another pocketed ball. He was so screwed. But then, she missed, and he figured that she probably did it on purpose. "You're trying to toy with me, aren't you?" he asked as he grabbed his pool stick and lined up his first shot. He knew that if he didn't sweep the table, he would lose. She could easily bank the rest of her shots if he screwed up.

He took four shoots, sinking one ball each time, but when he took a fifth shot, the ball missed the pocket by less than an inch. "Fuck," he muttered to himself as he backed away from the table for Ellie to take her turn. "Well, damn," he said, "I guess I'm about to get my ass handed to me by a girl."

[Elisia Lark]

Elisia nodded skeptically. Yeah, sure he did. Maybe in the back of his mind he had been wondering if the girl was hustling him because she knew he had more money on him than that, she had seen him win more. She would let him continue to patch up his ego and maybe even let him get a few chances at making shots. It wasn't that she took pity on him, but clearly some guys didn't take being hustled by a girl very well.

"Toying with you? Oh please. I may be in the process of hustling you, but I'm not the type to miss shots on purpose to make people feel better." She was nice, but not that nice. Robbie must have been rubbing off on her because she was actually talking to this guy despite not really liking him. It wasn't that she didn't like him though, she didn't know him well enough to make that judgment.

Watching his shots all lined up and making it in, she didn't get nervous, she just remained stoic, indifferent. He missed the last shot and Elisia rolled her eyes at his comment, "Get over it , gosh. You act like girls are incapable of actually being better at things than guys." If she hated anything, it was guys acting sexist. And from the comments he kept making about the fact that she was a girl, well she was really getting annoyed by it.

Ellie lined up for a couple more shots, only sinking two and missing the third. "You're up."

[Chris White]

"I guess that makes me feel a little better," Chris said sarcastically when Ellie made it clear that he wasn't being toyed with. He did manage to put a genuine grin on his face though. He liked competition. Losing, however, was something that he didn't like, no matter what the stakes were. Still, he tried his best to swallow his pride. He didn't want to want to throw one of his hissy fits (as his family calls them) in front of a beautiful girl only because he lost a pool game and five bucks. It wasn't worth it. It would totally make him seem like a little bitch, someone completely devoid of swag.

Chris put his hands up, suggesting innocence. "Woah, woah, calm down," he said nicely, "there's lots of things girl are better at. I'm just not used to being beaten by one, that's all... unless it's my little sister in a trivia game." He wasn't sexist (although a lot of things he says and does could make him appear that way), and he didn't want Ellie to think he was. He realized how what he said could have been interpreted that way.

He counted the balls remaining on the table. Ellie was only a couple more away from victory. It was his turn. He had four balls in the pockets, meaning three remained on the table (not counting the 8 ball). "Thanks, babe," he replied when she let him know that it was her turn. He lined up his pool stick and shot, sinking another ball. His focus and intensity was going through the roof as he lowered his stick for another shot. He aimed carefully and pushed it forward, sinking another. Only one ball (and the 8 ball of course) separated him from victory.

Chris looked over to Ellie and gave her a confident smirk. He thought he had it in the bag, but as it turned out, he was just a bit to cocky. His last ball missed the pocket completely. "Damn," he groaned, "I guess I'm not as good at this as I thought."

He sighed, holding back his anger. He really hated losing. "You deserve to win," he told her honestly, and it took him a lot to admit that.