Shifted #Wattys2016

XVII

Maxine

I heard a knock on the door upstairs. Julie said a few words, then steps came down the stairs. "Hey,"

I turned away from the monitor to see Felix round the corner. I turned back around and closed out of the tab I opened.

"Hi."

Felix smirked a little and looked at the pool table. "I didn't know Julie had one," he said, flicking his thumb at the table.

I stood up, putting my hands in my front shorts pockets. "Yeah, I guess she does. Not as dusty as you'd expect."

"Wanna play?"

"Play?"

"You do know how, don't you?"

I bit my lip. "My parents aren't really the Pool-type. Or the Bar-type. Or that Stay Together For The Kids-type."

"Divorce?"

"No. Once my father found out that my mother was pregnant with me he bailed." I leaned against one of the pockets on the table.

"Well, here, I'll teach you." I watched as Felix set up the balls and set the scratch ball in front of the triangle. "I'll break." He grabbed a que and leaned over the table.

The balls scattered around the table, only a few sinking. "Your turn." Felix said, handing me the que. I tried to mimic how Felix held it, feeling awkward and wrong.

Felix sighed. "Here." He wrapped his arms around me and moved my hands and arms. "Okay, and..." Felix hit the edge of the que on the scratch ball. I sunk one.

I smiled. "Yes!"

He smirked. "Yes. You sunk one. But you sunk the one ball you don't want to sink." Felix pulled the scratch ball from one of the pockets.

"Dammit."

"So..." Felix said, walking around the table and figuring all of his options. "Have you figured out what I am yet?"

He leaned over and sunk two balls. He walked around the table again, starting his process again.

"Well, I do have one idea..."

"Oh?" Felix quirked an eyebrow. He leaned over and sunk another ball. Again, he walked around. "And what might that be?"

I bit my lip. "It's really stupid," I said, running a hand through my hair.

"Mmhm." He leaned over the table and hit the scratch ball. He didn't sink anything. "Your turn."

I nodded. I chose the first option I saw. Then I tried to hit the ball on my own. I missed the first time, and the second I only grazed it, moving the scratch ball an inch, stopped by the Nine Ball.

Felix sat down his que and walked over to the computer. Tapped to the bottom of the monitor I had the photo of the wolf's eyes. Felix pulled it off and looked at it. "Hm." He looked up at me then held the photo beside his head, right at eye level. "Practically the same, right?"

I swallowed hard and took a step back.

"You know what I am." Felix said, taking a step towards me. I took another back, my butt hitting the edge of the pool table. "All you have to do it say it."

I shook my head.