Chapter 3 - Crash At Mine

The games were back and forth. Kane won the first three, then the obvious nerd won the next two. Kane then won the next two, then the obvious nerd won one. The other guys started getting bored of watching, and having the two players hoarding the pool table, and they were soon left together by themselves, to which they appreciated the quiet and less nagging. But Kane oftentimes missed easy shots, and the obvious nerd it was purposely done.

At one point, he shook his head and positioned himself, hissing, "You making fun of me?"

It wasn't at all to make fun of him. It was because there was something in the way he played that made Kane's entire body become warm. The way all his movements were delicate, even the way he wandered around the table, his eyes calculating each angle and torque that could allow him to win. Then, he would lean over, his gaze slightly squinting and his eyes focusing on the exact spot on the cue ball, his slant tensing all the muscles in his shoulders but leaving his back muscles loose, until the very last second where his motioned forward, hitting the cue ball and watching it as it launched to wards another.

Each time he missed, he would twirl the cue stick around his wrist before slamming the end against the floor, and would reach for his drink and take a tiny sip, as if he didn't deserve any alcohol after a miss. Even the way his brows raised for a second, and his face fell—they were all details Kane was craving to see one more time...one more time...and one more time.

"I'm not making fun of you—just trying to make this game last a bit longer than it would than if I was serious," he mocked.

The obvious nerd rolled his eyes, "Don't make me laugh. You're barely better than me. I'm also not sober, by the way," he straightened his spine, eyeing Kane for a second before examining the table for his next shot, "so you caught me at a wrong time."

"What's your name anyway?"

He met Kane's gaze for a second, pausing in his steps before he finally answered, "Jay."

"Why d'you hesitate?"

"Because my mother was a crackhead and decided to give me a girl name since she wanted a girl."

Kane was intrigued, twirling the floating ice cubes in his glass before he added, "What's your real name then?"

"Jaylin."

"That's barely a girl name," Kane waved his hand dismissively, "I thought you'd say Jasmine or Jennifer."

"Well," he missed his next shot and stepped back from the table, "when you're me, it's just seems to be one other thing to be made fun of."

Kane stopped in his steps, eyeing the table but all he wanted to do was examine the emotions on Jay's face as he said that. Jay was a decent looking guy, but the gigantic glasses were overbearing to his face. He had nice features, although he was only five foot eight, and to someone like Kane, he was categorized as puny. He was quite skinny, very frail as if his bones would shatter by simply tripping to the floor. He had a nice style—he was wearing a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled and black pants. He also knew how to style his hair properly, gelling the gold locks backwards. He had hazel eyes and tiny freckles all over his nose, to which Kane found adorable.

There was not much one could make fun of, other than maybe his size and height. But he understood when Jay added, "When you compare me to any person that plays sports, I'm pretty much a loser. It doesn't help that I'm apart of the debate team and robotics club."

Kane settled his glass onto a counter, shrugging his shoulders, "I think you're pretty cool."

"Thanks," Jay genuinely smiled, "I don't hear that often."

Suddenly, the door barged open and when they turned, Kane met the dark brown eyes of his sister. "We're leaving," she said, leaning against the door, "we're all getting tired and it's pretty late." Kane heard shuffling on the other side of him, and when he glanced towards Jay, he noticed him back away a few steps, stressfully keeping his eyes locked towards the floor.

It seemed as if he was afraid of Ally.

"I'll find a way home," Kane waved a dismissive hand, eyeing the pool table, "we're still playing."

"Are you sure? Do you want my cellphone just in case?"

"I'll be fine."

Ally paused for a moment, eyeing Jay for a second before turning around, "Alright, be safe. Love you."

"Love you too," and the door shut.

Kane heard the long exhale of Jay, as if he had been holding his breath the whole duration of Ally's entrance. Right after, Jay said, "You never told me Ally was your girlfriend."

"She's my step-sister," he missed his shot and lifted his head, eyeing Jay, "why did you seem scared of her?"

"No, I'm not it's just..." he paused for a moment before shaking his head, "...it's nothing."

"If you say so," and they kept playing for the rest of the night.

When everyone started getting kicked out of the place, Kane and Jay headed upstairs and passed through the home before making it to the exit. Jay had been pushed a few times that Kane protectively wrapped an arm around his shoulders, helping him through the throng before they eventually made it outside.

When they did, Jay thanked him, heading towards the parking spots. "What are you going to do?"

"Wait until I figure out some sort of way to get home."

"Your sister literally offered to take you back."

He shrugged his shoulders with a small smile, "I was having fun playing pool. Been a while since I encountered someone as good as you."

As much as he didn't want to show it, that did cause Jay's heart to warm and he could not stop his cheeks from beaming red. He glanced elsewhere, scratching the side of his face, "Anyway, it's getting late. I'm going to head home."

"Drive safe," Kane smiled, before starting his way to the sidewalk.

After a few seconds, their distance growing larger between one another, Jay felt guilty that Kane no longer had a ride home and basically had no plan on how he would make it back. That was why he called his name, and when Kane faced him, he asked, "Do you want to crash at mine?"