Chapter 51

The pool hall turned out to be a cozy place called Parables – no one could explain why. There was a room with a bar as well as three adjoining rooms, each with a pool table. Some people called it a billiard table – Jay had only ever heard it referred to as pool growing up back on Earth.

The room was brightly lit and each room was festooned with stools for groups to sit while enjoying their drinks, which quite a few people were already doing. Carly took the lead and rented them a table. The group filed in to one of the adjoining rooms that would be theirs until their rental time was up.

Jay sat with M'redith while Chenowith racked the balls, placing them in to the familiar triangle formation on one side of the table. Carly took a seat along the wall next to M'redith.

“Hey, weren't there three of you a moment ago?” Carly remarked offhandedly as she craned her neck to look back in to the bar room for Aiden.

Jay laughed. “I bet he's getting food.”

Carly raised an eyebrow, “We just came from lunch.”

M'redith smiled as Aiden returned with a plate of meat on a stick which he placed on the narrow counter that ran along one side of the room – the side with the chairs.

Carly shook her head, “But you just ate! I saw you!”

“Comfort food. I just like eating.” Aiden said with a shrug as he grabbed a stick and began chewing on the meat happily.

Carly and Chenowith played the first game which Carly handily won. Aiden and M'redith played next. M'redith won as Aiden really had no idea what he was doing. Jay turned down a chance to play.

“I'm just having fun watching, I can use a break, trust me.” Jay said with a charming smile when they asked if he would play.

Everyone except for Chenowith ended up having at least one meat on a stick. Aiden was right, it did feel good eating comfort food and its fragrant smell of sizzling hot meat and the spices it had been cooked with made their mouths water.

Everyone decided that the final match would be between Carly and M'redith. Carly was about to break – they had to explain to Aiden that just meant she'd hit the balls first – when she paused and looked over at M'redith.

“Care to make it interesting?” Carly asked with a mischievous grin that Jay wasn't entirely sure he liked the look of.

“What did you have in mind?” M'redith asked.

Carly leaned in and said something too low for anyone but M'redith to make out. M'redith listened for a moment before she blushed furiously and looked almost angry but nodded.

They both put up one silver as a bet – a not inconsiderable amount. Jay was trying to figure out if this match was friendly or not but was definitely getting a bad feeling. He touched M'redith's arm and she swung about to glare at him.

“Are you sure about this?” Jay asked. “She's really good it looked like from her last match.”

Jay had picked his words poorly and M'redith took a moment to visibly calm herself down before she stood up on her toes, kissed Jay quickly on the lips, turned and glared at Carly, and then looked back at Jay.

“I'm sure about this.” she said while looking him in the eyes before she rocked off the tips of her toes back on to the soles of her feet. She pointedly refused to meet Jay's eyes after that and focused only on the game.

Jay was feeling a lot at the moment. Happy at the kiss, worried about whatever he couldn't over hear concerning the bet, hope for M'redith to win, confusion over the byplay between her and Carly. It was obvious they were having some sort of rivalry but Jay was staying out of it.

They would play best of 5 games it was decided.

Carly went first and her first shot didn't go well. She sank the 8 ball in to a corner pocket straight off and she asked for a rerack. Jay wasn't sure if that was allowed but M'redith immediately agreed so he assumed she must be familiar with the rules.

A rerack is just taking all the balls and putting them back in to the initial triangular formation. A triangular rack was used to make the process easier, hence the phrase rerack.

Carly took another try and this time made a much better shot. The balls all careened about the table before a solid ball dropped in to a corner pocket.

“Solids.” Carly said.

M'redith nodded.

Carly was lining up her shot but didn't make it and it bounced off the side of the table instead of sinking in to the pocket. Carly cursed under her breath. She motioned towards M'redith.

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M'redith stalked to the opposite side of the table and lined up her shot. Shot after shot she took sinking each ball she struck in to a pocket on the table. She ran out of striped balls and sank the black 8 ball in to the corner pocket, calling out, “Left bottom corner pocket,” and pointing to it before making her shot.

Jay and Aiden clapped while Chen shook his head as he watched Carly.

“One point for M'redith,” Jay said with a smile.

Carly this time made a good break her first shot and sank a solid ball once again. “Solids.” she said as she studied the table and the balls positioned across it.

Aiden chewed on his meat on a stick noisily, his lip smacking sounds visibly annoying Carly.

“Sorry.” Aiden said sheepishly.

Carly never gave M'redith a chance to even take a turn as she sank every single solid ball on the table before finally saying, “Right side pocket,” and sinking the 8 ball in to it with her last shot.

Jay applauded politely before M'redith glared daggers at him and he stopped. He assumed it must have something to do with the whispered portion of her bet and decided to let it go.

The next game M'redith and Carly traded shots back and forth as neither of them managed to make a good shot for a few minutes. Finally Carly sank all of her balls and called out, “Left top corner,” as she made her shot.

She missed and the black 8 ball bounced off and instead rolled to the other end of the table. Carly groaned, “Didn't make it. Your turn.”

M'redith had been almost silent the entire game so far. She sank striped ball after striped ball in to the table's pockets until only the 8 ball remained. Pointing at the left bottom pocket she said in a clear voice, “Left bottom pocket.” She didn't want to leave any room for rules lawyering after her shot. The last shot's destination had to be called out before the shot was made or it didn't count.

Her shot sent the cue ball rolling across the table's surface before striking the 8 ball with a sharp sounding crack. The 8 ball shot in to the correct pocket and M'redith nodded in satisfaction.

“2 to 1 M'redith,” Aiden said.

The next match went poorly as the two women spent more time glaring at each other than they did lining up their shots.

Chenowith winced as he watched the game. “This is brutal.” he said to Aiden who had joined him on his side of the table to share the last meat stick.

Carly looked over at him. “Shhh!”

“Sorry!” Aiden whispered.

The next game would be the last if M'redith won. If not then they would have to play one last match to decide things.

Jay watched M'redith and Carly trade shots, neither able to sink a ball mostly due to bad placement. Finally M'redith sank a ball in to a corner pocket. “Stripes.” she said seriously.

M'redith leaned over the table near Jay and he watched her take her shot. She again sank her ball. She sank all the striped balls in to pockets before turning to the 8 ball.

The room got quiet as she focused on her shot. She took a few test shots before she leaned down for her real attempt.

“Right side pocket” she said. Pulling back the cue – again they had to explain earlier to Aiden that the long sticks they hit the balls with were called cues – she shot it forward striking the white cue ball.

The cue ball bounced past a solid red ball, bounced off the side of the table surface, shot past another solid ball, and struck the black 8 ball with a crack.

The 8 ball bounced off a solid yellow ball and sank in to the right side pocket with a thunk.

Carly looked disappointed but shrugged lightly, “Good game M'redith. A bet is a bet,” as she handed M'redith a silver coin.

M'redith took the coin with good grace and nodded her head in thanks.

“We have somewhere to be so we will be heading out but we will see you three in class tomorrow morning.” Carly said as Chenowith stood up and stood next to her.

“It was great meeting you two, thanks for the games.” Jay said kindly and shook Chenowith's hand. He tried to shake Carly's hand but she just nodded to him instead, not unkindly.

M'redith nodded in satisfaction and bid them goodbye as they left.

Their time was up so M'redith and the boys left a few minutes later after Aiden had finished his drink.

“I'm hungry.” Aiden said.

“Gaia's sake you're impossible. Are you ever full?” Jay said with forced cheerfulness as M'redith still didn't appear to be in a joking mood.

“Rarely. We should head back to the Guild for dinner. What about tonight? Anyone have any plans?” Aiden asked.

“I have some reading I need to do at the library. Glenda set up that room for me and I've barely used it.” Jay said in a guilty voice.

M'redith nodded. “Ok.” she said shortly. Jay gave her a hug and she took a moment but finally smiled.

“You ok?” Jay asked her.

“Sure. Carly just really knows how to get under my skin.” M'redith admitted with frustration.

“C'mon. Let's all go to dinner. I bet they have something good tonight.” Jay said as they left the pool hall and caught a cart, not a carriage, back to The Guild.