THE GAME
600 Words
The room was completely silent.
Everyone was watching.
No one laughed anymore. No music. No cheering.
Just tension.
I grabbed Adrian’s arm.
“Are you out of your mind?” I whispered. “You can’t just bet people in a game!”
His gray eyes shifted toward me.
“I’m not betting you.”
“That’s exactly what it sounded like.”
“Relax,” he said quietly. “They’re bluffing.”
But the guy across the room looked anything but nervous.
He stepped forward with a confident grin.
“So, Adrian,” he said, “what’s the game?”
Adrian crossed his arms.
“You’re the one who wanted the challenge.”
The guy looked around the room, thinking for a moment.
Then he smiled.
“Pool.”
Several students murmured.
There was a large pool table in the game room next door. Everyone knew about it.
Adrian didn’t even hesitate.
“Fine.”
The crowd immediately moved toward the game room, excitement returning.
I followed closely behind Adrian.
“You better actually be good at this,” I muttered.
He glanced at me.
“You’re worried.”
“Of course I am!”
“You shouldn’t be.”
“Why not?”
His smirk returned slightly.
“Because I never accept challenges I can’t win.”
That sounded confident.
Maybe too confident.
When we reached the game room, students crowded around the pool table.
The challenger grabbed a cue stick and spun it in his hand.
“First one to sink the black ball wins,” he said.
Adrian nodded.
“Works for me.”
The game started.
The guy broke first.
CRACK!
The balls scattered across the table.
Two went into pockets immediately.
The crowd reacted with impressed murmurs.
The guy grinned.
“Looks like I’m lucky tonight.”
He continued playing.
Another shot.
Another ball dropped.
My stomach tightened.
“He’s good,” Maya whispered beside me.
“I noticed.”
The guy lined up another shot.
But this time—
Miss.
A few students gasped.
He stepped back, clearly annoyed.
“Your turn,” he said to Adrian.
Adrian calmly picked up the cue stick.
He rolled his shoulders once, then leaned over the table.
For a moment, everything felt quiet again.
Then—
Tap.
One ball rolled smoothly into the pocket.
Then another.
Then another.
The crowd began whispering excitedly.
“He’s not missing.”
“Of course he isn’t.”
Shot after shot, Adrian moved around the table calmly.
Completely focused.
Until only two balls remained.
One red.
One black.
The challenger crossed his arms, watching carefully.
Adrian lined up his next shot.
Tap.
The red ball dropped.
Now only the black ball remained.
The room held its breath.
If Adrian made this shot…
The game was over.
He leaned forward slowly.
But just before he hit the ball—
A voice cut through the silence.
“Wait.”
Everyone turned.
Chloe stood near the doorway.
Her smile was cold.
“That game was too easy.”
Adrian straightened.
“What do you want, Chloe?”
She crossed her arms.
“If he wins this shot, the game ends.”
“That’s how pool works,” Adrian replied.
“But if he misses…”
Her eyes flicked toward me.
“The deal still stands.”
My heart pounded.
Adrian stared at her for a long moment.
Then he looked back at the table.
The black ball sat near the corner pocket.
One shot.
That’s all it would take.
The entire room waited.
Adrian lowered the cue stick again.
And took the shot.
- Writer
