THE BOY WHO HATED ME

THE SHOT

The entire room held its breath.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

All eyes were on the pool table.

Adrian leaned over the table, the cue stick perfectly aligned. His gray eyes were focused on the black ball like nothing else in the room existed.

I felt my heart pounding in my chest.

Please don’t miss.

Chloe stood near the doorway, her arms crossed and a confident smile on her face.

She clearly believed Adrian would fail.

The challenger smirked.

“Take your time,” he said mockingly.

Adrian ignored him.

He took one slow breath.

Then—

Tap.

The cue ball rolled across the table.

Everyone followed it with their eyes.

It hit the black ball.

The black ball rolled toward the corner pocket.

Closer.

Closer.

For a terrifying second, it looked like it might stop.

But then—

CLACK.

The ball dropped into the pocket.

The room exploded.

“HE DID IT!”

“No way!”

“I knew it!”

Students cheered and clapped loudly around the table.

Maya grabbed my arm.

“He won!”

I exhaled in relief, realizing I had been holding my breath the whole time.

Across the table, the challenger’s smile had completely disappeared.

Adrian straightened slowly, setting the cue stick down.

“Game over,” he said calmly.

The guy looked furious.

For a moment, it seemed like he might argue.

But the entire room was watching.

Finally, he scoffed.

“Fine.”

He turned toward Chloe.

“Your problem, not mine.”

The three guys walked out of the house, pushing through the crowd.

The tension slowly faded as people began talking excitedly again.

But Chloe didn’t move.

She stared at Adrian with narrowed eyes.

“You got lucky,” she said.

Adrian shrugged.

“I got skilled.”

Her gaze shifted toward me.

And the anger in her eyes returned immediately.

“This isn’t over,” she muttered.

Then she turned and stormed out of the house again.

The door slammed behind her.

The party slowly returned to life.

Music started playing again.

Students laughed and talked like nothing had happened.

But my hands were still shaking slightly.

Adrian noticed.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Yeah.”

Then I crossed my arms.

“You’re still insane for agreeing to that challenge.”

His smirk returned.

“But I won.”

“That’s not the point.”

He tilted his head slightly.

“Then what is the point?”

I looked at him for a moment.

“You take too many risks.”

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he glanced around the crowded room.

Then back at me.

“Sometimes,” he said quietly, “the risk is worth it.”

For a second, his gray eyes held mine again.

And somehow…

That moment felt even more intense than the game itself.