She ran a slow, heavy gaze over each of them and finally exclaimed, “I want Chris,” pointing to the dark quiet one with long hair. Sam grinned knowingly and offered to sit this game out so Scott and Billy could play doubles with them.

Five minutes into the game, Scott smirked, “I can’t help but notice that you and Chris are….um….losing. See, if you had chosen me…”

Her cat eyes narrowed into small slits and cut through him as she took the pool stick out of Chris’s expert hand. She carefully lined up her shot, bending her torso to lay parallel with the green felt plane below her. Then, pausing in this advantageous position, she flipped her thick auburn hair over her shoulder as she turned to focus her eyes on the boys standing behind her. They watched as one side of her dark lips curved up, crinkling into a sly half-smile. Amusement rippled through her voice as she replied, “That’s only because Chris doesn’t understand the rewards of winning on my team.”