Page 12 of Even Beneath the Stars

So far, Sandy Haven is turning out to be nothing like I expected it to be, but in all the best ways.

Chapter Four

Xavier

PAST (Fall, Senior Year)

"Here you go, buddy." I hand Finn the pool rack. "Make sure they're tight."

"I know how to do it." He balances on his tiptoes, tongue poking out as he arranges the balls with pro-level precision. "I've done this like a hundred times."

Bass thrums through the mirrored walls of the Smoking Room, rattling the velour couches and sending ripples through every surface. My mother designed this place after visiting some fancy British manor, but with her weird-ass taste, there's nothing British or classy about it. If Versailles and a Vegas casino had an unhinged love child, this room would be it.

Mason chalks his cue. "Kid's got skills. Unlike his big bro."

I flip him off and lean into the table, lining up my shot. Two stripes sink clean. The crack of impact barely registers over the rumble of music and voices. The space stretches at least eighty feet, packed with the usual hundred or so people.

The music shifts, the crowd near the bar erupts—probably another round of shots celebrating our win. Post-game parties are always wild, but tonight is next level since we advanced to the state championship this evening, for the first time in seventeen years.

I grip my cue, aiming for a tricky bank shot, then freeze.

A shock of familiar pink hair catches the light from an overhead chandelier.Maggie LeClair.The Welsford counselor who gave me shit about pickingup Finn that time at the beginning of the summer. She’s laughing with Jackie Delaney, totally at ease.

What the hell is Maggie doing here? She made it pretty clear she hates my guts.

Then I remember Seb’s bet with Caroline—two weeks without detention, and she'd come to a Titans game, with Maggie in tow. Somehow, he pulled it off. Dude’s got it bad for his tutor. Personally, I don’t get the appeal. Caroline Heinz seems high-maintenance, but what do I know? I’ve never fallen for a girl and don’t plan on it. I do know enough to realize a girlfriend situation is a bad idea for a guy like me, though. Girls see me as a good time and a free-access no-limit bank account. Best to keep things light and brief. No pretences plus no commitments plus no expectations equals zero disappointments. Simple math.

Finn tugs at my T-shirt. "Can I try?"

"Sure." I hand him my cue, lifting him so he can reach. "Nice and steady, remember?"

He sinks a solid red and beams like he struck gold. "Did you see that?"

"Looking pro." I ruffle his hair, catching another glimpse of Maggie laughing at something Jackie said.

Mason sinks the two-ball, then misses his next shot, but I’m barely watching.

"The pink-haired chick," Mason follows my gaze. "She from Ocean Heights?"

"Yeah."

He raises an eyebrow. "You know her?"

"Nope." I line up my shot, trying to focus on the game instead of how Maggie’s nose crinkles when she laughs. Three-ball down. Then another two stripes.

I’m about to go for the eight ball when a pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind.

Piper Shen. I don’t even have to turn around—I recognize the fruity scent of her perfume.

"Hey, Pipes." I lean into my shot, her body shifting with mine, arms still locked around my stomach.

"Hey, Xaaaave."

She’s drunk. Piper’s the mellow kind, though—loose-lipped, clingy, draping herself across couches and, apparently, me. Sort of like a human weighted blanket, but drunk and with better hair.

I sink two more balls.

"Mad skills, Xave," she purrs, cheek pressed between my shoulder blades. But my focus drifts back to Maggie. And I’m not the only one watching her. She’s not the kind of girl you can ignore. There’s just something about the way she moves—like she owns the whole damn room.

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