Page 100 of Force Play

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I scoff at him. “And you called me dramatic for pointing that out at practice today.”

“I mean, youaredramatic,” Lucia teases, smirking around her bottle of beer.

“What the fuck? I don’t have anyone on my side, do I?”

“No,” Knox laughs. “You’re on your own, Morgan.”

“I need new friends,” I grumble.

Lucia leans back in her chair. “I think you’re stuck with us.”

Wait.

Lucia is including herself in my group of friends?

Are we… friends now?

“Fine,” I say with a small smile. “I guess I can keep putting up with you guys.”

Knox goes to comment before we all hear a sound off to the side, and he has to duck his head. “What the fuck?”

“Sorry!” a man shouts, running after the pool ball he just throttled at Knox’s temple.

“I think he needs some more practice,” I mutter under my breath.

“He’s probably better than I am,” Lucia laughs.

I turn to her in surprise. “You don’t know how to play pool?”

She shrugs. “Not well. I’d probably give everyone in here a concussion if I tried, and as an athletic trainer, my job is topreventinjuries, not cause them.”

“You should learn then.” I look around behind her. “There’s a free table right now. Come on, Spitfire.”

Lucia looks at me in surprise. “You’re going to teach me to play pool?”

“Why not?”

I ignore all of the eyes on me right now, eight of them from my nosy as fuck friends.

“Alright, Casanova,” Lucia laughs as she stands up. “Teach me how to play.”

I quickly get up, and we walk toward the open pool table, but not before I grab another two beers from the bartender.

I set my bottle down on the little table beside us and rack the balls up while Lucia watches.

“How do you set the balls up?” she asks, coming to stand beside me.

“There are different ways to do it depending on which game you’re playing. I’m setting us up for eight-ball, which is the mostcommon one. Eight ball goes in the middle of the rack, and you alternate stripes and solids around it. Do you know the rules?”

“Don’t sink the eight ball before the end,” she chuckles. “And try to knock in only the stripes or solids, depending on which you’re playing.”

“Exactly,” I nod. “Seems like you know how to play then.”

“I know the rules; it’s the skill I’m lacking. I’ve never been able to get off a proper shot.”

“So I’ll teach you.” I grab her a stick from the rack. “Why don’t you break?”

Lucia takes the stick from me and walks to the front of the table, positioning herself behind the cue ball.