The Game of Seduction

The girls arrived at Strikes a bit late; pass 7 PM because Kia didn’t realize that it’s possible to run out of ice cream cakes on a Saturday night. Eventually, they did find one.

The guys (Greg, Devin, Jeremy, Kyle, and Ryan) were waiting at a table by the bar. The bar section was only accessible with IDs or parental supervision in the evening. It wasn’t hard to get in though. Strikes was very slack. This time, they were able to just walk right in without anyone asking for IDs.

“Happy birthday!” The girls called out, each giving Greg a hug, except for Jess.

Jess has known Greg as along as Kia has, since grade 7, and they had always been good friends. Something changed in grade 9 and they became awkward. That was also the time when Jess started to grow into a beautiful Amazon. She attracted guys left and right and Greg had turned a bit punk and didn’t grow any taller.

Now, there’s more awkwardness within the group and regrettably, Kia feel responsible since it was mostly between Devin and her. He had been distant with her for half a month now and there were a few times that Kia could swear that he was avoiding her.

“Sit,” Jess pushed Kia down onto a seat next to her... and Devin.

Damn it, Jess. Kia felt nervous, it was so weird sitting so close to him. God, I’m sweating. “Hey,” Kia greeted him. This isn’t right. They’ve been really great friends since grade 7. He was third on her best friends list, after Jess and Rachel.

“Hey, you really did get the cake. Good job,” Devin said with a smile, as if things were normal.

I hope it’s not just me that feels awkward... wait, no. Both? Wouldn’t it be better if it was just me? “Yeah, ice cream cake!” Kia smiled back brightly and pushed the cake out to the centre of the table.

“Aww, Kia! Is it Oreo?” Greg asked, with eyes beaming like a kid.

“That’s right!” Kia knew it was his favourite. She and Greg were actually very similar and get along every well. They’re both shy and like to keep their problems and feelings to hidden, but somehow still seem like a silly kid when they’re with close friends.

The guys had already eaten and the girls weren’t hungry yet since they had something while they were at the mall. After cake and presents, they went over to the bowling allies.

Kia had always sucked at bowling and didn’t like it. She was the kind of person that hated to play games or sports that she knows she can’t win at. She was in last place, but it was okay since everyone was having fun. Normally she would whine and get them to play pool instead but today was Greg’s day.

Kia usually kicked ass in pool. She had a craving to play. When was the last time that we played pool here, she wondered. Oh, right... Kia mentally sighed. It was about a month ago, the Wednesday after St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Kia and the gang were just hanging out, playing some pool, but somehow Ian and a few of his friends showed up.

After all that had happened on St. Patrick’s Day and at Jeremy’s pool party, Kia had anticipated that something would change at school but it was still unexpected in a way.

On the Monday, for the first time since they’ve noted each other’s existence in high school, Ian Foster came up to Kia and sat in the desk in front of hers. It was the short break between classes. Fourth period English was the only class they had together for their second semester of senior year. Ian leaned into the back of the chair, “Hey,” he smiled mischievously.

Kia raised an eyebrow at him in suspicion. She didn’t like it one bit. That smirk of his made her skin crawl with annoyance and nervousness. She could almost see the warning signs plastered on his forehead. Danger! Caution! “What?” She asked, trying to not sound rude, but didn’t quite work.

“Kia, you know you can’t win if you’re just going to be mean to me all the time,” Ian said, sounding rather innocent.

She didn’t like it: the way he acts, the feeling like everyone in the room is looking at her, the feeling that they all know what happened between them and the most annoying was the uneasy feeling that he gives her. It was all so irritating. Kia leaned forward, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand. “But I know you like it when I’m mean to you. The more I dislike you or find you annoying, the more I intrigue you,” she said with surprising confidence.

Ian sat there silently, staring at her as if he was wondering if there might be some truth to that.

Kia couldn’t keep the corners of her lips from turning up. She had stumped him.

Ian cracked a smirk of his own and was about to say something when James walked up to them.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” James asked. “What are you doing at my desk?”

Ian turned to look at Kia again and James followed his gaze. He finally noticed Kia there. “Oh, was I interrupting something?” He asked, sounding apologetic.

He opened his mouth, but Kia spoke up quickly. “No, he was just about to leave.” She smiled at Ian and she noticed the narrowing of his eyes for a split second.

“That’s right,” he said with a smile and got up from James’s seat. “I’ll talk to you later, man,” he patted James on the shoulder and then turned back to her. He tilted his head a bit and simply said “Kia,” with the slightest raise of his brow before turned around and headed across the room to his desk.

After that, he didn’t talk to Kia again. They went back to ignoring each other in class and the hallways, which actually annoyed her more than if he had tried to talk to her. And knowing that she was annoyed by it, she grew even more irritated. It was perhaps one of his tricks, but she was more annoyed by the fact that he showed up to Strikes on Wednesday night, breaking the avoidance and ignorance between them.

It was hardly coincidental. Jeremy had mentioned the gang’s plans to him and Ian thought it’d be a good idea to crash it. Well, actually it was not so much crashing as it was showing up to play pool at a table next to theirs and then pester Kia. Ian commented on every shot she made, but even though they were mostly not bad comments, they were still annoying. It wasn’t just annoying her but her friends. They could only bear to play 2 games with her. Kia kept winning anyways.

“Guys, come on. One more game,” Kia whined.

“No, we already played like 6 games,” Greg whined back. “Let go bowling already.”

“Aww,” Kia pouted.

“Quit your bellyaching, you can’t just have us play games that you’re good at,” Jess cut in.

Suddenly someone draped their arm around Kia’s shoulder, “I’ll play with you.”

Kia looked over. It was Ian. She quickly shook off his arm and turned around to face him.

“Wanna play?” Ian asked.

Kia looked at him suspiciously, but he looked pretty innocent. Guys that are good at acting innocent would be the death and heartache of many girls. She turned to look at her friends. Some of them were looking at Ian suspiciously too and some were giving Kia the ‘don’t-do-it’ look.

“Kia, just come bowl with us for a bit,” Devin suggested.

“Afraid you’ll lose, Kia?” Ian tried to provoke her.

Without looking back at Ian, Kia made a decision. “Nah, you guys go and I’ll find you all later.” She was provoked.

Kia and her friends cleared their tab for the table. She and Ian got a fresh table and far from his friends.

“Best out of 3?” Kia suggested as they started to set up the table.

“5,” Ian insisted.

“Fine.”

“What do you want to bet?” Ian asked.

“Loser pays for the bill?”

Ian shook his head. “Oh, you’re no fun,” he teased.

“Obviously that’s not true,” Kia smirked, “otherwise you wouldn’t have wanted to play with me.”

“I’m just saying. You could be more fun.”

The smirk dropped from Kia’s face. “Just be glad that I’m not making you do something embarrassing when you do lose.”

“Well, aren’t you confident,” Ian said in a sarcastic tone.

“Well,” Kia shrugged, “who wouldn’t be?”

Ian’s eyes hardened a bit. “No need to be mean, Kia.”

Kia just glared back. Don’t annoy me then. She didn’t like how easily her name just rolled off his tongue. “Let’s just play.” The table was set. “You want to break?”

“Sure.”

Quickly, Kia was ahead of Ian, but he didn’t seem to be playing seriously yet. He kept doing little things to annoy her, but she still won the first game with ease.

Ian makes his shot, but the ball was off by the slightest bit and didn’t go in. “Aww,” he frowned, walking around the table.

“It was close,” Kia admitted.

“Oh well,” Ian shrugged, leaning his back side against the table.

Kia looked at the arrangement of balls. Ian was standing where Kia need to stand to make her shot. She stood right next to him, looking at the angles again. She has to be right where Ian was. “Move,” Kia said softly.

“What?”

“Move, I said.” More firm this time.

“Did you say please just now?”

Kia looked up at him. She couldn’t believe it. “No, move.”

“Well, someone is rude.”

“Yeah, you.”

Ian raised an eyebrow at her. “Weren’t you ever thought to say please when asking someone to do something?”

Kia glared up at him. “I was, but not to losers like you who purposely stand in the way just so that they can hear me use the word please to get them to move.”

Ian laughed, “What? No, I just happened to stand here.”

“Right, you made your shot all the way over there,” Kia pointed across the table, “and then coincidentally ended up standing right here, next to the white ball?” She pointed at where Ian stood.

“Right,” Ian responded innocently.

Kia rolled her eyes, “No, move!” She tried to push Ian out of the way, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Just say please,” Ian said, looking like he was just standing against a gentle breeze.

“Just move!” Kia moved one foot back so that she would have more leverage but she tripped over her cue and fell forward. Her hands immediately clung onto Ian and he wrapped an arm around her.

“Someone’s trying hard to get me to move...” Ian teased.

Kia straightened up, pulling away from Ian. “Shut up!” She hit him in the arm. “And move or else we end the game right here and I’ll win ‘cause you have more balls left than I do.”

“Ok, fine,” Ian said, moving out of the way. “I’ll let somebody’s rudeness slide.”

Kia rolled her eyes and proceeded with her shot.