CHAPTER FOUR:
Dirty Dicks Pool
Sophie's PoV:
I was meeting Quil near the theatre today, he says he has a surprise outing planned! I'm pretty excited actually.
We'd been hanging out a lot lately, I think he likes me. He's pretty chill; I'm really enjoying hanging out with him. He's cute and funny- whenever we talk that is- and his friends are hilarious, always fighting and razzing each other as they jump around. They're always eating too, I fit right in, like I said, my mum and I know how to eat.
Being new in town and having someone immediately show me the ropes has been really helpful. Hopefully I get to meet a bunch of people and have some kind of group of friends so I can fit in when school starts again. That'd be a treat.
I was walking the gravel sidewalks in the central part of town.
I love that the sidewalks are gravel; it feels so natural as opposed to the concrete slabs of sidewalk in California. They just remind me of how plastic the world is over there. Everything being covered with something false and painted on, and I'm not just talking about sidewalks, some people there don't even look human there's so much nip n' tuck goin' on.
Seeing the overly large vertical sign of the theatre I could feel the butterflies in my stomach and I couldn't fight the smile from spilling out over my face.
Quil was waiting for me at the front near the box office. He was actually wearing a shirt today! Must be formal dress wherever we're going, I wish I'd known that I would have worn something other than jeans, grey long sleeve v-neck shirt and a brown and baby blue Burton hoodie.
"Sophie, hey!" Quil waved and jogged over.
My stomach did a little back flip somewhere inside and I smiled at him taking my hands out of the pockets to wave back.
He approached me and gave me a big hug, I feel so warm when I'm near him, which is amazing since I'm always cold. I haven't really acclimatized to the frigid weather that is Forks, Washington.
Apparently his big surprise outing was to go across the street into "Dirty Dick's Pub" to shoot some pool.
Just the name alone was enough to turn me off, that and the fact that billiards was never my favourite but I guess I'll give it a whirl.
The bar was filthy, hence the 'dirty' part I guess, it was a little comfortable though, and it had one of those atmospheres that just promote camaraderie amongst beer-gutted drinkers.
"Hey Rick," Quil waved at the guy behind the bar counter, the tall man with the very imposing beard was wiping down an empty beer stein. Rick tossed the towel over one shoulder as he put the stein down and waved back, smile beaming.
It's funny how the most dangerous looking characters are usually the sweetest; big teddy bears really. He walked towards the counter still with the grungy cloth draped over his right shoulder, smiling and stretching an arm out towards us.
"Just one table today Quil? Where are your boys?"
Quil laughed and reached a hand out to slap hands with the big man.
"Ah, they're out and about today, I'm just here with Sophie," Quil put an arm around my shoulders giving me a squeeze and looked down at me affectionately.
"Hey," the word kind of got squeezed out of me.
"Well ain't she a looker, don't screw up, man," his gaze shifted back to Quil as he chuckled to himself and continued to chew on his gum; or at least, what I hoped was gum. By the smell of things it's probably chewing tobacco.
He passed Quil a tray of pool balls and a square of blue chalk.
"Thanks, man," Quil was still smiling but I think it was a little forced now.
Quil's PoV:
Embry: Hahaha even Dirty Dick has no faith in you.
Quil: Embry, can I just have like, one day where you guys just piss off?
Paul: Fat chance dude.
Jake: Now Paul, kindness is a virtue.
Embry: Hahaha since when d'you give a shit about 'virtue' Jake?
Jake: Exactly my point. We're not leaving you alone Quil haha
Quil: AAAUGH
Sophie's PoV:
We had a good couple rounds at pool; I was terrible like I thought I would be.
Quil tried to do that whole 'romantically try to teach some girl how to play pool' thing that all guys seem to do in the movies. It didn't help my game but it was pretty cute watching him try to inconspicuously get closer to me.
We didn't talk much, but I guess we didn't need to. We seemed to just enjoy silence I guess.
"You've run out of pool patience haven't you," Quil turned looking at me smiling and holding the cue as if he was about to shoot. I was leaning on mine, probably had blue chalk somewhere on my face but I wasn't too concerned.
"Yeah, I think I'm good," I laughed the words out smiling and picking myself up off the pool cue.
We put the cues back and rounded up the balls in silence and then delivered them to Rick at the counter.
"Thanks Rick," Quil yelled over the counter with a wave.
"G'night Quil, and don't fuckup!" The voice came from somewhere in the back way behind the bar counter.
"G'night!" I yelled over the counter as a side note.
Quil threw his arm around my shoulders again and we crossed through the doorway and into the cold and windy Forks weather.
Quil and I parted ways at the end of the road, he had to go left to get back to the rez and I went right.
"Well that was fun, thanks" I smiled at him.
"Yeah it was, we'll have to hangout again soon." He looked pretty pleased with himself.
"G'night!" he stepped forward, arms open for one of those big warm hugs.
After smiling upwards, I detached myself from him and turned in the direction of home. As I was heading home I kept replaying my day with Quil, it seemed so perfect and dreamlike, pink fluffy cloud sensation y'know? It made me smile and occasionally giggle with delight all the way home.