"Okay, I'm never playing pool again," Sketchy declared just as Kris entered the corner of The Crash where Max and her friends were. Sketchy practically ran into her when he turned around to reach for his drink.

"Woow, hey there," Sketchy said in his best impression of a seductive voice. The effect was ruined when he burped loudly right in front of Kris. The others laughed.

"Poor Sketchy, can't even get a break," a beautiful African American girl said, coming up behind Sketchy.

Alec chuckled. He was still holding a pool stick.

"I'm OC, short for Original Cindy, cuz there is not otha. And this love struck foo here is Sketchy," OC said, draping her arm affectionately over Sketchy's shoulder.

"Hi, I'm Kris," Kris said to OC and Sketchy, smiling.

"Hey, Kris," Max said from the other pool table where she was beating her latest opponent.

"Hey," Kris replied. "So, what's going on?" she asked the group.

"Well, Alec kicked my ass three times at pool, so I'm out $75. It's really not my day, can you tell?" Sketchy said. Kris smiled, he was pathetic, but a good guy. "And Max is in the process of beating her fourth opponent and will be buying us drinks when she's through with that guy."

"That's generous," Kris said, sitting on a stool next to Sketchy, watching Max play. That girl had an undeniable grace in her movements that Kris envied.

"Wanna play?" Alec's voice broke Kris' thinking.

"I don't bet money," Kris replied honestly.

"We don't have to bet money. What do you want?" Alec replied, smiling seductively.

Kris thought about it for a second. She wanted lots of things- love, contentment, companionship- all of which she doubted Alec could give her. Then it came to her.

"Sorbet," she stated. "Chocolate sorbet, two pints."

Alec looked at her strangely. Of all the things in the world, she wanted sorbet? Whatever happened to jewelry, or clothes? Weren't girls into that stuff?

"Alright. But that's gonna cost you. Sorbet is expensive, you know, like $10 a pint. So you're looking at $20. Are you willing to spend $20 on me?"

"I won't have to, cuz I'll win. But for the sake of good sportsmanship, I'll humor you. What would you like?" Kris replied. Alec laughed and Sketchy was falling even more in love with this gutsy girl.

Alec thoughts about it. What did he want? It was pretty simple. He wanted her. "A date with you," he said finally. He hoped she wouldn't get all weird like she did last night and snub him...again.

Kris frowned. So he was still after her pants. That was too bad, she was beginning to like him, as a friend, of course. "A $20 date? There's no way..." Kris started.

"Be creative," Alec replied, cutting off her excuse.

He was persistent. And why was he so into her when there was Max and OC, two women who were way more attractive and probably more experienced than she was?

"Fine," Kris replied, getting off her chair and taking off her blue denim jacket. The red spaghetti strap underneath complimented the black pants she was wearing. Alec was amazed. She stood at about 5'5 with a muscular build, she must have played sports or something, Alec thought. She smiled as Sketchy offered to hold her jacket for her which highlighted her high cheekbones and brown eyes. She really did look hot, but her attitude was unassuming. She was not like Max who knew she was sexy and flaunted it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Uh oh, Golden Boy, it's not looking too good for you..." Kris teased.

Alec looked at the pool table. No, it didn't look good for him, and he wasn't letting her win either. He resumed his gaze on her figure, staring her up and down while she thought about her next move. She seemed oblivious to his eyes on her.

Alec sighed. "Where did you learn how to play so well?" he asked.

Kris' features darkened momentarily before she replied, "My boyfriend, Sean."

Boyfriend? "Oh, uh, I didn't know you were taken. Um, we can have a different arrangement for when I win," Alec replied cockily.

Kris smirked. "That won't be necessary. He's dead, and I'll win. Eight ball, corner pocket," she said, and the ball sank. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

The impact of her words wasn't lost on Alec. She had lost someone she cared about, and that was a big deal. Alec could relate and he respected that. He decided then that he wasn't going to try to hook up with her anymore. As far as he was concerned, she was off limits.

"So, when can I expect my sorbet?" Kris asked, sitting on the edge of the pool table in front of Alec. Damn...she really did look good...but no, he wasn't going to try.

Alec shrugged. "I'll hafta find it. It'll come, I'm a man of my word," he replied.

Kris almost laughed.

Sketchy approached her. "Hey, Kris, I was wondering if you wanted to dance?" Sketchy said casually, trying to cover his trembling voice.

Kris smiled. "I'm sorry Sketchy, I'm not much of a dancer," she replied, putting her hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture. She lied, she loved dancing, but just didn't feel comfortable dancing with someone she barely knew.

Sketchy looked at her hand on his shoulder and grinned. "Okay," he said cheerfully. The way she rejected him didn't make him feel like a loser, and he fell even harder for the girl.

Alec laughed and Kris turned her attention back to him. "What?" she asked.

"He's crazy about you," Alec stated between chuckles.

Kris looked at him skeptically. "He doesn't even know me," she replied rationally.

"That doesn't matter. Sketchy is a hopeless romantic. He falls for any girl he meets who, as he says it, 'is fine as hell and has a good heart,'" Alec explained.

Kris smiled. "It's flattering, but I still can't understand how he could know."

Alec sighed in exasperation. "Haven't you ever felt that undeniable pull towards someone? Forget that you don't know their name or anything about them, but you know something's there?" Alec asked, reminding himself of the momentary shock he felt when he saw Kris a day ago, and, for that matter, Rachel two years ago.

Yes, she had felt that with Sean, and she had felt that last night with Alec, though she tried to bury it. The latter scared her. "Point taken," she replied, unable to look into his eyes. "Anyway, I have to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for letting me hang with you."

"Our pleasure. It's refreshing to see someone besides Logan kick Alec's ass in pool," Max said, drinking some of her beer.

Kris laughed. She figured she shouldn't pry and ask who Logan was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Kris stepped out of The Crash, the icy coldness shocked her. She had forgotten her jacket inside. Being so close to Alec for so long while playing pool made her so warm, but now she was freezing. As she turned around to reenter the bar, a man in a black trench coat stepped in front of her.

"Kris Mariko?" he asked. His face was cold and he must have been way over six feet tall. There was no way she could get away from him or fight him off, so she decided to comply.

"Yeah?" she asked casually, hoping her fear didn't seep into her voice.

"Come with me," he said, grabbing her arm roughly and practically dragging her away from The Crash.

"Hey! Get off me! What the hell is this about?" she yelled, struggling to pull free, but his grip was too strong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Man, that girl is amazing..." Sketchy said with a sigh, watching Kris leave.

Max smirked. "She's alright. You gonna ask her out, Sketch?"

"Nah, she didn't seem interested," Sketchy replied sadly, sitting down next to OC at the table.

"That's okay, sugah. The right one will come along," OC replied.

Alec pulled out the last chair at the tale. Looking down, he saw Kris' jacket. It was freezing outside. He grabbed it and said, "Be right back," as he left towards the door.

"Hmm...that boy seems interested too, huh?" OC commented casually.