“If only I could be half as good as him,'' a youngster whispered to his friend.
Jack overheard this and immediately knew they were referring to him. With his ego fueled, he bent over at an accurate angle, held the cue stick firmly and proceeded to strike the ball that went rolling into the pocket.
In the high-stakes world of professional snooker, Jack was the king of the table. He was a master of the game, a wizard of odds, and a magnet for fame and fortune. His opponents knew they had lost even before the start of a game and his fans adored him. He held the “wizard of snooker” title for a bit over a year and had become overly confident about his skills.
“You win again!” His opponent yelled in frustration.
“What can I say? I was created for this” Jack bragged. “And you owe me $100”.
“Yeah. Yeah. I bet the new snooker player would beat you without breaking a sweat.”
“The new snooker player?” Jack inquired.
“His name’s Alex and people say he is a prodigy!”
“When next you see Mr. Prodigy, tell him to come with his A-game.”
“Talking of the prodigy,” Sam cleared his throat. “You can tell him yourself.” Sam concluded as he motioned in Alex’s direction.
Alex walked in and owned the room. Aside from his extreme good looks, one could tell that he was a combination of fearless, brilliant and reckless. In a bid to mark his territory, James walked up to Alex to strike a conversation.
“Hello there. My name is James.”
“Hello, I’m Alex.”
“We do not find rookie players around here so often y’know.”
Alex scoffed. “What makes you think I'm a rookie player?”
“Cueist are never this good looking and if they are, then they are terrible players” James declared.
“I wouldn't be so sure.” Alex replied with a smirk.
“How about you show me what you're made of?
“It would be my pleasure.” Alex replied, his passion evident in his tone.
With a matched level of confidence, Alex and James proceeded to the snooker table. Although they both tried to act unhinged, the tension was spine-chilling. James knew that losing to Alex in the first game would be utterly embarrassing. Alex on the other hand was hell bent on proving to James that good looking people could also be great cueists.
"You're a menace, Alex!" Jack exclaimed. "You're playing with fire!"
"I'm just getting started, Jack," Alex replied with a grin. "And for the record, I'm not afraid of you."
The two snooker players engaged in a series of epic showdowns, with Jack's technical skills and Alex's bold strategies. But as the game continued, Jack struggled to keep up with Alex's lightning-fast instincts and remarkable angling.
"Damn it, Alex," Jack muttered. "You're making me look like the rookie between us."
"That's the idea," Alex said with a wink. "You're used to being the one in charge, but now the shoe is on the other foot."
Jack fumed with anger, but he knew Alex was right. He was used to being in control, but finally, he experienced what it felt like to be on the losing side.
As they played on, Jack began to see Alex in a new light. He realized that Alex wasn't just a rival, but a kindred spirit and a fellow prodigy who lived for the rush of the game.
Along the line, James had a massive comeback but still lost to Alex by just one point.
"You know what, Alex," Jack said, nodding like he just got a divine insight. "I think we make a good team."
"I knew you'd come around," Alex replied with a smile. “It was indeed fun taking on the wizard of snooker. Now, I guess you would judge less cueists by their looks. "
“Certainly” Jack laughed lightly. “Are you up for a beer?” he asked
“As long as you're paying.” Alex responded affirmatively.
With that, they walked over to the bar to grab some drinks. That was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship between kindred spirits.
Love🤍
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