When she made the final shot, the white ball went in with the black. She knew it was wrong and apologized again. He said, “It’s okay.” He tapped the bench inviting her to sit beside him. When she sat down, he slid sideways just in time so that she landed on his lap.

She felt like a doll with her feet swinging above the floor. He kissed her cheek and then he kissed her shoulder. He bit her earlobe. It made her shriek. “Shhh…” he said, making her meek.

He said “Que bella,” hot to her ear. He slurred que bella que bella, over and over, until all the bells clanged together and she realized he was very drunk.

She said, “Maybe we should stop. What about my mom?”

He said, “No pasa nada, chica.” His nose was buried in her hair and he lifted her skirt from behind.

She said again, “What about my mom?” A chill drifted up her back. “I thought you liked her. Don’t you like her?” She heard him unzip his fly. A hang nail caught on the cotton of her panties.

His scuffed brown shoes dug into the cement floor. She watched his heels mashing up the cigarette butts littered beneath them. She looked at the little beads of sweat that had formed on his nose. She thought about the first time they’d met and how he made himself go cross-eyed. Michelle didn’t know it could happen like this, sitting in a pool hall fully-clothed. She thought you had to lie down and you had to be naked, that even socks weren’t allowed.

She told herself, you don’t even know his age. You can barely talk to him. She told herself, we’re leaving tomorrow, it won’t be worth it. She told herself, you’ve always said you wanted to be in love. And yet she wanted to stay for that first kiss on the mouth like it was in the movies.

Michelle imagined how they must have appeared. A passerby could see them and not suspect a thing. She was a girl sitting on a boy’s lap. Her face was expressionless. Their movements were slight. The folds of her long dress draped over their bottom half. But then she thought that if a passerby did know, they wouldn’t care. She was just another anonymous panting silhouette. The only person in the world to care would be her mother.

Luis moved his hips back and forth. He’d inch forward and she’d move away. He’d move back and she’d shift forward. She didn’t allow him to find his target. She remembered her mother once telling her and her sister, “A sexy woman is like a star. She knows how to maintain the illusion of attainability while never quite being in reach.” Finally, when he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her in to hold her down, she hopped off.