Pool Queen
Coming back to Burbank already stirred something inside Zoey — everything was too familiar, filled with too many memories. She pushed all those thoughts to the back of her mind. They were too suffocating to relive; what mattered was that she was there for her parents’ wedding anniversary.And Rumi and Mira were with her too.
She hadn’t told her parents that the three of them were together yet, but that detail felt irrelevant after seeing how her younger cousins adored Rumi — especially after watching her climb the big backyard tree with surprising ease to retrieve the ball one of them had kicked too hard.Zoey and Mira now had a decent amount of videos of the kids competing over who Rumi would “belong” to.
And Mira, of course, wasn’t left behind. All it took was helping Zoey’s mom and a few aunts in the kitchen once, and now she was always being called over to check the seasoning or to help decide which ingredient would work better in a recipe.
Even without saying anything, Zoey’s heart felt warm seeing how easily her girlfriends were welcomed by her family.
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After two days in town, Zoey finally managed to have her girls all to herself. The maknae borrowed her dad’s car and took them on a little tour around the neighborhood where she grew up. There was a small playground not too far away, and Zoey had at least one story about almost breaking her arm on each piece of equipment.
“Good thing you became a demon hunter.” Mira commented after a rather graphic story about the swings. “At least you learned how to land on your feet.”
Rumi laughed, and Zoey rolled her eyes, though she was smiling.
Their conversation flowed easily until they were driving through the city, Zoey talking with as much enthusiasm as a tour guide. When she turned a corner by a computer store, the first thing she noticed was the bright neon of a bar, the outdoor seats almost all taken. The music drifting from inside sounded good.
A quick peek through the door, and Zoey swore she saw a pool table. That made her puff her chest out like a peacock.
“I ever tell you guys I used to be a pool queen?”
“Why doesn’t that sound believable?” Rumi teased, a playful smile on her lips.
“Hey! I could beat both of you with my hands tied behind my back.”
“I’d love to see that,” Mira challenged.
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They parked and stepped inside. The smell of beer and other drinks filled the air. Zoey bounced toward the table, arranging the balls into a perfect triangle while Mira and Rumi picked their cues. Zoey had told them to “just give it a try” before losing miserably to her.
“I slice demons in half,” Mira said, her confidence radiating like royalty. “This’ll be nothing.”
“Love your competitive spirit, babe. I’ll try not to crush it too badly when I win. Promise.”
Rumi and Mira stood by the table, looking like they’d been playing their whole lives. Zoey promised to bring the first round of beers and headed to the counter. She smiled at one of the bartenders and placed her order.
Holding the three bottles between her fingers, she turned to go back — but then a voice, sharp and piercing like a needle, burst the bubble of excitement in her chest.
Zoey froze. Suddenly her heart felt too heavy; she felt too small. Her shoulders stiffened as she turned, only to meet a pair of painfully familiar blue eyes staring her down from head to toe.
The blonde hair was longer now, the makeup heavier, but Zoey would have recognized her out of a million people.
“Hey, Lindsay,” she greeted, her throat suddenly too dry.
Three other heads turned toward her. Names came flooding back so quickly Zoey cursed herself for never being able to erase them.
“Haven’t seen you in forever,” Lindsay said. Her tone could’ve been sweet, but she never cared to hide the venom in her words. “Thought you’d left for good. What a surprise seeing you back in town.”
Zoey let out an awkward laugh, stumbled over something about life being full of surprises, and tried to walk away — but another woman spoke up, cementing Zoey in place.
“You haven’t changed a bit,” said the brunette, her mocking tone barely hidden. “I thought you’d have changed your hairstyle by now.”
Zoey fought the urge to touch her space buns.
“You know how it is,” she said, laughing nervously, her smile tighter than ever. “I really like them.”
“Still writing in your little notebooks?” another one asked, her friend raising a glass to hide her smirk.
Zoey noticed.
She noticed everything — how everything suddenly felt too much. The noise was too loud, the lights too bright. Everyone felt too tall, looming shadows with cruel smiles and empty eyes watching her with unsettling interest.
She tightened her grip on the bottles, the ridged caps biting into her skin, but she didn’t care.
“Are we interrupting something?”
Mira’s voice — deep, firm — cut through the noise. To Zoey, it was as loud as thunder, and she clung to it like a lifeline.
“You were taking a while, we got worried,” Rumi said softly, her hand sliding across Zoey’s back in a soothing touch that reminded her lungs how to breathe again.
Rumi’s gentle expression faded as soon as she turned toward the group — her chin lifted, her eyes sharp, like she was staring down a demon right in front of her.
A quick glance at Mira showed Zoey that her expression was just as terrifying. Maybe even more.
“I asked a question.” Mira repeated, her tone sharp enough to make the women’s confident smiles falter. Three of them suddenly found their drinks fascinating.
“We were just talking” Lindsay said quickly, her voice suddenly coated with fake sweetness that made Zoey’s stomach twist. “Right, Zoey?”
Mira stepped forward, placing herself between Zoey and the blonde.
“Is that so? Then I’m sorry, but your little chat ends here.”
She turned back to Zoey, her look and smile now gentle, took the bottles from her hands, and followed Rumi, who was already guiding Zoey back toward the pool table.
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Zoey gently swirled the beer bottle, sometimes taking a sip, other times just watching the foam fade.
“Those cows” Mira muttered, her fists clenching so tight Zoey was sure her nails were digging into her palms.
“Hey!” Zoey said, setting her beer down and grabbing one of Mira’s hands. The touch was enough to make the taller woman relax a little. “They’re cows, yeah, but I don’t want you hurting yourself over them.”
“We can leave if you want, Zo.” Rumi offered, holding Zoey’s other hand and tracing slow, comforting circles on the back of it.
Zoey blinked, caught off guard by the suggestion. She shook her head before words finally formed.
“No, no. I still want to play with you guys.”
She felt their worried gazes but kept going.
“I want you two to actually have fun. Not just deal with my family the whole time we’re here.”
“It is fun spending time with your family” Rumi said quickly. “I wouldn’t mind doing that until we go back.”
Mira nodded in agreement, but Zoey shook her head.
“No. I want you both to see more of the city, to do other things. I want to show you more places.”
She squeezed their hands before continuing.
“I just need a little time to pull myself together. I’ll be fine, promise.”
Their returning squeeze was a silent question — Are you sure?
Zoey nodded.
“Please. I want to teach you how to play pool.”
“No talk of crushing us into dust this time?” Mira teased, making Zoey laugh.
It wasn’t a full laugh, but it was music to both Mira and Rumi.
“It’s implied” Zoey smirked. “But for now, I just want to play with you.”
“Okay” Rumi said, kissing Zoey’s cheek, and Mira mirrored the gesture. She picked up a cue stick and smiled with idol-level confidence. “I’ll make sure you see I’m not that bad at this game.”
