Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

At the stime, Ruby Blackwell, hiding in the studio, received a message from Olivia asking her to go to the billiards hall.

Ruby thought she would return to school tomorrow, and it was not easy for them to have tto meet, so she agreed readily. She typed a few words on the screen, saying, [Okay.] Olivia quickly sent a message, saying, [Ruby, are you home? Call Liam, my defeated opponent, along.] After reading the message, Ruby smiled and replied, [Got it.] After replying to Olivia, Ruby called Liam.

At this moment, Liam was playing League of Legends. Ruby's call had interrupted his game. He was very anxious, afraid that his teammates would report him and his level would drop, but he didn't dare to ignore it.

One could hear the anxiety in his voice through the screen. "Ruby, what's the matter? Hurry up! I'm hanging up." He was in the middle of the game.

Ruby was 100% sure that Liam was playing games. She said unhurriedly, "Get the driver to send you to the pool hall. Olivia and the others are waiting there." After Liam's driver's license cout on the first day and Hackett's beloved car was crashed by him and sold for scrap metal, the family stopped Liam from driving.

At that time, the hood of Hackett's beloved car was flattened, and the trunk of the one that was hit was missing.

It was a terrible crash for both. Fortunately, both parties were fine. It was just a matter of compensation.

The entire family still had lingering fears and did not dare to let this kid drive anymore.

Liam was anxious to hang up, so he agreed and said perfunctorily, "Ruby, | got it. | got it. I'm hanging up." Unfortunately, when he hung up the phone and opened the ginterface of League of Legends again, the gwas over. His team lost, and his teammates reported him. They used sharsh words to scold him.

Half an hour later, in the billiards hall. It was the fifth common gathering place after the gym, barbeque shop, cafe, and gaming hall. It was also a place they often cto.

Liam was the last to arrive. Olivia and Nona both had pool cues in their hands. With a bang, Nona hit a ball, and it fell through the hole.

Olivia had tied her straight shoulder-length hair into a ponytail because she needed to play billiards. She was dressed casually in dark blue wide-legged jeans, a white undershirt, and a loose black casual suit. She was casually wiping the head of the pool cue with shell powder.

When she saw Liam enter, she raised her eyebrows slightly and provoked, "A defeated opponent of mine is here.

Did you take a taxi?" Jasper sat beside Ruby. With a seat between them, both of them smiled faintly.

Nona was dressed especially youthfully and energetically today. She was wearing denim overalls and a white T- shirt. Her ponytail was tied up high by Frank. She handed the cue stick to Liam and said softly, "Liam, here you go. You can compete with Olivia. Good luck." After saying that, she even made an encouraging gesture.

Liam naturally took the cue and accepted the challenge. Not to be outdone, he said confidently, "Tell me! How do we play?" Olivia did not dawdle. She touched her ponytail, crossed her arms, and smiled meaningfully. "Oh, you're so confident. Alright, two out of three rounds. Sold rules." "Ladies first. You first," Liam said.

"Alright, just don't feel too much psychological pressure when | finish the gin one go. Watch." The corners of Olivia's lips curled up. It was apparent that she was mocking him.

Liam said, "Arrogance leads to failure, understand?" Hearing this, they all laughed. Nona asked cutely, "Liam, is this a new sentence you invented?" Liam flicked his curly hair. He was dressed a little coquettishly today. He wore a bright red hoodie with white sweatpants, light blue soles, and white-inflated shoes. It was the Memorial Day holiday, but those who didn't know better would think it was Christmas tomorrow when they saw Liam's dressings. "I guess so. | more or less have the talent of an ancient poet. | can't help it." Everyone was speechless, thinking, ‘Was that a compliment?’ Olivia kicked off. The ball hit for a few seconds before stopping. Four balls were scored at the kickoff, and each of the four corners was scored. When the four balls fell into the holes, everyone exclaimed an "oh" from the bottom of their hearts. This "oh" was for the pressure on Liam, standing at the side.

It was as if the beginning was the end and the score was set.

Cyril, who favored light-colored jerseys, felt no suspense in this game. It was just that Liam was struggling to find his dignity. He could not bear to watch, and his hands were itching. He walked to Jasper with a cue stick and invited, "Jasper, let's play a round." Jasper glanced at Nona, standing at the side and watching the battle. She had a smile on her face. When the ball hit, it was also when Nono was happy. Her smile was very infectious.

He shifted his gaze and looked at Ruby, who was watching the gquietly with a smile. He said calmly, "There's no suspense between us." Cyril was speechless. He felt it was a little smug and a little insulting. So he said, "Ruby, let's play. Jasper despises my skills." Upon hearing this, Ruby retracted her gaze from the ball and turned to look at Jasper. She smiled. She was wearing a pair of light pink wide-legged pants and a short white sweater. Her curly hair was tied into a bun, and she had gold-pink-framed glasses on her nose.

She was a little short-sighted, about 100 degrees, and rarely wore glasses.

Thinking she was playing billiards, she put it on when she went out. She stood up, took off her coat, folded it, and placed it in her seat. Then, she followed Cyril to another billiard table.

Jasper also stood up and followed behind the two of them. With his hands in his pockets, he casually picked up a cue stick and handed it to Ruby. "This one." "Oh, oh, okay." Ruby didn't know about cue sticks, and her skills were average. She took the cue stick, and Jasper handed her the shell powder. Ruby took it and wiped it before returning it to Jasper.

Jasper reached out to take it and smiled. He held it in his hand and stood not far away like a spectator.

Just as Ruby was about to kick off, Jasper's tall figure suddenly covered her. A deep voice sounded above her head. The next second, a slender hand adjusted her posture. "Why do you keep forgetting?" To outsiders, it looked like a coach teaching a student. Ruby smiled beautifully. "I can't remember." Jasper smiled. "Alright, remember, this is the correct one." "Oh, got it," Ruby replied.

Cyril waited for a few minutes, but Ruby still did not kick-off. Bored, he rested his chin on the cue stick and swayed it left and right. He did not rush her and was extremely obedient.

Ruby's shots were not that good. She only scored one. And then it was Cyril's turn. His skills were better than Ruby's. He scored five shots at once.

Jasper glanced at Ruby, who kept making subtle expressions. He thought that she was so cute. He strode forward and pointed out which ball to play later, where to stand, how to play, and how much strength to use. When Ruby heard this, she turned to look at the person behind her and smiled happily. Their gazes met, and sparks flew around them. Jasper was momentarily dazed.

After looking at each other for a few seconds, Jasper looked away and reminded, "Go." Under the expert's guidance, Ruby scored six rounds in sequence. After she was done, Ruby was happy. She jumped up like a child and smiled smugly. She looked up at Jasper and asked for praise. Jasper clenched his fist and pressed it against his lips to hide his smile.

Cyril found it unbelievable. "Damn, Ruby, have you been saving your strength?" Ruby pushed up her glasses with her middle finger and said humbly, "I was lucky." Then, she smiled.

The other table had already entered the third round. There was no chance for Liam to play at all. He had already sat on the chair in disappointment. He crossed his legs and shook them leisurely. He sighed. "Did you callhere to play or to watch the game? Aren't you embarrassed? It's not a personal performance." 'Oh my, she has cleared two rounds in one go. Didn't we agree to win two out of three rounds?’ Liam complained in his heart.

Jasper's smiling voice could be heard as he teased, "Why can't you understand the ending that even Cyril can see at a glance? Your 'Ladies first’ means that you've lost." Everyone laughed. The person who laughed the most was Nona. "I'm dying of laughter. It's so fun. Liam, mistakes are a fantastic teacher. Next time, you can't say that ladies cfirst." Liam said, "I'm being polite. Olivia, you're being rude. Can't you act like a girl?" There was only one ball left in the third round. Olivia was lying on the table and preparing to play. She suddenly stood up, shrugged, and said generously, "I'll leave the last ball to you. If it is scored, you win this round." Everyone was surprised, thinking, 'These words are not very hurtful but are extremely insulting. It will be even more embarrassing if Liam can't score.’ Liam was not stupid. Judging from the ball's position, it was not easy to play. The chances of winning were only 60%. The other 40% was offset. The chances of losing were very high. He refused. "I'm not playing." He would be a fool to play this ball. It would be fine if he scored, but if he didn't, it would be his dirt for the rest of his life. These people would laugh at him for the rest of his life.

When Olivia saw that he wouldn't play, she plopped down on the table and turned the pole behind her. With a gentle poke, the ball went into the hole. She jumped down neatly, handed the pole to the waiter, and clapped her hands.

She raised her eyebrows at the dumbfounded Liam and even blinked.

Nona could not help but clap. She felt that Olivia's last stroke was so amazing. "Olivia, that stroke just now was too cool. Teachnext time. | want to learn it too." Olivia pinched Nona's cheek and looked at Jasper. "Jasper taught me. Let him teach you. He's much better than me." Before Nona could speak, Jasper agreed. "I'll teach you next time." This time, Nona was happy. She felt that Olivia's action was very handsand cool. Her movements were smooth and effortless.

Everyone looked at Liam sympathetically.

Liam felt awkward, thinking, 'Wasn't it just a loss? What kind of looks were they giving me? | didn't even go on stage, okay?" Cyril had finished a few rounds. With Jasper's guidance, Ruby won Cyril. When Jasper taught Ruby, he stood behind her and whispered into her ear so that only the two could hear him.

Cyril, who was focused on studying how to get the balls into the holes, did not find any cheating.

At the end of the game, Liam only touched the cue but did not touch a single ball. He watched Olivia play for so long and felt extremely depressed. When he left, he cursed.

He had been reported in the gand rushed to the billiards arena only to watch the match. He was extremely depressed.

They walked out of the billiards hall.

They decided to go to Grand Manor for dinner. They could also go to the gym to play before dinner.

Nona and Cyril were still in their father's car, with Jasper driving. Liam was in Ruby's car.

Before the car drove off, Jasper opened the window and said to Ruby, who was starting the car, "Drive in front. I'll follow behind you." Ruby nodded. "Okay." The cars started. Ruby's car drove first, and Jasper followed closely behind, preventing other people from interfering. The distance between the two was very close.

Olivia sat in the front passenger seat and saw the distance between the two cars. She reminded Jasper, "Jasper, don't follow so closely. If Ruby suddenly brakes, we will hit them." Jasper said affirmingly, "No, we won't." Ruby's personality was the sas her driving. She was neither anxious nor impatient, and she would never stop abruptly.

Jasper had always known this.