"Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We"
Analysis
To lurk is to be an unwelcome body in a space, and by describing themselves as habitual lurkers, the players recognize the liminal nature of their conditions. Everywhere they go, they feel they are not supposed to be there. Even during this scene at the Golden Shovel, they're supposed to be in school. But if they were at school, some authority figure would be policing their movements, making sure they weren't lingering in the hallways and bathrooms. As young Black men, they face constant suspicion from authority and white people, and are stuck in a state of "lurking."
To "strike straight" is to shoot pool well. On the one hand, striking straight suggests that they spend many afternoons at the pool hall instead of going to school, and thus have improved their game tremendously. So the acquisition of a straight shot comes at the cost of their educations. On the other hand, the word "strike" evokes violence, and to "strike straight" is similar to "shooting straight": it suggests a directness and forcefulness, and a lack of apology or hesitation in the perpetration of violence.
