Checkmate (Sequel to Game On)

Chapter 10: Chess

We're over. We're over. We're over. We're over. We're over.

The words keep ringing in my head, the memory of Nathaniel's hurt eyes flashes through my mind as soon as I close my eyes for the slightest second and my heart keeps throbbing endlessly.

I'm still in the boys' bathroom, I can't find the strength to get up nor can I find the strength to even cry anymore. I've lost track on the time as well but I do know that I've been here for a while because the numbness that overcame me has washed off by now and been replaced with the pain I thought I would've felt sooner.

Yes, I've only known Nathaniel for two months but that doesn't mean that I can't have grown such strong feelings for him that I can call it love - because I have.

I love Nathaniel and I'm not ashamed to admit it. My love for Nathaniel is as strong as my hate for Nick. It will last forever.

I will still love him even though it's over. I can't do anything else. It's not possible to just forget about him.

Footsteps and the sound of the door into the bathroom opening awake me from my sad thoughts but I don't look up to see who's entered.

"Celiné?" A familiar, soft voice asks. I don't answer him, I don't answer Jamie because I don't see any reason to.

"Celiné are you alright? What happened?" He crouches down next to me and put a hand on my back, his worried blue eyes watching me intensely.

I take a hold on his shoulder, digging my nails into his skin, desperate for comfort.

"Seriously, what are you doing here?" Jamie asks and I look at him with glossy eyes, my lips trembling as I try to must up enough energy to speak.

"H-he... br-broke up with m-me..."

Jamie's eyes widen as the meaning of the words sinks in and he encloses me in a tight hug, pressing me against his body. I hold onto him for dear life and sobs into the crook of his neck, wetting his shirt with fresh tears I didn't think I had left.

"Shh, it's gonna be okay", he mumbles as he strokes me over my back, doing his best to comfort me. As my sobs die out, he leans back a bit and meets my puffy eyes.

"You wanna get out of here?" he asks softly and I find myself nodding. Jamie stands up and puts his hand under my armpits, lifting me up like a little kid until my feet find their place on the floor.

"Let's go to my place, alright? I'll just tell Carter to come up with a lie for our absence."

I swallow the lump in my throat and force my legs to follow him out of the bathroom and school building. Unlike me, Jamie got a driving license and we walk to his car in silence.

As soon as I place myself in the front seat, the smell of his cinnamon car freshener overwhelms me. I still haven't figured out why you want your car to smell like a cinnamon bun but I guess the answer is that we all have different tastes.

Jamie turns on the radio as he pulls the car out of the parking lot and starts the ten-minute drive towards his house. None of us utter a single word throughout the whole ride and soon enough, we pull up in front of Jamie's white terraced house.

His parents are at work since it's still morning and the house is empty and silent as we step inside and make our way to the kitchen.

"Tea?" Jamie asks and I nod absentmindedly. I'm still in shock, I can't believe that it's really over.

"Sooo, do you wanna to tell me what happened?" Jamie asks after a few minutes of silence, bringing me back from my thoughts.

"I-I... I don't know what to say..." I whisper truthfully. I don't know what to say because I don't know how much I can tell him. Nathaniel broke up with me because he saw a picture of me and Nick but what am I supposed to say? I don't want to get involved in any more lies.