CALVIN

twelve: the girl and her boy

I didn't know why I kept going to Patrick's nerd orgy at the train every week, but after making him feel shit about Louisa I figured the only way to make it up to him was to add to the body count of his chess club. The fairy lights were out, reflecting on the dark windows; the small lamps on each table were dim. I sat in the booth with my chocolate bar and emptied the chess pieces out on the board.

"What are your thoughts on Queen?" Calvin asked, setting up his side of the board.

"The band or the person?"

"The band."

"I don't really listen to them."

"How can you not listen to Queen?"

"It's pretty simple, actually," I put the last pawn down, "you don't wind yourself trying to hop on the bandwagon."

This clearly didn't impress him. "It's not really a bandwagon. They made some of the best music of the twentieth century."

"I don't doubt that. But I wasn't really a fan of them before, and now that they're making a comeback I feel ironically obliged to stay as far away from perpetuating their legacy as possible."

Calvin gave me a long look before making the first move. I made my move, and shifted in my seat in the silence. I looked over my shoulder and saw Patrick was far enough away not to hear me, engaged in a game with Tim Wong. I looked back at Calvin, who had brought a knight out.

"So, you and Louisa, huh?"

He seemed surprised. "How did you hear about that?"

"I didn't hear," I said, sending a pawn to its imminent death, "I saw. On the promenade yesterday. You and her, sitting on the same side of the table."

"Oh." he scrunched up his eyebrows and tackled one of my knights. In turn I ate his bishop. "We suck at this game," he said.

"Nice dodge."

He looked up. He shrugged. "I don't think we're anything, but I think there's a possibility..."

"Have you kissed yet?"

"Dude."

"Serious question."

"Yeah, a bit. Nothing serious; I don't know. I think she's pretty and she's super smart..."

"But?"

He brought his queen forward, right in the line of my white bishop. I spared him, however, and instead castled. He seemed to realize his mistake and forced his queen back.

"But I don't know if she wants anything."

"With you, or in general?"

"In general. I think she's super focused on school and her parents are very strict."

I snorted. "That never stopped anyone."

He shrugged again. "You'd be surprised."

"Would I?"

We looked at each other, for what seemed like a bit too long. I wasn't sure what message we were trying to convey to each other, but I could feel some sort of seriousness on his end. Which surprised me, because I never took Calvin for much of a serious guy.

He suddenly seemed to grow shy, like a hermit scuttling back into its shell. "Why d'you ask?"

I looked over my shoulder again, saw Patrick and Tim each had an opponent's pawn to their name, and leaned across the booth to get closer to Calvin. "Patrick is sort of... infatuated with her."