The Slut's Guide to Chess

chapter 7

I sat on the wall beside the boy's dorm building and felt the sun as it beat down gently onto my cheeks. I closed my eyes and moved my legs up and down to the beat of my heart causing a gentle tap to echo through the silence. It was Saturday morning, the quietest of times, and a tin of chocolate cupcakes was beside me. I loved to bake.

In my head, I filled the silence with the first names that appeared to me.

Eliott Hearse, Arwyn Truong, Aleena Khan, Kennedy McQueen, Alexander Devon, Zora McQueen.

Then, I repeated them in alphabetical order.

Aleena Khan, Alexander Devon, Arwyn Truong, Eliott Hearse, Kennedy McQueen, Zora McQueen.

I saw their simple faces behind my closed eyes with small smiles and rosy cheeks.

Next, I decided to whisper the names in order of age.

"Kennedy McQueen, Alexander Devon, Eliott Hearse, Arwyn Truong, Zora McQueen, Aleena Khan."

The click of a door from behind snapped me out of the daze and I jumped to my feet. Arwyn stumbled from the building with a large jumper and messy hair that danced in the light breeze.

"Hey!" I greeted him.

Taken aback by my perky voice so early, he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Hi," Arwyn replied in a quiet voice as he approached me. He didn't stop moving, though. He continued walking ahead, right into the centre of our school campus. I followed quickly.

"I baked chocolate cupcakes for us!" I grinned and opened it to reveal them lined up tidily. "Do you want one?"

He refused. I frowned and put the lid back on to slip the tin into my bag.

"So, did you finish your history book?" I asked. "Was it good?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "My...history book? Zora, I didn't even take history."

"You know what I'm on about! When you came to my dorm to apologise and I asked you what you were reading and you said your little history book, remember? I've forgotten the name, now. But, was it good?"

"My little history book?" He repeated incredulously though amusement settled on his lips. "The Secret History is not a literal history textbook. It's a fictional novel - psychological."

"Well, was it good?" I persisted, bouncing next to him like a puppy.

"Yes...it was. Thank you, very good. Made me think. Gave me ideas."

"So, what are you reading now?"

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It felt odd to have a real conversation with him. He probably felt the same way, too.

"Uh, I just started reading The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon," he answered. I had never heard of it.

"So, you're a proper book nerd, then?" I teased with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes.

"So, what's your favourite book?" I continued.

"The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller."

I made a mental note of his answer with a sweet smile and continued to follow the older boy. We weaved through students as I lugged the tin in my arms and felt internally deflated that he didn't even look at the chocolate cupcakes, even after I spent so much time baking them to perfection for him.

"So where's our first lesson taking place? Do you think I'll be allowed into the chess block?" I questioned.

Arwyn shook his head. "No, I've been thinking about this and the first lesson will be an important one."