The Chess Club

Chapter 3

Clearing his throat Max Knight asked an excited Roxie Grey, “What do you mean by ‘my knight’?” Roxie tilted her head in confusion and replied, “Of course you are my knight since I’m the queen you slow head.” While slapping his back hard.

How is it common sense that she is the queen? Wait queen of what exactly is she? Queen of Annoying?

Leaving no time for Max to ask any questions, she got up and started heading for the class in super speed as she heard the bell ring.

Well isn’t she excited for her next class? I should remember to ask her about this stuff if she comes bothering me again. I hope she doesn’t appear in front of me again.

After finishing the last two classes, the school ended at 2:30. Max took the bus to school, but going back home he walked since he preferred it that way and there were no busses until 3:00. As he walked home he listened to music. The music’s high volume blocked out the outside world. Max however hated one thing about being completely blocked from the outside world. The thing that he hated was the world inside his head. When he was separated from the world for too long, his head starts thinking about things that he really doesn’t want to think about. Taking in a deep breath Max sighs and opens his eyes and as soon as he does he comes face to face to Roxie.

Wow she has such a deep blue colored eyes. Such a round eyes. A not too pale skin. Pink soft looking…

“Dear Knight, you are staring.” Said Roxie knocking Max out of his daydream. As a sudden reflex Max looks away from Roxie. Roxie chuckles at Max’s reaction. She then turn around and starts walking saying, “Aren’t you going home? Let’s walk home together since I live close by.”

She lives close to me? Well, of course she does we took the same bus to school today. This is my chance.

Max starts walking beside Roxie after a while of walking in complete silence, Max masters up the courage and asks, “What were you talking about in the lunch break? I’m just saying it if you haven’t noticed yet. I don’t like being around people so I’m really not planning on joining any club. I’m also sure that you don’t want someone like me in your club.” Roxie wide eyed while forming an O with her mouth starts clapping. Max confused asks, “Why are you clapping?” With a big smile on her lips she says, “So you can talk if you want to. We are getting closer aren’t we, Max Knight?” Max feeling uncomfortable starts walking faster trying to escape Roxie although his efforts gained him nothing except more comments and laughter from Roxie shouting to him, “You don’t have to be shy.”

I’m not shy I just don’t like being around you, that’s all.

At the end, Max was unable to get away from Roxie despite all of his efforts.

The girl is quite persistent and that is not an understatement.

Max’s house came in view, finally. Reaching his front door, Max takes out the house keys from his school bag and unlocks the door. Max didn’t notice Roxie heading straight to the house next door until he heard her say, “See you tomorrow, neighbor.” Max looked up in the direction of her voice and caught a small glance of Roxie as she went inside the house next door.

What? She is my neighbor? How can world be this cruel to me? I won’t even be able to have peace at my own home, not that I ever did have peace in the first place.

Max sighed as he went straight to his room. He shut the door and locked it. Then he placed the key under his pillow. Ever since that ‘incident’, Max hasn’t been able to sleep if he doesn’t lock the door. Locking the door assured him that nothing or nobody could inside his bedroom or take the key without his knowledge if they got in. From that night, Max has always felt like he was being watched when he was at home.

Max not in the mood to change his clothes decides to take a nap for an hour or two. An hour later Max is woken up by the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. Max tells his mother standing behind the door,”I will be down for dinner in a minute.” With that Max heard her footsteps going further away from his bedroom door. Footsteps, footsteps, and just like that all of the memories of that day coming rushing as if teasing him.

Would things have changed if I had opened the door and looked at him? ... Of course it wouldn’t, he probably had made up his mind from a long time ago. Stop thinking. STOP.

As Max sat up in his bed that was placed right next to the window, he opened his eyes slowly trying to ease his throbbing head. As he opened his eyes he noticed that his window’s view had changed. His window was positioned exactly across Roxie’s room’s window, giving Max a little chance of peaking inside her room. To be exact Max could see everything that Roxie did on her desk. Right now, Roxie was sitting at her desk with her laptop seemingly reading something on the web again then she suddenly bursts out laughing.

Max unknowingly smiles a little seeing Roxie laughing as he headed down stairs to eat dinner with his mother. Later on, as Max laid on his bed staring at his roof he asked himself out loud, “What would happen if I joined her club?” he shakes off the thought and falls into the clutches of sleep. In his sleep only the images of his old self came hunting him. The rebellious him who was never home and possibly caused or at least added on to his father’s troubles that made him do the thing that he did that night. In his sleep a tear escaped his eyes and found its way down to his cheek leaving a wet path behind.