Alex Wars

Chapter Two: Let the Game Begin

I glanced nervously from left to right but the hallways remain empty. Standing outside the senior advanced chemistry classroom, I felt like I was committing a crime.

More like social suicide, I thought to myself. I tried not to think about what people might say if they saw me.

I couldn't turn back. Georgie was long gone and I was already here, plus I had time to kill before I was needed somewhere else. Shaking my head, I reached for the door and opened it just a crack, poking my head in.

The room was dim, the only source of light coming from the large windows that made up most of the far wall. I peered inside the room. Suddenly, I realized that something was off.

No one was talking.

I heard chatter from outside the classroom but now it seemed that all talk dissipated. I glanced at the figures in the room. Two redheads, a girl with glasses and a short boy, were frozen while in the middle of setting up a chessboard. Then my eyes landed on Connor, my shoulders sagging in relief.

"Hi Connor," I said, shuffling straight to him.

"Al, hey," he replied, looking slightly surprised. "What are you doing here?"

A blush began to creep on my face. "Oh, well, Georgie told me that I should try chess," I stuttered out. A flash of a memory crossed my mind as I remembered how Georgie and I used to play board games with Connor when we were younger.

Connor's face broke into a grin and I felt a little bit more comfortable. "Oh cool," he said. "Here, sit with me." I gratefully took the chair next to him and opposite the other two members of the club. "Al, meet-"

"Stephen Weber," the redheaded boy cut in. He had on a black shirt with the words Dragon Age stamped across it. Freckles littered his nose and the tops of his cheeks as he smiled cheerily at me. "You can call me Stevie."

"Call me Ali," I tell him, not offering my full name. "Nice shirt," I continued, trying to make conversation. "I can't wait to play Inquisition."

Stevie's jaw dropped. "You know about Bioware? And play their games?"

My eyes widened at my mistake. "My brother does," I said hastily. I wasn't surprised at Stevie's reaction. I don't think anyone expected me of all people to play video games, let alone the genre that people like Stevie or Connor played.

I glanced shyly at the girl, looking down when I met her grey eyes. Cursing myself when I realized she was probably more scared of me than I was of her, I looked up again, this time meeting her tentative gaze. "And you are?"

The girl seemed startled that I spoke directly to her. "Oh, uhm, I'm, uh, Amelia," she stuttered. She tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace, her braces making it look all the more difficult.

I smiled softly at her. I was afraid I was going to scare her or something. "That's pretty," I commented and she blushed. "Do you have a nickname?" When she shook her head, I grinned. "Can I give you one?"

Her already-magnified eyes widened behind her glasses. "Uh, sure, if you want."

"I've always wanted to call someone Mia," I said, remembering my brother's and my reference this morning to The Princess Diaries. When she smiled back this time, it didn't look so forced. Instead of Stevie's freckles, she had smooth, creamy skin and I couldn't help but think how pretty she was with her soft features and nice smile.

"So Ali, what's the queen of the pops like you doing here?" Stevie said, his eyebrows rising in interest.

I gave an uneasy laugh, rubbing my arm. I knew what the term referred to. The students of Bay High liked to call those considered popular "the Pops," and whether I wanted the ridiculous title or not, I was one of them. "Funny, I would think that being a pop allowed me to go anywhere. And I'm not the queen."