"Maddie!" I yelled, my voice tinged with stress. "Have you seen my black skirt with the star in the corner?"
I dashed out of my room and saw Maddie standing there, holding the skirt with a sheepish smile. "Here you go," she said, offering it to me.
I took a deep breath, relieved but curious. "Where did you find it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Maddie fidgeted slightly, looking a bit embarrassed. "Well, I was actually snooping around in your closet because I needed something for a date," she admitted nervously.
"It's okay, at least you didn't do anything with them," I said, laughing at her nervousness. I glanced at the clock and realized I only had an hour left before heading to the airport, and I still had packing to do. Rushing back to my room.
After finishing up, I came out to say goodbye to Maddie. "Maddie, it's time for me to head to the airport," I said, my voice tinged with sadness. I hated that she couldn't be there with me for this milestone
"Ahhh, why can't I come with you?" Maddie asked, her disappointment clear. She gave me a pleading look, her eyes wide and hopeful. "Can I come?"
I chuckled and shook my head. "You know you can't. You promised you'd help Jessie with the kids while she's out of town."
"I know, but I still can't believe my friend is going to be a world chess champion!" Maddie said, a mix of happiness and disbelief in her voice.
"I get it," I said, laughing at her enthusiasm. "But don't worry, I'll fill you in on all the details when I get back. And you can always watch the live stream and see me lose my marbles."
"Fine, fine," Maddie said with a reluctant smile. "Now hurry up—you have a plane to catch!" She gave me a playful shove, her urgency clear.
"Thanks," I said, giving her a quick hug. "I'll see you soon! And I'll do my best to win that championship!"
"Go get 'em!" Maddie called after me as I headed out the door.
+++++++++
"I looked at my phone once we landed at the airport and had some trouble understanding the signs. Then I received a message from Maddie."
Maddie
Hey loser, you forgot your charger here
Need those updates on the match or I'm gonna go crazy.
Me
Well shit now i need to buy one, my phone is about to die
And Bro i just got here and you already asking for updates 😭
Maddie
Well my bad I just excited for you 🙄
Me
Whatever 🙄
I found my lounge and took an Uber to the hotel. As I arrived in front of the hotel, I realized it looked very different from what I expected. I entered the hotel and approached the front desk.
The receptionist greeted me with, "Здравствуйте, чем я могу помочь?" I stared at her, momentarily forgetting that I was in a country where a different language is spoken. Panicking about how I was going to communicate, I asked, "Do you speak English or Spanish?" nervously.
She looked at me with a hint of annoyance but tried to hide it. "Yes, I speak English. Sorry for the inconvenience. What can I do to help?" she replied tiredly.
"I'm trying to check into my room," I said.
"What's your name?" she asked, glancing up at me.
"Elizabeth Perez," I answered slowly.
"No way, you're Elizabeth Perez? You have your tournament in two days!" she exclaimed, her mood lifting.
"Yeah, I just came from the airport," I responded with a sheepish smile.
"I can't believe I didn't recognize you sooner. I always see you in the livestreams for the tournaments. You're really beautiful; if you weren't a chess player, you could be a model or even an actress!" she said with admiration.
"Thank you, but that's too generous. I don't think I'd be successful in modeling or acting. I'd probably break down in laughter," I replied honestly.
She handed me my keys and said, "Your room number is 301. It was nice meeting you."
"It was nice meeting you too," I said with a smile.
I walked up to my room, opened the door, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was larger than I expected. I unpacked my things and started practicing for the match in two days.
Max is going to be introduce in a few so don't worry just wanted to but plot for the characters. As I don't know a lot of things about chess so me making a character that's in chess is stressful lol
