The Rivalry (Discontinued)

Chapter 3: The Warning

“Checkmate.” I said as I ran my hand across the chessboard, each chess pieces tumbling down and rolling out of the board. The last pieces standing were a Rook and two Bishops from my side, cornering Gaya’s King on the edge.

Gaya groaned, making me giggle. “I don’t want to play anymore!” she complained. “Why do you happen to be so good? We’ve been having a rematch for like, the fiftieth time but still… I couldn’t win!”

I grinned as I putting back the pieces inside the board and slamming it shut. “It’s not because I’m good. It’s just because you lack skill.”

She rolled her eyes. “Wow, thanks.”

Since our Lunchtime was an hour long, and we were finished in thirty minutes, we decided to borrow a chessboard from the school’s library and play on the table just outside the building. Gaya had the guts to play with me when she doesn’t even know that a King can only travel a step at a time in any directions, except the Horse’s, and that the Bishop’s direction was only diagonal but kept playing it horizontally and vertically.

Shan grabbed the chessboard and I looked at her. “Lemme give this back fo’ ya’.” she said and went for the door, leaving me and Gaya alone.

When the glass double-door shut behind Shan, Gaya turned to me and leaned forward. “So,” she started. “You’re friends with River?”

I looked at her, stared for a second, before nodding. “Why?”

She pushed herself away and looked down at her lap, and patted it, as if there were dirt lying there. “Nothing, just asking,” Then, she sighed and looked at me. “You know, she has a tinee tiny bit of attitude in her.” she said, putting her hand up and putting her index and thumb a little closer, trying to show what she was talking about. “The ones that you won’t like at all.”

I frowned and then looked down at my newly-trimmed nails. “She’s cool.”

“Believe me.” she insisted. “We’ve been together for three years. I know her better than you.” She crossed her feet and straightened her body. “We’ve been friends for a long time and I don’t think it’s good if you spend your time with her too much. She’s pretty mean.”

I scoffed. “If you’re gonna ask me who really the mean one is, I’d say it’s Levina.” I combed my hair with my fingers and looked up at her. “Then that means, I’d have to stop being with you-know-who.” Then, almost instantly, I realized I was trying to point out that I should stop hanging out with them. “Only her, I mean.”

“She’s just jealous, Jan.”

I frowned, “Jealous of what?” Then I said a matter-of-factly, “She has it all. She’s pretty, she’s popular, she―”

“She doesn’t have everything.” she cut me off, making me shut up. She paused for a second, as if thinking what she should say, or thinking if what were running in her mind was the right thing to say. “She doesn’t have a family.” she said in a quiet voice. “She was abandoned. The people from the orphanage pay for her school. She grew up without anyone to guide her on the right path.” Then, she shrugged, “Well, maybe there was, but she wouldn’t listen.”

I stayed quiet for a moment, thinking of what she’d said. But why did she sounded so cold when I told them my parents were separated? It’s like she didn’t care at all. Well, maybe it’s because I had experienced having parents to love me and she hadn’t. Pity swelled in my heart.

“Sorry.” I said sincerely. “Sorry for acting like that.”

“It’s okay,” she shook her head. “But seriously, you should be careful when hanging out with her and her friends. Yeah, they’re nice, and I'm not preventing you from being with them, but you still have a lot to learn about those people. And I had, and I didn’t like it,” she said, grabbing her phone in her pocket and checking the time.