One Chapter Ends

Chapter Four

the girl pretended the corner

was a fort

and wrapped herself in words

trying to ignore the voices

battering down the walls

On Wednesday night, Hazel attended Scrabble club again. When she walked in, Keith looked up and scowled at the sight of her.

"Is he still sulking?" she asked June, who had pursed her lips together in an effort not to smile. June nodded and leant towards her covertly.

"He's made his mind up to beat you this time," the older lady told her. "I'd prepare myself, if I were you."

"Will do." Hazel grinned and stood up as Brian came towards the table, Theodore right behind him.

"Hazel!" Brian exclaimed, his smile widening. "You came back."

"Well, yeah," Hazel said, pretending to be offended. "I couldn't leave after one session. I had to give Keith the proper time to win against me." She leant over and hugged Brian. Both sat down, Theodore already on his usual backwards-facing chair. She shot a cheeky glance at the misanthropic man sitting next to her. "Ready to try and beat me, Keith?"

"I was born ready," he retorted, withdrawing seven tiles from the blue bag he held. Passing it around, they all took seven tiles. Hazel carefully arranged hers on her stand.

June went first again, with the word WAGON. "Nine points!" she crowed, scribbling her score down.

"Oh, Keith, before I forget, Liam called ahead and said he'll be bringing Rachel tonight," Theodore said suddenly. Brian put down GRAM, using the G in WAGON. June wrote his score.

To Hazel's surprise, something like a smile crossed Keith's face. "He did?"

"Yeah. He said that Mason had a staff meeting until late, so he's bringing Rachel and you're heading straight back to their house for dinner." Keith nodded, his eyes on his tiles.

"Who's Rachel?" Hazel asked.

"Keith's granddaughter," June answered for him. "He dotes on her. Spoils her, actually."

"I do not," Keith growled, placing tiles on the board to form the word MODE, using Brian's M and a triple-letter square on the D.

"She's adorable," June gushed to Hazel. "Chubby cheeks, big brown eyes, ringlets you'd die for. She's got Keith wrapped all the way around her pinky finger." She grinned mischievously at Keith, who glowered.

"That is eleven points for you, Keith," June said, examining the paper. "Nine for me and seven for Brian."

"I hope Rachel learns to play Scrabble from someone other than you, Keith," Hazel commented, plucking tiles from her stand with care. Using Keith's E, she placed EARSHOT on the board.

June cackled and began adding up the letters. Keith's face looked like a thundercloud. Brian leaned backwards to whisper something to Theodore, who grinned.

"Wait a second," Keith said suddenly, face clearing. "That's only ten points!"

"Not quite," June said cheerfully. She lifted up the T, to reveal a quadruple-letter square underneath. Keith's cheeks turned purple. "Thirteen points to Hazel."

And so the game went on. As it did, the three older people at the table cheerfully – Keith less so – told Hazel bits and pieces about their lives and families.