Just Like Chess - A Highschool Love Story

Chapter Three

The bell rings indicating lunchtime. Jack look at his phone and saw a message from Mindy saying to meet her at the Chess Club room immediately. The "GBG mission"(Get Back with Gwenny) is on.
While going through the hallways he could look by the corner of his eye some girls giving him looks, most of them were mocking smiles and laughs. He knew his popularity as a most wanted guy would decrease, but didn't expect to be the joke of the school. This was a fuel for him to keep going to his objective.
Finally, he arrived in the Chess room. He saw by the little window in the door and did not see anyone in the darkroom but he entered anyway. Step by step Jack was trying to find somebody in the room. There were some Chess tables with two round and movable chairs in each table. Then he got scared when an armchair slowly started to turn to his side (Dramatic, right?) and appeared Mindy with her big round glasses reading a Kindle. When she got straight in his front stopped the chair stepping in the ground, but didn' took her eyes off the "book" and just looked at Jack about 10 seconds later (she was finishing the chapter) and firmly spoke to him:
"What do you need for me?" (Dramatic again)
"Can I take a sit first? I want to ask you som..." Abruptly Mindy interrupted him.
"No, I want this to be quick," said the spreading her hand in a sign for stop.
"Hey...who do you think you are?" He was very surprised.
"The girl you are asking for help. Please, be quick."
"Okay...Okay. It is about Gary and Gwenny. I know it must be killing you Gary suddenly becomes known in the school and kind of popular..."
"Killing me? I am not dork enough to worry about something about popularity." Mindy got angry.
"Well...people actually think that you are a dork."
"Guess what? I don't care, "she got angrier.
Starting to lose his patience Jack finally asked for help:
"Look, I want Gwenny back and since you know Gary and are kind of his nemesis, I think you and me could join forces to take down that relationship"
"I actually have no interest in doing this. This relationship made Gary stupid and distracted, meaning that I can be better than him on grades and Chess. The proof is the Bs and Cs he took in the finals." Mindy said in an uninteresting and calm voice while playing with her hair. Then looked at him and continued laughing, "Why would I end what is degrading him?"
"But is it not good to have a competition, something that pushes you to success? Just like in football, it's good to have a good reserve, this way who's playing is forced to be better."
"I don't need anything to push me, I am my own reserve." Said aggressively.
"So, you hate this guy so much that you want to put him down and being a failure in his future? What did he do to you that you want him to fail? So immature of you." Jack said raising his voice again.
"You are the immature here, why don't you go there and took to her like a man, instead of being just a coward little boy."
"Look, I won't waste any minute of my time to a person like you. A person who wants others to fail because want to be the best. I know people like this, and I don't want contact with toxic people.
Jack left the room, knowing why Gary is her rival and feeling sorry about Luíza's brother. Despite this, Jack was being immature either, he wanted to destroy others' happiness to achieve his own. Gary was happy with his new and unlikely girlfriend, but his grades went down, just like his College chances. And Jack wants to destroy this to get back Gwenny and involving Gary's rival on this. If Jack succeeds Gary could recover his grades but would suffer a big hit and the winner would do this in a dirty way using Mindy to put Gary down. Everything seemed wrong here.
Got straight to the cafeteria where found the table where was Carl, Luíza, Martin, and Ethan, all of them except Luíza are members of the football team.
Martin who knew about the meeting (he got Mindy's number to Jack) immediately after Jack sat asked smiling, "How was with Devil?"
"Man, something is wrong with that girl man. She is just disgusting. I don't want to talk about it. Just need a new plan."
Luiza took advantage of the situation:
"Best thing she ever did. Now you can do the right thing."
"So you are taking her side instead of mine? Jack looked outraged at her. "Besides her pride, she offended me, she's just awful."
"Always when I was playing against Gary she put pressure on me and kept complaining if I lost. And this was just to the friendly game in our reunions." Martin commented.
"Luiza, why and how Luke likes her?" Jack asked with curiosity.
"I don't know, maybe because she helps him with homework and I think he likes to be bossed around." She said lifting her shoulders demonstrating doubt.
"That's why Gwenny was perfect, we never had a fight, we were posting our photos, making out..."
"Man, to be honest, that relationship was superficial. Both of you were more interested in your popularity." Carl intervened in Jack's veneration to Gwenny.
"Well, it was working very well for me." Jack suddenly got in a mad face, lowed his head, and kept eating the peas, trying to end the conversation.
"Yeah, there are so many nice girls around, you can find another that suits you better," Luisa commented.
"You guys just do not understand that I love Gwenny?" Said suddenly raising his voice.
A strange silence took over the table, only being interrupted by Carl:
"Wow, love is just strong," said in a defensive way, also demonstrating making his hands open like trying to save himself.
"Yes, I know" Jack yelled back, still angry.
The table environment got worse. Carl and Luiza had already finished, said a shy goodbye, and left the cafeteria, letting Jack alone with Martin, who stayed there in silence just to not let him alone.
On the other side of the cafeteria, Mindy sat in the table where was Aimee and Luke waiting for her. She sat calmly next to Luke and gave Luke a kiss in the chin. Luke made held his lips in a position to get a kiss in the mouth by Mindy but distracted she ignore unintentionally. Ignoring this situation Aimee asked With a glint in her eyes and a large smile:
"Did you talk to Jack?"
"Were you talking to Jack? Why?" Luke interrupted frightened.
"No reason to be jealous of Luke. You know what I think about these guys." Mindy said raising her voice. "Sorry, but I couldn't talk to him about what you asked, the meeting didn't end well. Besides, you are better without him, he thinks he's the owner of the school." She was sad about disappointing her friend, but don't lose her sleep about it. Aimee just pouted.
Luke completed about Jack:
"He actually was the king, but he lost the power because of Gary, that man is with everything." Luke didn't realize that he said good things about Mindy's nemesis. Expecting a reprehension just closed his eyes and put a hand in the face, but it never came. She was just with an angry look at her food. The idea of Gary being popular bothered her.
It did because Mindy always respected Gary. He was a great student, disciplined, and good at chess. The only thing that distinguishes them is temper. Gary is a friendly, helpful, and calm guy. Because of this, he never fed the rivalry, he always laughed and responded with a victory at chess or a better grade, but Mindy thought he was being offensive to her. Despite the competition, she always wished good things at him, but not good as her. She was distracted all this time about what Jack said at her about how much she hates Gary. She didn't, and she was reluctant about asking Jack if she could help him to help Gary, but it was just a thought.
The three continued to eat, then another member of the Chess team, Martha arrive and surprised Mindy with some news. She sat next to Mindy pushing her with her sizeable body while saying fastly:
"Did you hear? Gary won't be in the Chess Club this year. I told him to go sign up but he said he'll play football, which is weird.
It was enough, Mindy couldn't lose her rival. And knew it was Gwenny who did it. Dismissed Martha and got up from the table with half a plate full of food and declared to Aimee and Luke:
"I have something to do. See you, people."
She saw Jack passing through the door of the cafeteria and ran towards him. When was tight behind him yelled:
"Jack, Jack" He turns and sees Mindy, but rolled his eyes and ignored her. She tried again in a breathless voice:
"Jack, Jack. I wanna help." It was enough for him to turn back to her. "I changed my mind, I need to take that down too."
"Ok. We can work together, but don't you have something to tell me?"
"Like what?" She was confused.
"I don't know." He was being sarcastic. "Maybe... something about  your behavior in the Chess room." Had a smile in his face.
"Are asking me...to apologize to you? You were offending to me..." She was interrupted by Jack:
"No help then." The smile was gone, but it was a strategy.
"Alright... It wasn't cool of me."
"I want another word and you know what it is..." Smile went back
"I don't know the word." She actually knew.
"Say you are sorry"
"Just if you say it." Mindy was negotiating.
"Okay. I am sorry for raising my voice against you. Your turn."
"So...rry," said slowly.
"Now repeat after me: I am sorry great and brilliant Jack." Now he was having fun
"I definitely... won't say that." Mindy got angry
"Ok. I was just kidding. Now, about business. I want to now think about Gary that you know and I will use things I know about Gwenny, and we'll come up with a plan."
"Alright. I will make a list of Gary's interests, characteristics, and places he likes to go to and you about Gwenny. We will meet during the fifth period to discuss. I have a free class."
"But I have class," Jack replied.
"But you don't care about it."
"Yeah, you are right." Said looking to the ground.
"I know. So, fifth period tomorrow in the Chess room and bring a list about Gwenny. Don't forget." She just turns her back to Jack without saying anything else and went to find Aimee and Luke.