The Slut's Guide to Chess

chapter 10

The 2p machines quickly got old and when we'd won three keychains and a tub full of 2 pence pieces, we decided to call it quits. The excitement still bubbled within the pits of my stomach though and it made the bounce in my step undeniable. I tried to tone it down for Arwyn's sake but he seemed to bask in my over-enthusiasm.

My parents never took me to places like that. Dad was always too busy with work and my mother just wasn't very keen. I never resented them for it, it was just disappointing.

"We should get fish and chips or something," he suggested as we strolled through the old arcade.

And I agreed with a smile.

We went to the only fish and chip shop in the area and I wondered who Arwyn went into town with normally. I hoped it wasn't Griffin but I'd only ever seen him talk to the blonde boy before. The thought made my skin crawl. In my mind, Arwyn and Griffin were so different. Though I'd known Arwyn for a very short amount of time, his gaze wasn't intimidating and neither did he demand the power or attention that I felt Griffin always wanted. With Arwyn, it was just natural to feel comfortable in his presence. I felt like myself. I might have even trusted him.

The smell of grease was thick in the air as we approached the small shop and only one couple stood in front of us to be served.

"I'll pay," he announced while grabbing a ten-pound note from his coat pocket.

"I haven't had chips in so long," I babbled while allowing my eyes to roam the small shop. There were four round tables and little space to move but still very much perfect. "I wonder why everyone loves it so much here? Do they have these sorts of things in America and stuff? I mean, sitting by the beach and eating chips is, like, the perfect seaside holiday tradition. What does-"

"What do you want? To eat, I mean," Arwyn interrupted as the line slowly moved forward. "Just, you know, to be ready. But, like, don't feel rushed or anything."

"I can order if you'd like," I offered upon seeing the way his cheeks warmed. It reminded me of Kennedy. "I'll get this and you can sit down and keep us a seat."

"Okay," he agreed and gave me his order. A sigh of relief fell from his lips, quiet enough that I almost missed it.

Stood at the fish and chips show with Arwyn felt odd. There was a thrilling sort of feeling that tunnelled through my stomach and it no longer felt like a chess lesson. I got distracted often and I cursed myself for that most of the time. This whole trip felt like a distraction and somehow, I knew that was my fault.

While ordering the food and waiting for it patiently, I thought about Eliott and her brother. I thought about winning this competition on Halloween and how it'd be my only way to find her. I needed to find her and get closure for a question that burned at my skin. I needed to get good at chess. I needed Arwyn for this.

Walking to the table that Arwyn had chosen right in the corner and tucked up beside the window, I thought of everything he knew about the game. He was quiet and observant. Was that something I had to be? Surely he'd been playing for a while. He was the captain after all.

I sat down and passed him his plastic box along with the fork.

"There you are. Thank you," I smiled while pouring the change onto the table.

He quickly took all the loose coins and returned them to his pocket.

It was common knowledge around the school that the chess club wasn't all that it seemed. Everything from the players to their building and the myriad of mysteries that surrounded them proved so. They were the centre of a lot of our problems but as much so, the hero in our stories too. I couldn't imagine Arwyn in charge of it all. The chess club was an empire of sorts around here and it was almost impossible to imagine Arwyn Truong as the evil dictator of it all; he could barely order his own food let alone manufacture the downfall of so many.