Takes, Check, Mate

A boy who sees ten moves ahead still can't explain why he punched the wall.

The girl who gave him the book was never supposed to be his opponent.
The man who knocked on his door was never supposed to offer double or nothing.
The grandmaster who called him a parasite was never supposed to feel afraid.

Athen forgot to pay his debt. He forgot to name the feeling.
But he didn't forget the foot of the man with the gun.
He didn't forget the weight of a book he never asked for.

Now something in him has changed-and the only person who notices is the one who's been watching the longest.