Late nights

IX

- The best thing to start the game would be to conquer the middle. 

- Yep, I know that. - Tom said. 

- Right, if you learn openings, you can stop your opponent's attack before it even happens. I personally like using the Slav defense, but you strike me as a Ruy Lopez kinda guy, or maybe baltic. Well, whatever you want to play, you can do that.

- Okay, you're telling me I can go wherever I want, and to be honest, that's kinda obvious.

- Right, but that's the thing, it's not. For example, - Lola started moving around the pieces, - where would you go?

Tom looked at the board and attacked with a bishop.

- Now you're trapped. That bishop is gonna be taken and the whole game will be downhill for you.

- Well not yet.

- It will. We can play it out if we want. 

- I'm good.

Lola continued teaching Tom everything about chess and manipulating the board. She gave him a stack of books to read if he wanted to become a better player. Tom was listening to everything she was saying and paying extremely close attention. One game after another, Tom felt as if he wasn't getting any better. He noticed Lola tilted her head a lot during the games.

- Another win, I can feel you getting better. - Lola rubbed her hands on her legs.

- Did I have a chance to win that time?

- You had a chance right up until turn 19, after that the game was pretty much over. Guaranteed victory.

- But how do you know?

- I could tell. You won't become good at chess overnight, but maybe you'll get better. 

- When you went to your first competition, - Tom laid down on Lola's dorm mates bed, - were you nervous?

- Umm, maybe a little bit. I thought I was gonna win so it wasn't too stressful.

- How could you know you could do it?

- I don't know, - Lola was looking at a piece, - I never assumed I couldn't.

- There are ranks, right? I've heard about them. - Tom said.

- Yes, there are. Some people disagree about what stands where, but yeah, there are rankings.

- So what rank would I be? - Tom wondered. 

- Probably class A, maybe 1800.

- And where do you stand?

- I have 2274, which makes me a master. 

- Wow, okay, bigshot over here, - Tom laughed, - you're planning to go higher?

- I don't plan on ever stopping. I've heard the skill level jumps dramatically from 2300 though, so I'll see. And maybe one day I'll reach 2600, which is grandmaster...That's pretty much impossible, the people with grandmaster titles are literally like...Well, they're grandmasters.

- I'm sure you'll get there one day.

- Maybe, during a midlife crisis. Even if I won every game, it would take me forever. Luckily, I have forever. Anyway, my dorm mate will probably be back soon, so I need to get this place cleaned up.

Tom looked around the clean room, said goodbye, and started heading home. It was dark outside, but that only made him calmer. Lola's roommate came home and knew she had someone over.

- Lola. - She shouted.

- What's up?

- My bed smells different.

- How much different? Not like weed?

- It smells like a boy. - She started teasing her.

- Right, okay then. We just played some chess.

- Oh I'm sure he moved your pieces if you know what you mean.

- You can't move your opponent's pieces, that's just dumb Hannah.

- Oh don't even, you know what I'm talking about. Oh, oh, oh, checkmate. - Hannah fell on her bed.

- You're so immature, it's beyond me. - Lola said and walked away.

While Tom was heading home, he saw Harry and his friends in the distance. Olivia was with them. Tom planned to just walk by them and go home, but they had other plans.

- Aye, - Harry stopped Tom, - aren't you the one messing around with my girlfriend?

- Who? - Tom acted stupid. - I'm pretty sure you don't have one. 

- Okay, EX-girlfriend. It's almost as if you were behind all of this.

- I was behind you having s*x with Olivia? In what way?

- Shut up little man.

- We're the same height Harry, you're sad.

Harry looked at all his friends to back him up. They made a circle around Tom. He knew exactly what was about to happen but didn't move an inch.