Chapter Two
514 Words
Kellan Porter POV
It was the sixth days of November 1980. I was engrossed playing Chess with my club buddy, Liam in the school library. It wasn’t just a mere game, we had a deal, whoever wins would treat lunch in the school Cafeteria after school. Liam Finley was one of the best Chess players in the school and my best friend for five years now. It’s not actually unsettling playing chess with him, but with deals like that, we always got into a serious battle.
“Checkmate!” I spoke. Liam gets unsettled. He gazed hard on the board. His foot taps continuously on the floor. His hands curled on the surface of the table. I smiled defiantly. There’s no escape. I was about to win, when suddenly pawns knocked out, King fell, books toppled on the chessboard, a girl stood frozen shell-shocked. “I’m so sorry…I didn’t… It fell.” Her voice quaver, yet composed. I was this close of winning. I should’ve burst out although I know it was an accident, but when our eyes met, I could see something suddenly enlivened in her eyes. It didn’t dither; it was steady but expressive and excited. A quite interesting curiosity ignites in my head- her fluttery gazes captivated me. That curiosity melted my rage in an instant and left me speechless. Her voice? It wasn’t soft, but it’s naturally composed with a tone of embarrassment. That voice can instantly get the attention of everyone who hears it. “It’s okay.” Liam said. He helped her picked the books. It’s confusing why my brain works harder to process the fact that I should be helping her like a gentleman would, but instead I just watched her as she picked the books and smiles to Liam as she says thank you. That smile? At that exact moment when I saw that smile, I knew I was completely gone. Brain fog, time dilation? Those things are real. A momentarily illusion where she moves slowly and vividly in my sight, and my brain can’t process anything rather than the thoughts about her smile, and her entirely. ‘She’s different’, the only thought that comes to my head.
She left, yet I was still bedeviled. “Are you okay?” Liam asked.” Oh. Yeah.” I spoke coming back to my senses.
“Well, looks like someone’s got stars trucked.” Liam teasingly laughing. “Is that a crime?” I answered evasively.
Honestly, it was the very first time I got curious about someone. The very first time I was impacted by just a second of glance, and a voice. As much as I was curious, I didn’t ask about her, nor mention her to my friend Liam. I instantly extinguished the thought of her in my mind before it spread like a wildfire in my heart. That’s how careful I am to love. Why invest to something so inherently prone to collapse? That’s is what love to me. Like building a sandcastle against the tide, knowing full well it’ll be washed away.
- Writer
