2. The Newbie
1012 Words
If I win, they'll leave me alone. But if I lose, my whole high school life will be a living hell. Great.
It's been a week since I agreed to Karla's scheme — a week of temporary peace. I was sitting here at the exact table where the gang terrorized me. Cupping my cheek, my eyes were on my hot chocolate, watching the hot cream form a tornado as I stirred it with another hand. If I wasn't thinking about the competition, my snack was long gone before I was able to sit here. But since my mind was an advanced thinker, I was already crushing down Karla's chess pieces in my mind.
I groaned when I felt the throbbing pain in my head. This was her fault. She was a tremendous obstacle to my interest. I should have been excited about the game. Chess had my biggest attention ever since I learned how to solve fractions and mathematical equations way back in grade school. Anything about chess made my blood so pumped up.
But now I even didn't want to practice. I wasn't touching my chessboard since Karla and her friends embarrassed me. How could they? She only had the guts to bully others because she had a troop of ridiculous and huge friends that could knock you down in one whack. If I got more friends just like in my previous school, she wouldn't even lay a finger on my hair.
"Oh, enough for that negative thinking, Quinn. She's not worth it," I whispered to myself then drank quickly my already cold chocolate milk.
I was about to stand when my gaze caught the sight of a group of posh girls walking towards the canteen's entrance. "Oh, heaven, Karla's gang again," I hissed to myself. "Of all the people, why do I have to see them always?"
I sat again and bowed my head, pretending that I didn't spot them. Oh, how I wish they didn't see me as well. Anyway, my image wasn't noticeable. With a loose grey T-shirt and a pair of jeans, plus a baseball cup I usually wear on washdays like this day, most students would just ignore me as if I was invincible.
But then I gasped when I pair of hands slammed against my table.
"Quinny dear!"
Slowly, I lifted my head and frowned at her grinning face. "What do you want this time, Karla?"
"You think we won't notice you?" she asked, still smiling. Then she grabbed a chair from another table and slumped in it from across me. "Why, that's impossible. You are the only one wearing..." She narrowed her cat-lined eyes and said, "Um... outdated?"
"Oh, come on! You're too harsh, Karla!"
I blinked and glared at Amy who was already sitting in front of my table.
"Her outfit's not outdated at all. It's primitive."
"Antique!"
"No, it's corny!"
"Moldy!"
"Bygone!"
"Neglected!"
"Extinct!"
"Downy!"
I shut my eyes as the girls around me threw those sweet comments. What's their problem? Don't they have more important things to do than making fun of me?
"Dead."
After Karla's last comment, the gang almost died from cracking up. How I wish they would just lose oxygen and collapse from laughing.
"Excuse me," I muttered then grabbed my backpack and stood up. "Gotta go."
"Whoa, whoa, What's the rush? We're not finish yet!"
I paused as Karla caught my arm. I didn't look at her but managed to yank myself from her tight grasp. "What do you want, Karla? You wanna kill me this time then do it now for God's sake!"
Silence passed by. I scanned around then gulped for realizing how far my voice had reached. Oh, great. Another scandal again. I just imagined my classmates talk about this when I enter the classroom later.
Karla's eyes widened when I pulled my arm from her. But then she cleared her throat and stood up. "Relax, dear," she said, reaching for the lock of my hair. "I'm just wondering if we could have a friendly match. The tournament's happening two weeks from now, and I'm so worried I got no practice at all."
"A friendly match? Are you serious?" I adjusted my cap and frowned at her. "Why? Are we friends in the first place?"
The girls looked at each other while Karla stopped playing with my hair. Then her eyes almost popped out but eventually blurted into laughing.
"Oh, how the heck did I forget about that!" She caught her forehead but still laughing. "You're right. We're 'not' friends. We're not there yet."
"Is that necessary? Don't you have someone to play with? Your trainer or a wise computer maybe? Why would you want to have a practice game with me?"
"She's rejecting you, Karla!"
"Yeah! She doesn't want you!"
"Maybe you're not good enough for her!"
"That's right. She even says you're not—"
"Shut up!"
I almost jumped from my shoes when Karla yelled at her group. Then the girls all gestured like they were zipping their mouths closed. When Karla turned her attention back to me, her eyes were already inflamed.
"Listen, you ragdoll," she gritted, pulling my arms again. She placed her mouth near my ear and I could feel her firing breath against my skin. "Tomorrow. 7 P. M. in the library. We are going to have a game, all right? If you fail to come, then I would be glad to serve you the punishment just even before the tournament. Do you get that?"
I gulped and blinked back my tears. "You can't do that. We have an agreement!"
"Oh, yes I can do whatever the heck I wanted to do!" She released me and grabbed her purse. "Remember. Tomorrow night. In the library. Don't be late, otherwise, you're not attending this school... forever."
Her threatening expression suddenly turned into a sweet smile. "That's all. See ya!" she mumbled, then walked past me, bumping me with her shoulders, and headed to the food counter. On the other hand, her gang followed her like a dog's tail.
- Writer
