Checkmate (Request)

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Checkmate -

n. a final defeat.

.

"Haemon loved Antigone so much that-" she started, getting interrupted by a knock at the door. I was closest to it, so I jumped up quickly, wanting whoever it was to be considerate. I was in the middle of taking notes for my English project.

Thankfully, the Literary Club, that I had started, was studying and talking about Antigone by Sophocles, the same book we had a character analysis project on in English. I was getting great stuff in my notes from Morgan, until the knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

I pulled it open, seeing Niall Horan standing there. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what he possibly could have needed.

"Hi," he spoke, sounding surprised. "I was wondering if I could join the club." That surprised me, and I slightly laughed.

"We don't get many applicants in the middle of the year, but I'll talk to our president about it," I slightly smiled, closing the door before he could say anything more.

"Tess," Morgan laughed, and I noticed everyone staring at me. "You are the president, or did you forget that?" I chuckled, shaking my head.

"I don't think he's in it for the books," I shrugged, sitting back down and picking up my pencil. Our club was all girls except for three guys who also wanted help with English to get their grades up. They didn't come that often. I assumed that Niall would only focus on the girls instead of the actual content of the club.

"Sorry, Morgan," I smiled. "You were saying?"

The next few times we had meetings, he came again. By the fourth time, I was annoyed.

"To get into the club, you have to finish this book by the end of this week," I growled, shoving him the book each of us read to get in. He looked at how thick it was as I felt everyone's eyes on us. "And write a three page summary." I hoped that little, false, addition would make him back out, but he exhaled quickly, nodding.

"I'll see you Friday after school then," he spoke, disappearing down the hallway. I groaned, letting the door slam.

"Why don't you want him here? He seems to be really committed," Taylor asked. I shrugged.

"I just hope he's not playing us. I want him to be dedicated, and the summary will show that," I sighed, grabbing the book we had just started once more. I had been reading aloud to everyone when he interrupted.

"The school rules say we have to let anyone in who wants to be here," she told me. I nodded, remembering having read that at the beginning of the year when I started the club.

"We'll see what happens," I shrugged, clearing my voice to start again. I didn't want a distraction in the club, but I couldn't turn him down, so I hoped everything would be alright.

Friday afternoon, we all sat in the club room, waiting for him to show up. That time, he didn't knock, the door just opened slowly. I watched him walk in, the summary and book in his hand. He handed them to me gently, and I quickly looked over what he had written. He seemed really intelligent, but I wondered if he had actually read the book. He was using big words, and it was obvious he had written it himself, but I could have gotten that much from a summary on a website or the short paragraph on the back of the book. He knew how to carry his words on for more than what was necessary.

"Alright," I nodded, smiling to myself. "You're a member now." He grinned so big you would think he had just won the lottery.

"Thank you, Tess," he spoke, and Morgan took the paper from me. We were about on the same level of thinking, so I knew she had caught what I had.

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