The Slut's Guide to Chess

chapter 22

Everett left me standing there numbly just staring at his back as he was lost through the sea of people. I had to go to Sonny's Pharmacy now. My heart was ablaze and I knew it was something I needed to do - regardless of what he'd said. There was a newfound confidence in my stride as I found Arwyn talking to a few people.

"We have to go," I said sternly.

He blinked a couple of times while staring down at me. "W-what?"

"I need to go to the pharmacy and find Eliott."

He looked around as his thick black hair flopped over his forehead. "Now? Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Arwyn palmed the back of his neck. "Okay, okay, okay," he finally surrendered. "Let's go."

***

I couldn't sit still as the bus cruised through the country lanes. Every cell in my body was alive and even as Arwyn fell asleep against the window, I didn't stop talking. It was a habit I had yet to shake. I spoke until my throat was scratchy and the driver sighed loudly. I spoke until the rain simmered to thick fog. I spoke until the wheels stopped and I nudged Arwyn awake as our stop had arrived.

My hands shook with anticipation as I threw my tote bag onto my shoulder and held the tin of brownies under my arm. The town outside the window looked plain. Nothing about it so far stuck out, we were surrounded by cottages and gently flowing rivers. On the way here, I noticed people as they rushed through the streets with big coats and colourful umbrellas but now it was as though empty.

I said a quick thank you to the driver who only grunted in return and slowly Arwyn kept up with me. He groggily took his glasses off and ran his hand over his face upon stepping into the drizzle of rain, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"I knitted you a hat," I grinned while following the cobbled streets over a narrow bridge. "It was a surprise."

Arwyn, still reeling from his sleepy haze, only hummed in response. I pulled an orange hat from my bag and threw it over my curls before grabbing a red one and handing it to him.

He carefully placed it over his thick mop of hair, leaving strands to peek from under and sway on his forehead.

"Looks good," I encouraged, my smile widened.

"You knitted these yourself?"

I nodded eagerly and watched a girl pass up on her horse. I hadn't seen any cars yet, just old cottages with thatched rooves and orange trees that dotted the cobbled roads.

"Yeah, I've got loads of stuff that I've knitted lying around. It helps me concentrate. I'm not exactly good but they don't look half bad, right?"

He patted the hat on his head with a ghost of a smile. "Where are we going?"

"Uhm, I don't know. I was thinking about just following the roads and finding it from there, right? Then I can take a better look at this town because look how amazing this place is!" I threw my arms into the air and wondered how beautiful it would be in the summertime. "It must cost so much to live here, wow."

He scoffed. "You definitely have enough money to live here. You go to Blackwell, this would probably be nothing."

I smiled slyly and allowed my feet to glide along the floor, slick from the drizzle of fresh rain. "You know, my parents made that money - not me. I've never made my own money. But, I want to get a job soon. I'll go to a college somewhere far away and work in a cafe. Or- or, I'll do sixth form and work in the pub by the school. Then, when I've got enough money, I'll move somewhere far away and do something amazing."