Checkmate -
n. a final defeat.
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"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.
"As our newest member, why don't you stand up here?" she asked him, and he walked to the front of the room, standing at the podium positioned there. I sat down next to Kiera, trying not to snicker.
"Let's all ask him one question from the book," I announced, and I saw the bewilderment in his eyes. I had gotten him. He didn't read it.
We asked him question after question, and he came up with lame answers and excuses for not knowing the answers.
"It's four, Tess," Gabby called to me. I smiled, knowing Niall would be jumping for joy inside.
"See you guys on Monday!" I yelled to everyone, catching Niall's arm.
"I want to talk to you," I said over everyone's voices. He nodded, sitting down at a desk until everyone left. I wasn't mad at him at all, really. In fact, I felt a little guilty for embarrassing him so much.
"I'm sorry I put you through that," I spoke, and he looked up at me quickly. He shrugged, his cheeks still a little pink.
"I didn't have anything planned for today, anyway. Besides, I knew from your summary that you hadn't read the book," I chuckled, all the authority of being president leaving the room with the members.
"You did? Dang. I thought I had done a pretty good job," he scowled at himself. I shook my head, inhaling quickly.
"No, no. It was great. Even I can't drag my words out for three pages," I rushed, making sure he didn't feel bad about what he had written. His eyebrows rose.
"So I'm still in the group?" he wondered, and I nodded. His sigh of relief was followed by the screech of the chair I pulled up to the front of the desk he was sitting at.
"So who is it?" I asked him, more curious that usual to know. He furrowed his eyebrows at me, but I knew he knew what I was talking about.
"What do you mean?" I scoffed at him, rolling my eyes.
"Come on. You may be good at English, but you didn't even read the book!" I laughed, putting my chin in my palm on the desk and leaning closer to him.
"Who is it you like in here?" I asked again, and his eyes went wider than before.
"Oh, well. . ." He trailed off, and the curiosity grew.
"Kiera? Morgan? Sidney?" I asked, and he shook his head. "I bet it's Maggie. She's so pretty," I sighed, shaking my head. I wondered everyday how she did it.
"I'd laugh so hard if it was me," I almost giggled, running a hand through my hair. When I met his eyes again, he was silent. It hit me like a brick, and I almost wanted to laugh in his face. I suppressed that, letting the shock show through on my face.
"Oh." Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed, and that shocked me, too.
"I caught you off guard like you did me. You have the same look in your eyes that I probably did when you all asked me about that freaking book," he laughed, shaking his head. My heart was pounding.
He went through all of that madness and embarrassment just to be around me? I thought to myself, suddenly very aware of all the things he'd done to be near me.
"I guess we're even now," he smirked, and I realized what I could do. He stood up to go as if his and my work was done.
"We're catching each other off guard, huh?" I confirmed, and he chuckled.
"I guess, yeah," he shrugged, bringing my spirits back up completely.
"It's my turn then," I grinned, standing up and kissing his cheek, then grabbing my backpack to head out the door before I started blushing.
"Your move." His mouth hung open, his eyes glued to me. I began to pull open the door, but I dropped the book Niall had given back. He quickly picked it up, and I held out my hand for him to hand it back, but when he stood back up straight, he leaned in and kissed me. I was barely holding myself together at that point, and he sighed in front of me, so close that I knew he could feel my nervousness.
He pulled open the door himself, and just as he was about to disappear, he grinned.
"Checkmate."
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thanks to _Queen_Horan_ for requesting this! Sorry for the wait but I hope you liked it!
this one is long gosh and it's mostly mine
thanks for reading! make sure to vote, whatever that does xD I stayed home today to get imagines done and I only wrote one sentence on the last one and this. I'm so disappointed in myself
Mel x