check mate

Last night I chose Steel Magnolias over the homecoming game, much to the chagrin of my roommates. We'll let that pass. As a result I was shunned, left alone while they hunted for an unused TV to watch our teams potential failure. (weirdly we won). While I was thus ensconced I received a visitor. Chris, the unaware love of Julie's life, came over and invited me for a game of chess today. My smile appeared before I thought about it.

Julie came home that night grinning from ear to ear because Chris had sat by her watching the game. Her cheeriness cooled when I told her of his invitation. I know the girl rules. I tread dangerous ground. My wariness grew when Tarythe told me Chris knew I was the only one home and had come purposefully.

We played the game today. Julie sat next to me as the match progressed. She watched like a hawk to learn the dynamics of each player. The King had very little room to maneuver. The Queen was ruthless, a jealous guardian of her domain, while the Knight sidestepped trap after trap, heading for the King. In the end it was check mate, as it always is. One player is backed into the corner with nowhere to move without dying. To stay perfectly still also welcomes doom. Today I got check-mated.