Life is a Game

[ifnotwinter†]

Jacquard hadn't particularly expected anything from the boys. An acknowledgment, perhaps a thanks from Rein (whom she had been addressing), certainly not what she got.

"Jacquard," Aaron said, looking up with a slightly pinched look. "I'm so glad to see you taking an interest in our game. This is Rein, and this is Ivan. I would think one as versed in chess as you would be aware of the etiquette surrounding a match, being that you don't give advice. Ever. Especially if one of the players is a rival. However, as you are evidently woefully ignorant of basic courtesy and formality, I'll make it crystalline clear for you.

"I don't want you meddling. I know you hate me. I know you have your reasons, I would feel a twinge of jealousy too if I were you..."

For a moment, Jackie couldn't speak. For this - this boy to speak to her like he was - like he was better than her - like she should care about him, for some reason, when she barely knew him...anger, sudden, white-hot and startling flared up inside her, making her cheeks flush a bright and unattractive red.

Jealousy?

But before she could speak, he appeared to lose control, and began shouting. "Look! I understand that you're crippled, but even that doesn't mean you can be stupid! You can't just walk around fucking people's fun up because you want to!"

She wanted to speak.

She wanted too, somewhere deep inside her. She wanted to scream at him, to throw insults in his face until he cried, to beat him with words just as well as she beat him at chess (because oh, she remembered that match now, an easy win and the look on his face when she'd said

checkmate

and the look on his face when she'd smiled with an almost pitying pride) and she wanted to hit him, god, just beat him until he knew what it felt like to limp with every step, to be unable to run, to stumble and hiss in pain because sometimes she forgot and tried to take a step the way she used to.

She wanted to, but the words stuck in her mouth, her throat. Somewhere in her head she was screaming but on the outside she was icily calm, not changing her expression, the only hints of emotion the angry red on her cheeks and the white-knuckled grip she had on the cane.

She barely noticed Ivan standing, but she heard his comment to Ivan and for a moment her lips curved in a smile, small and hard and triumphant because someone agreed with her.

Jacquard was about to respond when Rein beat her to it, and she pinned her lips together, deciding to wait until he was finished.

"I've notice we have a hostile atmosphere here due to this game correct? It seems Aaron you do not like people interfering in our game so why not make it in a more private situation next timed and stop this one before you two ruin this day. And Aaron Jacques was just trying to help! My god you can't tell me you never whisper a move to someone in a friendly match? I do not see this as a tournament but a simple friendly game. If your talented as you say you should be able to take both of us. After all I rarely play and apparently Jacques is... Inferior to you if that what you want to say."

Jacquard's nostrils flared briefly as she sucked in a breath. Inferior? Inferior? Aaron would never be able to beat her, she knew that as well as she knew herself. She was better then him. She always had been and always would be - he was predictable, easily emotional. He was inferior to her, in all ways.

"And by inferior I mean chess skills. Her disability is not sign of weakness but a sign of immense strength for people like her are our equals even if they have a disadvantage."

Her knuckles cracked as she involuntarily tightened her grip on the metal handle of the cane. She was not. Fucking. Disabled. She wasn't to be fucking pitied, and this boy was sadly mistaken if he thought she was weak. The anger was returning, threatening to shatter her calm, and she took a deep breath through her nose.

Not that it helped when he turned to her and began to speak again.

"I apologize on my friend's behalf. He had a bad week and he's not all there so please forgive him. If you like Jacques, we could go for a walk. You seem to have some free time and I could use someone to discuss the latest news. Also Aaron meet me here after your courses. We can set up another match a later time with no interference or you can show me this... D&D thing..."

He smiled, probably what he thought was endearingly."I hope both of you understand?"

Jacquard took another breath, but it wasn't enough. She was angry. She was fucking furious, with the both of them. She clenched her jaw for a moment more, then spoke, her voice flat and level. She addressed Aaron first.

"Hughes." Her voice was dripping with disdain, and she didn't bother to hide it. "Even if I were to be jealous of your lack of talent and inability to win even simple matches, that would have nothing to do with my interruption. I sought only to assist in the education of a new player, in a friendly match. If I in some way ruined whatever pathetic strategy you were attempting, I apologize."

Turning to Rein with barely a pause, she continued. "Rein. I realize you appear to be new in that you don't seem to know that Hughes couldn't strategize his way out of a paper bag." Aware that her voice was becoming shrill, she took a breath, and attempted to calm herself. It didn't particularly work. "I am in no way - in no way inferior to him."

She took another breath, feeling the anger leave her, replacing itself with the icy calm she lived for. Addressing both of them, her shoulders squared, her eyes flat and her voice hard, she spoke.

"And I. Am. Not. Crippled."

[MurderWeasel]

With his loss of control, Aaron's world crumbled around him. He hadn't meant to shout. He hadn't meant to insult Jacquard, at least, not about her injury. It had just sort of popped out. Still, nothing could be done about it.

Aaron felt almost like he was sitting off to the side, a spectator to the game and the argument. He certainly wasn't registering things very well.

Ivan said something, then left. It sounded like an insult, maybe. Ivan probably wouldn't be coming back. No one ever came back when they walked off like that.

Oh well. Ivan didn't matter. He was a loner. He was nobody. Aaron hadn't known him before today, so he was no big loss. It was alright. It didn't matter. Really. After all, Aaron prided himself on not following trends. Not caring what others thought of him. So, if Ivan hated him, so what? It didn't matter. Not even a little.

Stop lying to yourself. You live for their attention.

No, that wasn't true. Aaron didn't care what people thought about him.

Rein started talking, then. It sounded like he was trying to explain things. Maybe he could patch things up with Jacquard. Aaron didn't really want that, though. Jacquard had messed things up. Everything had been going so well, for once; he was getting along with people; he was making friends, and then she had showed up and ruined everything, for no reason at all.

They're all the same. None of them like you.

A few bits of Rein's speech popped out at Aaron.

"Jacques was just trying to help!"

Like Hell she was. She was trying to mess things up. She was trying to help you, Rein! That isn't fair...

"My god you can't tell me you never whisper a move to someone in a friendly match?"

Of course I don't. Why would I care about other people's matches? Anyways, any help would just teach the opponent my tricks.

Somewhere in the back of his head, though, Aaron was wondering if the reason he never helped people was because he couldn't, because nothing he could say would help.

"If you're talented as you say you should be able to take both of us."

Are you questioning me, Rein? Are you saying I lied to you? You're implying it, aren't you? You think you're so smart, hiding it like that. You're just like everyone else.

Rein was trying to cover his bases, saying nice things about Jacquard, but it didn't look like it was helping. She was looking pretty mad. Aaron wondered if she was going to lunge for him. What could he do then?

Rein offered to meet Aaron later. Aaron didn't say anything. He just looked at the other two, glancing back and forth, back and forth. What was going to happen? Was this all really happening? Maybe they'd all just laugh and get on with life, forget this whole thing. That wouldn't be so bad.

Jacquard then started speaking, keeping things quiet and in control. Her pitch increased a little as she went on, but she didn't yell. She said some things to Aaron insulting his skill, and then turned to Rein, and told him bad things about Aaron. That did it. That was proof. Proof she had it in for him. Proof she was here just to mess up his chances of making friends.

She said something about being crippled, but Aaron wasn't really paying attention.

"Why?" he asked, quietly. "Why are you doing this Jacquard? What did I ever do to you?"

"What did I ever do to you?"

He picked up the chess board and dropped it into his backpack, followed shortly by his book. Chess pieces fell all around, some landing in Aaron's backpack, but most scattering on the ground. A bishop rolled under the table. A rook bounced to the edge of the gazebo. A knight landed upright at Aaron's feet.

"I... I just don't underst... get it at all." he stammered.

Time to stop talking and think. Regroup. Pull yourself together, or you'll look like you're in the wrong. People always do that to you. That's why things go so wrong. You can't let it happen this time.

"...not this time."

[SRJJJB†]

Rein sat back looking at the two. Both were growing more and more hostile. Rein didn't like hostility and this situation was getting better. It was getting worst. Jacquard obviously didn't get the message and Rein was disappointing in that. He was hoping she would understand and let Aaron go and walk away but instead she grew angrier and angrier. Meanwhile Aaron was acting just plain weird. He wasn't reacting he look sorta of dead. Just his luck for finding two short-fused students. Staying obviously meant entering there bitch range and Rein wasn't up for that. He was looking for a quiet day not some peace keeping mission. With this he got up. Just before he was about to leave Aaron yelled out something. Rein look at him worried. What is wrong with this kid? Is he mentally unstable or something? He seen students have overreaction like this and he knew the best path was just to walk away. With this he said goodbye to Jacques and Aaron and headed off not wanting to be part of this.

((Rein Bumgarner, continued in Shopper's Hell.))

(Sorry for short post but I didn't have much time. To add this is turning into a bitching fest so I'm going)

[ifnotwinter†]

Jacquard barely noticed Rein leaving, anger still making her cheeks a bright and unattractive red. Aaron's words were still ringing in her ears, and she clenched her teeth, breathing through her nose to try and calm herself. It wasn't working.

He was making himself out to be...to be some sort of victim, like she'd come along and bullied him. She'd just offered a friendly suggestion, something nice (for once, maybe) and he'd thrown it back in her face and he'd called her a cripple and now he was acting like it was all her fault? She hadn't started it. She'd just told Rein the truth, too. It wasn't like she was acting like him, lying, and - and acting like he was better than her, and...

...and he wasn't, plain and simple. She wasn't yelling. She hadn't stooped to his level. She hadn't.

She hadn't.

She was calmer, now. Things were making sense again, anger replaced by a sort of proud pity. She was better, and he knew it. Clearly he couldn't deal with it.

"I've never done anything to you, Hughes." She crossed her arms, metal cane dangling from one hand. "It's a shame you can't understand that you're bringing this on yourself."

[MurderWeasel]

Rein left, and Aaron was alone. Rein hadn't been much help in the end, heck, maybe he hated Aaron now, but he'd still been something. A buffer. A witness, someone who would maybe, just maybe, agree with Aaron.

Now Aaron was alone with Jacquard, with no one to hide behind. That left him little choice but to actually think, about why they were there like this, and what had brought them there. He had to consider the possibility that maybe some of it had been his fault after all. Jacquard certainly hadn't scared Rein and Ivan away.

No, she just tricked you into doing it.

Jacquard said something. Aaron wasn't really sure what it was. She seemed to be calming down, though, just like he was. If other people had still been present, Jacquard's improving temper would have been bad, would have made Aaron come off even worse. Now that it was just the two of them, though, it was good. It meant that he might be able to slink away without too much trouble.

He considered saying something, but instead just breathed deeply. He had to withdraw with some modicum of grace and dignity. Anything else would be to concede defeat. He looked around.

Those pieces went everywhere. Ugh. That will make this... difficult.

Aaron knelt down and picked up the scattered chess pieces, moving as little as possible. When he felt sure enough that they had all been recovered, he zipped his backpack and stood up. He turned and walked quietly out of the gazebo.

You can't just walk off, though. Not after all this fuss. Say something.

He turned back and said, "Stalemate, Jaquard. Maybe next time one of us will prove something."

He shrugged. "Honestly, though, I hope I never spend enough time near you to find out."

And with that, Aaron turned and stalked back to the school. He would find somewhere to lurk for the remainder of the period, then finish up his last class and go home. He would let go of everything that had happened.

Not likely. She did that on purpose! I don't know what she has against me...

((Aaron Hughes continued in D&D Night))

[ifnotwinter†]

Aaron was silent as he picked up the chess pieces, and Jacquard found herself smiling faintly. She'd won. She knew she had, plain and simple, because she hadn't lost her temper, hadn't yelled, hadn't given Hughes the satisfaction of seeing her out of control. It felt...good, to see him with his tail between his legs.

He turned and began walking away, before stopping and turning back to her. She raised an eyebrow as he began to speak.

"Stalemate, Jaquard. Maybe next time one of us will prove something. Honestly, though, I hope I never spend enough time near you to find out."

With that, he walked away. Jackie couldn't help but laugh, though, a quiet snort escaping her as she watched him. Stalemate? Oh, not a chance, Hughes. I'm not the one running away.

She smiled again, basking in the warm glow of triumph she loved, the glow that drove her to win again and again.

"Forfeit. I win."

((Jacquard Broughten continued in One Pen Two Pen Red Pen Blue Pen))