School Days: Anthology

Caleb looked up from the chessboard at Valerian Bond sitting opposite of him. He seemed unaware of his gaze as Mr Bond frowned down at the pieces, working out his next move. They were sitting cross-legged on the floor of the classroom with the chess game between them. They were alone save for Alexer sleeping at his desk. Everyone else went out to lunch while Anthony most likely was tasked to find lunch for the teacher, and Aoi Tanaka probably went to the staff break room to get away from everything until lunch period was over. Caleb was hungry...

Today was one of the few days when trouble hasn’t arrived at their doorstep, and he was glad no one seemed to be under attack at the moment. Caleb also needed a break from the running and the fighting, but he disliked staying still for very long as he rather be doing something active, but his friend really wanted someone to play a game with. The both of them hasn’t done anything together in a while, so, it would be rude of him just to abandon Valerian.

Unlike Caleb; Mr Bond liked staying in indoors, and just doing things quietly such as reading or watching some historical and other educational videos online on his laptop, along with playing chess. Why does Caleb always agree to play he would never know, he had never particularly enjoyed playing this dull game. He could never get how others would enjoy playing this, or why they would choose to play this when there's many other things they could be doing instead.

Valerian had made his move and was now waiting for Caleb’s reaction. Glancing at the board the outgoing boy inwardly groaned, he had been relying on his rook to check Bond’s king, but now the history buff’s queen had taken it.

The blue camo patterned, boonie cap wearing boy knew Valerian Bond was going easy on him otherwise he would have lost a long time ago, but the quiet boy was still beating him by far. Caleb was starting to get fed up with the whole thing, there was no way he could win. He had already given up trying to get his queen back after sending six pawns towards the end of the board, none had made it, and now he had lost his second rook. Caleb could start sending in the knights, but Valerian’s queen was in a deadly position. Caleb sighed and just moved his knight, at least it would finish the game quickly.

The paranoid history buff still hadn't made his move, and looking up Caleb realised Bond was staring at him as if I had four heads or something. "Er...your move." Caleb pointed out wondering why the guy was taking so long to move a piece.

"Are you sure you want to move there?" Valerian asked disbelievingly, indicating Caleb’s knight. The hard to anger boy crossed his arms and glared

"What's wrong with it?"

"I could easily take it." Mr Bond pointed at his queen

"It would get taken any way!" Caleb snapped. He was angry at the whole stupid game, he just wanted to get it over with. There was no other game like chess that annoyed and confused Caleb more than anything else.

The Christian boy looked horrified.

"You can't just give up!" For all his delusions of grandeur and arrogance it was amazing how much Mr Bond could sound like a disappointed child.

"I just don't like chess and I already gave up the impossible task of trying to win a long time ago."

The strategically proficient man studied the board for a minute."You could actually win here. If you take back that move with the knight and instead move your bishop here, then logically I would move my knight here and you would move your pawn here..." He then proceeded to commence a game of chess against himself showing Caleb all the moves he could’ve made, but which Caleb knew he would never think to do. "...then you move your knight here and there you are, checkmate!" The Australian had to smile at the massive grin on Valerian’s face

"There is a problem though." Bond’s grin was replaced by a look of confusion.

"What problem?"

"I don't give a shit about chess!" Caleb then proceeded to flip the chess board onto the filthy Christian.