I'm sitting in my school's library, and I check my phone for the seventh time in a row. 2:25 PM. The club flier says they start at 2:30, so I suppose I should get going. My stomach feels tight as a knot, but it's my 18th birthday and I told myself I would try something different from what I normally do. I mean, I don't have any plans for the afternoon, so if I don't go to this, I'll probably end up just going home and watching YouTube videos. That would be a pretty disappointing start to adulthood.

 

I put away the book I'm reading, get up from my seat, and scamper towards the club room. It's in the Student Services building. I've only been in there once before, to get my student ID. I walk into the first room on the right, unsure if this is the right place.

 

"Hi, can I help you?" a girl seated at the front desk asks.

 

"Uh, where can I find the chess club?"

 

"Chess club? It should be here." She leads me further inside, where there's another hallway lined with a few conference rooms. She opens the door to the first conference room, but there's no one inside.

 

"Hang on, I have the president's phone number. I can call him and ask if they're meeting today."

 

"Okay." I watch her as she makes the call, but he doesn't pick up.

 

"Oh, wait," she says. "I see them coming. You can go inside first and wait."

 

"Okay, thanks."

 

I squeeze past some of the chairs to sit near the middle. The room is pretty small, and the conference table takes up most of the space, giving me a slightly claustrophobic feeling. A couple of people trickle in, and I recognize one of them. Urgh, I didn't want to see someone I know here. I prefer total strangers, because if I act weird in front of them, I never have to see them again.

 

"Hey!" he says. "You're from my chemistry class, right?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"What was your name again?"

 

"Lucy."

 

The girl next to him gasps. "No way! My name is Lucy too!"

 

"Two Lucys? Then should we call you guys Lucy 1 and Lucy 2?" Like Thing 1 and Thing 2? I didn't know Dr. Seuss was a member of the chess club. More importantly, I'm Lucy 1, right?

 

Two other people walk in, whom I realize I just saw playing chess while I was in the library, but they don't seem to notice me. Another guy walks in, carrying a few grocery bags. He places them on the table and we make eye contact. He nods at me in greeting, so I reciprocate by jerking my chin up. Why can't you say "hi" and introduce yourself like a normal person? He takes out the chess supplies and sets up the boards, while the other club members get settled. They chat amongst themselves about chess puzzles and other random stuff. I glance back and forth, not knowing what to do. Their voices start to fade into indistinct murmurs in the background of my mind as my inner monologue grows louder and louder. What if no one talks to me? I suck at conversation; I can't just jump in and talk to them. What if I spend the whole time here sitting awkwardly? And I can't even leave now without drawing attention to myself. I'm trapped!

 

After a few minutes, the guy who set up the boards, whom I assume is the president, looks at me. I'm sure I have a blank, frozen expression on my face, a stark contrast to my dramatic internal panic.

 

"So, who's going to play with the lady?" he asks in a low drawl. No one responds, so he shrugs and sits down across from me.

 

"Do you know how to play?" he asks.

 

"A little," I squeak.

 

"A little?" he repeats. "Do you want to play, then?"

 

"Okay."

 

"Okay?" he repeats, with a slight grin this time. He gestures to the board. "Well, it's your move."

 

I haven't played chess in months, and the last time I played, I only had a rating of around 700 on chess.com. I remember that you should develop your pieces toward the center of the board first, so I play Nf3.

 

"Okay..." he says, emphasizing and stretching the second syllable. He plays d5. I continue to try to develop, and almost every time I make a move, he says "okay" in that same contemplative tone. It's a bit unnerving. I can't tell if he's trying to reassure me that I'm playing well, merely acknowledging my moves, or secretly judging me because of how poorly I'm playing.

 

As we enter the middlegame, I have a slight material advantage. I don't have a strategy now, so I take longer to decide my moves. While I'm thinking, he walks around to see what other people are doing. On one of these turns, his friend comes and observes our game.

 

"Bro, how come you've lost so many pieces?" he exclaims.

 

"She's good," the president says nonchalantly. I don't know if he actually means it, but I feel slightly pleased regardless.

 

"How long have you been playing?" Lucy 2 asks.

 

"About a year?"

 

"What's your rating?"

 

"Uh, I don't know?" Why is it that when anyone asks you a straightforward question, you act like it's that time in fifth grade when mom asked you how her favorite mug got broken?

 

"It's probably not over 1000," the president interjects. He hesitates when he catches my eye. "I mean...I don't want to assume anything."

 

We continue playing, and eventually, I realize he has me cornered. He delivers a few checks, one after the other, and finally a mate. I stare at the board for a few moments, then look up. He looks back at me. I expect him to say something, but he doesn't, and we stare at each other for almost 10 seconds. I start to smile out of discomfort, and I see him grin lopsidedly in response.

 

"Good game?" I offer.

 

"Good game," he responds. He holds out his hand, and I accept the handshake.

 

"What's your name?" he asks.

 

"Lucy."

 

"Ahh." He glances towards Lucy 2. "You two have the same name." Dr. Seuss AND Captain Obvious are part of the chess club? It's my lucky day.

 

"What's your last name?" he asks.

 

"Chen," I tell him.

 

"Why do you need to know? Are you trying to stalk her?" Dr. Seuss jokes.

 

"I'm just asking," he replies casually.

 

I want to ask what his name is as well, and how long he's been playing chess, but I'm still too nervous.

 

Captain Obvious turns to another guy. "Do you two want to play against each other?"

 

"Yeah, I'd be down," he says. He looks at me and raises an eyebrow.

 

"Sure," I say.

 

We start to play, and all I can focus on is the guy's fingers, which are coated with orange Cheeto dust. I feel slightly appalled that he's covering the pieces with grease, but I suppress my discomfort. Eventually, I secure a win against him.

 

"Want to play again?" he asks.

 

"Okay."

 

"Why don't you guys play with a clock?" Lucy 2 suggests. She opens a chess app on her phone, sets the clock for a 10-minute game, and we start playing again. I've never played with a timer before, so I'm oblivious to how long I spend on my moves.

 

"You should watch your time," Orange-Fingers advises. I look down for the first time and realize I only have 2 minutes left, while he still has 7. I scan the board and move my queen so that it checks his king. He considers where he can move, and I notice something I didn't before.

 

"Wait a minute," I say. "I already have you in check," pointing to my bishop, which was also attacking his king.

 

"Oh. Wait, huh?"

 

"I didn't even notice!" I blurt out, and burst into laughter.

 

"What happened?" Captain Obvious asks.

 

"She had my king in check this whole time," Orange-Fingers says.

 

"So, that means she beat you, then?"

 

"Uh, I guess so."

 

I look around and notice the other chess boards have all been put away.

 

"Well, it's 4:30 now. You guys don't have to feel obligated to stay here," Captain Obvious says. "Unless you still want to play more."

 

"Do you want to play one more round?" Orange-Fingers asks. I beat this guy two times, and he still wants another go? Perhaps I should be calling him "Mr. Masochist" instead.

 

"I have to go now," I say sheepishly. Maybe we can compete again next time.

 

As I walk towards the bus stop to catch the bus home, I replay the previous two hours in my head, feeling glad that I decided to show up.