The Devil's Pawn

Mom wasn’t there when I arrived home. Dad was locked in his study, working furiously. I went straight to my room, ignoring the growl from my stomach. I dropped my bag on the floor, falling down on my bed.

Exhaustion flooded my body. Sam always made me feel weak at the knees, but I felt like
I had just run a mile.

But in a good way.

I rubbed my eyes furiously, realizing that I needed to get a start on the homework that
had been assigned. I sat up at my desk, taking out my history work.

I took out a pencil and a note book to take notes on the article before me. Pressing my
forehead into the palm of my hand, my eyes began to scan the page, reading the 13 page
article.

It was an easy read, thankfully, just reiterating the process through which parts of
Europe had gone through to try and make Catholic the main religion in the region. At the time
period, the Protestant religion had formed successfully, a much easier option than the strict
rules of Catholics. It explained in detail more of the effects that the newer religion had on the
people compared to the elder.

I wasn’t sure what the point was considering the fact that this had been a freshman
topic, but I left that alone, content with the easy read.

I took the notes that were appropriate regardless, making a mental one to ask the
teacher why we were going over this again.

I groaned, gently resting my forehead on the desk. The sun had began to set, giving my
room a slightly darker shade.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket furiously.

“Hello?” I asked, not checking called ID.

“Hey, Taylor” Mom said. I rubbed my eyes, assuming this probably wasn’t good “Can
you do me a favor and tell your father that I won’t be able to make it home for dinner? There
are leftovers in the fridge if you’d like.”

“Alright, I will.”

“Good, thank you.”

“Sure thing.” I mumbled the last part, closing the phone quickly.

I stood up, running a hand through my hair as I walked out of my room. It was silent in
the house, my footsteps obnoxiously loud.

Dad was in his study, hunched over paperwork. He seemed to be so in thought that he
didn’t notice when I entered.

I cleared my throat politely.

Dad looked up, taking his glasses off. “Hey Taylor.”

“Mom called.”

“What did she say?”

“She won’t make it home for dinner, and there are leftovers in the fridge if we want.”

Dad sighed, “I’m so sick of her lasagna.”

I laughed politely, actually enjoying it. “I know you are. Do you want some?”

“I guess so.”

I nodded, and turned around.

“Oh, Taylor.” Dad called me back.

“Yes?”

“Will you take the garbage out when you’re done eating?” He asked, his attention back
on the papers.

“Ok.” I muttered, annoyed. I already had enough homework and chores to do as it was. I
didn’t need this one added on top.

I dug through the fridge until I found the tray covered in tinfoil. I pulled it off, setting two
pieces on two separate plates. I set Dad’s on the desk next to him, eating mine in the living
room by myself. I didn’t turn the television on, preferring to sit in the silence. I ate slowly as to
prolong the inevitable homework that sat upstairs waiting.

I finished my food ten minutes later, taking the time to scrub the dish. I knew that Dad
hadn’t touched his at all. He would still be absorbed in his work. It would take a while before
he realized that I had put the food out for him.

I grabbed the bags from the trashcan, taking them out to the garbage cans that waited
along the side of the curb. I dumped the larger bag inside of the bin, leaving the small on the
edge. Hopefully they would still take it.

They usually did.

I touched as little as possible as I walked inside, quickly running my hands under the
sink. I dried them on the towel before walking back to my room.

I took a deep breath, brushing my hair over my shoulder.

“Alright, Taylor” I spoke to myself “Let’s get this done.”

I put my glasses on to read the article, the blurry letters clearing up.

I rubbed my eyes, groaning to myself. I was never going to get anything accomplished. I
stared forward, my eyes out of focus as I thought in my mind.

Something caught my attention.

A light had flickered on his the window directly across from mine. Naturally, my eyes
wandered over there as curiosity sunk in.

A figure appeared in the window, his back to me. My eyes widened as I realized that it
was Trenton, his bare back facing me. My heart sped up as I realized how easily it would be
for him to look out his window and see me.

He rolled his shoulders and began to turn around.

Quickly, I turned my attention back to the paperwork in front of me, attempting to conceal
my eyes with my hands. I could feel my face redden with embarrassment.

I didn’t dare look up again.

~*~

School was slow the next day. I was thankful that Trenton was an idiot. We had no
mutual classes, aside from lunch. Even then, it was quite easy to avoid his presence
especially when he didn’t like mine.

I knew I was being ridiculous. No one knew that I could see clearly into his window, so
why was I acting as if the whole world would shun me for doing so?

I simply had to remember to close my blinds whenever I changed so that Trenton could
never do the same to me.

I grabbed my bag, walking out of Calc.

I met up with Elizabeth on the way to lunch. This time I wasn’t going to look like a loser
trying to welcome Trenton and get rejected embarrassingly.

We got our food, signing out with one of the teachers to sit in the sunshine. Elizabeth
picked out our usual table, sitting at the far end. Usually a few other people would sit down
with us, but neither of us were close to them.

They were simply people from our classes that we had conversed with once or twice.

I poked at my food with the plastic fork, not as hungry as I usually was.

“So what was so important that you had to pull me from my lunch-time Tuesday study
group with Anthony?” Elizabeth asked, digging eagerly into her soup. She made a face of
pain due to the fact that she had taken a spoonful of steaming hot liquid.

I laughed, taking a bit of my pizza. I swallowed before answering her question, “I just
didn’t want to sit out here alone.”

“The others would have come eventually…”

“I just wanted someone to actually have a conversation with.” I shrugged, taking another
bit.

Elizabeth made a face, “You know, if I get a 90% on the Calc test because I missed my
study session with Anthony for you… you’re going to hear it, missy!”

I rolled my eyes, “Please you’ll live.”

Elizabeth smiled, opening her mouth to say something, but stopped. Her eyes widened
slightly, the smile disappearing. She closed her mouth, motioning with her eyes for me to
turn around.

I frowned, twisting in my seat to see what vanquished her smile.

“Hey, Taylor right?” the girl asked. It was the girl who had kicked me out of the table
yesterday; Erica. I felt my heartbeat speed up in intimidation as I nodded.

“Can I help you?” I asked, my voice weak.

Elizabeth sat quietly across from me, as stiff as a log.

“I’m Erica.” She introduced politely “Sorry about yesterday.”

“It’s… it’s ok.” I said hesitantly.

“Anyways, we were wondering if you would like to sit with us today for lunch.” She
offered. I raised my eyebrows.

What had happened that now I was being invited to their table? Hadn’t I been rudely
kicked out yesterday.

“Uh… sure.” I said, glancing back at Elizabeth “We’d love to.”

Erica held up a hand, “Ah… just you.”

I bit my lip, “I can’t just leave Elizabeth…”

“Do you want to sit with us or not?” She asked, annoyance clear in her voice. “We only
have enough room for one more person; you.”

I knew that was a lie. They had a fairly large table. But I played it off as if I didn’t know
she was lying about the space issue “If you can’t fit Elizabeth, then I guess I’ll have to decline

your offer. Thank you though; I just can’t leave her here alone.”

Erica shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder “Whatever.”

She walked away, her hips swaying obnoxiously.

I turned back to my food, trying to act as if nothing had happened. As if one of the major
druggies at our school hadn’t just invited me to sit at a table they had so rudely kicked me
out of yesterday.

Elizabeth stared incredulously at me, “Did that really just happen?”

I nodded “Yup.”

“Taylor, don’t get involved with Erica. She’s bad.” Elizabeth warned.

“I know. I don’t know why she even bothered to offer me a spot.” I frowned.

Elizabeth frowned, her eyes sweeping over my body. “I don’t know why she did either. I
mean, no offense, but I have more experience with guys than you do. You’re kind of too
innocent for her.”

I took offense to that statement. She had basically called herself better than me. I may
not have had much experience with guys, but I had experience. I definitely wasn’t as innocent
as Elizabeth thought I was.

I kept my mouth quiet, pressing my lips together to hold back anything mean that might
have slipped out. I didn’t want to start a fight with Elizabeth. Not now, at least.

The rest of lunch passed slowly. I tuned Elizabeth out after that, no longer caring for
whatever it was she had to say. She didn’t notice. She kept talking as if we were having an
active conversation. The whole period, I felt as if eyes were on my back. I resisted the urge to
turn around and see if Erica was watching me.

I struggled to keep thoughts out of my head that involved her. Elizabeth was right about
that; I couldn’t get myself involved with Erica. She was trouble. Trenton didn’t realize this. I
had a feeling that he wouldn’t care even if he did.

He didn’t see like the trustworthy type.

I walked into Spanish, the last class of the day. I was early, only a few people in the
room aside from the teacher.

“Hola” I smiled as I walked past the teacher. She smiled back, busy with something at
her desk. I set my books down at a desk in the middle. I took out a notebook and began to
get a head start on my English paper while I waited for more people to filter into the room.

A few students muttered hello to the teacher in Spanish. Most just ignored her.

I was in Spanish 3, which meant that I had to speak Spanish for most of the class. Most
students only spoke Spanish if they were talking to the teacher though.

I froze when I felt someone twirling a strand of my hair with their fingers. I dropped the
pencil onto the desk, turning around to see who had touched me.

Trenton smiled lazily behind me, a strand of my hair curled around his finger. “Hola,
Taylor.”

“Could you please not touch my hair?” I asked, sitting forward so that my hair fell out of
his grasp. He laughed, leaning back in his seat. “What are you doing in here? You weren’t
here yesterday.”

“They put me in for two gym classes instead of Spanish. Had to get my schedule fixed.”
He shrugged.

I frowned, “Why are you sitting behind me?”

“No reason.”

“Well… please don’t touch me.”

Trenton smirked to himself, laughing. “If you say so.”

“Hola estudiantes” The teacher said, catching our attention “Por favor, abra su libro en
la página 194” [please open your book to page 194]

We did as instructed.

“Si, Trenton?” The teacher asked. I turned around, noticing that Trenton had raised his
hand lazily.

“No tengo datos” [I have no book] Trenton said.

“Un minute por favor” [one minute please] She said, reaching behind her desk to a
shelf. She grabbed one of the books, walking over and giving it to Trenton. He set the book
on his desk, flipping through the pages.

The teacher sent us to work on a worksheet. Though it was an individual assignment,
most people ended up ‘working together’. English was heard all around the room as people
talked to their neighbor about their social life outside of Spanish class.

I never engaged in conversation, preferring to get the work done in class so that I had
less homework to do after school.

I felt air brush past my shoulder as I wrote. I froze, fully knowing who was breathing on
me.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“How’s Sam?” Trenton teased. I could hear the smirk in his voice.

I took a deep breath, “Trenton, could you please not talk about Sam?”

“Why?” He chuckled.

I turned around to face him. “It’s not something I want everyone to know.”

“Why?” He raised an eyebrow, leaning back, “I think that’s hot.”

I felt my face heat up, “Please, stop.”

Trenton paused for a moment, pretending to think. “Nah.”

I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. “Trenton, I beg of you, please don’t tell anyone.”

“What are you willing to do?”

I frowned, “What?”

“What are you willing to do for me to not tell anyone?” Trenton asked, smirking “I’m sure
your mother would just love to know that you’ve been hooking up with some girl.”

My eyes widened in fear “Oh my gosh, Trenton, please don’t tell her! I’ll do whatever, just
don’t tell her!”

Trenton smirked “Perfect.”