Chapter 26: The Queen’s Gambit - My Name Is Samim

Max’s smug eyes pierce me.

I draw a deep breath.

He has moved the queen’s pawn two spaces forward, which means he might open the game with a strategy called the Queen’s Gambit. It is an aggressive opening. The player who starts with the Queen’s Gambit is out for blood.

Whispers rustle around us, but Mr Adams signals ‘quiet’ with his finger, and everyone calms down.

I move my queen’s pawn, and Max executes the gambit by bringing his bishop’s pawn forward. It now sits diagonally across from mine, which means I can take it. But if I do, Max will take control of the centre of the board, and I will have to defend myself rather than attack. This is what the Queen’s Gambit is about: a small sacrifice for a big victory.

The timer is ticking, and I have a decision to make. I can either accept Max’s Queen’s Gambit or decline it. If I take his pawn, I accept it, and if I don’t, I decline.

In silence charged with tension, I make my decision and move my king’s pawn.

Gasps surge through the room.

Max’s smugness drops as he bounces a curled knuckle against his mouth. Me declining his gambit goes against his plan.

One of the teachers knocks on the door. “Excuse me, Mr Adams? Could you please come to the office? There is an urgent meeting everyone needs to attend.”

“Of course. Keep it nice and quiet,” Mr Adams tells us, walking out of the room.

Max moves a rook to protect his king, and I do the same to protect my queen. He moves a pawn, and I move one too.

Twenty minutes later, we are still fighting an even battle. This is going to be a long game.

When I finally capture my first pawn, his face whitens and he grinds his teeth. Seven moves later, I take his bishop. Tiny drops of sweat dot his forehead. Losing a bishop in chess is like losing an army general.

Whispers rattle through the room, and Max snaps, “Shut up!”

I fidget with my bracelet as excitement builds inside me, like air in a balloon that’s about to burst.

Max crosses his arms and leans back on his chair, a sneer twisting his lips. “What’s with you rubbing that piece of rope on your wrist? Trying to summon your mummy like some kind of genie to help you win?”

Max’s hyenas start cackling.

A stab of pain burns my chest.

“Ignore him,” Zayn says. “He’s trying to throw you off your game.”

He’s right. I must focus.

But Max doesn’t give up. “Tell me, Samim, do you cry for your mummy at night? Do you tell her that bad boys at school are being mean to you?”

“Shut up,” I growl, my face burning with rage.

“Or what?” Max sneers, leaning forward.

“Don’t, Samim, he’s just messing with you,” Rence says.

“Listen to Rence, Samim,” Zayn says.

Max glares at me, thirsty for a fight. “Don’t worry, Florence. He’s not going to do a thing. Mummies’ boys don’t fight; they cry to their mummies instead.”

Fury explodes within me. I lunge across the table, grab Max by his shirt and drag him to the side. “I said shut up!”

His friends jump forward, but Max shouts, “Back off!” and they step back.

“Why so angry, mummy’s boy?” Max hisses, his breath hot against my face. “Calm down. Give your little bracelet a rub. Maybe your mummy will magically appear and give you a hug.”

Strange pain rises in my throat and my eyes tear up. I can’t hide my anger any longer. I clench my fist and throw a punch that tosses Max across the room. He lands on his back with a thump, panting but grinning.

His friends charge at me, but Ayan and Rence pull them off. One of them hits Rence in the face and he falls on the floor, holding his mouth. Ayan grabs the guy by his shirt with one hand, drags him to the door and hurls him out of the room. As he turns back, someone tosses a chair at him.

“Watch out!” Rita shouts, but it’s too late, and the chair knocks Ayan down. Max’s friends start kicking him, and Rence and I try to fight them off.

“Stop it! Stop it!” Rita’s voice is lost in the mayhem.

The other kids form a circle around us, their mouths open and phones pointing at us.

Suddenly my throat tightens, and I’m choking.

Max’s arm snakes around my neck, cutting off my air. His voice is a venomous hiss in my ear. “You don’t belong here. Not in this club, not in this school. You don’t get to steal my trophy. I hope they kick you out of this country like the trash you are.”

A bubble of fury bursts in my chest, and a roar rips out of my throat. I lean backwards, grab Max’s shirt and throw him over my head. He falls with a thud but scrambles back to his feet, stumbling towards me with a wild look in his eyes. Spit flies from his mouth, landing on my cheek.

My body starts quivering as if I have a fever. I wipe my face, fighting tears, and punch him back down to the floor.

“Stop it!” Mr Adam’s voice booms behind me. His eyes are bulging with shock, and he looks at me as if I am a dangerous beast that has escaped from a cage. “What are you doing? What’s wrong with you?”

His words echo in my mind.

There is something wrong with me. They all think there is something wrong with me.

I stumble back from Max, my fists red, my heart drumming.

Mr Adams helps Max up. “Are you okay?” he asks, and Max nods, clutching his jaw. His face is flushed and wet, and he lets out a sob.

“Head teacher’s office. Now!” Mr Adams yells at me, pointing towards the door.

He takes Max by his arm, and together they stagger away.

My eyes tear up as I shake with fury, embarrassment and regret.

Suddenly, Max turns back, and our eyes lock. A broad smile stretches across his blood-smeared lips.

Goosebumps prickle on my skin, as if someone has chucked a bucket of icy water over my head.

“We’re in big, fat trouble,” Ayan sighs, walking up to me.

I freeze, watching Max’s smirking face disappear behind the closing door.

Did he want this to happen? Was this fight his plan all along? A small sacrifice for a big victory… The Queen’s Gambit, I repeat in my head, rooted to the spot. He played the Queen’s Gambit.