“There is, and if I think so, there must be, because you know how bad of a player I am,” Tamara laughed.
“I'm just happy we're hosting the tournament this time and I didn't have to wake up early enough to drive for an hour, just to get there.”
“Me too.”
“Won't you miss your nap?”
“Nah, I went to bed early last night,” she laughed, leaning her head on Hayden's shoulder as they pulled into Central Glade's parking lot, “Maybe they'll give us some extra help.”
“I wouldn't count on it,” Hayden laughed.
“Well, a girl can dream, right?” Tamara laughed as she got out of the car.
The front lobby was packed with students from other schools waiting for the registration to begin. Greg and the others stood near the back and waved them over.
“We're from the host school so we don't have to register. We were just waiting on you guys before we went up.”
“Where are they having it?” Hayden asked.
“Room five eighty five,” Greg said, “We had it in the gym last year, but they're holding a teachers' conference in there right now, so we all get to sardine ourselves into room five eighty five.”
“Let's get this party started!” Tamara said, running toward the stairs, pulling Hayden along with her.
“Show off!” Cindy muttered, but Tamara ignored her.
Tamara studied the board before her when she sat down across from her first opponent, a bespectacled kid who insisted on wiping his nose of his sleeve before making a move. The pieces were the same as always, but Tamara was trying to look as if she knew what she was doing. After his seventh move the kid broke into a violent sneezing fit. He managed to cover his nose, saving Tamara from a snot shower, but his sudden movements knocked the board and its pieces to the floor.
“You win by default, Tamara,” the judge said, not looking at her but writing on a bright green clipboard, “This way.”
Tamara followed the judge and sat down at the table she stopped at. Her new opponent was a tall lanky blonde girl.
“Good luck,” she smiled at Tamara.
“You too,” Tamara said.
“Don't worry about me. I don't need luck.”
The girl was right. Only seven minutes into the game she called checkmate. Tamara paced the hallway outside of room five eighty five, waiting for the others. She was too anxious to remain with the crowd, watching scores move up and down, and listening to the constant babble of geeks and judges alike.
Cindy and another girl came out not too long after Tamara, but they sat down at the far end of the hall, leaning against the lockers. Tamara wanted to asked them how the team was faring, but was too afraid to know. She peaked in the room, searching for Hayden. He was concentrating on the board and didn't notice her. On his shoulder a small blue ball of light hovered. Couldn't anyone else see it?
As the day wore on the team trickled into the hall one by one. By noon only Hayden and Greg remained in the tournament. Lunch was a quiet affair. The team was in second place, which under normal circumstances would have been great. It wasn't enough to save the Halloween dance, though.
“Between us,” Tamara listened to Greg talking to Hayden, “we need to win ten more. If we win ten more, we should have it.”
Hayden nodded, “We'll see what happens. We're getting down to the nitty-gritty.”
“You'll be fine,” Tamara interrupted startling both of them, as she wrapped her arms around Hayden's neck. Greg disappeared leaving them alone for the final minutes of their lunch break.
“I'll make you a deal,” Tamara whispered, after giving him a quick kiss, “If our team wins and we save the dance, I'll let you take me to the dance.”
“Time!” the intercom announced, “Players who are still active in the tournament please return to your stations.”
Hayden pulled Tamara in for a quick kiss before heading back into room five-eighty-five. Tamara followed on his heels and stood by the back wall. The hands on the clock seemed to get stuck when she was waiting for someone to make a move. Small crowds formed around each table and Tamara half-expected them to begin to cheer and chant, like at sporting events.
Seven o'clock was the end of the tournament. Whatever games were in progress were allowed to finish and then points would be tallied. Seven o'clock found Tamara biting her tongue not to scream and cheer like she were a cheerleader instead of an athlete.
“If I added right, we've won!” she said, pulling Hayden into a quick hug.