Book overview
I thought I'd already survived everything: tournaments, family drama, and embarrassments I'd rather never think about again.
Turns out, I was wrong.
Leo still has an annoying habit of throwing my heart completely off balance.
And Alex-my best friend and definitely not someone I constantly think about... okay, almost never-chooses the absolute worst possible moment to make everything even more complicated.
Just like that, one problem becomes two. And confusion? A full-blown emotional mess.
As if that weren't enough, Kate-my inner critic with zero chill and an unhealthy obsession with drama-provides running commentary on every single disaster. Completely uninvited, of course.
As the National Chess Championships draw ever closer, it becomes harder than ever to focus on what really matters.
This time, my toughest opponent isn't waiting on the other side of the chessboard.
It's everywhere.
And when family, friendship, first love, and sixty-four squares are all on the line, only one question remains:
What am I willing to sacrifice?
Excerpt from Kendi: -Plan B Was Also a Terrible Idea
I muted my phone. Forgot about Leo for a moment.
Then Alex's arm landed on my shoulders.
A first.
It felt so... warm. Terrifying. Perfect.
Alex wasn't just a crush. She was friendship, attraction, heartbreak, and confusion all rolled into one.
When she put her arm around me like that, it was everything I wanted and everything I was afraid of.
But it also felt wrong.
Leo was still there, lurking in the back of my mind. My phone might have been on silent, but he wasn't.
Inside me, it was like a chessboard mid-match-pieces under pressure, mistakes punished, every move had consequences. And the clock kept ticking.
Kate: "Hate to break it to you, champ, but just like in chess, sometimes you've got to sacrifice a piece to win."
