‘So he feels guilty?’ says Rebecca.

‘Yeah, that’s it. Guilty . . . So you need to come up with a plan.’

‘I do?’ says Rebecca. ‘I thought you were his coach.’

‘I am, but even great coaches get help. Even Pep Gwady . . . Gwady—’

‘Guardiola,’ I sigh.

‘Yeah. Even him. But whatever you come up with will only be temporary because Felix’s granddad will be home soon and then he’ll take over again.’

Rebecca shakes her head as she takes the chess pieces out of the box.

‘How is your granddad, anyway?’

‘I think he’s okay. But he’s got to stay in hospital for a while.’

‘That’s good.’ Rebecca smiles. ‘Well, not good good, but you know what I mean.’

‘So what’s the plan?’ asks Jake.

Rebecca calmly puts the chess pieces on their squares.

‘Well?’ Jake asks again.

‘It’s obvious,’ she says, looking at me. ‘We play.’

Uh Oh!

‘It’s your move,’ Rebecca whispers.

I stare at the chessboard.

‘Felix, it’s your move.’

‘I know . . . I know this.’

‘It’s just lunch break is going to be over soon.’

I’m at chess club with Rebecca, again. Yesterday she said all we had to do was play, and we did, but moves that usually take me seconds are now taking minutes. She beat me and I don’t think she was even trying because she sacrificed her rook like she was deliberately trying to lose just to make me feel good. But it hasn’t worked because I’m playing terribly again today.

I lift my hand and hover it over the board.

Pawn to b4?

No.

Bishop to c6?

No.

I put my hand back down on the table.

Pawn to d4?

Pawn to h4?

No, it’s useless. I can’t think of my next move because there are too many other thoughts getting in the way. Granddad is coming out of hospital today and all I want to do is go home and wait for him. Last night I walked around the square three times and every time I passed his house I looked at the windows and imagined he was peeping through the curtains and waving at me, but there wasn’t even a sliver of a gap. Samson was huddled up on the doorstep because he’d been locked out all day. There was no sign of Granddad at all. It was like an alien spaceship had landed and taken him away.

Rebecca opens a packet of crisps, really loudly like she’s trying to get my attention. I glance up at her. She nods at the board.

I blink, trying to make the board come into focus, but I’ve been staring for so long that all the squares are blurred.

Pawn to g4 or pawn to e4?

Rebecca leans across the table.

‘Felix,’ she whispers. ‘You’ve run out of time.’

‘Again,’ I mumble.