[V2] Chapter 13: Mari Anyday

Thursday, April 20th

Location: Wolfpack School

Result of Mission: Failed (completely embarrassed myself)

I couldn’t help but meditate on what Mari said last night. Was I? Was I really that bad as an agent? I couldn’t convince myself I was, but I couldn’t convince myself I wasn’t.

Just the sheer thought of it felt like me being suffocated in a tight bag, and telling Greg was probably the last nail in the coffin.

I’m confident that he will have a field day with this. But maybe I shouldn’t. He would never know what a mess I was. I had an entire Perk and yet somehow managed to whack my head into a pole.

It had been lunch, and I had never even mentioned anything about our mission. The lunch area was massive, with a cafeteria outside, a snack bar (the second one required a card), and a place filled with tables of students eating.

I was outside with Greg, while we were just staying really silent. Greg glanced at me, then at my shoes, though I doubt he even thought anything of them since I’ve worn them every single day of this year.

“So...” he began. He forgot to speak after that.

“So… what?” I asked, to which he looked at me with no words being uttered, making this odd gesture with his head, expecting me to say something.

“Your mission? How’d it go?”

“We have been here this entire time, and this moment right now is when you want to ask me this?” I asked.

“That’s because we were talking about other things from other places and other situations. We were silent. And I had to say something,” Greg said, throwing a quick look before staring at his initial spot.

“Sure… why do you want to know?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he returned. I tossed my head. “True. We found the two moles quite easily. One of the check-in people there was—I think—a friend or relative of Marcus Lowman, and by the time we actually got there, we were held hostage.”

“Doing great so far.”

“Hop off…” I hissed, to which Greg laughed as I continued on. “Then, Nikki apparently, according to Mari—”

“Who?” he asked. That’s when I realized the absence of his knowledge. I explained, “She’s a teammate on this mission. Very rude and annoying, by the way, that useless.”

“Okay, continue on,” Greg ordered. I didn’t, at least for a moment. I just continued to stare at him with a certain disbelief—one that Greg definitely noticed—and began to nicker.

“Nikki had activated her radio, allowing Tisiah and her to realize what situation we were in, and from there, they arrived. They took down Tilli after she already shot Nikki.

“Oh…” Greg gasped.

“And Marcus escaped, but I went after him. And trust me, I was cooking. I was chasing him, doing a whole bunch of tricks and stuff, and really using my Perk in such a cinematic way, before Marcus used his wind—since he majored in wind—and just whacked me against some pole. Then, by the time I even got up, the next thing you see is Lowman driven into the dirt, looking like a raw piece of dough, misfigured, and all that stuff. She literally hit him with the car. Although I’m sure it’s been cleaned by now.”

“So, what’s the deal?” Greg asked. “You succeeded.”

“Yeah. What? You think something happened?” I hissed. Greg scoffed. “Something always happens.”

I looked at him with contempt, not because of him but because of the words that I had to tell him. “Mari called me an amateur.”

“What’s the context?” Greg asked with this sort of concern; that was rather shocking to me. I shrugged. “I think I asked a question, and... she said something, something about predicament classes and that I was an amateur."

“Uh— Connor…”

“Yeah?” I asked, facing him.

“Predicament classes are a sophomore spy thing. Us freshman spies are considered amateur spies.”

“Even then, she still has this disgusting attitude, this stenching expression she always makes, that makes me want to just strangle her.”

“Connor...”

“Sorry,” I muttered. “I just… I just can’t. I’m tired of doing this whole thing, I’m tired of always trying to prove myself, I’m tired of being—”

“Listen, this is for September, not for anyone’s approval. Plus, if you bag September, you will definitely get everyone’s approval,” Greg said. “You’re good.”

“I hope so,” I mumbled. I rubbed my eyes, to which I then looked at the sun, its rays reaching through the vast horizon. Greg patted my back. “Stay strong.”

“Trying to,” I responded.

***

After school ended, I arrived at the academy. I entered rather quickly, dusting myself off after being portaled from the side, to which I hit a car and fell on the ground.

I was furious.

With that, I went into the cafeteria, where I immediately scanned for Tisiah and Nikki. Instead, I found September, who was walking towards me.

That had me in shambles. Is she walking up to me this time? I smiled once she came, and she returned with the same thing, except with widened eyes.

“So, how did your mission go?” she asked.

“Great!” I responded instantly. “Just managed to catch two moles for C.U.B.I. Hopefully, they appreciate that.”

“They most likely will. But I wanted to just ask you a few questions,” she asked.

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, something is happening. “Well, hit me with it,” I said, glancing around before I posed myself on a table where the sauce dispensers were. “I’m here.”

“What do you do when you like someone—sort of—but you’re not sure if they like you back. Like, follow me with this, alright?”

“Alright.”

“In fact, let me rephrase that. How do you know if someone is talking to you because you guys are friends, or if they are trying to get you comfortable to the point where they are trying to become more than friends with you.”

“Is there a specific person?”

“Yeah, technically,” she responded.

I widened my eyes. “Who—or is it like, something that you don’t want tell yet?”

“The latter.”

“Oh,” I said, trying to hide the little tone of disappointment, though the softness and emptiness of that “oh” might’ve revealed it. “ She sat on the table beside me, saying, “Because I don’t know how to act.”

“Do you like him?” I asked.

“I don’t know. The question is, should I?” she said. The ideas that were rolling around my mind were so complex, I felt as if steam was going to exit my ears.

“I’m just... concerned,” September said. “I always had suitors, but this one... these ones, they’re just different.”

My eyes widened. The wind of realization had landed upon my head. These… meaning more than one. I could be wrong, but if you know what I’m thinking, you know what I’m thinking.

“Well, what’d I say is... which one makes you more happy, That’s the one you do,” I mentioned. “That’s my advice, at the very least.”

And with that, September smiled and put her hand on my shoulder. “Thanks, Connor,” she said. “At least I know I can go to you sometimes.”

“All the time,” I quickly added, my body beginning to flow with this cosmic energy of excitement. September chuckled. She walked, but yet, by the corner was Mari. Now there was no problem I had with September and her, but based on her face, it seemed like there was.

I threw up my hand and waved. But she only glared. Her eyes weren’t even scanning the scene; they just continued to stare at me. I wasn’t sure why, but it was rather uncomfortable.

“You’re going for Malachi’s girl?”

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, and my eyes narrowed in disbelief.

“I’m surprised you haven’t gotten the message. But then again, I wouldn't expect you to. But to catch you up, everyone has started to see them together. It’s basically established.”

“Correction,” I immediately said. “She came to me for advice.”

“Any spy can tell the true intentions of a person by their eyes. By their movements and their tone of voice, Cory. You like her and want her, but don’t have the guts to tell her,” Mari said. “That’s good. Because I doubt it would work anyway.”

I couldn't say anything. There was a certain emptiness that she had me completely trapped in, accompanied by a shock that I couldn’t even explain.

Hatred boiled through my veins. Mari backed away. “I’m just being realistic, Cory.”