The Young Spy (Book One)

Chapter 10: There He Is

Throughout the entire lesson, Swift just couldn't stand the sheer volume of the teacher talking non-stop for half an hour. Listening to history lectures was already horrible, but English? He has had enough. In that time frame, his mind is so blank it goes to focus on the subject, which is the analysis of literary devices in William Shakespeare's sonnets. Just to make himself seem competent and paying attention, Swift had his notebook and pen out, and with it, he wrote down important points on the said subject, just for the sake of it. His only assistance to maintain his own sanity is his wireless Bluetooth earphones that played music sourced from his phone. He only plugged one though, his other ear listening to the teacher's lecture about sonnets.

That was another one of the most boring thirty minutes of my life. Swift groans after exhaling relievingly, hearing the bell set off throughout the school. He just couldn't take it anymore, and the sound of the bell saved his mental well-being. The bell gave a signal for the students to start cleaning up their tables, and so did Swift. He dumps his utensils and his small notebook into his bag. With the table free of his utensils, he gets out of his chair at the same time Dane did, who reunited with him after two lessons.

"Hey," Dane says, Swift turns at him with a raised eyebrow. "Wanna come sit together at lunch?"

"Sure. I'm meeting up with someone at the cafeteria, anyways."

"How convenient. Same here."

The two of them walk out of the classroom. They walked a few hallways before entering where the cafeteria is. In Dane's experience, lunchtime at Northview was always a chaotic affair. The school cafeteria was packed with students chatting, laughing, and eagerly awaiting their meals. The aroma of pizza, burgers, and fries filled the air, making mouths water. As Swift and Dane make their way to the end of the line, Swift couldn't help but feel anxious. It's his first day at a new school, his first school if that, and he didn't know anyone, but ultimately fate has summoned Dane to be his guide in Northview. Dane grabs a tray and shuffles through the line, trying to make sense of the chaos around him, while Swift follows. When Swift finally gets to the front after Dane chose his meal, he hesitates for a moment before choosing the pizza slice and a side of fries. The server gives Swift a smile before moving on to the next student behind him.

So far no Matthew. Swift scans the cafeteria. With his tray in hand, Swift follows Dane through the cafeteria, who leads him to the East side of the room, where an empty table resides. That table is Dane's favorite lunch table, he could say that it's his territory when it comes to lunch break, and no one else is allowed to sit at that table beside him and his very best of friends, and it may seem like Swift will be one of them. Swift and Dane take a seat across one another, with Dane facing away from the wall behind him.

Dane eyes at the nearby table, "For a newcomer, you surely already gained quite a few fans." He comments as he sets down his tray.

Swift, not knowing what he's talking about, raises his brow again. Dane gestures towards the table behind Swift a little to the side, whereas Swift notices a group of girls that are sitting at that table. They keep giving Swift glares and stares, added with whispers and smiles. One of them even waves at Swift and smirks at him. It's enough for Swift to know that they're interested in him. It isn't new for him, though.

"I do tend to have that impact on girls."

"Really?" Dane asks in impression, to which Swift nods. "Do you have a girlfriend? Or have you had one?"

Swift shakes his head, "Not really looking forward to having one."

"Why's that?"

"It's just... y'know, a lot of things happen all the time. Stuff that I gotta focus on, complicated stuff I have to lock my concentration on. So difficult that I couldn't even have a minute of break time. Imagine having a girl over all of that." Swift isn't lying. Despite all of his interest in diving into a relationship and all of his training that made it look easy, Swift never had the time to put his lover-material savviness to the test.