Finding My Normal

Ch 69: The First Betrayal

A long time ago, before Volto, Sang and the boys were even born....

"Come in Not-Bob, can you hear me?  Over."

Why did I tell him about my dream of opening a restaurant called Bob's Diner when that's not even my name??!?!  I'm smacking myself mentally in the head over that because Cody won't let up with this Not-Bob nonsense.  We're on an assignment for crying out loud!  Although it is a cool code name.

"Yes, I can hear you.  What do you want?  Over."

"Is Maggie with you?"

"Affirmative."

"Okay stay there, I'm headed your way."

"Roger that."

I sit back against the cement wall on the roof I'm perched at across from the building we're watching.  Maggie, the love of my life has just got back with the files the Academy wanted us to retrieve.  I don't know what's in them and I don't care to find out.  I just want to get out of here and spend the rest of the night with Maggie.  I haven't told her yet that I love her.  It's been hard for me to utter those words because of certain complications.  I know she's seeing Cody too.  At first I thought it was just fun and games.  We all agreed, we were comfortable with that one night all together, but I didn't think through the consequences.  What would happen after that one night.  A long and dangerous backbreaking assignment coupled with saving a beautiful girl?  It makes your brain do crazy things.  It muddles your reasoning skills and keeps you from thinking towards the future.  Actually I didn't think I had a future with Maggie; the thought never crossed my mind.  And tonight staring into her beautiful green eyes I know I still don't have a future with her.

It makes my heart ache.  That's why I haven't been able to tell her those three words.  She knows though; she knows I love her.  I just can't wrap my head around what she wants.  I can't do it.  I can't share, it's not right and I just know Cody has gotten into her head!!  Maggie is so sweet and innocent, she's a traditional girl.  She would never come up with an idea like that.  Now Cody put it in her head and she won't let it go.  Everyday she drops hints, makes a comment, always invites me to bed with them, but after that first night I couldn't.  I'm so thankful Maggie understands and still spends time with me on my own, maybe tonight I can talk to her.  Convince her that this idea is all a sham.  It's wrong and it won't work.

"I'm here, where are the files?"  Cody says as he jogs around the corner.

"Here, babe."  Maggie stands and gives him a kiss as she hands over the information.

They both sit down across from me and I'm instantly jealous at how close he is to her right now.  He's flipping through the files and scrunching up his eyebrows.  He's always curious, always wants to know all the details of our assignment.  I just want to do the job and be done.   

"This doesn't look right."  Cody says looking up at me.

"I don't want to know." I tell him.

"Look."  He crawls over shoving the files in my face and I see photos.  He starts listing off the names of the people in them.  All members of a small gang that has formed here in Charleston.

"Why do you think the Academy wants these files?"  I ask him.  "They're small time.  Selling dope on the street corners."

"That's were it starts."  Maggie speaks up, "Maybe the Academy is trying to prevent them from growing into something bigger."

Cody closes the file and runs his hand back and forth over his hair.  He's thinking and he's nervous.  "I just don't understand why someone would already have files on these people in the Old Exchange Building.  I thought we were retrieving old blueprints or some shit.  Why would a museum have these names and photos?"