espionage [h.s.]

EIGHT

A.N. I'm so happy you all seem to be enjoying this story so far, thank you for your feedback! Remember to be an active reader & vote/comment for more frequent updates! x

ROCHELLE

11:45pm, Defence Tactics class

"Can you just fucking hit me already?" I ask in frustration, bouncing on my feet as I keep up my defensive stance, circling around Zayn. "How am I supposed to defend myself if you won't even hit me?"

"But I don't want to hit you," he replies, making me roll my eyes.

"Why, because I'm a girl?" I mock in a higher octave, pursing my lips into a fake pout.

"No, because then you'll hit me back, and I don't want anything to damage my pretty face," he replies smugly, making me shake my head at him in amusement.

"Stop rubbing it in that you're hotter than me and hit me!" I groan in frustration, jabbing my fist out at him which he manages to dodge.

"Fine. But if I hurt you, you're not allowed to cry because then I'll feel bad."

"Please. My tear ducts dried up years ago."

He just smiles, bringing his hands up in front of his chest and matching my position, pivoting around me. I estimate his actions for a few seconds, waiting for his left foot to step forward before I strike at him, my fist landing on the edge of his jaw. He doesn't react much, only jabbing his fist out to me in response but I manage to dodge it, ducking under his arm and spinning around so I'm behind him, successfully putting him in a chokehold. He breathes deeply for a while and I think he's going to surrender, which is when he slams his elbow into my stomach and manages to break free.

"Ugh, you play dirty," I say with a small groan, bending forward slightly as I wait for the pain in my stomach to pass.

"And you're fucking quick," he replies with an impressed laugh. "You're like a little rabbit."

"Yeah, in more ways than one," I joke, shooting him a wink to which he chuckles in response.

"Good work, trainees!" Louis calls out as he strolls up and down the room, observing each pair as we practice defence tactics on each other. We're been doing this for about an hour and a half now, which would usually become a little boring after that long, but Louis is spicing it up a bit by making us answer certain questions as if he's doing some sort of criminal pop quiz. "Malik, your question next!" Zayn turns around to face him, raising his eyebrow in reply. "Tell me, what does it mean to commit a crime?"

From the other side of the room, Rayna, one of Klaudia's friends who also happens to be sleeping with Liam, lets out a scoff. "Why does he get the easy question?"

"I think we all know the answer to that." Louis reaches up tap the side of his head with his finger, pulling a face. "He's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed," he jokes, causing a ripple of snickers around the room.