Spy School Revolution

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Suite 4

The Portmier Hotel

Washington, DC

1700 Hours

As we waited for our food to arrive, I claimed a bed. I was thinking about taking a nap, but found that I couldn't. It was subtle, but I felt the same undercurrent of unease clouding my mind, tightening my jaw, curling my fists.

I knew I needed rest, but I just couldn't lay still.

I got up and walked to the balcony. At the edge, I was met with a cool breeze. I had never stayed in a room so far up in the sky. The heavy, low-hanging clouds had parted, with a steady afternoon glow of sunlight pouring in. The view really was quite stunning. For a moment, I felt my worries fade away.

I glanced towards the direction of the warehouse. In theory, I should've been able to spot it from this vantage point, but that area was full of nearly identical buildings. It occurred to me it had been a pretty clever location to choose for an enemy hideout. No locals would ever suspect a thing about it, and most tourists steered clear of that neighborhood.

During the conversation we had overheard, the man had mentioned "the plan". I had been so focused on saving Erica, I failed to consider what she might be used for by the enemy.

I gripped the balcony rail, chewing my lip.

What was the plan? Did it have something to do with the cargo the enemy agents were unloading? Maybe the explosion at the school was only the beginning of some scheme. The fact of the matter was that we knew almost nothing about this organization.

So much for trying to relax.

The sound of the the door sliding open behind me broke in on my thoughts. I turned to see Zoe at the railing next to me.

"Hey." I was trying to be casual. I didn't want to worry her by sharing my thoughts.

"Hi," she replied, without taking her eyes off the view.

I found myself studying her face, the way the afternoon sunlight lit up her eyes, the way the wind swished through her hair. She was turned slightly away from me, her gaze fixed on the skyline before us. I thought about our last one-on-one conversation.

Before I could stop myself, I asked "You didn't want to believe me, did you?" She raised her eyebrows. "About Erica, I mean."

"No, I didn't."

I was decidedly not good at talking to girls, but I was getting a pretty strong vibe that Zoe was still upset with me. I furrowed my brow and turned back to the view, feeling uncomfortable. I hated when any of my friends were angry with me, but it particularly hurt when it was Zoe. I relied a lot on her constant good cheer.

But just for the record, I helped you when the whole world was against you, too.

I ran a hand through my damp hair. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier!" I blurted. "I never meant to make it sound like Erica was the only person ever there for me, because the truth is that there were a lot of times where she wasn't."

I cringed, feeling like I was explaining myself all wrong. But I forged on. "I know you've always, always had my back."

"I mean, you were my very first friend at school, and whenever I'm in trouble I always call you, and you're always there to help, and I really don't say thank you enough, but I'm really grateful!" I rushed through my words.

"And I'm sorry I'm such an idiot," I added.

I peeked at her. She was still fixated on the view, but her eyes were squinted slightly and her mouth pinched closed.

"Can you please say something?" I asked, desperate at this point.

She gave a slight exhale of laughter and turned to look at me. "That was a good apology," she said through a cheeky grin.

"Oh thank god," I mumbled, sinking down heavily against the rail in relief.

Then I stood up straight and poked her. "Why'd you have to scare me like that?"

She gave a real laugh this time, then looked up at me.

I'm not sure what would've happened, but then we heard Chip's muffled call from inside the room. "Food's here!"

She looked back to the view, disappointed. I did the same, confused about how to feel. Part of me was kind of glad that we were interrupted. And the other part of me wasn't.

I glanced at her, my head resting on my hands. "I really am thankful, you know,"

She nodded knowingly. "I am pretty awesome," she said in mock-seriousness.

"So are we cool?" I asked.

She patted my arm and turned to leave the balcony. "Yes Ben, we are cool," she said over her shoulder.

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After we ate, I collapsed on my bed. Anxiety or not, I needed rest. I was just exhausted, having barely slept the last night and spent the last two days running around trying to find Erica.

Erica. For some reason, I found myself wondering what she would make of my conversation with Zoe. As I tossed and turned, I had a pretty good idea what she would think of it. I knew she always advised against getting emotional involved with people, since it complicated missions. But despite everything, a quiet bit of my mind hoped that she wouldn't be happy about it for another reason.

I convinced myself she probably couldn't care less.

And besides, she had a point. My life was definitely already complicated enough. Maybe if I actually focused, I'd be able to ask her myself soon. I shut my eyes, tiredness sweeping over me.

A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter! Don't worry Berica shippers, this story isn't over yet. :) Also: 300 reads and counting! You guys are the best! Feel free to leave a comment, I would love to meet all of you!

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