Investigating the Hottie

by Alexander, Juli

I smacked Will on the arm. “Let’s do it.”

  He looked at me. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded.

  “I don’t know,” he said, and turned back to listen to the teacher.

  Alana leaned over to me and whispered, “I knew she’d bail him out. She wouldn’t let him fail. Everybody knows he’s good with computers. His presentations are always stellar.”

  I looked over at Will. If my aunt arrested him, could I still date him? Probably not.

  The teacher finished it up just as the bell rang.

  Will headed quickly for the door, but she held him up. “Will, Amanda, do you have a minute?”

  “Sure,” Will said.

  I just nodded.

  “Did you hear what I was saying about the computer graphics project?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Will said, clearly planning to follow it with a ‘but.’

  “We’d love to do it.” I jumped in. “Thanks.”

  She smiled at me. “Well, I know Will can do a good job at this. Are you comfortable with computers?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I shrugged, trying to tone down the enthusiasm. “I’m no genius, but I’m okay.”

  Will grimaced.

  “Wonderful.” She was the oldest teacher I’d had, but she looked younger when she smiled. “I’ll get the tutorial ready, and you can start tomorrow.”

  She was obviously thrilled to find a way to pass us.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Thanks,” Will grumbled.

  Will walked so quickly I had to really struggle to catch up.

  “Will, I’m not trying to just latch onto your brains. I can hold my own. We’ll do a good job.”

  He stopped, eyed me, and opened his mouth. Then he said, “It’s the only option I’ve got at this point anyway.”

  Great. How flattering. He’d do it because he had no choice. As a girl, I was insulted. As a spy, I’d done my job, and set up the rest of the investigation. “Can we work on it tomorrow night?”

  “I don’t know. Can’t we wait until Friday? Then we’ll have all weekend.”

  I’m thinking, no. Because I’m desperate to see you in action, prove you’re the culprit, and have you punished. But, what I said was, “Sure. Whatever.”

  He started walking again. “We’d better hurry to the cafeteria or we’ll get stuck with the meatloaf.”

  “I hope it’s better than at my school. I mean, my old school.”

  He lowered his voice. “I’m pretty sure it’s dog food here, so if your old school served something designed for human consumption, PA’s going to win this contest.”

  “I wonder if this best of the worst stuff is bad for our character development.”

  “Well, we’re not doing our Art project that way,” he said, “because I have to get a good grade.”

  “Of course not!”

  “We have to take it seriously,” he said.

  “I’m the one who wants to start on it right away. Remember?”

  He gave me a look I couldn’t quite define. He seemed like he was stressing, and I couldn’t understand why.

  We made it to the cafeteria. I grabbed the last burger and an apple. Will was still loading up his tray, so I went and paid at the register.

  I walked over to the table.

  “Dude,” Colin said to me as I sat down. “Where’ve you guys been?”

  Kyle muttered something to Mark and laughed.

  “Ms. Roberson held us up,” I explained. The last thing I wanted was for them to think we’d ducked into a broom closet. It wasn’t the last thing I wanted to do, but I didn’t want them thinking it.

  “Sure,” Colin said.

  Whatever dude.

  “Actually, Mrs. Roberson was looking for some nude models for her night class at the college. Will suggested you, but she said she needed a more mature form.”

  Colin opened his mouth and closed it. I guess he hadn’t expected that from me.

  The others broke into laughter.

  Will finally showed up. He’d just set down the tray and pulled out the plastic chair when my boob started to vibrate.

  Wonderful. I had no choice but to leave. So I said, “Excuse me gentlemen, but my breast needs my attention.”

  No. Actually, I jumped up, grabbed my backpack and the burger, and said, “Forgot about something. See you guys later.”

  Clutching my backpack to my chest, I fled the cafeteria.

  I could just hear Kyle asking why I’d run off when Colin was the one who should have been embarrassed.

  I heard Kyle’s “oof” when Colin slugged him just as I went out the door.

  Veering into the restroom, I glanced around and whipped out the boob phone.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Tina?” asked a voice on the line.

  “No.”

  “Oh, sorry. Wrong number.”

  “What?”

  Click.

  A wrong number on an agency wireless? You gotta be kidding me.

  Instead of flushing the phone down the toilet, I went back to the hall, sat on the floor, and ate my burger.

  Chapter Seven

  Nic picked me up from school and ran me by Christie’s apartment to change clothes. The girls were playing at five, so we ordered Chinese and ate at his apartment. It was the mirror image of Christie’s with all the furniture black instead of white.

  “So you’re like the bad guy with the black wardrobe.” I pushed the remains of my Beef and Green Peppers across the dining table and looked around.

  Nic chuckled. “That’s probably what Christie would tell you. I think the agency keeps it black and white for simplicity. Most of the furniture has hidden compartments or hidden technology.”

  “What’s hidden in the couch? A sofa bed?” I glanced over at the completely ordinary black leather sofa.

  Nic coughed. “No. Weapons actually.”

  I turned to see if he was kidding. “Weapons. I’ve been sitting on a pile of weapons?”

  He appeared amused. “It’s not bombs or anything. Don’t worry.”

  “Don’t even tell me where you hide the bombs,” I joked.

  “I won’t.” He took another mouthful of Chow Mein.

  I hoped he was kidding.

  Nic was impressed that I’d managed to force Will into the computer graphics project. “Not bad for the first mission, Amanda.”

  “Thank you.” I was pretty proud of myself. “So what do I look for when I get to his room?”

  “It doesn’t take much to be a hacker. Some of these guys have really expensive setups. But all he really needs is two CPU’s, one of them will probably have wires spilling out of it, and a cable modem.”

  “Do you know this from experience?” I teased.

  “No.” He shook his head. “My talents definitely do not lie with computers. I’m more of a people person.” He rolled his eyes. “Despite what your aunt says.”

  The sunny Fall afternoon was perfect for a soccer game. We found a place in the stands just as the girls team ran out on the field. Nic and I cheered along with the crowd which made a sort of pathetic racket that couldn’t have been very encouraging for the team. Apparently, the old trick of having the girls’ team open for the boys’ had failed to bring in more fans.

  The other team, a local parochial school, didn’t have a lot of talent or experience. By the end of the first half, our team led seven to nothing.

  Students finally started to arrive, but it was clear that they were only there to get good seats for the boys’ game rather than to watch the girls’.

  All the activity in the stands made it harder to concentrate on the game.

  Then, I started feeling paranoid. Like everyone was staring at me.

  A few minutes later, I realized that I wasn’t imagining it. The female half of the student body was sneaking looks in my direction. But they weren’t ogling at me. Nic had captured their attention.

  “Oh my God.” I looked at Nic. He was pretending not to notice the ogl
ing. “They’re way too young for you.”

  Nic broke into a grin and tucked a loose strand of long black hair behind his ear. “What can I say? I’m hot.”

  I smacked at his shoulder. I figured it was my job to keep his ego in check until Christie showed up.

  A group of girls near the front of the stands looked our way. I waved at them and they all turned around quickly. Not too obvious.

  I studied Nic over more carefully. He did look nice in his black T-shirt and jeans which emphasized his sculpted body. Maybe all secret agents resembled cover models. It must make the work easier.

  Hello. I’m beautiful. Tell me what I want to know and I’ll let you bask in my presence.

  Some of the girls were getting braver. A blonde from my homeroom actually came up to talk to us.

  “Hi. Amanda, right?” She wasn’t taking her eyes off of Nic.

  “Right,” I answered. I didn’t know her name and I didn’t really care. “Great game, huh?”

  She widened her eyes in confusion and glanced at me. “It hasn’t started yet.” Then, she followed my gaze. “Oh, yeah. I’m really just here to see the guys play.” She beamed brightly at Nic. “It’s so nice of you bring your—”

  Not too obvious.

  “Aunt’s boyfriend,” Nic answered for her.

  “My aunt’s really beautiful,” I said. “And she’ll be here soon.”

  Blondie didn’t take the hint. “Oh, well, I might as well keep you guys company while you’re waiting.” She sat down on the other side of Nic.

  “He’s old,” I mumbled, resenting her presence.

  By the time Christie arrived, Nic had eight teenage girls fawning over him. Christie stopped, crossed her arms, and raised a brow.

  Nic didn’t seem overly miserable about the attention. I guess he was used to it.

  Christie stood next to me and waited for Nic to notice her.

  He didn’t.

  She cleared her throat.

  “Oh,” he said, looking away from Meg and Jenny, latecomers to the drool-over-Nic-a-thon. “Hi, Christie. Glad you made it.”

  “Now that your girlfriend’s here, Nic,” I taunted, “maybe you should make room for her.”

  Comprehension dawned in his eyes. He steeled himself, and stood. “Hey, sweetheart.”

  The two girls in front of him slid over to allow Christie to approach.

  “Hi, babe.” It didn’t sound like a term of endearment as much as a four-letter word, but no one else seemed to notice.

  “Give him a kiss, Christie.” Sometimes I really felt the devil in me. “Don’t be shy. We can handle a little PDA.” I turned to the girls. “They’re so affectionate. It’s so cute.”

  I knew she’d kill me later, but it was all worth it. A public display of affection between those two. Ha!

  Nic stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, and Christie reached for him. The kiss looked real and truth be told, they created a little too much heat for adults at a high school sporting event.

  A couple of the girls sighed.

  Christie and Nic might’ve done this before.

  They broke apart, but Nic kept an arm around her as they sat down on the bench.

  The stands were getting thick with people, and I started to wonder if the girls would ever leave.

  Then the cheerleaders took the field to cheer for the boys’ game. The sight of eleven of Princeton Academy’s finest male specimens clad in shorts and soccer jerseys distracted Nic’s fan club.

  They made their excuses and returned to their original seats. Jenny and Meg were the only ones who bothered to say goodbye to me.

  “Well, that was disgusting,” Christie remarked.

  “No kidding.” I peered around Nic to meet Christie’s eyes. We both cracked up.

  “Too bad we don’t have an assignment involving teenage girls, Nicky. You’d be a natural.”

  Nic groaned. “It’s not just teenage girls, Christie. I have quite an effect on women in general.”

  Christie snorted. “The drunks at the bar aren’t an accurate cross-section of the population.”

  “I’ve seen you sneaking a look in my direction.” He turned to wink at me.

  “A sneer, maybe. A look, no.”

  “There wasn’t any sneering going on during that kiss,” I pointed out.

  “I was sneering on the inside,” Christie bristled.

  “I know the truth, and so do you, Princess.” He smirked.

  “Fine,” she snapped. “Let’s just watch the game.”

  Will started at center forward for the team, and he was playing really well. He appeared so utterly confident out there, and tough. I didn’t even know I liked tough, but there it was. Yummy.

  I heard Christie and Nic talking softly about their case. I guess I should have been interested, but I wanted to watch the game. Besides, if they kept each other busy, maybe they wouldn’t notice if I started drooling, because it was a real possibility.

  The opposing team had a lot more going for it than their girls’ team had. They had four pretty strong players.

  Our team was better. I’d seen the guy who played center fullback in the halls. He was only a sophomore and about six feet six inches tall. He didn’t look like a soccer player, but he certainly cleared the ball like one.

  At half time, the score was two to one in our favor.

  “I’m starved,” Christie said. “My stomach can’t wait until I meet The Rat for dinner.”

  “We ate Chinese,” Nic said.

  “Traitors.” Christie hopped up. “I’m getting something from the concession stand. Want anything?”

  “A Coke.” Nic reached for his wallet.

  “I was asking Amanda.” Christie turned and winked at me exactly the way Nic had earlier.

  They were more alike than they knew.

  Christie reluctantly took Nic’s dollar.

  “I’ll have a Coke, too.” I cocked my head and looked at her. “Should I come with you?”

  “Sure. I might need help. I’m pretty hungry.”

  She wasn’t kidding. When we made it through the line to the counter, she ordered nachos, popcorn, a hotdog, and the three drinks.

  “Sounds like you’re feeding my grandson,” the redheaded woman behind the counter said. It was a cool red that obviously came from a bottle, and she wore it short and spiky. Funky purple crystal earrings hung down several inches. I liked them but I’d never wear them.

  I guess being thin and beautiful instilled you with enough self-esteem to walk around with your arms loaded with junk food. I was just glad Christie let me carry the drinks.

  We climbed the steps to reach Nic, and he laughed when he saw Christie.

  “I love a woman who can eat me under the table.” Nic scooted over to make room for us and the food.

  “I didn’t have dinner,” Christie said with a self-righteous tone.

  “I just hope it doesn’t make you sick.” I examined the bright orange nacho cheese with disdain. It didn’t appear to be edible. Eating from a can stored in a closet under concrete bleachers couldn’t be a good idea. “The lady volunteering in the concession stand tried to talk you out of it.”

  “She did not.” Christie waved me off.

  “She said, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure?’”

  “Oh, well. I can eat anything. I have a strong stomach.” Christie patted her flat belly.

  It might have been strong, but it was definitely small.

  Christie munched her way through the second half with Nic making occasional comments on her progress. Usually, I was itching to play rather than watch a soccer game. For some reason, I was content just watching Will’s team, and, uh, Will’s legs. Yum.

  He scored two goals, and his team won. We gathered up Christie’s assorted empty food containers and followed the crowd down the steps.

  Will finished celebrating with his friends and turned toward the stands, so I gave him a thumbs-up. I didn’t think he’d actually see it, but he did. He waved
. At me! Heat rose to my cheeks. How very girlie of me. Blushing like a fool. Luckily no one noticed. Nic and Christie were still bickering, this time over the best route out of the stands. I really didn’t know how they got any work done.

  Christie ran by the condo to drop me off and to change for her dinner date with The Rat. I plopped on the couch while she got ready.

  She wore a strapless red dress and crimson heels. “You’ll be okay? I’m sorry to leave you alone all evening, but Nic has to be there, too.”

  “I’ll be fine.” I liked her shoes. Maybe I should consider something dressy once in a while. “How late will you be?”

  “No telling. I’ll stay until The Rat goes home.” She batted her eyelashes. “You know how obsessed I am with him.”

  “Okay. Well, wake me up when you get here so we can talk about the kiss.”

  “What kiss?”

  “You know. The hot kiss from earlier. You and Nic and your secret relationship.”

  “Oh, please.” She headed for the door. “That was all for show.”

  “Whatever.” She wasn’t fooling me.

  “It was.” She turned and gave me that probing look again. “Nothing there.”

  “No fireworks?” I wiggled my eyebrows. Clearly, this line of questioning was getting to her.

  “That doesn’t happen in real life, Amanda.”

  “Right, and he isn’t a good kisser either.”

  “No.” She glanced at her watch. “We’ll talk later.”

  “Wake me up,” I called as she went out the door.

  That kiss had definitely been more than just for show. There was totally passion involved. I might have zero experience, but a girl just knew these things.

  Being alone for a while sounded good. I needed to get my thoughts straightened out about Will. I was dying to call Lexi and tell her about him.

  But what could I really tell her? I couldn’t admit what I was really doing. And I couldn’t even tell her I was going to school during our fall break. I could just have told her that I met him playing soccer, but I didn’t know if any of it would make sense without the details. And, oh yeah, he might be a criminal and end up in jail at the end of the investigation. How would I explain that? If I had to use a fake name and leave out all the real details, I didn’t think talking it out with Lexi was really going to do me much good.