The Professional Alibi

Chapter 7: Breaking Up is Hard To Do

I drive the entire thirty-minute drive back to the Academy in a daze. How did I go from graduating high school to being a spy and having four fake boyfriends in twenty-four hours?

This is big. Oh, so big.

My chest aches to tell someone. Normally, I'd run to Keeley or Jesse, but I can't tell them. It's forbidden. All this crazy, awesome, earth-shattering information needs to stay bottled up inside me like a soda that's been shaken before it's opened.

I sigh. You'd think I'd be used to secrecy after being in a spy Academy. But even at Apex Academy I had a couple hundred kids to share the knowledge with. Now I've got nobody. Well, except for tall, dark, and handsome Wade and four strangers. Ugh. It's like being a Freshman all over again. Except I'll be kissing all my new friends--if you can call them that.

I wrinkle my nose at the idea. I shouldn't have gone down that hole. I haven't wrapped my mind around what I'll actually be doing yet.

When I get to my room, it's nearly lunchtime. I promised Jesse we'd meet up before we have to go back to our dorm rooms and finish packing. Originally Jesse, Keeley, and I planned on attending colleges about an hour from each other. Now, I'm moving to a different state.

My stomach sinks and dread pools in my lungs whenever I think of Jesse. I have to choose between my boyfriend of a year and my job, and I'm choosing my job. This sucks ducks.

I glance around the room, taking stock of what needs to be packed. Keeley is in her bed with her back to the room, sleeping. Must've been a late night. I hope she had fun at the party.

I creep to her bed and nudge her shoulder. Keeley doesn't stir. I nudge again, this time harder. "Keeley," I whisper. "Wanna go to lunch with me and Jesse?"

Keeley pulls in a deep breath and stiffens, but she doesn't turn to look at me. "No thanks."

Her voice sounds a little off, but I figure she's probably groggy from being out all night, so I don't worry.

"Okay," I say. "I'll catch up with you afterward."

Keeley makes a sound but doesn't say anything else.

Great. Now I'm going to have to break up with Jesse all by myself without any moral support. I guess he deserves not to have an audience anyway.

I do one quick look in the mirror, pull my straight brown hair into a ponytail, then head out the door to meet up with Jesse for lunch.

We meet up at our favorite restaurant just outside of town. I walk through the doors and take in the dim lights, soft German music in the background, and European cafe aesthetic with round wooden tables with matching chairs, plants in all the corners and cubbies, cloth napkins, and the scent of fresh scones filling the air.

I find Jesse at a table in the corner already reading the menu, sipping on a cup of coffee. He looks up, and stands, pulling me into a hug and a short kiss. "How was it with your parents?"

I kiss him again, worried it might be our last kiss.

Ever.

I force a smile and look up at him. "It was fine. A little awkward. Even though we Zoom each other every week, it's been a long time since we've been in person. We lasted about ten minutes before we ran out of things to say."

I chuckle. "It was fine though. We went to a movie, then went to their hotel room and I pretended to sleep while they talked to each other. I pretended to wake up though when they started kissing. Yeah. Not gonna be around when all that starts happening."

"Ew! Really?" Jesse shudders. "That's just gross."

"That's my parents. Can you blame them though? They haven't seen each other for months and they're married."

He makes another face. "But they're...old!"

"Not that old. They're in their forties."

"Old enough." Jesse reaches across the table and grabs my hand. "We're gonna stay young forever."

"Ha! Or die young. That's a distinct possibility in our field of work."

The server shows up and I order an orange juice and strawberry crepes. Jesse chooses his favorite: a stack of pancakes, bacon, and eggs over easy.

When she leaves, I gnaw on my lip and stare at the table.

Jesse takes my hand again and squeezes. "What's wrong, babe?"

Dread washes over me, seeping into every pore. I don't want to do this. We're good. We're happy. I want to keep being his girlfriend. But it's not fair to him, and even if it's my job, and people would disagree with me, it still feels like cheating.

I press my eyes closed and spit it out. "I have to break up with you."