Model in Disguise

11. Lose One Friend, Gain Another

Dedicated to: DevS98
Well, lookie here. We done found ourselves a reader of the previous MID. Am I right? No, really. Dude, if you've stuck with this story this far . . . I LOVE YOU. Seriously. I'm glad you like this new version. The old one was interesting, but this one is planned out to be even better. And I'm glad you kept up with the book after everything. Thanks for reading! :3

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       September 4th

       Maria Sanchez is introduced.

       Ch. 11: Lose One Friend, Gain Another

       Date: September 4th

It doesn’t take long for me to unpack my things. In fact, I’m already finished by the time I receive my new textbooks, which is sometime the next day. A day after that I’ve already established my very own untraceable connection link with Special Operations. But still, even so, Kyle hasn’t contacted any of us yet.

       Or at least I don’t think he has.

       Alex and Adrian have been MIA for two days now, but I think that’s for the best. I don't look too much into it. I need to focus on the mission. I haven’t come anywhere near the mention of the target, Maxwell Thomas, since I've been here.

       Surely a school would have a picture of their principal somewhere inside the building. Any normal school would. It's clear to me that there are secrets inside this school that have been well hidden from the students and maybe even faculty members. It's a good thing I've never been fond of secrets.

       The day before classes begin, I find myself standing in the middle of a hallway with the one girl that I need as my ally. I am trying to explain to a hard-headed Susan that I already have a boyfriend, but the both of us stand our ground, too stubborn to even break eye contact.

       One thing I admire about Mom when she chooses my identities is that she knows which personalities I can display the best. Naturally, those would be the ones that resemble my own.

       “I hope you know I’m not intimidated by you,” I say, raising an eyebrow at Susan. The girl continues glaring my way. Her thick, dark wavy hair falls into her eyes as she tilts her head to the side. When her eyes narrow, I can tell she’s examining my whole figure from head to toe.

       Instantly she gains some points in my book. This is something I would do.

       “I know,” she replies, pursing her lips. “I’m just trying to figure out why.”

       We stand in front of a lounge room on the third floor of the east wing. The large, towering door frame is behind Susan, and occasionally I find myself looking over her shoulder to peer into it, trying to observe the mass of students inside. Neither of us go in. We are too busy calculating each other’s movements and sizing each other up.

       “It’s nothing personal,” I inform nonchalantly. “I just don’t see the point in putting myself beneath someone who could have an even more judgmental personality than I do.”

       Suddenly a smile breaks across her face, and I have to stare hard at her to figure out if it’s genuine. The fact that I even have to think twice about it tells me that I like this girl already; she’s hard to read. Although I'm not sure if this is a good thing.

       The smile, I conclude is real. She has just warmed up to me. “You have a boyfriend,” she repeats my words from earlier. From her it’s supposed to be a question, but she says it as a statement.