Espion | Book One

Eighteen.

The cinema was jam packed. Couples walking arm in arm, giggling and laughing to each other, squeezed by groups of friends, cracking insider jokes and sipping on too large cups of soda. The chatter was at an all-time high, an annoying buzz that hovered over the crowd. If one were to listen closer, one could pick up different conversations; the girl complaining to her boyfriend about the movie, the guy telling his buddies that they should have went to the party instead, the girl spitting rapid Spanish into her phone. Anna found herself translating without realizing it, the girl's chauffeur left her on her own. Anna wouldn't be surprised if she was a student at Middleton too.

The crowd was a hindrance but Anna was focused. Despite all the milling bodies, unaware they were blocking her view, Anna's eyes remained on the only two bodies in the lot of them she cared about. Jessi and Angela stood at the concession stand. Jessi smiled at the woman manning the stand, accepting a large tray holding one big tub of popcorn and two huge cups of soda while handing her the money with his next hand. Angela, who had been texting away on her phone, turned to Jessi with a smile and slid the phone into her back pocket. She took one of the sodas from the tray and said something to him, which made him laugh.

Anna scowled.

She was at the very back of the room, resting lightly against the wall, her phone in her hand. Her ball cap rested low on her face, her ponytail pulled out the opening in the back. She typed away on her phone, putting in whatever random words that came to her head into the Google search bar in her effort to come off as normal. Her eyes never left Jessi for a second though. In a crowd like this, it would be easy to lose him.

Finally, the woman behind the concession stand handed him his change and the two made their way towards their movie. Anna launched herself off the wall and tucked her phone into her pocket. She kept her hood back, moving purposefully yet casually towards them, weaving herself between all the bodies like an eel in water.

Out of nowhere, someone stepped in front of her and it was too late to prevent herself from bumping into him. "Hey, watch it, will you?" the person cursed immediately.

"Sorry," Anna mumbled. She tried pushing past him but the guy grabbed her arm.

"Hey, I know you," he said. Anna looked up at him with a slight frown. It was the guy in her History class, the one with the turned up collar. Johnny. "You go to my school, don't you?"

"I have to be somewhere." She tried pulling her arm away from him but his fingers tightened. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. This guy was asking for it.

"What's the rush?" His lips tipped upwards in a mischievous smile. "My friends and I were just saying we need some female company. Why don't you come hang out with us?"

"You're hard of hearing, aren't you?"

His smile faltered, just a bit. "What?"

"I said, I have somewhere I need to be." She pulled her arm again but it only succeeded in bringing him closer. His grip was too strong. "Let go of me."

"Hey, don't be like that. Come on, it's going to be fun. We're right over there." He pointed somewhere behind her but Anna didn't turn.

By now, Jessi and Angela were probably settled in their seats, lost in the darkness of the room. It would be hell trying to find them. To make matters worse, Anna wasn't even sure if they went into the room, or if those Frenchmen showed up and copped him. All she knew right now was that the longer she stood here talking with this bozo, the more dangerous it'll be for Jessi.