How To Become A Spy

Chapter Two

When I opened my bedroom door later that evening, I was immediately greeted by Debby throwing a plastic bag full of items at me. I quickly grabbed onto it in an attempt to stop the contents from falling out and hitting the ground. 

"I brought snacks!" was all she said in greeting as she pushed her way past me to enter the room. Whenever food was involved, it was one of the only times you would see her this enthusiastically happy.

A little dazzled from how quickly she'd thrown something at me, as well as the numb feeling I'd experienced from earlier that day, had left me a little unprepared. I blinked several times, trying to bring myself back into the moment. I hadn't even realized it had gotten this late.

From behind the doorway, Kevin Watowski appeared, making his way into the room just as swiftly. "I brought nothing other than my glorious, sweaty presence!" he said in a tone that mimicked Debby's own excited one. 

I took note of his appearance. Still in his tennis wear, his curly brown hair was pushed back by a headband and his face red and overheated.

"You walked?" I asked, giving him a sympathetic look. "Well, at least you didn't have the sun beating down on you like I did a few hours ago."

Debby sat down on the edge of my bed, smoothening her skirt as she looked at Kevin. "You know, if I'd known what time you finished that tennis tournament, I would have just given you a ride here."

Debby was the only one with a license in our friendship group. I still hadn't found the time to go for mine but had it at the top of my to-do list. When I couldn't catch a ride with my Mom somewhere, I was stuck walking or taking my bike. As much as I liked riding the thing, it was more than two years old and had definitely reached its expiry date. Plus with the hot days and cold nights, it didn't feel like it was ever a nice time to be journeying in anything other than a car. 

Kevin shrugged, resting his back against my bedroom door as it shut. "It's fine, I had to go back to the gymnasium anyway. Mom needed some help setting up for a junior session tonight."

Kevin was Coach May's son. While he didn't take gym himself, he often helped her maintain the studio and look after all the equipment. Most of the times I had group sessions with Debby, he was there helping out.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Debby smiled, her dimples showing. "I remember junior gym."

"Cute?" Kevin raised an eyebrow, voice full of disbelief. "It's like a never-ending anxiety attack! There's nothing fun about watching a bunch of kids flying around the room and trying to prevent them from injury. The last thing we'd need is a lawsuit from some rich, stuck up soccer Mom."

I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh darkly at the visual thought of Kevin running after screaming first graders who were hoisting themselves up into the air. Changing the topic, I sat down on the bed next to Debby in an attempt to unwind a little more. 

"How did the tournament go, anyway?" I asked him, leaning back.

He nodded his head, "Pretty good. The guy from our club got through to the next round, anyway." 

Debby suddenly sat up straighter, widening her eyes at him with interest. "Really? That's cool. Is tennis fun? I've always been kind of interested in it."

I gave her an odd look, furrowing my eyebrows. "Since when?"

She shrugged casually. "It looks cool on television." 

She shuffled back on my bed, reaching for the tv remote control that was on my bedside table. One of the first things she always did when she came into my room was start channel surfing and browsing for a good movie to watch.