Agent L.A.

Routines and rituals

The first thing I heard was my alarm clock. I inhaled my deep morning breath, the smell of perfume and toothpaste filling my nose. I sat up and saw that my roommate, Amy, was still asleep. I threw my pillow across the room at her.
"Amy, get up. We have work," I said groggily. Even for someone who works in a top secret agency, Monday's suck.
"Oh my god, Kylie, you've got to stop doing that!" She said in an angry sleepy voice. I threw my blankets off and turned on the lights, attempting to wake my tired brain up. The weekend was hectic. Apart from work, Amy and I attended a party across town that was probably illegal in several different ways. Breaking the law isn't really supported in our line of work. Oh well.

After getting dressed, I walked over to the vanity to find Amy doing her makeup.
"Why do you wear makeup to work? Aren't you kicking bad guys' asses or something?" I asked jokingly. She laughed while applying eyeliner.
"Yeah, but I have to look hot while doing it," she said. I laughed and began my makeup routine. This was our morning ritual. Kind of like the calm before the storm.

In the dining hall, we ate breakfast with the field agents. They were all picked out of highschool because of their "athletic traits". I scooped tater tots into my mouth, having ingested nothing but carbonated drinks and pizza in the last 12 hours.
"Woah, slow down there champ. Greasy potatoes aren't exactly brain food," Tyler Brooks, aka the guy I can't stand, teased. A few people chuckled. I sneered at him from across the table.
"Oh come on Tyler. You'd need all the brain food in the world to be as smart as Kylie," Amy retorted. The table erupted into a chorus of "ooh"s. Pink crept into Tyler's cheeks. I highfived Amy, and we returned to our breakfast.

***
It was like this every day. My eyes were glued to my computer screen as I typed in line after line of code. I felt someone's presence behind me.
"What's the latest on the government expense page, Ms. Scott?" Mr. Carraway, the director of this branch of the SIA, asked. I didn't take my eyes off the screen.
"I'm trying to find a way in through the back door," I told him, "it's got more of a firewall than I expected". He patted my shoulder.
"That's my girl. Keep up your good work. We need access to that page by tonight," he informed me, then disappeared into the maze of computers. I sighed. I knew I was going to be there all night.

At 12:30 in the afternoon, I returned to the dining hall for my lunch break. After receiving my tray of a grilled cheese sandwich and French fries, I continued with my daily routine. I found my regular spot by the window that looked out into a parking garage. Not the nicest view, but it's all we had in an underground building. I ate quietly. In the midst of chewing, Tyler came and sat across from me.
"Hey, princess," he greeted with a smirk. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"And what is that nickname supposed to mean?" I asked sharply. He rolled his eyes.
"Oh come one. You know you're Carraway's favourite. He treats you better than anyone else," he said matterofactly. I shook my head in disbelief.
"First, that's not true. And second, shouldn't you be out in the field? It's the middle of the day," I stated. He stole a French fry.
"My supervisor put me on a break. Doesn't want to wear out his best agent," he said with a smirk, leaning back in his chair. I scoffed.
"As if. We both know Amy is the best," I said. Tyler laughed.
"Ha, sure she is. Did you hear about the identity slip-up she had a couple weeks ago?" He asked. A frown found its way onto my face.
"No. What happened?" I questioned. His smirk deepened.
"She was out to catch this guy who was trying to sneak drugs into the government bureau, and she got the wrong guy. Tied him up and everything. That's when I was asked to get the right guy," he told me. I pursed my lips. Why didn't Amy tell me?
"Oh. Did your supervisor get mad?" I asked. His eyes went big.
"Oh yeah. Furious. She was suspended last week. That's why today's mission is so important for her," he explained. I my jaw dropped.
"She told me she was sick and that's why she wasn't working!" I explained. Tyler gave me a look.
"Well, apparently your bestie doesn't tell you everything," he stated. I look down sadly. I guess he saw how upset I was because he tried to lighten the mood with a joke.
"Hey, look on the bright side. At least know you know that she'll never tell you if she doesn't like you," he kidded. I glared at him.
"Get out of my line of sight," I said angrily. He put his hands up in defence and walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

***

I was close to breaking through the firewall on the Government's expense page when Amy sat down at the computer next to me.
"Hey," she smiled at me. I looked at her blankly then returned my gaze back to my screen.
"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling her legs up onto her chair. I sighed and swivelled my chair in her direction.
"Tyler told me about what happened out in the field a few weeks ago," I said. She looked at me nervously.
"Why didn't you tell me? I'm your best friend. I get that you were embarrassed, but you didn't have to lie to me!" I said angrily. Good thing it was 6:30 and there was nobody else in the computer lab. My voice was about to get loud.
"It wasn't because I was embarrassed! Shit, Kylie. I lied to you because I didn't want to disappoint you," she admitted. I was beyond confused.
"Disappoint me?" I asked. Amy sighed.
"You know I'm here because I love my job, but I also took the position because there's nobody out there for me. I have no family. I wasn't giving anyone up to come here. You're the closest thing I have to family," she told me. I swear she brought a fricking tear to my eye. I stood up and hugged her.
"Aw, Amy. That means so much to me," I said into her shoulder. She patted my hair.
"I'm sorry I lied to you," she said. We pulled away and I smiled.
"It's okay. Just don't do it again," I joked, poking her nose. She laughed.
"Don't stay up too late, Ky," she smiled, and disappeared into the hall. I sat back down and coded the hell out of that webpage. Soon enough, I had received another pat on the shouder and a lot of praise from Mr. Carraway, then I fell into bed.

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A/N- hey! I hope you like the first chapter! I had lots of fun writing it :) please vote/comment/share ❤️ next update: Friday :) ~Liv xoxo