Code Blue

Lexi vs. Organized Extracurricular Activities

"You've literally accomplished nothing."

I glared at Evan, who was looking much too comfortable as he lay on my bed. "What are you talking about?"

"With Max," he went on as though it was completely obvious, "You've gotten nowhere with him."

Rolling my eyes, I went back to reorganizing the supplies on my desk. "I've been here less than a week, Evan. Cut me some slack."

"I know," he deadpanned, "But all you've managed to do is get extremely flustered around Max. I need you to make some progress, Lexi."

He was right, of course. I had three classes with Max, which considering we were studying the same subjects actually wasn't that unusual. So he wasn't really surprised when he saw me, which was good, but it also made things tricky in terms of trying to talk to him.

If I attempted to strike up a conversation every time we saw each other, he'd probably start thinking I was creepy.

This far, I'd settled for observing him from a distance.

Which I realized wasn't any less creepy, but it was my job. And I had learned some things.

For instance, I'd figured out that Max had a posse. I hadn't noticed them at the activity fair because they must have been somewhere in the background, but during class, the same two boys were always nearby. More than likely, they served some sort of bodyguard type purpose, and perhaps, if I befriended one of them, I could wedge my way into Max's inner circle.

"What do you think of this outfit?" I asked Evan once my desk had been rearranged because I'd been trying to keep myself busy after getting ready for the Leadership in Business meeting far too early. I spun in a slow circle to show off the suit I'd selected, which was coincidentally the one I'd worn for my first interview with the agency.

"It looks like you're trying too hard," Evan replied without actually looking at me, focusing all of his attention of throwing a rubber band ball into the air and catching it with one hand.

I rolled my eyes and glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest and huffing. "What do you know?"

Chuckling softly, he caught the rubber band ball and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and settling his face into a serious expression. "I know I'm no fashion expert, but I do know students and they can smell bullshitters from a mile away. So if you try too hard, they'll instantly know you're covering something up and then they'll ice you out and that's the last thing you want. You're trying to get in good with these people, remember?"

Scrunching my nose because I knew he was right, I sighed heavily. Apparently a lot had changed since I had last been in school and because I hadn't finished university because I had been recruited into the agency, it seemed I had a lot to learn about the social nuances of extracurricular organizations.

"Oooh, who are you trying to impress?"

I looked to the side to find Quinn stepping through the open doorway, a smile on her lips as she inspected my outfit and I exhaled in defeat. "I really do look like I'm trying too hard, don't I?"

"Aw, no, that's not what I meant," she immediately cried out, setting down the tote bag which held her books on top of her bed and stepping towards me, one hand reaching out to comfortingly squeeze my upper arm. "You look great. Where are you going?"

"Leadership in Business meeting," Evan offered, his cheeks tinting a little pinker at Quinn's presence, as though he was expecting some flirtation to occur.