Espion | Book One

Twenty One.

"Excuse me," it said. "If you haven't noticed, we're trying to have practice here."

It was Angela, in her all her pink shorts, white top, sweaty yet still gorgeous glory. Her ponytail hung to the side as she crossed her arms and looked at Mina pointedly. "Are you deaf?"

"She was just telling me something," Anna jumped in before Mina could reply. "You can continue what you're doing, we won't bother you."

Angela's jaw dropped when Anna turned her back to her. Mina was crossed between gloating and laughing. Instead, she shook her head, her pigtails flying. "No, it's okay, Anna. I can wait until your practice is over."

"You sure?" Anna asked her. A slight frown appeared on her face and Mina considered that a huge accomplishment. She smiled.

"Yes, really. What I have to say is really, super-duper awesome and you're just going to die when you hear it but I can wait a bit before I burst at the seams." Mina pushed her hands, indicating that she run along. "Seriously, I don't want to get in the middle of practice."

For a second she considered sneaking in a sly comment to Anna to get her onto the squad, but then she realized that she didn't care about being a cheerleader anymore. Right now, she was living on Cloud Nine officially dating Dan; cheerleading was no longer on her wish list.

A look of skepticism shadowed Anna's face for a spilt second before she shrugged and walked away. Mina stepped back, still grinning. She plopped down onto the grass, ignoring the voice in her head that told her she had no maid here that would help her get grass stains out her skirt. She smoothed it out and tucked her legs to the side, enjoying the view she had. There, she was able to see her best friend just as clearly as she could see her new boyfriend.

Her heart leaped once more when she saw Dan run onto the field. He was smiling while he jogged, and Mina basked in the thought that he was still thinking of her, that the smile was just the result of her face in his head. The thought made her blush and giggle.

Dan was a great soccer player. He and Jessi were famed throughout the school for being the dynamic duo. A game could never be played with Jessi on field without Dan there too, and vice versa. They complemented each other. They covered each other's hindsight as if they were one and the same. With them both on the field, it was a sure win for Middleton Academy.

Even now, while they practiced, Dan and Jessi were kicking ass. They both had laughing faces as Dan twirled around, dodging an opponent as he dribbled the ball. More people came upon him from in front, blocking his sure shot to the goal but Dan wasn't flustered. He pulled the ball away from an attacker and shot blindly behind him with his heel. He continued running ahead, never stopping to look back as Jessi ran forward, catching the ball with a laugh of his own. He swerved past more opponents then, when the coast was mainly clear, he kicked the ball upwards and sent it overhead. Dan, who now stood near the goal, flipped back unto his back, sending a flying kick ball into the goal. The team rioted.

Mina herself was going crazy, screaming and clapping from her post on the ground. "Go Dan!" she screeched. Dan turned around at the voice. Mina waved frantically, trying to get his attention and, when he spotted her, he smiled. He waved back, acknowledging her, before running off to continue.

Mina turned back to Anna. She still stood on the outskirts, but instead of watching the cheerleaders, she was watching the soccer practice. Her face was unreadable, as usual, but her eyes were intense. Mina couldn't be entirely sure who she was staring at, but had a sneaking suspicion – and mounting hope – that it was Jessi.