Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Book 1 In Trinity Academy Trilogy)

Insidiae

"It's nothing. I-I have to get to class." He murmered under his breath, pulling away from me. 

I let him go this time, and watched him disappear into the crowded hallway. "What was that about?" Stella asked, stepping into place besides me. Rooney stood right next to her, his dark brown skin complimenting the green beanie he was wearing. 

"I have no idea." I sighed, looping my arm into Stella's. 

"It's obvious he likes you, Lex." Rooney pointed out. "Everyone knows it."

"That is not true." I shot him down. "We're just friends." I assured him.

"That's what you think." Stella laughed, her braided black hair swinging as we walked. 

"He's always talking about you." Rooney added. "A bit obsessive if you ask me."

"I think he's cute." Stella defended him, as if that was supposed to make me feel better. "I dig the whole nerdy hipster look."

"Why else do you think he hates Seth so much?" Rooney pointed out.

"Okay that's enough." I interjected. "Ben and I have known eachother forever. We can be close without liking eachother, it's not that hard to understand."

Stella's eyes widened. "You totally like him."

"Ooooh Alexis has a crush." Rooney echoed her.

"I can't deal with you two." I threw my hands up in the air in defeat, as we all started to laugh. 

"This is where I leave you." Stella stopped in her tracks. We were standing right besides the gym doors. "I'm still banned from Wolfsheim's class until my suspension's lifted." She waved slightly, heading towards study hall. "Save me a seat at lunch!" She called over her shoulder.

"Do you really think he likes me?" I turned to Rooney, who was holding open the gym doors for me.

"Definetly." He laughed, the florescent lights reflecting off of his brown eyes. "I don't get why you two are so close you're like polar opposites." He admitted. "Not to sound like a total douche, but he's never going to fit in with us. He's in programming, we're trained for the Field. We're in two separate worlds. Ben's meant to be behind the scenes, while we do all the real work."

"Programmers do just as much as us."

"Of course they do, I have no doubt about that. All I'm saying is that Ben isn't like us, and I think it's time you let go of whatever pull he has on you. We'll be Seniors next year, you can't have someone like him holding you back." There it was again, those dreaded words: Senior Year. 

"Is that why you don't like him? He's too much of a dork?" I pushed him backwards, not really sure whether I was doing it jokingly or for real. 

"I never said that." Rooney argued. 

"So Ben's not 'cool' enough to hang out with us, is that it?" I corrected myself, a strand of hair falling in front of my eyes. 

"You know that's not what I meant." He pushed the strand away from my eyes and took my hand in his. 

"Then what are you trying to say?" I demanded, pulling my hand out of his. Mackenzie flagged us down towards her. She was standing on one of the gymnastic mats laid onto the floor, already changed into her gym uniform. Her blonde hair was in a high pony tail that bounced up and down as she practiced a flip flop into a standing back tuck. 

"Ben's obviously jealous of all the time you spend with us, Seth included. He's threatened by us because of our training. Your parents are the only reasons you're friends in the first place, if it weren't for them you wouldn't even know he exists. I'm not the one with a problem with him, he's the one with a problem with us. It won't take long for him to turn on you, too." The word insidiae flashed through my mind.