The Academy

Part Two: Chapter Eight

"Lindsey, please," I whine.

"Liv, this is not the first day of kindergarten. You'll look amazing in whatever you wear." She responds, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

We're in the master bedroom. Lindsey is still in bed, watching me pace across the floor and around in the walk-in closet. I have two hours until I have to be at Seattle's FBI headquarters, and I have no clue what I'm going to wear.

I pull out a black suit. "This? What color shirt?"

"Blue. When in doubt, always blue. It makes your eyes look beautiful."

I smile at her, then begin to change right where I stand. "Okay," I say, stepping in front of the mirror to look myself over. "This seems good, right?"

"If you're trying to make every woman drool over you, yes," Her voice is low and I turn to face her, smirking.

"Don't worry, this is all for you," I move to her side of the bed, placing a kiss on her lips to prove my point. When I pull away, she's smiling and I head into the bathroom to deal with my hair and morning breath.

Usually, I hate mornings. Despise them. I can never function until I've had coffee, and my mood is very short. Definitely not a morning person. But today is different, today is an important day, and I woke up very excited- and very nervous.

Twenty minutes later I walk downstairs to a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs. "Aw, is this for me?" I glance at Lindsey, sitting at the counter eating her own plate. She nods, her mouth full of bacon.

I start to eat as well, Lindsey is a great cook, unlike me. I can survive on my own but it's a lot better when I'm actually eating decent food.

"Cup of Joe?" Lindsey asks, offering me a mug of coffee.

"Thank you," I kiss her, taking the mug and drinking a long sip, then scrunch up my nose at the powerful taste. "God, I forgot how strong you take your coffee."

"Country thing." She shrugs, taking the mug back. "There's more in the pot."

Soon enough, I'm out of the house and driving towards the city. Lacey knows I'm coming, I talked to her yesterday. And suddenly, I feel the need to smoke. It's not a long drive to headquarters, and I'm early. So, I step out of the car, grab a cigarette, light it, and take a drag in the designated smoking area. Somehow the toxins I know are terrible for me soothe my nerves, but I still jump when someone comes up behind me.

"Hey," Lacey smiles warmly.

"Oh my god, hi," I respond, quickly wrapping my old friend in a hug.

"Smoking is bad for your lungs." She says when we pull back.

"Don't I know it," I take another drag, finishing my cigarette and never taking my gaze off hers. She laughs and shakes her head slightly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better after that cigarette."

"Well, let me take you inside. I'll introduce you to the director and get you your creds and guns."

I nod, following closely behind the redhead, who is dressed similar to me, though her suit jack isn't on, but hung over an arm. She takes me up the stairs, and I can't help but be slightly distracted by the large building. There are many offices and well-dressed men and women walking around. We reach one of the higher floors after going through security, and Lacey walks right past a receptionist who tries to stop her and knocks on a large wooden door.

"Sherman," A deep, male voice sighs from inside, and Lacey opens the door and steps inside the office. I'm at her side and the receptionist comes up behind us, freaking out.