Wild Heart - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

3. Teachers and Students

"So how's your super secret spy stuff going?"

Bradley chuckled.  "I'm not a spy."

"Eh-" Finley shrugged.  "I like to think that maybe you are." 

His smile lingered for a moment, then fell. "It's okay."

"I actually met Maverick the other day."

"No way, really? I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize, it was fine. It was kinda weird actually - I just always thought that if we were to ever meet it would be through you, which I guess is kinda true, but you weren't there when it happened. He came by the Hard Deck while I was tutoring Amelia. I kinda can't believe that was him."

"What do you mean?'

"Well after hearing everything you've told me about him I had this image of him in my mind, but it was totally different. He really liked my bike, I was telling him about Dad." She smiled, thinking of her father.  "He said he's your instructor at work."

Bradley heaved a sigh.  "Yeah, he is."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Not great, but it's only for a few weeks, and I'm not gonna let him screw up this chance for me like last  time. Not this time..."

"Well if he gives you any trouble, just send him my way and I'll make sure he has some sense knocked into him."

He chuckled at this and she saw that as a win.  "Thanks, Fin."

They were talking about the same guy who had literally had heart-eye emojis while looking at her bike.  "Is he a real hard-ass as a teacher?" Instructor, she mentally corrected herself, but they were the same. And she and him were both teachers in their own right. 

"Well, I did four hundred pushups."

"Why?!" she cried, aghast. 

"I lost an exercise against him. We made a deal to do two hundred pushups if he could take us down. Well, he took us all down. Me twice."

"Damn, he must be good."

"Yeah, real scary good."

"Well don't let it discourage you. You were chosen for this super secret mission thing, you deserve to be there just as much as the others."

"Thanks Fin. I know, deep down, but sometimes it's easy to forget."

"I can imagine, with so much talent surrounding you all the time."

"And a cocky instructor who likes to show off."

"I bet. He really liked my bike. Like really liked it."

"I bet. I used to think he was so cool with his motorcycle..."

"I'm sorry this is so difficult, Brad."

"Thanks, but, like I said, it's only a few weeks - I can do it."

She gave his arm a playful punch. "Yeah you can."

She didn't like to see Bitter Bradley, who only showed himself rarely when he was really angry. But here he was now - hadn't the poor guy already gone through enough? 

Well, thought Fin. That Captain Mitchell had better watch out. 

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Amelia had a meeting with the theatre club after school on the day of their next scheduled tutoring meeting, so Finley awaited her arrival at the Hard Deck.