Unexpected {Ejen Ali Fanfic}

Everything is a Competition

The two prefects walked from their classroom to the cafeteria. Alicia sat down at a table, alone, as Ali went to the counter to buy some food.

"Hey, Alicia," Mia greeted, Alicia's old friend from primary school. She had only followed her to this school because she was the 'clingy' type of friend.

"Hi, Mia."

"Are you dating with Ali?" she whispered, as if this was a conversation she don't want to be overheard of.

Alicia looked outrageous. If only she could see, fire would be churning around her. "Dating?! Who told you that?!"

Cursing under her breath, Mia took a small step back, just in case Alicia decided to lunge at her. "I-I mean, when since you became great friends with him?" She tried a smile.

"Ugh, I'm so done with you. What makes you think I'm dating him?"

"Because...uh..." Mia looked away hastily. "You two are always together-"

"That's because we're both prefects, and we're in same class," Alicia explained calmly.

"Oh..." Mia blushed. "I'll get going now. See ya."

She hurried away just as Ali sat down opposite her.

Alicia sighed. "That's why I don't hang with Mia anymore."

"Mia?" Ali asked, as he passed her a packet of two sandwiches.

Alicia raised her eyebrows. Mia...oh.

"What about her?"

Alicia bit her lip. She didn't even bother about her food. She just left it there, as if it was invisible. "She's the type of girls who gossips and spread rumours about people now. And those type of people pisses me off."

"Ala." Ali took a bite from his sandwich. "She's just going through the phase. She'll get out of it."

Only then, Alicia took her sandwich simply and opened it. A moment of silence passed where they sat, not looking at each other, eating their breakfast.

"It's time to go for duty." Alicia stated, breaking the ice.

Ali gulped, then drank some water. "That fast?"

"It's already eleven. We should get going." She stood up, making to leave.

"Haish, just give me a sec!"

Even after another teasing session from Alicia about how slow he could get, Ali wasn't really bothered by it anymore. He has been through this for years, but still, he is internally annoyed on how she could keep this up for this long.

They stood in two opposite corners in the school lobby, watching out for any misbehaving students. Oh, and about that, almost everything between them is a competition.

"Hey, stop there! No running in the lobby!"

Alicia's voice rang out loud and clear, even from the other end of the lobby, Ali could feel like he was the one being addressed to. He wished he could have a voice like her's. Immediately the two students whom she scolded walked quietly, though as quickly as they could to flee the scene.

Just then a student who was holding a can of soda went pass Ali. Ali went to speak up, but ended up squeaking. The student looked around, not even noticing a prefect standing there, shrugged and left. From the other side, Ali could see Alicia narrowing her eyes at him. That was one point to Alicia, though he didn't like to admit it.

***

After break was geography. It was found that it was his least favourite subjects, second to mathematics, not because of the subject, but the teacher.

The school system here was different compared to their primary school's. Here, they were to move from class to class, rarely ever having to stay in a class for two periods.

Once most of the students had went up, Ali and Alicia walked side by side to their geography classroom, which was on the fourth floor, the highest floor on the academic building.

Ali hesitated before going in.

"What's wrong?" Alicia asked with an air of not caring at all.

"Err...you go in first." He chuckled, as Alicia stepped by him to enter the class, he quickly followed after her.

Most of the class was already here, but not the teacher. He left his seat empty.

"Hi, Ali!" a tall boy student, Kuhon, said from the side of the class. His friends around him were chattering in low voices, whilist throwing looks at Ali and Alicia.

"H-hi, Kuhon," he said nervously.

Alicia had already dropped her bag at the back of the class, which was one of the rule Ali hated about this classroom. None other teachers applied to this method except for Mr Grim, even his name says so.

Stooping down to grab things from the depths of his bag, he extracted a textbook, an exercise book, a folder and his pencil box. He lurched to his seat with his arms full of his belongings, and dropped them all on his table, which was at the front of the class, once he reached there.

The girl that sat beside him was named Serporia. She was a short girl with her black hair tied in a ponytail. She was bending down over a piece of white paper, sketching an image of a flower, which was up to detail.

"That's pretty." Ali remarked, sitting down beside her to get a better look at the sketch.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said dismissively with the wave of a hand. "Lots of people could draw better than me...the petals took like two hours though."

"Two hours? That's a long time!"

"Hm..." She analysed her flower from afar. "I think improvements still can be made."

Ali had no idea what she meant, but in his opinion, it was literally, perfection.

***

School had left him with five homework and two projects for the day. Life just keeps on getting harder, and by the looks of it, Alicia was still handling it pretty well. He had no idea what magic she used, but definitely she has something up her sleeve.

More to that, he was an agent. And excuses could only come so far, and so he has been punished several times for not doing his homework and a lousy excuse. Bless that the punishment is only staying after class during break.

But being an agent was also an amazing thing he had ever received in his life. It makes his life more interesting rather than just going to school and study and do homework. He didn't have to really go to university or college, does he, when he already has a job as an agent?

He smiled at that thought as he settled himself on his sofa facing the television. Life as a secret agent should be a knack, especially for the IRIS agent.