Sam: Imprisoned (Book 3)

Agent So and So

  After getting ready for school, I grabbed my backpack and threw it over my shoulder. When I was ready, I slipped out of my bedroom and into the kitchen. Once I set my bag down at the table, I trekked through the room to the fridge. I scanned the content of the refrigerator to search for some kind of breakfast. Honestly, I had no clue what I wanted to eat. What would get me through the hectic day that I knew I would have?
  Of course, I knew today was going to be hard and maybe even the rest of the school days to come. Everyone was excited at school to find out who I was and who I was staying with. Tony was rich, smart, famous, and a superhero. No wonder everyone was freaking out over this. Even so, I hated the attention it was getting me. It wouldn't be like this forever, would it?
  "Sam?" the sudden voice startled me.
  In response to the abrupt disruption of my thoughts, I jumped on my heels and twisted around only to find Tony standing behind me. A sigh of relief slipped from my lips as I shut the fridge door and murmured, "Oh, hey Tony." I thought he had gone to work already so seeing him still here surprised me.
  Even more surprisingly, Stark's expression seemed soft as he admitted, "We need to talk."
  Well, that was never good to hear. Nervously, I nodded, "Okay."
  "I should've told you this sooner but - due to recent events - I've-... decided to hire a bodyguard for you. Just when you're at school though-," Tony tried to explain quickly.
  Although, I was shocked at the statement so I had to slow him down, "Wait, hold up. A bodyguard? Why do I-?"
  Knowing I was going to try and argue this, Tony pointed out, "Because, Sam, something could happen to you. Again! This is for your safety. Please don't make this hard."
  At first, I wanted to argue against this but I paused for a minute to think about it. There was no good reason not to have a bodyguard other than pride but that would get me killed. So, I took a deep breath with my gaze glued to the floor as I inquired, "Who is it?"
  Still cautious, Tony admitted, "Agent Chandler."
  "What?! It couldn't have been-," except I stopped myself from debating. There was no point and I knew Tony was just trying to protect me. I rubbed my temples but finally gave in, "Am I meeting him at school?"
  "He's driving you to school and will escort you throughout the day," Tony confessed. When he saw my frown and discouraged expression, he added, "I told him to keep as much distance as he can, but he's there to protect you."
  After thinking about it, I eventually nodded, "Okay, then I'm gonna head out now, I guess."
  "Have a good day at school," Tony offered so I stepped forward and gave him a hug before leaving. When the embrace was over, I shot him a smile before grabbing my backpack and jogging to the elevator.
  As it descended, I glanced down at my wrist and made sure that I had the bracelet on. I toyed with it until the elevator doors opened so I could trek through the parking lot. Unusually, there was a black SUV that reminded me of the car that I would get into to go to S.H.I.E.L.D. Yep, that was definitely my ride.
  Trying not to be discouraged, I continued to the vehicle then noticed the agent was standing outside the car with his hands locked in front of him in an 'intimidating' manner. Immediately I knew it was Agent Chandler because I had encountered that serious face so many times. Over the while that I had known him, he was becoming a better agent so training must've been helping. Also, I'd like to think that I helped toughen him up. Alas, the most off-putting aspect was the shades he was wearing. Now he really looked like an agent with the stereotypical black suit that would attract too much attention at school.
  Either way, I prepared myself for the day and took the invitation to get in the car. I wondered how he felt about being my 'bodyguard' but I didn't ask as he sauntered around the SUV and slipped into the driver's side.
  When he drove out of the parking lot and away from the comfort of home, I finally spoke up, "Do you think we could grab some breakfast?"
  With a lift of his shoulders, Agent Chandler admitted, "Sure." Before inquiring, "Where do you want to go?"
  After a short pause of contemplation, I insisted, "There's this amazing Mexican grill that sells really good breakfast."
  Fortunately, the agent nodded his head from the driver's seat as he maneuvered the vehicle out of the parking garage. When we were on the street, I gave him the directions of where to go. It was pretty close by so we didn't have to rush to get food and to be at school on time. While inside, I ordered one of their authentic Mexican breakfast burritos. It had beef, egg, avocado, tomatoes, and other ingredients.
  Before they could ring up the total, I leaned over to Chandler and whispered, "You should get something too. Something with protein just in case you need to tackle anybody."
  Shockingly, this got a chuckle from Chandler which was the first smile I had seen him wear. Fortunately, he didn't disagree as he ordered something too.
  Once we got our stuff, we skipped back out to the van with the warm food in our hands. As soon as I sat down in the leather seating, I placed a napkin in my lap then dug into the breakfast. The concoction was exploding with different flavors that fit well together. The food gave my body energy to deal with the grueling task of going to school.
  Within a moment, Chandler parked in the student parking lot and peered up into the review mirror to glance back at me. A sigh slipped from my lips, but I nodded my head to notify him that I was prepared for anything.
  This day was going to be a little bit tougher because showing up to school with a bodyguard was going to be hella noticeable. I wasn't excited at all for the attention that was sure to come. Especially, when I noticed the crowd of people in front of the entrance of the school. Judging by the cameras and microphones, I guessed they were reporters. I didn't notice them until I got out of the car. Well, this day was starting off great. Fortunately, they hadn't spotted me yet.
  "Oh, great," I groaned in anxiety.
  "Don't worry, just stay behind me," Chandler urged.
  My nerves were starting to get to me but I trusted him enough to bow my head in agreement. I stayed right at his heels as we cautiously made our way to the crowded school. We passed the crowds of grouped teenagers that were wondering about the campus.
  Right when we were about to reach the entrance, the swarm of reporters shifted their attention to us. Somehow recognizing me, they started screaming questions about being Titanium and staying with Tony Stark. I was instantly overwhelmed like a deer in the headlights and would've froze if it weren't for Chandler. The agent guided me through the crowd and made sure that they kept their distance.
  Finally, the door was opened and we rushed through into the school. An overwhelming feeling of relief washed over me because no one was crowding me in school. As I continued through the cafeteria, I noticed that Chandler stayed behind. At first, I figured that he was just making sure no one followed us in or that no one crowded around us. Although, then I realized that he was just following Tony's orders to give me space.
  When my scanning eyes had spotted Cassie, I led myself over to her table. She was already looking at me because the horde of reporters had caught her attention from the windows that viewed the outside world. Her expression showed how intrigued and impressed she was with the crowd outside. I, on the other hand, was annoyed with them.
  So, when I sat down at her table, I let out a slow, deep breath of exhaustion. I was going to have to get used to this, wasn't I? While sitting in the hard, cold plastic chair, I noticed that Derrick - Cassie's boyfriend - wasn't sitting next to her. I was about to ask what that was about - maybe he had practice or he was running late - but Cassie beat me to breaking the silence.
  In a low voice, she murmured, "I don't want to alarm you, but I'm pretty sure there's someone watching you."
  I would've been freaked out by that sentence but I knew that she was talking about Chandler. Either way, I still turned my head and observed the agent scanning the cafeteria. He looked like such a dork with those sunglasses. When he finally peered in my direction, I waved the man over to our table.
  Instantly alarmed, Cassie hissed, "What are you doing?!"
  Although, I remained calm as Agent Chandler stepped next to our table. Cassie froze up and stared at the man with caution. While I explained, "Agent Chandler, this is my best friend, Cassie. She's - like - the only person I ever hang out with. Just letting you know that you can trust her." Then I turned to Cassie, "This is Agent Chandler. He's supposed to keep watch with me at school."
  "Nice to meet you," Chandler politely dipped his head.
  "You too," Cassie still seemed unsure but she relaxed a lot more when she realized that he was a good guy. Then she glanced back over at me, "Stark was really pissed about yesterday, wasn't he?"
  "He was just worried," I explained. "He's taking extra precaution in case Lesser tries anything again." With a slight smirk, I peered over at Chandler, "If stuff does hit the fan, I'd keep you safe. Don't you worry, Agent." I sent him a brief salute.
  This got an agitated glare from him after he rolled his eyes. Even though I had only known Chandler for a short amount of time, I could read him pretty well. That meant that I could tell he wasn't really annoyed with me. He just had to keep up his serious, tough-guy demeanor. It was hard to tell because of the shades he was wearing.
  Before anyone could speak up again, there was a sharp ding. This indicated to the students that first class was about to start in five minutes. When I flicked my eyes back to Cassie, I noticed that she was already grabbing her bag to head out. Since we had the same class together, I picked myself and my stuff up then allowed her to take the lead to Mrs. Lamar's room.
  Like before, Agent Chandler kept a certain distance. He was close enough that he could see us through the crowd - it also helped to be tall - while staying far enough away that it wasn't obvious he was looking out for me in particular.
  We went to Cassie's locker because I didn't need to go to mine this time. I waited as she picked things out of the locker then slammed it shut before turning back to me. This was the signal to continue back to class, so we trekked down the hall. Squeezing through large groups of high schoolers. I felt sorry that Chandler was pulled into the craziness of high school but - at the same time - I didn't. He was getting paid to come here, I wasn't. Which meant we were forced into our first period which was history.
  The room wasn't near as crowded as the halls but it was filled with students wandering around the classroom and talking to their friends. Hardly anyone was actually in their seat because class hadn't officially started and the teacher wasn't even here. So everyone was goofing off and doing whatever they wanted to do.
  Cassie and I actually sat down at a table but we still chatted instead of anything productive. She talked about her week, I avoided discussing mine. It was just great to be able to talk to her like we normally did and it helped me realize that things were getting back to normal.
  "I don't understand why you didn't take a week off," Cassie continued.
  "I didn't want a week off," I explained.
  "This is school, Sam. You're not missing anything. It's just because you're stubborn," she pointed out.
  "What was I going to do back at home? Feel sorry for myself?" I challenged with a scoff.
  Then I heard a commotion coming from the back of the room. I turned my head to notice the crowd of mostly girls that were surrounding Agent Chandler. Even from here, I could hear them asking a bunch of questions.
  "What do you do?" one asked.
  "Have you ever shot anyone?" inquired another.
  "I'm gonna be in the S.W.A.T. team when I'm old enough," a student claimed.
  This got a giggle from me because of all the attention that Chandler was getting. The whole time the agent just ignored the crowd while peering out of the windows. It was hard to tell where exactly he was looking because the shades he was wearing were covering his gaze but I could tell by the tilt of his head.
  When he glanced my way, I shot him a smirk and mouthed the words, "Aw, they like you."
  Judging by the furrow of his eyebrows, Chandler sent me a glower my way. Fortunately, he didn't have to ignore the horde of students for long because then the teacher - Mrs. Lamar - traipsed into the classroom.
  With her familiar bored expression, the teacher ordered, "Alright, everyone. Take your seats and be quiet."
  All of the teenagers obeyed by sitting at their desks and turning their conversations into spotted mumbles. Eventually, the whole room fell into a hush silence as Mrs. Lamar took to the front of the class to start the lecture. As always, she seemed quite uninterested in her job to teach so - instead - she told us a page number to turn to. Along with reading a couple of chapters, the teacher gave us a worksheet to fill out and called it a day.
  The whole class continued like this for an hour or so until the bell finally rang. There was a roar of sighs in relief that fell over the class. Everyone packed up their things and bolted out of the door. No one was excited to go to their next period but everyone was quite happy with getting out of this class in particular.
  Cassie and I took our time gathering our things and moving on to the next class. The subject that I had next was Debate II. With Chandler following behind us, Cassie and I made our way through the hall. Before we could even get very far, a kid stepped in front of me.
  Just like yesterday, it was Louis that decided to denigrate me again like yesterday. Upon seeing him, I immediately shot him a glare as my jaw locked with frustration.
  "I saw you brought a bodyguard with you," Louis noted with a baiting smile before turning his gaze to look behind me - probably at Chandler. "Scared you were going to get in a fight?"
  "Actually, I brought him so whoever thought they could fight me would have extra muscle. They would need it," I sent a sarcastic smirk in a challenging matter.
  "You wanna fight me, huh?" the kid provoked, stepping closer to me. "You think you're so tough?" Louis continued the dispute by getting right in front of me and giving my shoulders a shove.
  My eyebrows furrowed impatiently in frustration at the kid. If he was going to pick a fight then I was willing to let him have it. I didn't do all of those training lessons with Natasha to get picked on by an ignorant brat. No doubt I could put him on his ass. Instinctively, my muscles tightened in defense and I was preparing myself for the fight. I wasn't going to hurt him, but just make sure that he wouldn't mess with me or anyone else again. He needed to be taught a lesson.
  Alas, before I could make a move, I felt a large hand on my shoulder and a gruff voice that interrupted the feud, "Do we have a problem here?"
  This got Louis to send a coy smile my way before innocently stating, "No, we don't."
  "Then I suggest you leave," Agent Chandler ordered.
  With one more glare directed at the agent, Louis eventually turned around and stormed down the hall. Not before hissing my way, "Coward." My shoulders were still tense with anger because he got away without any repercussions. Now he'd never learn not to pick on people or start fights.
  When the student was out of sight, I twisted on my heels to face Chandler. My gaze turned into an immediate scowl, "I could've taken care of that."
  Chandler remained calm while his voice was firm, "Now is not the time or the place."
  Although, this just made me more irritated, "I thought you were supposed to have my back!"
  "And that is exactly what I'm doing," Agent Chandler barked a little louder than intended. Fortunately, the halls were clearing out because everyone was in their class by now. This allowed the man to lower his voice, "Listen, we both know that you could've taken him, which is exactly why it would've been an unfair fight. Besides, you don't need bad publicity for you or for Stark."
  A huff slipped from my lips as I crossed my arms. Even though I was upset, I knew that he was right. Now wasn't the time to be getting into fights. I should just focus on my senior year and staying alive. Louis wasn't worth my time or energy.
  Eventually, I cut the whole defiant act and gave in, "Fine..." Still frustrated, though, I didn't let him get another word in before turning around and continuing my way to class. Cassie and I had to split off because we didn't have second period together so I was by myself when I took a seat in the classroom.
  The rest of the half of school went by without another incident. Chandler was still getting an annoying amount of attention all throughout my debate and English classes. It didn't help that classes seemed to go even slower. Maybe Cassie was right. Maybe I shouldn't have been so urgent to come back to school. As much as I wanted things to go back to normal, this whole school routine seemed bland and uneventful compared to recent events. Also, I wasn't sleeping as much as I probably should've been so I was exhausted.
  Fortunately, the bell dismissed us to lunch. I needed this break if I was going to make it through the rest of school. The only problem was the actual school food. It was the worst and wouldn't give me any energy whatsoever. As I continued down the hallway to the cafeteria, I considered different options to fix this problem.
  "Hey," I greeted Cassie with a relaxed smile. Derrick had caught up to her so they were both at a table to put their things down. They were getting ready to join the line and were expecting me to come.
  "Your bodyguard sure is getting a lot of attention," Cassie noted.
  Which forced me to turn my head to see that she was right. There was an even bigger crowd around the agent because everyone was so curious that they had to talk to them. This time, instead of ignoring them, Chandler seemed to be trying to shoo them away. Except, it only led to more conversation from the other students.
  I rolled my eyes but turned back to Cassie to admit, "I'm going to head out for lunch."
  "You're leaving me?" Cassie pouted.
  A grin twisted my lips as I pointed out, "You have Derrick. You're fine."
  That didn't reassure her as she continued to pout and cross her arms at me. Although, I ignored it and waved bye to the two. I would see them later in the day but - for now - I was wanting to grab some sustenance that wasn't school food.
  Pushing through the students, I eventually got through the crowd that was huddled around the agent. When I was close enough to him, I grabbed his hand and led him away from the teenagers. Fortunately, no one decided to follow as I pulled him away from them. Even Chandler seemed to be relieved that he got away from the crazy crowd.
  "I was hoping we could go to a restaurant to eat," I started while we trekked through the cafeteria.
  "Where?" Agent Chandler interrogated as he adjusted his suit.
  "There's a sushi place down the road. Unless you want to eat rectangle pizza, soupy pasta, or man-eating meatloaf."
  Chandler puffed out a breath in amusement, "How descriptive."
  Fortunately for me, Chandler agreed to go out. I guess he really was getting sick of all the students. So, I took the lead out of the cafeteria doors to the outside. The heat of the outside calmed my skin which was a huge contrast between the frigid temperature inside the school. It only made me take my time to get to the black SUV that was waiting for us.
  Usually, I would sit in the back of the SUV because the agents would always be taking me somewhere like an Uber. However, with Chandler, I was a little more comfortable riding with him in the front seat. He even slid his shades off of his face as if to help him see out of the window. This made him seem more normal and not like he was trying to keep me from being killed. To be honest, I was just surprised that he would let me leave the school anyway. Of course, I still needed to be accompanied by the agent but I figured he would've had strict orders not to leave campus. Glad to know that I was trusted.
  The vehicle was silent as Chandler began the drive to my choice. Even though it was a comfortable silence, I still preferred background noise. So I reached my hand forward and turned the dial up on the radio.
  I was not expecting the blast of rap music to be playing. Restraining myself from laughing, I dramatically turned my head to peer over at Chandler in the driver seat.
  When he realized that I was looking at him, the agent glanced at me then back at the road before wondering, "What?"
  After a brief pause, I explained, "I just didn't expect this kind of music from you."
  Which got an annoyed huff from him as he explained, "What do you mean? You know, I am young. I'm only twenty-eight."
  "Ah, that explains all of the girls drooling-..." then I paused in hesitation. "You know what? I'm not going to finish that sentence," I concluded.
  This caused him to let out a soft chuckle at the statement. Although, he didn't respond because he could've gone either way on the subject. So the conversation passed. Since the restaurant was so close - because I still had to go back to school - it wasn't long until Agent Chandler parked the vehicle.
  Excited for the fresh sushi, I leaped out of the SUV and took the lead. It wasn't long before Chandler caught up to me due to his longer strides. As soon as we were out of the car, the agent seemed to switch right back to guard mode when he slipped his sunglasses back on. I didn't really understand the point of wearing shades but it was for something like keeping your gaze hidden. I guess so enemies won't know if you've spotted them or not so you can get the jump on them but I wasn't sure.
  Inside of the bistro, it was a lot colder in here - most likely to keep the fish cold and from going bad. My sharp blue eyes scanned the perimeter around us. It was casual with the site of groups sitting together, eating, deep in conversation.
  I glanced at the sign in front of us that read 'Please seat yourself'.
  Something came to mind, so I turned to Chandler and sassed, "Are you eating on the ceiling so you can keep an eagle eye in here?"
  Which got the man of S.H.I.E.L.D. to throw an unamused mien, "No... but I am picking the table."
  With a groan and roll of my eyes, I joshed him, "You're fired."
  Although, Chandler smirked smugly and mocked, "Only Stark can fire me."
  "The papers say I am a Stark," I stated with a defiant grin as I crossed my arms.
  Giving up, Chandler groaned and muttered, "Whatever. Just follow me."
  Finally being obedient for once, I paced after the agent. Not surprisingly, the man sat down at a table that was tucked in a safe corner. The table only had two chairs so Chandler took the seat closest to the wall so his back was against it while I took the one in front of him that had my back to the entire restaurant. Without even needing to see his eyes through his guarded shades, I knew that he was keeping an open eye on our surroundings. He wanted a seat with his back to the wall so he could scope the place out and no one could sneak up behind him.
  Personally, I thought he was being a little dramatic.
  A woman with short black hair and an Asian accent greeted us with a perfect smile, "Hello. What can I get you two?"
  As I peered over the menu, I crooned in response to let the woman know that I had heard her but I was still looking. My gaze was swift as I flicked through all of the different options. There were a few meals that I had to pause and read over to figure out if I wanted it or not. Then, I would just start my search over again.
  After a while, Chandler finally interrupted the silence, "Yeah, I'd like the chow mein?"
  "What kind of meat would you like?" the lady inquired patiently.
  "I'll go with beef," decided Chandler.
  "And you, miss?" the waitress turned to me.
So I pursed my lips in ponderance to the question. After glancing the menu over a good last time, I requested, "Well, as the main dish, can I get the katsu chicken?" When she nodded, I continued, "Oh, can I try the Avengers roll? That sounds good."
  With a bow of her head, the lady claimed, "It'll be out in just a moment." She strolled to the kitchen and repeated our order but in another language so I couldn't understand the conversation between the waitress and the chef.
  Chandler glanced over at me with a surprised expression, "Seriously?"
  I shrugged my shoulders and pointed out, "You can try it too."
  The woman came back to hand us two glasses of water. When she set them down on the table, Chandler and I thanked her before she tilted her head then left.
  Instead of focusing on the waitress, I turned back to Chandler and noticed that he was still losing his attention to the atmosphere. Wanting to break that, I started a conversation, "So, how do you feel about being a bodyguard? I mean, like, when Tony asked you, how did you respond?"
  Finally, he turned his full attention to me and stopped worrying about what was going on around us to answer the question, "Honestly, I was thankful for the experience."
  "Of getting to see me?" I teased with a baiting smirk.
  However, Chandler just scoffed, "Of most likely moving forward with my training. Working for Stark will hopefully advance me."
  "Yeah, they'll be so impressed that you handled those mob of teenagers like a real pro," I sneered.
  "It's about as impossible for you to be serious as it is for Stark," Chandler noted with a raised eyebrow.
  My smile melted into an expression of ponderance. I really didn't mean to be inconsiderate so I took a deep breath and confessed, "I'm sorry for always being such a brat. Especially when I first met you."
  This got Chandler to lift his eyebrows in surprise that I came to this conclusion so he quickly explained, "I wasn't implying that you were a brat."
  "But you were thinking it," I guessed. "I'm sure most people look at me and turn up their nose at how 'spoiled' I act." Just talking about it got me to cross my arms in irritability and annoyance at the thought.
  "Alright, let's clear this up now," the agent began, "You're not a brat. Maybe some people think that's how you're acting but that's because they don't know you. Of course, I haven't known you very long myself but you're not bratty."
  I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion. If I wasn't being bratty, obnoxious, and spoiled then what?
  So, Chandler stated, "That attitude you have is certainly not because you're spoiled. It's your urge to be independent. It's just hard to see that when others don't know what you've been through."
  "Independent?" I parrotted. Surprisingly, he was right that I had a will to do things myself but I was confused on how he got to that conclusion.
  "You've been fending for yourself in foster care since you were how old? Nine?" Chandler tested. "I'm sure you've learned not to depend on anyone but yourself otherwise you'd get burned in the end. I think that's why you and Tony are so close because you two relate so much."
  Instead of wanting to discuss the matter, I gave a light chortle, "I didn't know we were going to get deep in this conversation."
  For a minute, the agent just stared at me as if reading me and letting his thoughts roam for themselves. Finally, to my luck, he nodded and glanced down at his empty plate, "Yeah it's about time to head back to school anyway."
  I rolled my eyes and mumbled, "Oh great." But I agreed because I was done with my food and this conversation so we packed up, paid, and headed back to the car.
  Even though the day didn't go by as quickly as I wanted, Agent Chandler made it bearable. Maybe I could manage him being my bodyguard for a few weeks but nothing more than that - I still needed my space. Finally, school ended so I said my goodbyes to Cassie and followed after the agent so he could drive him home.
  When he stopped in the parking garage of the house, he stayed in the SUV while I made my way to the elevator. I gave the man one last wave before getting into the elevator. I noticed that neither Pepper nor Tony was home yet so I made my way to my bedroom. After taking my shoes off, I hopped on my bed and let out a groan of exhaustion. Hopefully, the day could end and I could get some sleep. I knew I should probably be doing homework to catch back up with school so I wouldn't get behind but I was too tired. 
  Ding, my phone sounded.