Define Spy

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter 18

Everything seems to be turning upside down, except the cafeteria at Summington. The amount of stares received at our lunch table has decreased; I'm very thankful. But I'm a little confused and lost too. It was quiet when we ate; the sort of quiet that isn't awkward and is just natural. And I'm glad for this kind of quiet.

"Guys, I don't know what to do." I sigh, letting my face drop to the table.

"This can't be happening...the noble leader seems to not know her next move!" Johanna throws her hands up in the air dramatically, mocking some sort of Newscast host.

"I'm serious." I say, looking up from the table.

"You're always serious, Ariana." Parker shakes his head.

I ignore his comment. "I think Danni is part of this 'intelligence.' threat."

There's a very long pause that makes the quiet more awkward. I look over to where Danni ate lunch; and I finally realized that he eats lunch with that cocky kid named Justin and other football players.

"Why do you think that?" Tilly asks, instead of mocking or teasing me for once.

"I always knew he had a secret." Cameron replies.

"We all have secrets, Tristan." I roll my eyes, irritated though confused on why I would be standing up for Danni when he could possibly be trying to kill my team and me.

"Why is Danni now a suspect? Did you witness something?" Johanna steers us back on topic.

"He's just so suspicious." I sigh deeply, my eyes narrowing in his direction. "(a) he wants to tell me something but he says he can't. (b) he's as skilled as we are, strong in agility, speed, and strength. (c)at one point he has this friendly act and another he's all mysterious."

"Well, I guess he could be a suspect." Parker reasons thoughtfully.

"That's what I was afraid of!" I let my head drop down to the table.

"Don't worry Ariana. You got this. We got this." Tilly pats my head, trying to assure me.

"Yeah. Danni doesn't seem that scary." Johanna shrugs her shoulders.

He's not. That's the problem.

"I told him that I would go to a carnival with him this Saturday."

"Why would you go on a date with a suspect?" Cameron raises his eyebrows.

"Look, we don't really know if he's really the threat. This way, I can see if he is." I explain.

"I guess that's okay." Parker raises his shoulders to his chin.

"I wasn't asking for your permission, Derek." I roll my eyes

"You can't go on Saturday! We have to go dress shopping." Tilly shakes her head.

"Dress shopping for what?" Johanna nearly chokes on her sandwich.

"For Homecoming, of course." Tilly rolls her eyes.

"Why is that even necessary?" Johanna lets her face fall into her hands.

"We're on a mission, if you didn't remember." Tilly rolls her eyes. "And the kind of main part of the mission is attending Homecoming; a.k.a the place where this 'Intelligence' is going to attack. Weren't you here when we figured that out?"

"Yes, I was Tilly. But why do we have to dress up?" Johanna replies.

"Because that's what you doing at Homecoming. Duh." Tilly sighs.

"You know, you two have fun at dress shopping. You can grab me a dress too." I smirk, entertained by Johanna's reactions.

"And no pink or frilly things." I add, making Johanna's devious smile fade away and Tilly's happy grin into a pout.

"I hate you." Johanna snarls, as I just chuckle.

Once the bell rung, I walked with Cameron to the auditorium for drama class (yes, drama class.) People are already seated in the red velvety chairs, their attention either on their peers or the drama teacher; Mrs. Robinson. Once Cameron and I take a seat, three or four girls come running to sit next to us-I mean Cameron. We both exchange looks and I roll my eyes.

"Okay class." Mrs. Robinson claps her hands together, getting our attention, "today we will work on the foundation of acting. You are all now actors and actresses." She smiles.

"Are these one of your crush?" I tease him, looking over to his fan girls who seem to pay more attention to Cameron than the teacher.

"Absolutely not." Cameron whispers, shaking his head.

"Darn. I wanted to make fun of you about it." I chuckle. "Who is it if it's not one of those girls?"

"For our warm-up, we'll be doing improvisation, a theatrical technique which is one of my favorites." Mrs. Robinson interrupts. "It's sort of a competition. We'll start off with six students and you guys will act out a scene. If there's hesitation or a one word answer, or speaking out of turn, or else your disqualified." she explains.

"I'll tell you later." Cameron answers.

"Can I get three male volunteers?" the teacher asks, and picks the two boys who raised their hands. One of them is a stranger and the other is the almighty football player of the name Justin. "One more?" she asks pleadingly.

"Tristan told me he wants to!" I blurt out.

"Come on up, Tristan!" Mrs. Robinson says joyfully. He groans and sends me a glare before getting out of his seat, leaving me there trying to contain my laughter.

"Three female volunteers?" Mrs. Robinson asks. Instantly, mostly all the girls included Cameron's fan girl club shoot their hands in the air. She picks on a brunette head that's a member of the fan girl club and another girl more towards the front.

"I think Ariana would love to participate. She's just too shy to raise her hand." I hear Cameron say, and I instantly send him a nasty glare. If looks could kill, he would be dead.

Mrs. Robinson motions me to get up, which I do, as I drag myself up onto the stage. I've had enough of acting.

"Your challenge will be to make up a scene of drama, conflict, and losses. Let the audience feel what you feel." Mrs. Robinson tells us. "Go in order in the line you stand in, starting at Alexis." she says, pointing to the brunette girl. Well at least I know her name now.

"I think my heart is broken." she swoons dramatically, putting her hand up to her forehead.

"Why is that?" Justin is the next in line, as he questions Alexis.

"I think someone very important to her has left her life." says the other boy next in line thoughtfully.

"Um-" hesitates the next girl in line, followed by a mimicked beep that probably means she disqualified by Mrs. Robinson.

"You hesitated. No hesitations in the life of acting!" Mrs. Robinson lectures the girl, as she just rolls her eyes and sits back down. "We'll continue with Ariana."

"I think it's Tristan, who had done such a cruel thing to poor Alexis." I nod my head, trying to keep a sincere face while avoiding Cameron's dumbfounded face.

"I just don't love you anymore, Alexis. I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be." Cameron plays along, and it takes all I have not to burst out in a fit of laughter.

"You broke my heart, Tristan! Why would you do that?" Alexis fake sobs, and I want to laugh harder, but the glare Cameron sends me keeps me in line.

"I think Tristan is in love with someone else." suggests Justin. "But who?"

"It might be..." pauses the boy, "uh..."

"Beep! You're disqualified!" Mrs. Robinson interrupts, and the boy sighs but takes his seat, leaving Alexis, Justin, Cameron, and I.

"Who could this crazy girl be?" I tease Cameron, and he rolls his eyes.

"It's Ariana Castel. She's in love with me." Cameron says, a glint of mischief and evilness sparkling in his eyes. My jaw tightens and I send him the most ugliest glare ever, that if looks could kill, well Cameron would probably be dead right now.

Alexis gasps, making me advert my eyes from Cameron. "How could you choose her over me?"

"I loved Ariana, how could you choose him over me?" Justin gasps dramatically too, resulting in a plot twist.

"Ooh, a love square! Much better than a love triangle!" squeals Mrs. Robinson, drawing an imaginary square while connecting each invisible corner with two fingers.

"I'm terribly sorry Justin, but I don't think I can choose either one of you." I shake my head, trying to make it look as if I was really sorry; and I was, for myself.

"Does that mean you don't love me, Ariana?" Cameron raises his eyebrows in amusement.

"She doesn't, Tristan. But I do!" Alexis says, and I face palm. "She's in love with that other guy, Justin. Just let them be!"

"What?" Justin's taken aback, but then quickly realizes his mistake, "I mean-"

"Nope! You're disqualified, Justin Kon!" Mrs. Robinson shakes her head. "That leaves Alexis, Ariana, and Tristan."

"I'm not in love with Justin." I scoff.

"Then who do you love?" Cameron asks me.

Why is this all about love? Why love? Oh, right. It was Alexis who started us off.

"I love you, Tristan. Why can't you see that?" Alexis pleads.

"You're really desperate, I hope you know." I shake my head.

"Am not! You're-"

"Alexis, you spoke out of turn!" Mrs. Robinson interrupts. "I'm afraid that you're disqualified!"

I watch as Alexis groans and sends me a dirty look, snapping her head away from my direction, which makes her hair flip dramatically. She walks back to the audience and slouches into her seat. I look to Cameron who's biting his lip awkwardly.

"Ariana, you don't love me?" he questions.

"Please," I shake my head, "like you love me."

There's hoots and boos from the audience, and someone yells, "just admit your feelings for each other already!" Yeah, if there was actually feelings to admit.

"I can't love you, Romeo-I mean Tristan." I say, getting a few laughs from the teacher and the audience, and an eye roll from my dearest Romeo.

"And why is that?" he questions.

"Because we can never be together. With our lives, it just won't work." I shake my head, and I don't even realize the part of truth showing through this little acting exercise.

"You know, pretending not to love you was the hardest thing I've ever done." Cameron sighs, looking to the ground.

There's awes and oohs from the audience, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"You know-"

I don't finish my sentence, because Cameron sets his hand on my cheek, and I tense up, feeling as if everything had frozen. And maybe it had. But I know it hadn't, because Cameron does the unexpected. And I think everyone was shocked.

But I was the most shocked when he kissed me.

***
I'm just going to rewatch pretty little liars episodes and break out into delayed reactions.

Love you guys tons,

Comment, vote, and fan!

~summer