Spy School: Camp, it's complicated

Ben falls in love with the pottery wheel

Heyo, how're you doing? It's been a scary couple of weeks because I have relatives in China where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly😰! Anyway, back to the story.

(Ben's POV)

I walked out of the tent after a strange conversation with Erica, more than a little bewildered about my feelings right now. Who knew that the scrawny math nerd Ben Ripley would be one of the top spies and best athletes at the academy of espionage? I was only in my third year but I was known as the second-best spy in the academy. Who was the first? None other than Erica Hale.

When I walked through the hallways, girls looked after me, and whispers followed me. Guys all wanted to be my friend. I was a legend. I was the Ben Ripley. The one who defeated SPYDER so many times, and also destroyed them once and for all. But I didn't feel like cool, legendary Ben Ripley when I was with Erica. She made me feel amazing by just walking into the room, but she also made me shy. And I knew why. Because I still loved her. Did I have feelings for Zoe? Maybe a little, but nothing could compare to the chemistry I have with Erica, or the feelings I feel for her. But what would I do? I was dating Zoe, and she really, really liked me. But it also felt like she liked that Sean guy.

My train of thought was interrupted when I heard the loud boom of a megaphone. "Attention campers!" Agent Kimberly shouted. "We will now begin camp games! This will be a competition throughout the entire summer, and the winner gets a mystery surprise at the end! The first competition will be tomorrow! Let me explain the rules! For each round, you get the number of points that your ranking is. For example, if you get 4th, you will get four points. The goal is to get the least amount of points by the end of camp! This will be done in duos!"

Everyone instantly went looking for a partner, and I tried to look for Mike, but before I could, I heard a squeal of feedback come out from the megaphone. "You're partner is the person you share your tent with!" Several people groaned, but I couldn't be happier. Erica was the best spy by far, and could probably win this singlehandedly. But with me, we were sure to win. So I went looking for Erica, and a few minutes later found her.

(Erica's POV)

When I heard that we would be partnered up with the people who we shared our tents with, I was relieved. Ben was a great spy and was 2nd best in the academy. I was best of course. We had this in the bag.

Ben came up to me, and I fondly observed how his belt had missed a loop, and his sandy brown hair was sticking to one side, though he still looked fantastic. "We're gonna crush them.' he said enthusiastically, and I quickly agreed. But let's be honest, the main reason I'm happy to be partnered up Ben is so that I can spend more time with him. Because Ben is, well, Ben.

My thoughts were interrupted by the Kimberly guy, who shouted "Today everyone is going to do whatever regular campy stuff they want to do! Like fishing, or canoeing, or craft making. Everyone cheered, but I was groaning internally, and when I looked at Ben, I could tell he was too. I really wanted to get to the competition part of the summer, but now I had to waste an entire day not honing my skills.

Than Agent Kimberly kept on talking. Will this guy ever shut up? "You will do this with partners of your choosing." I instantly turned towards Ben. "Please? I can't tolerate anyone else." I pleaded. "Of course!" He grinned. That smile sent warmth through me, and I hid it by quickly asking "What d'ya wanna do now?" He replied "Let's make some crafts." and headed towards the craft shack. On the way, we saw Zoe walking with Sean, and their fingertips brushed against each other, and Ben's mood darkened, but I patted him on the shoulder, and he brightened. "Thanks, I need that," he said.

When we entered the arts and crafts shack, I saw piles of papers, markers, pencils, canvases, paintbrushes, kilns, pottery wheels, clay, and erasers. I also saw what looked to be a pile of marble, granite and other stones, and near them, stone carvers. We could make statues/busts if we wanted to I guess. Ben immediately headed to the clay piles, picked up a few large squares, and went to the pottery wheel. His hands immediately went to work, shaping it expertly, like he had done it hundreds of times before. I admired his technique for a minute before grabbing a sketchpad a charcoal pencil set.

I looked at Ben as my model, as I carefully and quietly drew him. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him, one, because I needed him to draw him, and two, there was a look of intense concentration and peacefulness as well on his face as he carefully made pottery with his long, thin fingers. In my drawing, I captured the beautifulness of his expression, the combination of focus and peace on his lovely features.

I kept on drawing, and he had made several pieces of pottery before I finished my drawing. I slowly stood up and put the well made drawing in one of my utility pockets. Ben took his pottery out of the kiln after glazing, and I admired his handiwork. His pottery was beautifully decorated, and my heart stopped when I saw what some of the designs were. One of them was of the Chester Alan Arthur memorial, where I had shared very personal details with Ben, and I learned that he was the one person at spy school I could intimately share secrets with. Another was of the mountains in Colorado, where we had our first kiss, there was a beautifully painted lilac on one, and the final one was something no one else would understand, and it took my breath away. The attention to detail was immense, and when I pictured this place in my mind, this was exactly what I had remembered. It was the inside of a regular looking kitchen, and there was a pool table missing the cue ball, but there was a closeup of two hands intertwined, and I knew whose hands they were. They were my hand and Ben's hand in Orion's mansion. The cue ball was missing because I had taken it, in anticipation of an attack. I had been temporarily blinded, and Ben had loyally guided me through the mansion. I felt like I was about to cry it was so sweetly thought through.

(Ben's POV)

Erica suddenly surged towards me, and I thought I was going to get beaten up, but instead, she hugged me tightly. It took me a second to realize what she was doing, and I hugged her back. The smell of lilacs and gunpowder instantly enveloped me, but our peaceful embrace was interrupted by someone walking. Actually, two someones. Sean and Zoe stood there with wide eyes as they comprehended what they were seeing. Erica hugging someone, and that someone was me Zoe's boyfriend. Zoe opened her mouth to say something.

Haha, cliffy. I'll probably update soon, so no worries.