Spy School High School (Highschool AU) [ONGOING]

01. The Girl

August 31, 2019

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

The alarm clock went off. The boy who owned the alarm clock groaned. He slapped the top of the clock, effectively stopping the alarm. He squinted his eyes, trying to get adjusted to the light. He slowly pulled off the sheets on the bed and sat upright. He slowly trudged to the bathroom. As he entered, he rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleepiness that filled them to disappear. He glanced at the mirror. There, in the glass, was him. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. In front of him, there was a 5 feet 5-inch boy. His eyes were brown, and his hair was also brown, but a lighter brown, like a mix between blonde and brown-haired. A few years ago, he had been scrawny, but ever since then, he had grown stronger. The boy's name was Benjamin Ripley, but his friends just called him Ben.

What time is it?

Ben tore his eyes away from the mirror to look at the clock.

6:30 AM, the neon lights shouted at him. Ben acknowledged the time and started to get ready. A few times he had to remind himself what he had to do next because he felt he hadn't had to get ready like this in forever. But partially, this was true. During middle school, he just picked up the first shirt and pants that were on the rack of his clothes closet. But now, he had to wear the standard uniform for boys. Because today, was Ben's first day at high school. Ben had been accepted into one of the best schools in the area. The school's name was Nixon High School, named after Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States. Just a few weeks ago, there had been an orientation of Nixon High, where you got a tour of the school, your uniform, and a list of supplies you needed. The school's standard uniform for boys was a shirt with a tie and trousers. Ben got ready and put his uniform on. He grabbed his backpack (which had all his supplies and textbooks he would need for the year) and slung it around his shoulder. He then walked downstairs. As he reached the bottom, he sniffed the air. The smell of pancakes filled the air.

"Morning sweetie," his mom said, flipping over the pancake on the frying pan.

"Morning mom," Ben said, placing his backpack by a stool and sitting on it. His mom flipped over the pancake one last time, then loaded it onto a plate. She slid the plate over to Ben and placed some maple syrup next to it. Ben dug in immediately. Ben finished his food and looked at his watch. It was 7:20. He quickly washed his plate, said goodbye to his mom, and exited through the front door. He walked down the front steps of his house and crossed the street. Then he thought he heard a sound behind him. He looked around and as he did, somebody bumped into him. They fell to the ground, on their knees.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I wasn't looking..." Ben started, but the person just got up, brushed the dirt of their clothes, and turned and walked past Ben. As they did, even though it was only for a fraction of a second, Ben noticed a few things. One, it was a girl. She looked around his age, but he wasn't sure. Second, she was stunning. She had blue eyes, the color of ice. As Ben watched her walk away, he realized something. He realized he had a crush on this stranger he didn't even know. Then he saw the direction she was walking.

Weird! That's the direction of my school!

Ben was so deep in thought, he didn't here his best friend Mike Brezinski walk up behind him. Apparently the sound Ben thought he heard was the opening and closing of the door of Mike's house.

"Good morning," Mike said. Ben got startled for a second, but then smiled, seeing who it was.

"Morning," Ben said, still looking at where the girl had disappeared. Mike followed my gaze.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing much," Ben replied. Mike nodded. Then they both headed in the direction of the school together. Over the summer, Mike and Ben had spent some time planning the walking route to school. They had eventually stumbled along a creek trail that served as a shortcut to the school. As Ben and Mike arrived at the entrance to the trail, somebody bounded up behind them. This person was Zoe Zibbell. She had met Mike and Ben 2 years ago, and now they were close friends.

"Hey guys," Zoe said, in her usual voice, energetic and cheerful.

"Hi Zoe," they both replied.

"Are you excited?" Zoe asked, walking alongside them.

"As excited as you can be for school," Ben replied. They all walked along the trail. While they did, they tried to name all the sounds they heard. They heard the rustling of branches, the sound of the water, they heard birds chirping, they heard so many different sounds you only find in nature. 20 minutes later, they arrived at the front of the school. As they walked up the front steps, they smiled.

This is a new part of our lives!

They were directed by a counselor into the back of a long line. Apparently, at the front of the line, they would get their schedules. They waited 10 more minutes until they were at the front. Ben checked his watch. It was 7:50. The class began in 10 minutes. The lady handing out schedules called Ben up. He walked up.

"Your name?" the lady asked.

"Benjamin Ripley," Ben replied.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ms. Brooks, and I am your principal here at Nixon High. Here is your schedule, and a map to the school," Ms. Brooks said. Ben took the papers, thanked her, and walked to the side. As soon as he did, he opened his schedule. This is what it looked like:

Benjamin Ripley

Schedule

8:00-8:15 Homeroom (Room 24)

8:20-9:10 Earth Science (Room 3F)

9:15-10:05 English 9 (Room P6)

10:10-11:00 Elective: Advanced Computer Programming (Room 2)

11:05-12:00 Lunch (Lunch Tables)

12:00-1:00 Free Period

1:05-2:00 Double Accelerated Math (Room 7B)

2:05-3:00 History 9 (Room 35B)

3:05-4:00 Physical Education (Gymnasium)

Ben was satisfied with his schedule. He'd gotten the elective he wanted, and even a free period after lunch! At that moment, Mike came up behind him.

"Do we have any periods together?" Mike asked.

"Yeah. We have Homeroom, Free Period, PE, and English," Ben said. Zoe walked up behind Mike. She showed us her schedule.

"You and I have the same Homeroom and Free Period," Ben said to Zoe.

"You and I have the same Homeroom, Free Period, and Science period," Mike said to Zoe.

"Yay! We all have Homeroom and Free Period together!" Ben said.

"For once," Zoe said. Ben nodded.

"Well, look who it is," a voice sneered. Ben looked up. It was Joshua Hallal. He was the most popular boy in school, and he was athletic. He snatched the schedule out of Ben's hand. He glanced over it.

"We have PE together. Better get ready to get crushed," Joshua sneered. Then he turned around, threw the schedule back to Ben, and walked away. Ben tilted his head.

What is he talking about it?

"He's so full of it," Mike said.

"Well, let's hope he learns his lesson after PE today, whatever is going on then," Ben said. The first bell rung, indicating we had to walk to our homerooms. I checked the map for Room 24 and found it was on the other side of the school. I walked as fast as I could without running to Room 24. When I arrived, the door was open, so I assumed we could walk in. I looked at the seating chart. The tables we grouped in 4's. I was sitting near the back corner, with Mike, Zoe, and someone called Erica.

Who's Erica?

Ben turned around, and he gasped.

Erica was the girl. The girl who he had bumped into this morning. The girl, who he had a crush on.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

- Cookie