Okay, here is the third chapter! I hope you all aren't disappointed! Also, Macey is WAY OOC in this chapter so please don't hate me too much. This is where the story really starts to fall into place. I hope you like it! I'll update again soon if you REVIEW!! *Hehe* But only if you review! Thanks!
Disclaimer: Ally Carter owns everyone except for the fabulous Nick and anyone else you don't recognize.
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Chapter Three
Okay, I didn't expect this. The people who charged into the Grand Hall—ya know, the ones decked in black—were doing flips and somersaults down the aisles. All the seventh graders and some eighth graders screamed—they would have to learn not to panic—and dashed for cover. My spy senses kicked into gear and I flipped myself over the table and got in a fighting stance that I learned eighth grade year in P&E.
I saw someone grab Macey and started to rush to help her as the person headed toward the entrance. Another person stopped me. Strong hands captured my waist and one of them covered my mouth before I could scream for help. Not that that would've helped but it would have been worth a shot.
I struggled to get free. It was no use; the person—or rather, man—that had me was too strong. They were pulling me toward the entrance and as I struggled I looked for Liz or Bex, trying to signal them. They were nowhere in sight. My willpower was gone when I realized that and I stopped struggling, collapsing in the guy's arms.
"Giving up are we?" a voice sneered in my ear.
Wait a minute… I thought. I know that voice. The guy pulled me into a classroom.
It's…
He removed his mask and revealed his identity.
Zach. Zachary Goode was back at Gallagher. And I had a feeling Blackthorne was the "other school" my mom was talking about. Great. Just great.
Bex's POV
I looked for Macey, Cam, and Liz as my spy training kicked in. I noticed Macey struggling go get free of a person forcing her toward the Entrance Hall. Cammie was rushing to help her so I looked around for Liz. Before I spotted her a hand clamped over my mouth and the other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me toward the Entrance Hall.
I struggled but it was no use. I tried elbowing the guy but he dodged out of my way. By that time, he'd shoved me into a classroom. He pulled off his mask to reveal himself.
Grant. Grant Newman was at Gallagher. And possibly—if what Headmistress Morgan said was true—for good this time.
Liz's POV
I didn't know what to do. I mean, I'm not…on the covert track. I'm on the research track, in the research field. I didn't have a lot of training with this sort of thing. Except last semester with Mr. Solomon, but even that wouldn't save me. I looked around for the others, my roommates. I couldn't see them. I nearly started hyperventilating but a hand clamped over my mouth and started pulling me toward the Entrance Hall. I didn't struggle.
He pushed me gently into a classroom and then pulled off his face mask.
"Hey, Liz," Jonas Williams said, grinning.
Macey's POV
I jumped up the second the doors opened. I was getting the hang of this.
But I knew this wasn't just a test. It was the real thing. I kicked into gear but before I could even do anything, I felt strong arms wrap around me and I felt myself being pulled toward the Entrance Hall. I struggled as best I could. He—or was it a she?—didn't budge. I elbowed him in the ribs. His only response was to grunt. It was all I could do to keep struggling. I kept elbowing him until he grabbed my hand and pinned it to my side.
"Stop struggling, Macey!" he hissed in my ear. And for the first time, I froze. I knew exactly who it was and my suspicions were confirmed when he brought me into a classroom, shut the door, and his grip eased as he removed his mask. What I saw under it was a deathly expression. But it was him. Nick. Nick Walker was at my school. Nick Walker went to Blackthorne.
And Nick Walker would most likely be joining Gallagher. For good.
Cammie's POV
I stood stock still in the middle of the room, staring at Zach. I was glaring at him; he was smirking, leaning against the wall.
Part of me was singing, Hallelujah! Another part, deeper, was still hurt and angry.
Finally, he spoke. "What, Gallagher Girl, didn't you miss me?"
Yes! my heart sang out. But my head said, "No, you idiot, you haven't contacted me! Sure, you saw Bex and Liz but you didn't think to stop by and see me!" Both those would give too much away so I stayed silent.
"Oh, you're giving me the silent treatment, huh? Well, you can't tell me to stop." He gave me a slow, sexy wink and started coming toward me.
Panicking, I started to back up. I glanced behind me and made sure I was walking toward another exit, and then I looked back at him. He was closer. I sped up and a second later I was pressed against the wall. I couldn't go anywhere.
Zach had reached me by that time and he placed both hands on the wall on either side of my head. I tried to keep my breathing in check. He had that stupid smirk on his face as he leaned in slowly. "Did you miss me, Gallagher Girl?" he repeated as he inched closer. I shook my head vigorously. "No?" he asked. I gulped. "Because," he said as his lips grazed my cheek. My eyes fluttered closed and my breathing picked up. "I…" His lips brushed my jaw line. "…missed…" He moved to my neck. "…you." He pulled back and looked at me and then his lips crashed against mine. My arms found his neck and I buried my hands in his hair. His hands slip from the wall and to my waist. He held me tightly to him and set me on a close desk so he could reach me better. He stood between my legs and his tongue begged for entrance. I allowed it and couldn't help letting out a small groan of pleasure. He smirked against my lips while his fingers fiddled with the bottom of my shirt and then slid under.
And then I remembered what he did: he went and saw two of my best friends but he didn't come and see me. I pulled away and dropped my hands. He looked at me, confused. For a long moment, I looked into his eyes. Finally, I whispered, "Why didn't you come and see me? You went and saw Bex with Grant and then Liz with Jonas, but you didn't come and see me. Why?"
His hands fell limply onto the desk I was sitting on, sliding out from under my shirt. He looked down briefly and then glanced back up. "Zach?" I asked after a moment of silence. "What is it?" Despite my pain, his hesitation was my main concern.
"I couldn't," he finally said. He looked up again and held my gaze. "I wanted to, Cammie, believe me, I really wanted to. I just…couldn't." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Why? Why couldn't you?" I asked quietly.
He flipped around, again running a hand through his hair. "You'll find out…soon." He looked at me again. "But not now. I can't have you in danger. I can't…lose you, too." His voice held anguish and in spite of my curiosity and anger, my heart broke when I heard the pain in his voice. The pain I felt was so much greater than my own.
I slid off the desk and walked toward him. He stared numbly down at me. "Zach," I whispered. "I'm sorry. Whatever it is, I'm sorry." I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned against him. He buried his face in my hair and I felt tears on my head. "It's okay. You're here." I tried to comfort him but it was no use. I came up with another idea. "If it makes you feel any better, you weren't far from my mind all break. I missed you."
He smiled regardless of his tears. "Good." He sighed and seemed about to say something else. But he was cut off by Macey's voice screaming, "Why didn't you TELL me there was a Nick Walker at your school?"
Bex's POV
I stared at him, grinning down at me, unable to take my eyes off of him. I'd seem him only two weeks before; yet, he seemed to get sexier, cuter.
His green eyes stared down at me and it was as if he were memorizing my face.
"Grant?" I finally asked, finding my voice.
"Hey, Bex, miss me much?" I smacked his arm playfully but apparently it hurt. "Bex," he whined. "Ouch."
I grinned. "It's good to see you," I whispered, wrapping my arms around his waist. I leaned my head against his chest and then felt his hands lazily stroking up and down my back.
"Well, thanks, but it's always good to see me," he answered with a smile. Before I could hit him, he hurriedly added, "And it's good to see you too."
I smiled into his chest, wondering what was happening with my friends and their guys. Or at least Cammie and Liz. I didn't know who took Macey.
I hoped Cam was being forgiving. I don't know if I could handle her heartbreak.
For now, I just stood there, in Grant's arms, ignoring the rest of the world.
That is, until Macey stormed in, looking angry, and screamed at Grant, "Why didn't you TELL me there was a Nick Walker at your school?" as if he would have known to do so. And get this—tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Liz's POV
I grinned back at Jonas and walked toward him. He towered over me; my eyes went up to his chest. Well, technically my forehead did.
"Hey," I said quietly and suddenly tripped. I would've fallen if Jonas hadn't caught me and pulled me toward him, into a hug. I responded by wrapping my arms around his waist. "I missed you."
I felt him drop a kiss on top of my head. "I missed you, too." I could hear a smile in his voice.
"So what are you doing here?" I asked, enjoying the embrace.
"You mean, you haven't figured it out?" I lifted my head and looked at his confused expression. He was so adorable when he was confused. I shook my head and he smirked. "One hint: the expansion."
I furrowed my eyebrows. Then it dawned on me: Headmistress Morgan's speech. "Blackthorne and Gallagher are combining?" I shrieked. "Oh my—!"
He clamped a hand over my mouth. "Yes, Liz, sh. It's be revealed soon."
I grinned. "Well, this is a surprise. Why…?" I shook my head. "It doesn't matter." I suddenly remembered my friends—who'd most likely taken them. Especially Macey. Because she wouldn't be so excited. In fact, I think she'd be mad. She liked Nick, a lot. She'd be hurt when she found out he was a spy.
And yes, I knew about Nick. I'm a spy in the research filed. I have my sources.
My suspicions were confirmed when I heard Macey's voice nearby. "Why didn't you TELL me there was a Nick Walker at your school?"
Macey's POV
I stared at Nick, my whole body bubbling with conflicting emotions: Relief that I didn't have to keep this a secret anymore; anger that he hadn't told me; excitement—though I hated to admit it—about seeing him every day; and pain. The anger was the strongest.
I stood there, glaring at him. He was standing extremely close and he still had an arm around my waist. He'd turned me around, though, so I could see him. He stared down at me. I couldn't' read his expression. After a few seconds of our staring contest, he finally gave in. he dropped his hand and turned around. For a moment, he paced. I refused to speak first. Finally he did. "You're really stubborn, ya know that?" he asked with a little laugh, running a hand through his hair, which I couldn't help but notice, made him look sexy.
I followed his every move while h waited for me to answer. "No, I'm not," I answered defiantly after a few seconds. "I'm…determined."
He turned to face me. "Really? If you were so determined, you'd have figured out the secret I was hiding on the cruise, which was…well, this."
I winced. "Why didn't you tell me, Nick? We usually don't keep secrets. Why this?"
"Hey, Miss I-can-have-whatever-I-want, I'm not the only one who kept a secret. And at least my parents know. Your have no idea, do they?" he sneered.
Tears stung my eyes despite my trying to hold them back. As much as I hated to admit it, his words stung. Because he was right. My parents didn't know. But what he called me hurt the most. Apparently, that's how he had perceived me all these years. "So if I can have whatever I want," I said, my voice trembling, "why can't you get the heck outta my life?" I flew to the door before he could stop me. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, but I didn't care. I looked through each window in classrooms, trying to find Cam, Bex, or Liz. I passed Cammie's but she was wrapped up around Zach and it didn't look like they should be the ones to be disturbed. I hurried on until I saw Bex, with her arms around Grant. She looked like she was enjoying it. My heart stung. What I wouldn't give to be in Ni—No! I wouldn't say it.
I stormed into the classroom and screamed at Grant, "Why didn't you TELL me there was a Nick Walker at your school?"
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So ya'll were right. Nick IS a Blackthorne Boy. He is also neck and neck with Zach as my favorite character in this story. You all will find out why in later chapters. He's just so sweet. I'm basing him off my fantasy guy, except that guy's name is Zachary Springs. The rest is solely based off Fantasy Guy in my world. So like it? Hate it? Tell me, please! If you're good, I'll update tomorrow too! Love you all! And thanks for the awesome reviews I got for my last chapter!
~IheartZacharyGoode