Chapter 3.

*****

I can't describe it, nor can I explain it. Right now, I could admit that I had never felt more uneasy in my life. The funny thing is, I was only staring at the entrance of a school.

"What are you doing? Come on, get out."

"Maximilian, watch your tone." The King shot at his son who just gave a nod before offering me a fake smile again.

"Jessica, shall we," he motioned to the school.

I snapped out of my trance as I nodded and stepped out of the black limousine. I fixed the bag strap on my shoulder.

I was wearing a uniform that consisted of a white shirt, grey pants and a black blazer and school shoes, the black matched the colour of the one Maximilian wore. The blazer also had accents of purple and blue which led me to believe the school colours were dark blue, black and purple. Lovely...

I had an unsettling feeling in my chest, but it wasn't the usual gut feeling that told me when I was in trouble, nope. I couldn't explain this feeling, but I hated it. I hated being uncertain or feeling somewhat afraid.

I heard a loud sigh before my hand was grabbed roughly. I looked up and realised Maximilian had grabbed my hand and was now dragging me into the schoolyard.

"This place is guarded." I muttered seeing the electric fencing, there were at least twelve noticeable guards patrolling the parking lot and I spotted cameras everywhere around us.

"Wasn't like this... until I got here." He shrugged, "Comes with the territory, I guess." He said.

This could have passed for a jail with the amount of security...

"So not all schools look like this?"I asked.

He chuckled. "Of course not. You've really never been to a school?" He asked looking at me.

I shrugged. "Home-schooled, my entire life." I replied.

"Max!" I almost attacked the person that pretty much jumped on my client causing them both to fall on the grass but I stopped myself when I realised it was his best friend, Gabriel.

"You imbecile." I smiled as Maximilian laughed shoving Gabriel off him. A throat clearing from beside me had Gabriel scrambling to his feet.

"Oh, mind my manners, my lady." I saw Maximilian roll his eyes and I raised my brows as Gabriel took my hand and kissed it. "Gabriel, but you may call me Gabe...I see this is where the good looking side of Max's family is." Hah.

"Trust me," I turned to look at the guys next to me, I recognised him as their friend Shayne. "This is pretence." He said, "He's an idiot after the introduction." Maximilian agreed as Gabriel just gave me a cheeky grin.

"Alright," Maximilian got to his feet, "This, as I have said, is my cousin Jessica. Jessica, this is Shayne, Gabe and Jaime. I allow them the pleasure of my presence daily." I laughed as his friends rolled their eyes.

"Maxi –" My eyes shifted as Maximilian shoved by me towards the voice behind me before I turned to see what he had been an idiot for. I wish I hadn't when I saw their faces crush together.

I tensed but forced myself not to react and instinctively break his arm when Jaime's arm fell around my shoulders.

"Welcome to our lives." He muttered looking disgusted by the scene before him.

"Good thing you're his cousin. The last thing we need is another Maximilian worshiping lunatic." Shayne motioned around us and I noticed how many girls looked envious at the scene before us.

I wasn't sure how to respond to them. I wasn't entirely sure how people acted at schools or what to talk about. I had never had to make friends in my life; I had never had any friends. I had colleagues. Our conversations usually evolved around training, weapons, mission partners and things in that circle. What did I talk to these guys about?

"Jessica, this is my girlfriend, Candice. Candice, my cousin, Jessica." Maximilian introduced when he was done.

Why hadn't that been in his file? I was supposed to know all the people he was closely acquainted to and our researches never made a mistake or left an important person out.

"Don't look so shocked, your cousin is a real Casanova." Jaime winked back at me as we made our ways into the school. Maximilian just laughed from a few feet in front of him.

"You're probably going to have to remember her name, though. Usually his relationships with his 'girlfriend's span between 35-48 hours, but this one's been here for a while, unfortunately." Jaime whispered into my ear. I furrowed my brows. Unfortunately?

"Jessica, do you need your schedule?" Maximilian asked. Why was he being nice?

"No, I've got it." I said. It was exactly the same as his.

"Great, I'll see you later then." He said pulling Candice into a different hall. Wait. What?

"Max –" I began but his friends stopped me.

"It's his girl time; believe me you don't want to be there. How about we show you around?" Gabriel asked.

"Uh... I'd rather explore by myself... I find that exciting. Later." I was gone before they could object as I made my way through the halls crowded with students.

Great. That idiot knows I have to know where he is at all times!

I frowned running my eyes over every person around me, but he was gone. I grit my teeth as I pulled my phone out and settled for finding him using the tracking device I had planted in his cell phone the previous night.

I followed the track through the school and out the back. I spotted Maximilian and Candice in between the trees and decided going against disturbing their moment and punching him in the face. 'We do not hurt clients' my father's voice played in my mind from when I was seven and had beaten up the ten-year-old I had been with (because I was so young, I had to have been on a mission with a senior agent i.e. my dad. Who at the time had been in the house having conversations with the other adults there). Instead, I climbed up the side of the building and settled for watching them through the trees from the top. Now this part of my job, I wasn't very happy with.

I watched for a minute. He said something and she laughed before he leaned down and began kissing her collar. I grimaced as she moaned before they swapped positions and he shoved her against the tree rather roughly and proceeded to begin to unbutton her school shirt. I cringed hearing her beg him to hurry. What the hell?

I leaned back so that I unable to see them anymore but that didn't stop the hushed kissing and moaning. I opened my phone and tried to focus on the game of solitaire I hadn't finished from a few weeks ago. I was beyond relieved when the school bell rang. I sat back up and saw her kiss him as she fixed her shirt and skirt and he zipped his pants up.

Did they...? They did. God, that's disgusting... At school?!

She pecked his lips one more time saying her goodbye before she left. He didn't leave after he had fixed his own clothing. Instead he just ran his eyes around with a large smug smirk on his face.

"Enjoyed the show, Jessica?" he called out to nowhere in particular.

That bastard... He knew I HAD to constantly be around him. He knew I wasn't going to leave him alone.

I jumped from the roof, rolling on the ground as I landed before I got to my feet.

"You're disgusting." I spat.

"Get used to it. Feel free to join in at anytime." He chuckled walking into the school. I let out an annoyed sigh before I followed him.

-----

I watched the cars drive by the back of the school as Mrs Davidson's words drowned out of my ears. It was last period and we were on the third floor, in Math class. Turns out Maximilian is quite intelligent, despite his idiocy... He led all his classes.

"Miss Parker?" I looked up and realised the entire class was staring at me, a smirk on Maximilian's face told me she had probably asked me a question he thought I couldn't answer so I glanced at the board.

"Two on both sides." I said, my smirk grew as Maximilian's fell into a frown. This was work I could have done when I was thirteen...

"Right." The middle aged woman smiled in content as she turned back to the board.

I returned my gaze to the cars as my mind played over the events of the day. I remembered being quiet at lunch, weird because I was never shy. Well, I hadn't been shy, I just didn't know how to respond to conversation about the school's soccer team and how the weekly lunch roaster was, as Gabriel so politely put it, 'filled with tasteless shit'. I guess I needed to brush up on my people skills. I had people skills... somewhere...

I sighed internally dreading everything else they had mentioned. From listening I had heard that there was a soccer game on Friday, tomorrow, and thereafter there would be a huge party at Fred's place, apparently he was from a rival school and none of Maximilian's group seemed to like him much but had decided the party would be great to attend anyway, which was something that did not make any sense to me. If you don't like someone, why are you attending their party? I would have to be at every event Maximilian went to. Party. The word made me grimace. I did not want to be in a house full of sweaty, drunk teenagers. In fact, for the first time in my life, I would rather be training than be on a mission, if this could even be termed a mission.

I grit my teeth. As soon as I pass that test, I'm getting someone else assigned to be this douche's bodyguard.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as a hand ruffled my hair, I instantly shoved it away and glared at Maximilian who was smiling tauntingly down at me.

"We need to leave. I have practice and then I – well, we –" he chuckled "will be at Candice's house until I see fit to head home." He smirked at me.

Yeah, not if I have anything to do with it.

*****