Leo Carter slammed his lunch tray onto the cafeteria table with enough force to make his juice box wobble dangerously. A few nearby students turned to look, but Leo ignored them, crossing his arms like a man who had just been personally betrayed by the entire world. Maya Quinn glanced up from neatly arranging her fries into straight lines—because of course she was doing that—and narrowed her eyes. She could always tell when Leo had done something ridiculous, mostly because he looked exactly like this every time.
“What happened now?” Maya asked calmly, though there was already a hint of suspicion in her voice.
Leo leaned forward dramatically. “I was spying,” he said in a low voice, as if the ketchup bottle might be listening. “On the principal.”
Maya blinked once. “Of course you were.”
“And,” Leo continued, raising a finger for emphasis, “he caught me. And now I have detention.” He paused, letting the tragedy settle in. “Again.”
Before Maya could respond, Ollie Brooks burst into laughter so loud that someone across the cafeteria dropped their spoon. Ollie clutched his stomach, nearly falling off his chair. “You? Spying?” he wheezed. “Leo, you trip over your own shoelaces while standing still!”
“I do not!” Leo snapped, though he avoided looking at his untied shoe.
Maya sighed and leaned back. “Why were you spying on the principal in the first place?”
Leo straightened instantly, his bad mood replaced with intense seriousness. “Because I’m going to be a spy,” he declared. “A professional one.”
Ollie immediately started laughing again, this time even louder. “Spies aren’t real,” he said between gasps. “They’re like… movie things. And books. And also your imagination.”
“They are real!” Leo argued, pointing at him like a dramatic courtroom lawyer who had absolutely no evidence.
Owen Rivera, who had been quietly poking at his sandwich like it had personally offended him, suddenly looked up with wide eyes. “My mom’s favorite vase got stolen yesterday,” he said urgently. “What if it was a spy?”
Maya turned slowly toward him. “Owen,” she said patiently, “that was probably a thief.”
Owen shook his head, clearly unconvinced. “Or a spy thief,” he added, as if that made things much more logical.
“Or,” Maya continued, “your younger brother.”
Owen froze. “Oh.” He thought about it. “That’s… actually very possible.”
At that moment, Zara Malik, who had been lying across two chairs like she had no intention of sitting properly ever again, spoke without lifting her head. “My sister says spies are imaginary,” she mumbled. “Just like horses.”
There was a long pause.
Everyone stared at her.
“Zara,” Leo said slowly, “horses are real.”
Zara shrugged lazily. “I’ve never seen one,” she replied. “So they can’t be real.”
Ollie opened his mouth, closed it again, and then decided this was too complicated to deal with.
Maya rubbed her temples. “Leo,” she said, turning back to him, “you need to stop acting like a spy. You are not a spy. You are a kid who just got detention for hiding behind a plant.”
“It was a strategic position,” Leo insisted.
“It was a plastic plant,” Maya corrected. “And you knocked it over.”
Leo ignored that detail completely. Instead, he leaned forward, his eyes shining with excitement. “You guys just don’t get it,” he said. “If we all acted like spies, it would be amazing. Missions. Secrets. Disguises!”
Ollie perked up slightly at that. “Disguises?” he repeated.
“Yes,” Leo said, pointing at him. “You would be in charge of disguises.”
Ollie sat up straighter. “Okay, I’m listening.”
Maya noticed this and immediately frowned. “No. No, we are not doing this.”
But Leo was already standing now, full of energy, like he had just invented the greatest idea in human history. “I’ve even come up with a name,” he announced proudly.
Zara lazily opened one eye. “This better be good,” she muttered.
Leo placed one foot on the bench like a hero in a very unnecessary pose. “From this day forward,” he declared, “we are—”
Maya groaned softly, already regretting everything.
“—Operation: Definitely Spies!”
There was silence.
Ollie grinned.
Owen gasped like this was the most important moment of his life.
Zara gave a slow thumbs-up without moving the rest of her body.
Maya stared at Leo, completely unimpressed. She opened her mouth to shut the whole thing down—
—but then she paused.
Because knowing Leo Carter, this was going to happen anyway.
And if it was going to happen…
Someone needed to make sure it didn’t turn into a complete disaster.
Maya sighed. “Fine,” she said reluctantly. “But I’m in charge of planning.”
Leo’s face lit up instantly. “YES!”
Ollie pumped his fist. “Do we get code names?!”
Owen looked around nervously. “Are we already being watched?”
Zara yawned. “Can I be the one who does nothing?”
Leo pointed at all of them dramatically. “Agents,” he said, lowering his voice, “our first mission begins soon.”
Maya folded her arms. “We don’t even have a mission yet.”
Leo smiled.
“Oh,” he said confidently, “we will.”
🌀 What Just Happened?
- Leo got detention after attempting some very questionable “spying” on the principal.
- The cafeteria turned into chaos as everyone shared terrible spy theories and even worse logic.
- Owen suspected a stolen vase was the work of a mysterious spy thief.
- Zara casually questioned whether horses even exist, confusing absolutely everyone.
- And somehow… Leo convinced the group to become a secret spy team called Operation: Definitely Spies.
- Maya tried to stop the disaster… but accidentally became part of it instead.
📚 What’s Next?
⬅️ Back to Story Index
➡️ Continue to Chapter 02 – Operation Run for Your Grades
Comments (0)