Sorry it's taken me so long to update everyone! No I did not forget!

The next morning after three wasted attempts to wake him up in a complacent manor, Jack finally lost her temper. "ALEX GET UP NOW! YOU ARE NOT GETTING OUT OF IT THAT EASILY, YOU'VE ALREADY MISSED ENOUGH SCHOOL TO MAKE YOU ILLITERATE!" Jack knew that would somewhat hit a nerve, he had always prized his knowledge, especially his vocabulary.

Alex jerked into consciousness as if zapped with ten-thousand bolts of electricity. His fair hair was sticking up wildly, eyes red-rimmed and half opened and dark purple rings under his eyes. He also had a splitting headache and was cringing away from any noise, mostly because he's not a morning person and the fact that Jack was screaming in his ear.

"Alrigh' 'm up!" He mumbled/slurred. Jack, satisfied he was up said, "We're leaving in ten!" and stalked out of the room.

Naturally, twenty minutes later Alex slouched down the stairs looking like a walking zombie. Although he did sleep in he only had a grand total of 2 hours and 53 minutes sleep. Nothing different there. No matter how exhausted or tired he was, he was never able to fall asleep past 3 o'clock-Jack could hear him up at all hours of the night and called MI6, worried about his mental state, not that Alex had to know it was she who 'encouraged' MI6 to get more experienced counsellors.

By the time Jack dropped Alex at school there was three minutes to the bell. As soon as he got out of the car a shout sprouted from the crowd of students mingling illegally outside of the gate. "ALEX!"

Alice came running across the road, almost getting hit by a car only to stand Infront of him grinning like an idiot(all meant in the nicest way of course).

"Erm…hi?"

"HI ALEX!"

"Geez Alice he's right Infront of you! YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL!" Katie shouted looking like she swallowed a lemon.

Alex watched all this silently wondering whether Tom really did have a point. What if one of them asked him to go with them? He'd have to turn them down in the nicest possible way, he couldn't let history repeat itself like with Sabina. He also really didn't feel like having the i'm-a-teenage-spy-who's-saved-the-world-numerous-times conversation, it does get rather boring and annoying when they don't believe you until something dramatic happens, like being kidnapped and used as blackmail for instance.

Alex looked over and saw Tom staring at him with a smug I-told-you-so look on his face. He raised an eyebrow in response playing the oblivious role.

The bell rang postponing the argument between Alice and Katie. Those two never seem to get on these days, they used to be joined at the hip. Well that's what happens, friendships get stale and are further separated by rumours made by people who want to come out on top. Alex was living proof of that.

"Come on we're going to be late Alex!" Alice said in that always cheery and somehow fake voice of hers, as she latched on to his arm and pulled him across the road. Alex politely disengaged himself, sliding to the edge of the hoard of students rushing to get through the doorway all at once, feeling claustrophobic and paranoid.

Tom saw his uncomfortable look and understood all too well. Alex knew what he was going to say and didn't want to talk about that taboo subject so he said the first thing that came to his mind, "The sun's out!" Instantly he felt like an idiot. Talking about the weather. Honestly!

"Yes Alex." He replied as if talking to a two year old. "The sun is out well done! We enjoy it on a daily basis 365 days a year even whilst its cloudy, enough of the chatter, shall we get to the important subject now?" Without waiting for an answer he went on. "So, that-" Alex cut him off, yanking him out of the path of a year 8 student looking terrified at losing control of his skateboard, as they rounded a corner.

"Uhhh thanks….I guess…..of course a year 8 pffsh!" He slowly regained his composure.

"You were saying?" Alex asked looking amused at his friend's shocked silence.

"Umm….yeah. So, that i'm-so-gangsta-so-dont-even-think-about-breathing-my-air-or-I'll-kill-you guy, Jyle, is telling everybody he's going to take you after school."

"Really?" Alex asked doubtfully. Jyle was about a head shorter than Alex and hid behind his 'bad boy' reputation so he never had to do the fighting, usually people run off terrified before it gets that far. Alex heard that you could flick that kid's arm and he'd go crying. "Where?"

"To go and get a milkshake, where do you think, idiot!"

"No, I mean where's this fight happening, idiot!" Alex imitated Tom.

Comprehension dawned on Tom's face but before he could reply a shout echoed through out the almost-empty quad. "RIDER!"

All the last minute stragglers to school paused and stood watching, eager for a fight to begin.

Alex grinned to himself before turning around. "Yo, yo, yo fo shizzle da nizzle to da izzle! Ya dizzle?" He said doing an on-purpose and really lame gangster impersonation waving his hands about like he was shooting the ground somehow. It was obvious to everyone watching that he was taking the piss out of them, but they were too thick to know why the crowd of students surrounding them were trying to muffle their laughter.

There they were. If they had as much brain as they did brawn they'd be prodigies. Instead all they know about is scaring the life out of everyone at Brookland, including some of the teachers which is why they've been practically unstoppable.

They had never bothered Alex before, but now they probably didn't like the fact that Alex had (unintentionally) stolen their spot in the ranks.

"So look who finally decided to show up. Been to chicken to face us, ehh?" Jyle drawled looking like a stoned rat. Sheesh, that's right, always putting themselves into the equation. Pretty soon they'll fly away with those big heads of theirs!

"Nah, I was just too busy with my endless stash of heroin to bother to come to school. Oh and I also stabbed some random guy with a butter knife, got arrested and sent to juvie to 'see the error of my ways'." Alex said with barely noticeable amusement in his eyes.

A long time ago Alex stopped caring what people thought about him and found it amusing to confirm the rumours being spread and watch their expressions. They never see it coming. Everyone believes rumours until they're confirmed then they're just stumped.

"Ohhh……." Jyle slurred looking like he'd been hit over the head with a mallet. "Yeah that's right, you better be scared! You. Me. Town park after school."

Alex shook his head slightly in wonderment. Unbelievable!

"Ohh you bet i'm scared. I'm paralysed with fear, you oh-so scary beast you!" He said in mocking fear.

"Yeah…." Was all the response Alex got from them.

"Right…..well…..i'm going now!" Alex could see that it was going nowhere and was completely pointless in the first place.

"Remember, after school." Jyle warned.

Mr Arentz chose this moment to come out of the nearby buildings. "Now, what do all

you lot think you're doing? Get to class now or I'll make you do a role play of

'Romeo and Juliet'. Tom I think you'd make a lovely Juliet."

That threat had everyone except Alex and Tom scurrying to the nearest building and

out of sight. "Why thankyou Sir, I've dreamt of that day since I was a child." Tom

said bowing. Mr Arentz is one of those teachers that just love to stir people and

never takes anything seriously. Strange, Alex thought, some people actually find him

intimidating.

"Now, Tom I know you want to publicly display your affection of women's clothing

, but I don't think right here is the perfect place to do so." Mr Arentz said in an

uplifting tone.

"Too far Sir, too far." Alex shook his head in disappointment, wincing.

As they made their way to their roll-call class Tom asked "So are you going to go

today?"

"Maybe." Alex replied with a far off look on his face.

"Ohh way to be specific!" Tom groaned.

Alex was in thought. If he did go then he was risking suspension, hence missing out

on even more school. He would be risking Jyle and whom ever else decides to

join in's safety-Alex has handled much worse than a couple of untrained

schoolkids whose sole aim is to land a punch on his face, and they hadn't even

come out of the fights conscious in most cases.

On the other hand it could be a chance to let go of the built up anger and resentment,

but that could mean that he might not be able to control himself and will

probably end up doing some serious damage.

Alex, too entranced in his thoughts, didn't realise that they'd arrived at the room until five minutes later when the bell went for first session.

Sigh, off to Maths. Algebra wasn't hard or anything, just intensely boring. Just after the class got settled down (cough, fifteen minutes, later), the principal's voice drifted through the newly installed speakers in each classroom sounding strained "Attention all students and staff members. Everyone is to report to the school hall immediately."

That sent off another round of chattering; students discussing possible reasons for that quick announcement: that there was a bomb scare, that a student had died, that the police had come to arrest a certain someone. No one could have know how close they came to the truth.

Inside Alex's head alarm bells were ringing. How long had he dreamt of this day, when the barrier between his school life and his spy life would shatter like a broken mirror. Although it may not be about him at all he tried to reason with himself. He may just be over-reacting.

Oh how wrong he was.