A Secret Service

by Joy Jenkins

  When Donovan remained silent, Carter looked away. “I know I come off harsh and blunt but that doesn’t mean I don’t care.” She felt Donovan study her profile. “Besides, Link has lived in the shadow of your good looks for so long he's forgotten that he’s attractive in his own right. He just needed a push towards a girl who wasn’t interested in you.”

  Across the way Link laughed, knocked something over and fumbled about. To her credit, Amy didn’t act concerned, merely helped him.

  “He’s lucky to have you as a friend then,” Donovan said.

  Carter snorted. “Well, that has got to be a first.”

  Chapter 11

  When Carter stepped out of the locker room, dressed in her gym uniform, weak sunlight washed over her. She welcomed the touch of warmth, tired of the cold. Around the track students stood together, waiting to get the class over with. Moving to one side, Carter stretched. As Mr. Danes blew his whistle to start class, Link and Donovan joined her.

  “Alright class!” Mr. Danes said, cutting through the conversations. “Today you are running a mile and then playing a friendly game of flag football.”

  The class let out a round of groans as if this wasn’t what they’d done every Monday since the beginning of the year.

  “Okay, get to it!”

  Mr. Danes blew his whistle and the class sluggishly moved into action. Carter slapped Donovan’s arm with the back of her hand and nodded to an eager group of girls.

  “Might want to watch out,” she said.

  When Donovan followed Carter’s line of sight to a group of girls, they all smiled and waved at him. Carter couldn’t fault them for their attraction, Donovan made gym clothes look appealing.

  “Better get running,” she said.

  Breaking away from the trudging pack of students, Carter took off, the voices of her peers fading behind her. Around the track, the first glimpse of spring’s arrival appeared in the blossoming trees and the dots of green peeking up through the deadened leaves, looking like hope.

  Before long Carter lapped her classmates. She weaved in and out of the gossiping groups of girls. The boys all looked at her, some impressed, others dismissive. As she neared where Link and Donovan ran side by side, she slowed. She spun around and continued running backward.

  “That’s all you got?” she asked, looking Donovan up and down. “Based on your muscle tone I expected a better display of physical endurance.”

  A twitch in Donovan’s jaw was the only response she got. For a boy made of stone, she took it as an accomplishment.

  “Come on, Donovan,” she said. “Scared for the first time in your life that a girl might actually be better than you?”

  Donovan met her gaze with cool indifference.

  “You only have to race me one lap.”

  Still, Donovan didn’t look inclined to quicken his pace.

  “Alright, later slowpoke.”

  Spinning around, Carter increased her speed, outdistancing them. As she came around the curve she heard the sound of pounding footsteps racing up behind her. She laughed and pushed harder. Donovan inched closer to her. Carter forced her muscles to work faster, keeping ahead of him.

  They cut through layers of dawdling groups, dodging around them. They were neck and neck as they came to the end of the lap. As they raced towards where they had started Donovan pulled ahead. They bolted over the starting line and staggered to a halt. Slightly breathless, Carter closed the distance between her and Donovan, grinning.

  “I didn’t think you had it in you,” she said. “That’s me wrong for once.”

  The barest hint of sweat formed on Donovan’s forehead.

  “I didn’t think you would be able to keep up,” he said, the first ever smile breaking across his face.

  The smile transformed him from closed-off to friendly. It almost made him look human, Carter was shocked to admit.

  “You wouldn’t be the first male to think that,” she said as she started walking again, Donovan beside her. “You know something, Donovan?”

  Reverting to his usual state of being, Donovan looked at her but said nothing.

  “You’re kind of cute when you’re flirting.”

  The tiniest flash of surprise darted across Donovan’s face and Carter felt gratified. “Come on,” she called back as she jogged away from him. “Link must be lonely.”

  Donovan caught up with her, hiding away his emotions once again. Carter glanced sideways at him and he met her gaze.

  “Did you have fun?” Link asked in a bored tone as they reached him.

  Carter slowed to match his pace, which was that of an elderly man.

  “Yes,” she said. “I’ve been curious to see if Donovan flirts and now I know. Totally worth losing the race for.”

  Link laughed and Donovan flexed his jaw.

  ◆◆◆

  By the time the shrill whistle punctured the air, Carter, Link and Donovan already sat on the field waiting as the rest of the students trickled in.

  “I’m going to break you up into teams,” Mr. Danes said.

  “This should be interesting,” Carter said.

  With students having to be told twice which team they were on, the process was painfully slow. When the class was finally divided, Carter landed on the team opposite Donovan and Link.

  “Be careful,” she said, heading away from her companions.

  “Why?” Link asked.

  She pointed to Donovan. “I was talking to him. Mr. Danes might have said flag football but that doesn’t mean some of these girls haven’t been looking for the opportunity to tackle Donovan.”

  Link snorted at the image and Carter gave Donovan an encouraging salute. Though with her team she stood on the edge, blocked from conversations by walls of turned backs.

  “I have finally put it together,” a feminine voice said to Carter.

  “I’m proud of you, Amber,” Carter said, without looking over. “This shows promise for your future.”

  “Donovan,” Amber went on as if Carter hadn’t spoken. “Only sees you as one of the guys. Because looking at you,” she eyed Carter pointedly, “no one could see a girl worth noticing.”

  “Like how when your father looks at you he sees disappointment instead of a daughter?”

  Amber sucked in a breath and Carter didn’t care. If she wanted to fight dirty, Carter would fight dirty. Over three years at Hamilton Prep had taught her that.

  Amber took a step closer to Carter, finally garnering Carter’s attention. “At least my father is still around while your mother saw you only as a mistake.”

  Anger flared inside Carter and she narrowed her eyes at Amber. “I would step back if I were you,” she said with deceptive calm.

  At the furious glint in Carter’s eyes, Amber swallowed and retreated. Carter stared out on the field, breathing out slowly, barricading herself against a torrent of memories. As if coming to her aid, Mr. Danes blew his whistle, calling the teams together. By the time Carter joined the lopsided huddle, she had her composure back.

  As the huddles broke apart, the class fell into an awkward formation. Half the students seemed distracted by their friends while the other half played half-heartedly. When they set up for the last play, Carter crouched down facing Link, his team in possession of the ball.

  “Hey, stranger,” she said.

  “You look familiar,” Link said. “Have we met?”

  When the ball was hiked, Link took off running, darting around Carter. She easily kept pace with him. The ball spiraled through the air and Link snagged it, sprinting for the end zone, Carter hot on his heels.

  As she reached for the flag around his waist, she missed a step and crashed into him. They both tumbled to the ground, rolling over each other. When they eventually came to a stop Carter ended up on top of Link, both of them laughing. She pushed herself up and stared down at him. His glasses had come off and lay a few feet away.

  Carter froze, her face inches from Link’s. For the first time, she could clearly see his eye
s. Trapped within the hazel color were brown freckles. With his features for once unobstructed by glasses, Carter saw a different face entirely. Images of a familiar, famous face flashed in her mind, making Link’s features take on a whole new meaning.

  A strong arm wrapped around her waist and hoisted her up.

  “And you said I was the one who needed to watch out for girls tackling me,” Donovan said.

  Still locked in her realization, Carter reacted by instinct. She brought up her left elbow to hit Donovan but he blocked the move. She took hold of the hand wrapped around her waist and spun out of his hold, twisting his arm. Donovan countered the move and in a split second had her in a lock. Carter felt her heart ram against her chest, recognizing the move. A defensive military move.

  Donovan released her and they both took a step back. Everything fell into place. All the puzzle pieces Carter knew she missed, she now had. All the interactions and stories that didn’t fit together all made sense. How she hadn’t seen it before shocked her. Link retrieved his glasses and slid them on.

  “You alright, Carter?” he asked.

  “Of course, fine. Sorry about tackling you,” she said, reeling.

  Link winked at her. “It’s not the first time some girl has used that tactic to get close to me.”

  Carter forced a smile and Mr. Danes blew the whistle.

  “Class is dismissed for today. Go change,” he said.

  The class let out sighs of relief as they headed towards the locker rooms. Carter jogged ahead of the group. Link looked to Donovan but Donovan watched Carter disappear inside, frowning.

  Girls had barely started taking off their uniforms by the time Carter finished changing. Slamming her locker closed, she rushed out of the locker room. Out in the hallway, she leaned against the wall beside the boys' locker room, waiting.

  When Link appeared, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards the girl’s bathroom. She pushed him inside and locked the door. Link stumbled against a stall then righted himself. He turned back to Carter, an amused smile playing across his face.

  “You know I had a dream exactly like this,” he said.

  “Really?” Carter said. “Did it end with me stuffing your head in a toilet? Because that would be uncanny.”

  She checked each stall, before coming back to Link who remained by the door, both curious and lost.

  “You want to explain to me why you literally dragged me in here?” he asked.

  Someone tried the door handle then called through the door.

  “Carter, let Link go,” Donovan said.

  Carter ignored him and stepped closer to Link. She studied his face, her conclusions solidifying. Link fidgeted, pushing his glasses up his noses. The nervous tick. She felt stupid for not putting it together the first time she’d seen him do that.

  “Carter?” he asked hesitantly. “You going to give me an explanation?”

  “I know who you are,” she murmured.

  Link chuckled awkwardly, brow tight with discomfort. “I hope so, we’ve been hanging out for the last week.”

  Carter ignored his comment. “You’re President Douglas’s son.”

  Chapter 12

  Link tensed, staring at Carter. After a long silent moment, where Donovan knocked on the door again, Link burst out laughing. Carter blinked and took a startled step back. This was not the reaction she expected.

  “You think that…” Link bent double, laughing.

  “Carter, open the door,” Donovan called out.

  Carter stood there, struggling between surprise and worry. Was it possible he didn’t actually know? Link straightened, the end of his laughter sitting on his lips.

  “Does this mean I can walk around acting like a jerk and people will still have to be my friends?” Link asked, teasing.

  More knocks resounded through the bathroom, Donovan’s growing frustration apparent in the heavy thuds.

  “Link, do you honestly not know?” Carter asked.

  Link tossed up his hands, exasperated. “Carter, you can’t be serious? Me? Be…” Link shook his head, laughing again.

  Carter didn’t move, didn’t speak. How could she tell him that he’d been lied to, that his best friend wasn’t truly his best friend but his bodyguard?

  “Funny one, Carter,” Link said, shoving Carter’s shoulder playfully.

  He unlocked the door halting Donovan’s pounding. As Link stepped out of the bathroom, he threw a single furtive glance at Carter, his eyes holding a flicker of panic.

  He slipped out, the door swinging shut behind him. The bell rang, jolting Carter. She darted into the hall. A storm of bodies crowded her sight. She shouldered her way through the mass in search of Link and Donovan. But as she burst out of the entrance, they were gone.

  Carter stood on the steps replaying Link’s look and she had no doubt he knew exactly who his father was.

  ◆◆◆

  When Carter stepped off the bus, she still wore a troubled frown. Behind her, the doors clunked shut and the bus rumbled away, leaving her alone on the quiet street. In the sky, the sun dipped towards the horizon. Burying her hands in her pockets, Carter headed for the deli.

  Conversations muffled the ding of the bell over the door but Maggie still noticed Carter’s arrival, greeting her with a wave. At her normal booth, Carter slid across the seat and peered out the window. A family of three walked down the street, the young daughter holding both of her parents’ hands. Carter turned away from the happy smiles, contemplating the tabletop.

  A napkin followed by a cookie, dropped in front of her but she hardly noticed, lost in her thoughts.

  “Hey, girly,” Maggie said, poking Carter’s arm in concern. “What are you thinking over there?”

  Finally, Carter lifted her head. “I was thinking over why people do what they do?”

  Maggie offered her an understanding smile. “Thinking of your mom?”

  Carter stiffened, as she instinctively curled her fingers in. Maggie placed one hand over Carter’s clenched fist. “You understand that what she did was terrible and you didn’t deserve it, right?”

  Pulling away, Carter crossed her arms, staring out on the neighborhood. Knowing and believing were two different things. But she wouldn’t admit that. “I was thinking about something else.”

  Maggie backed away, her smile tight with sympathy. “Of course. What brought this line of thinking on then?”

  Carter let go of some of the tension in her muscles, safe in a new topic.

  “School. I discovered why I thought something was off about Link and Donovan.”

  “Oh, and what is that?”

  Carter opened her mouth but stopped, the panic in Link’s eyes coming to mind. He knew who he was. The panic wasn’t for hearing the truth but having the truth come out. His secret wasn’t for her to share.

  “They just kept hanging out with me because they actually enjoyed my company,” she said, popping a piece of the cookie into her mouth. “Not something I’m used to, that’s all.”

  Beaming, Maggie slapped Carter’s hand. “I knew they liked you!”

  “Maggie!”

  At the call from one of her workers, Maggie sighed and stood up. “Looks like I’m needed. Come over in a few minutes and I’ll have sandwiches ready for you.”

  Carter ate the rest of her cookie while watching the sun melt behind the houses. At the counter, Maggie handed over two wrapped sandwiches.

  “Tell Steve hi,” she said.

  With a nod Carter left, the noise of the deli dying away as she jogged across the street. When she stepped into the apartment, she paused. In the fading light, it looked bare. Trying to disperse the emptiness, Carter made more noise than needed, dropping her bag on the kitchen table and bumping the fridge door closed after stowing away the sandwiches.

  Standing in the kitchen, she gazed over the living room. The appearance of a feminine touch had disappeared over the years. Silky throw pillows were now worn. Knicknacks had been broken or removed. Only brighter sq
uares of paint spoke of family photos that had been removed. With memories pushing against the locked door in her mind, Carter sank into a chair and dragged out her homework.

  ◆◆◆

  Lost in homework, Carter didn’t hear the door open or see how her father paused in the doorway, noting her position at the dining table. When he approached, Carter snapped her head up. Like a broken dam, questions about Link’s true identity and it’s secrecy flooded her tongue.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” her father asked, gently.

  The question derailed Carter’s thoughts and she tried to connect what he referred to. “Talk about what?”

  He took a seat next to her, studying her with caring dark blue eyes. “You’re doing work at the table.”

  Carter found the connection but didn’t want to acknowledge it. “Is that a crime?”

  “No, it just means you don’t want to be in the living room. Which means that you are thinking about your mother and you don’t want to look at the empty spots on the wall.”

  Carter shrugged and leaned back in her chair, trying to appear unconcerned. “Nope, it just means that I wanted proper support for my back. The couch is too soft.” Her father didn’t break eye contact and Carter knew he wasn’t convinced. “Not everything has to have a deeper meaning, Captain.”

  “No, but you forget that I’ve known you your entire life. I know what certain things mean.” He crossed his arms. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Carter hesitated for a second. But what point was there in talking? It was in the past. What was done was done.

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” she said. She smiled mockingly. “I can move into the living room if that would make you feel better.”

  Despite her blasé attitude, her father didn’t back down. “It’s okay to talk about it, Sarge. You know that.”

  Carter picked up her pencil, needing him to stop prying.

  “Yup,” she said. “But there’s nothing to talk about. We should have another gun assembly race. I think I could beat you this time.”