Friends

I walk through the doors into my dad's unit's sector. A few of the agents glance at me, then go back to work. I keep walking toward my dad's office. I reach his team's section of the sector.

Agent Maklin turns the corner, almost running into me. "Whoa!" He exclaims, dodging around me. "Hey there Max."

"Hi Maklin," I respond. "Is my dad in?"

"Yes, but," Maklin replies pointing a finger at me, "He's on the phone right now, and very busy. Gotta run and do something, feel free to sit at my desk."

"Thanks," I call after him. He waves over his shoulder in response.

I round the corner, and sure enough, my dad is in his office on the phone. He looks tired and seems to be pleading with whoever he's talking to. Agent Jefferson sits at her desk, typing. She glances up and waves at me as I walk in. Agent Devonshire and Ferguson are in the conference room, working on something.

"Hi Max," Jefferson says, typing. "How was school?"

"Meh, the usual," I reply.

Jefferson chuckles. "Don't worry. Graduation approaches. Then you're off to college. Which is high school, but more intense with only the driven kids."

"Ugh!" A girl's voice calls out. I look toward it in response. A girl sits at Agent Ferguson's desk. her head is flung back. It rolls up to look at us with a very bored expression. "I would rather you go back to boring me with silence," she quips irritably.

I look back at Jefferson who is grimacing. "Just try to ignore her."

"Yeah, ignore me. Cuz that worked oh so well the last time." To add emphasis, she yanks an arm up, but there's a sharp click of metal on metal. Her arm is just high enough for me to see the metal handcuff around her wrist.

"I told you to stay put. You chose not to listen," Jefferson says.

The girl rolls her eyes. "You didn't have to run after me."

Jefferson sighs. "I'd tell you that it'd be best to stay in the conference room today, but that's sort of taken."

"Just like my freedom," the girl says offhandedly.

I glance at Maklin's desk which is back to back with Ferguson's, where the girl sits. "Maklin said I could sit at his desk, should I take Devonshire's?" I ask.

Jefferson stops typing to consider. "I'd say yes, but Devonshire and Ferguson are running out to look up something every now and then, and Ferguson's desk is occupied by our guest," she tells me.

"Prisoner," the girl corrects.

Jefferson gives me an apologetic smile before returning to typing. I walk to Maklin's desk and sit down. I pull out the latest assigned read for English. The phone rings and Jefferson answers it. I glance up to see the girl looking at me studiously.

"So, tell me, Max. Why are you here?" She asks.

"My dad works here. I left my key at home, so I sorta have to wait on him," I say nodding to my dad in his office.

"So you're Agent No-Fun's son," she states matter of factly.

"Why are you here?" I counter.

"I'm being held prisoner," she quips.

"Why?"

She rolls her eyes. "Because my father hates me. Hey, are there any paper clips on that desk?"

"I'm not giving you a paper clip."

"Why not?"

"My dad's an FBI agent. He's told me all the wacky ways he's seen someone pick handcuffs."

"Wow. How unsurprising. You're just as lame as everyone else here."

I go back to reading. Jefferson finishes her call and goes back to typing.

"I'm thirsty," the girl calls out.

Jefferson sighs. "Hold on."

"You could just un-cuff me."

"Yeah, no," I hear Devonshire say. I glance up as he breezes by to his desk. "Hey, Max."

"Hey."

"This is ridiculous. You can't hold me here against my will. I have rights," the girl says, challenging Devonshire.

His fingers fly over the keys. "Not right now you don't. Your father is very upset."

"Yeah, well, I don't care," she huffs.

Devonshire looks up. "You are a high-profile target. You are supposed to be with armed escorts at all times when not home or in school. You ditched your guard. This is the consequence until your armed escort shows up."

I look at her, slightly impressed. "You ditched your armed escorts?"

She smiles pridefully. "Yes, I did."

"And nearly caused an extreme panic," Devonshire says sternly, walking back towards the conference room. "Miss Hotchner, you might find this amusing, but it is very serious, and no one else thinks your little stunt was funny or amusing."

Hotchner. I know that name. "You're Olivia, VP Hotchner's daughter?"

"Unfortunately," she replies with a shrug. "I got armed escorts instead of friends. Lucky me." Her voice drips sarcasm as she rolls her eyes.

"Sounds awful."

"Like you know what it's like."

"My best friend is my dog," I offer.

She looks at me. "That's just sad."

"I have a couple of friends, but I wouldn't really consider us close. The whole 'my dad works for the FBI' is kind of a turn-off for potential friends."

"In my case, everyone who wants to be my friend is just hoping that my famous will rub off on them."

"One time, I was trying to prove to a group of guys that I was cool, so I didn't tell them my dad worked for the FBI. They came over to hang out one day, and my dad walked in with two work buddies in their FBI jackets. Those guys never talked to me again."

"Ouch. One time this guy played being into me. It was just so he could meet Glenda, the president's daughter."

"I think that wins."

"You bet it wins. You're actually not half bad Max."

"You're pretty cool yourself."

"Are you just saying that cuz I'm a rebel delinquent?"

"I'm not the one cuffed to a desk."

"Touche."

"Jefferson!" my dad's voice rings out. "Hotchner's escort will be here in an hour or so."

"Hallelujah," Jefferson responds.

"Max, I'm really busy bud. If you want to head home now, I'll pull my house key off the ring for you," he says.

"It's cool," I tell him. "I can wait."

My dad nods before walking into the conference room.

"Hey, what's your phone number?" Olivia asks.

"What?" I ask, surprised.

She rolls her eyes. "You're phone number. You know? The set of numbers that when punched into a phone allows me to contact yours?"

I pull my phone from my pocket, wheeling the chair around the desks so I'm next to her. Unlocking my phone and pulling up a new contact entry I hand it to her. "Enter your number, I'll text you."

Olivia does the same on her phone and hands it to me. "Let's just trade."

Finished, we trade phones back. I pull up the camera and turn it on her. "Smile."

She looks at my phone, then shuts her eyes and makes the biggest, cheesiest smile she can. I snap the picture. She holds up her phone. "Your turn."

The flash goes off before I can smile. "Hey! I wasn't ready."

"That was the point. Candid shots are the best," she says, setting it to my number. She goes to put her phone on the desk but drops it. She reaches for it, but her hand doesn't get that far, as it's the one chained to the desk. She growls. "Please give me a paper clip."

"You have to swear not to do something that will get me in trouble."

"I'm not so heartless as to get my friend into trouble without his knowledge."

I feign a gasp. "She considers me a friend."

"That's it. I'm deleting you from my phone." She looks down at it. "Once I get it back."

"You have a free hand," I point out.

"That's so much extra work, it's on the opposite side that my phone fell on."

I laugh. "For someone who can escape an armed escort, you sure are acting helpless."

"Just get me a paper clip!" She says laughing.

I go to move, but I hear a throat clear behind me. I freeze. Olivia and I turn to see Maklin standing behind us. He looks at me, arching an eyebrow. "I never would have thought I'd have to keep an eye on you, Max."

"Hey, leave him alone," Olivia says, drawing Maklin's attention. "It was my idea. We just want to hang, but that's kind of hard to do when chained to a desk," she says, tugging on the handcuff.

Maklin looks at her thinking. "Fine," he says pulling out his key to the cuff.

"Maklin!" Jefferson objects.

"Don't worry, Jefferson. I'll take full responsibility if she pulls anything," he says, releasing Olivia from the cuff.

"Yes!" she calls out, ecstatic. "High five!" She says holding up her freed hand to me.

I go to give her a high five, but she pulls it away. "Ha ha! Too slow," she says, pushing away in the rolling chair. "Hey, have you ever raced with these chairs? It's super fun."

"That's a no-go," Maklin says.

"Boo!" she calls to him, scooping her phone off the floor.

Maklin gives her a look. She sticks her tongue out at him. "Aren't you mature?" He walks to Devonshire's desk and steals Devonshire's chair so he can sit at his desk.

"Can we at least wheel around the room?" she asks, slowly walking her chair along.

"No," Maklin says. "You are not allowed to take the chairs for a ride anywhere."

"I bet I can spin longer than you," I tell her.

"You're on. Go!" She starts spinning.

I immediately start spinning too.

"This is on you Maklin," I hear Jefferson warn.

"Don't remind me," he replies.

I'm beginning to get dizzy when I hear Olivia cry out in surprise. I manage to stop spinning, but the room spins wildly. I look towards Olivia and see her laying on the floor, laughing hysterically.

"I fell," she crows through the laughter.

"I win!" I call out triumphantly.

"What is going on?" I hear my dad's voice demanding.

I jump up to face him, but the room tilts, and I hit the floor. I hear Olivia's laughter intensify and I lose it too.

"I let Miss Hotchner out of her cuff and now she and your son are apparently trying to kill themselves as a part of their friendship pact," I hear Maklin say.

"I want a rematch," Olivia says.

"This time I call go," I respond.

"No," my dad says. "You two are not spinning the office chairs."

"Boo!" Olivia calls. "There's nothing to do!"

"What did you expect? It's an office, remember?" I tell her.

I hear my dad sigh. "If I let Maklin and Jefferson take the two of you to the house to wait, could I trust you wouldn't create a bigger living hell for me, Miss Hotchner?"

Olivia looks at me. "You got games at your house?" she asks.

"Board, card, system, a dog," I list.

"Oh my gosh, yes. I want to meet your dog. I swear I'll do my best to stay out of trouble, Mr. FBI guy," she calls to my dad.

"I'm going to go make the call. Maklin, Jefferson. One of you get a car ready, then I'll give you my house key," my dad says, walking into his office.

Olivia sits up. "Can we get food on the way?"

I sit up. "Oh! There's a really good small Chinese takeout on the way," I offer.

"I'm down for that."

"Hey, do the adults stuck with the two of you get a say?" Maklin asks.

"As the VP's kid, I outrank you," Olivia says.

"No. That's not how it works. I don't work for your dad," Maklin tells her.

"You work for my dad. Do I outrank you?" I ask.

Maklin looks at Jefferson. "Call two cars. If these two ride in the same car, I'm pretty sure the world will burn."