Sam sat on the school hallway, staring at the ceiling, his tie finally loose around his neck. It was over. He'd exited his last exam ten minutes ago with the feeling that it had all been fine. As usual, all his nerves were for nothing. He just hoped the others had done well, too. When he'd left, Tom was scratching his head with the pencil instead of filling out his answer sheet.

There were maybe five minutes left until the official end of exam day and maybe another hour until the results would be announced. Only two more to go. And then he'd have to start worrying about college acceptance and future exams. He hadn't even figured out what he wanted to do with his life. Before the entire agency fiasco, he'd aimed for an Ivy League school, wanting to study history. But now...

Jerry had switched his first option and stayed in Chicago, Kyle was already there... It was bad enough that Jimmy wanted to go to MIT. Chicago University was a good school and he'd be lucky to get in. Damn, he knew that he'd get in. But they couldn't keep up with training and missions if they were spread out across the country.

Who knows if you'll even get to go to college? Heck, Snitch Gravel could decide the game was over and shoot him the moment he stepped out of this building. And all of a sudden, the issue of exams and college seemed less important.

The door opened and Tom stepped out, stretching. "Was about damn time." He dropped on the floor next to Sam and nudged his shoulder. "You weren't kidding. Those things were nasty."

Sam just nodded and his twin loosened his tie and leaned against the wall. "At least all the studying wasn't in vain."

Tom nodded, an uncharacteristically pensive look on his face. "It's weird, isn't it?"

Sam frowned. "What exactly about our oh-so-boring lives is weird?"

Tom chuckled, but the half-lost look was still on his face. "It's been months since we got pulled out of the mundane and shoved into craziness. I guess it just feels weird being normal and worrying about petty things like exams."

"Ugh. Now you've just jinxed it," Sam mumbled.

Tom laughed as the bell rang throughout the school, officially announcing that their first set of exams was over. Doors opened and students filled the hall, but Sam didn't leave his spot. He'd much rather spend his time on the hall than go to the cafeteria which was about to get severely overcrowded.

"Hey, guys." Jessie appeared out of the crowd and sat down next to them, carefully arranging her pleated skirt. "How was it?"

"You ask as if you didn't just take the same exam," Tom said, shoving her lightly, all traces of melancholy gone from him.

"I have to admit it was pretty sucky," she mumbled. "But I did well enough to feel proud and think I deserve the day off we're getting tomorrow."

"Amen," Sam and Tom both said.

"Where's Lisa?" Sam asked.

"I think she went to the cafeteria." Jessie scanned the crowd and her face lit up the moment Angie made her way to them through the river of students. "Hey, how was it?"

"Ugh, thank God I don't need perfect grades anymore." Angie sat between Sam and Tom, spreading her skirt out. "I hate wearing this thing. But you were right, Sam, everyone was wearing theirs so it would've been just weird. "

"Here, have a tie, too." Sam took off his tie and put it around Angie's neck, even if she already had one.

"Hey, hands off the merchandise," Tom said, pushing Sam's hands away.

"Who're you calling merchandise?" Angie retaliated, elbowing him in the ribs.

Tom just laughed, but it stopped abruptly when he suddenly frowned at someone in the crowd. A guy had lingered before them, watching Angie with a clearly appreciative expression. "Hey, buddy, move along. This ain't a peep show."

"Chill out man," the guy said with a roll of his eyes. "There's no harm in looking."

"There is if it's my girlfriend you're looking at." Tom made to push himself up, but Angie pressed his shoulder and forced him back down.

The guy just huffed and wisely walked away, avoiding the punches Tom obviously had in mind for him.

"Please stop being so jealous," Angie said, shoving his shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Trust me, it's not you I'm worried about."

"Honestly, Tom, I can beat up everyone in this school except maybe Jimmy."

"Maybe?" Jessie asked, raising one brow.

"So you're saying you can take me?" Tom challenged.

Sam left them to their banter and turned his attention to Jessie. The moment Angie had appeared, Tom had propped his sunglasses on top of his head. He didn't wear them around her anymore, and Angie was ecstatic about it. Sam wasn't. Maybe it was stupid and selfish, but he preferred his twin with the sunglasses on. Not just because they hid the slightly different eye color or the thin scar cutting the corner of his right eyebrow, but because Sam really didn't want to see the adoration in his eyes when he looked at his girlfriend. It looked... indecent.

Not that the rest of his brothers were much different. Kyle sometimes got a look that should come with a maturity warning, but it wasn't the same. Maybe because none of the others looked like him. Did he watch Christine like that too and had no idea?

"What are you pondering on?" Jessie asked.

Sam shrugged. "Just random stuff."

She squinted at him. "Random stuff, eh? Are you turning into PDA police, too? Should I start avoiding you?"

He shook his head, processing her words. He was honest, he really didn't mind seeing her and Jimmy together, or Kyle and Kay for that matter. He actually enjoyed their interaction and Jerry and Tina were practically a circus show. It was just Angie and Tom he had a problem with for some reason. Most likely because Tom looked like him and it was awkward as hell watching himself pulling the moves on a girl. Not that he was any good at it, but Tom was and it made everything a hundred times weirder.

"Good, because here comes my better half." Jessie stood and wrapped her arms around Jimmy's waist the moment he reached them.

He planted a kiss on her temple. "What's up?"

"You're not going to ask us how we did?" Tom asked, feigning outrage.

"You're brilliant," Jimmy said, pointing at Jessie, "you're a geek," he continued, pointing at Sam, "you probably cheated," he said to Tom, "and you, Angie, are responsible so most likely did just fine."

"I'm a geek," Sam retorted. It was strange how much that affirmation was starting to get to him. Probably because he felt he was actually more than just a geek and at least his brothers knew that.

Jimmy tilted his head. "Hey. I didn't mean it like that. It was a joke and using brilliant twice would've ruined it."

"So you didn't mean that bit about me cheating?"

"Who said I didn't?"

Sam turned away from them, too tired to react properly to anything. He didn't usually get butthurt and he didn't want to start doing it now. Angie grinned at him behind Tom's back and he instantly felt better.

"How'd you do?" Jessie asked, nudging Jimmy in the ribs.

"Meh," he answered with a shrug. "Wasn't all that hard."

"You're infuriating, you do know that," Tom said, dropping the sunglasses back over his eyes. "Should we join the others in the cafeteria?"

"I guess," Sam said. He wasn't a fan of the crowd, but he really wanted to find Harry, Billy and Lisa and see how they were doing.

But that didn't mean he didn't drag his feet as much as possible on the way there. Fortunately, once they reached the door, Harry, Lisa and Billy stood outside, waiting for them. Lisa squealed at the sight of them and threw herself in Sam's arms. He hugged her back, a little surprised by the sudden show of affection.

"I know I totally messed up," she mumbled into his chest. "I totally did."

"Come on, I bet it wasn't that bad," Sam replied. He knew better than to contradict her because Lisa was the type of person who cracked under pressure. Though she was incredibly smart and hardworking, exams took everything out of her and she ended up making basic mistakes.

"I'm going to fail," Lisa whailed.

"Now you're exaggerating," Harry said with an eyeroll.

"Hi, guys."

Sam jumped a mile and let go of Lisa immediately. Christine stood before them, a smile on her face, but he saw the steel behind her eyes and the very subtle death-glare she shot Lisa. Sam couldn't blame her. Even if he and Lisa were just friends, he wouldn't like to see some other guy hugging Christine either, friend or not. So he walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Cute, but no," Christine whispered to him before turning to the others, all smiles. "How was exam day?"

"Eh, could've been worse," Tom answered with a shrug. "I'm just glad it's over."

"Aren't you guys curious to see how you did?" Christine asked, a slight frown on her face.

"What?" Sam's heart jumped into his throat. "They put up the results already?" Without waiting for an answer, he charged down the hall, towards the notice boards.

The moment he turned the corner, he saw there was already a small group in front of the board, grumbling. Sam made his way between them and looked up at the board for their year. The moment he saw it, his stomach did a somersault, rising too high then plummeting like a charging hawk. It was over. He was first on the list.

"Top of the list." Harry clapped his back. "Again. As usual. Should I be surprised?"

Sam didn't answer, his eyes fixed on his scores.

"Wait." Harry frowned. "You got a 93 in English? And a 97 in physics? Dude, Sam." He started laughing his ass off.

Sam didn't mind. It wasn't like he expected a perfect score, though he rarely fell under 95 in any subject. He'd scored a clean 100 for the rest of his subjects anyway. What fascinated him was something else. The two people right under him: Grant F. Thompson Theodore and Stefani D. Jessica Simone.

"What the hell?" Angie asked with a frown. She nudged Jessie and pointed to another board. "Seriously guys, what's wrong with your parents?"

"Huh?" Sam turned to the girls, momentarily distracted from how Tom's score was the same as his but composed mostly of 99s.

"Samuel Sirius, Thompson Theodore," Angie said, pointing to their board. "James Justin." She pointed to the noticeboard next to it. "What's Jerry's middle name?"

"Jason," Sam answered automatically. "And his full name is Jeremy. I know, I know. Our parents are wackos."

"What Kyle's middle name?" Jessie asked, between rounds of laughter.

Sam opened his mouth to answer, but stopped. Had Kyle ever mentioned it and he hadn't paid attention? Had he even asked? He remembered the initials on his choker and knowing his parents' sick obsession, he was pretty sure it also started with a K, but he had no idea what it actually was. Was that weird?

"I don't know," he finally said. "But it probably starts with a K."

Angie, Jessie and Christine dissolved into fits of giggles and Sam turned his attention back to the board. The only reason he was first this year was because he was alphabetically first. Both Jessie and Tom had the same score, Tom with bits and pieces missing, and Jessie with just math weighing her down ten points. He was officially no longer geek king of the school. He had serious competition and he couldn't say he minded. His chest swelled with a sense of pride mixed with fear.

As he turned to check out how Jimmy and Angie did, his mouth fell open. Sure, Angie had done well. She wasn't first, but she was in the top ten. Jimmy on the other hand was the only one to get a 100 point average. It was true that he took only six subjects out of which four were basically physics, but the complexity level of them was beyond anything they did in normal high school. That's why Jimmy and a few others had a separate noticeboard all to themselves.

"You really do deserve to go to MIT," Sam mumbled.

"Thanks. I think so, too," Jimmy answered with a laugh, squeezing Jessie against him. "Should we go home?"

Sam nodded absentmindedly, his eyes searching the list for Lisa, Harry and Billy. Lisa hadn't failed and managed the 15th spot while Billy and Harry were a little lower down the list, but still with a good average. So Sam gave his friends and encouraging smile before taking Christine's hand and following his brothers, Jessie and Angie towards the parking lot.

"Sorry about the Lisa thing. She's just so stressed out during exams," he whispered to Christine.

She huffed but didn't pull her hand out of his. "At least you realize it was wrong. Please be careful. I wouldn't want her getting the wrong idea."

"What wrong idea?"

Christine leaned her head against his shoulder for a second and nudged him. "You're so adorably clueless. That you like her, too."

Sam opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it. He didn't want to get into this conversation with Christine. He'd rather stay adorably clueless.

❄❄❄

And I'm back with the next part of chapter one. Remember how I said that stuff usually gets interesting in the second half of chapter one? Well, not this time. You get useless trivia instead. 😁

So, how do you feel about the characters at this point? I've tried to show a little how they adapted to normal life and how awkward it sometimes gets.

I'm really curious what your thoughts on the names are. 😂 I had a lot of fun with that. Also, what do you think is Kyle's middle name?

How about Sam and his feelings on his future, his fall from the geek hierarchy and his thoughts on Angie and Tom? Makes sense?

Where is Jerry you ask? Oh, you'll see him soon enough.

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