Ecstatic right now!! I surpassed ONE THOUSAND votes on this story!! That's incredible! Thank you to everyone! I was made aware by someone that it was a RECORD for the spy school stories on Wattpad (I don't know if that's totally true but someone told me that haha). So thank you to everyone.

Also, I'm very excited because I have the full plot, with ALL LOOSE ends tied up, on a paper. And I am not intending to change it because it was so hard to fit it all together in a way that made sense. And the plot has remained true since the beginning of the book! (Unlike Clash of Spies where my plot shifted and changed a lot throughout the writing process, based on both feedback and random plot ideas in the shower).

Speaking of Clash of spies, I just have a question haha. Has anyone read Spy School Reunion BEFORE Clash of Spies? Or have any of you not read it at all? I'm just curious because this has only 1k less reads and this has WAY more votes haha. If you haven't, you don't need to read it to understand this book, but it would probably be very helpful. You get more backstory on Audrey and her relationship with Erica and Ben.

That was a long author's note lol. And I'm sorry that I didn't update sooner, however I, like many of you, have online school and my schoolwork throughout the week is very heavy so please keep that in mind. :) It is also AP finals week this week, next and the following week for people here and I'm taking a few AP's so please don't expect a quick update. (The tests are much harder this year because it's all online and open notes). I don't normally update sooner than a week, unless I have time, but I probably won't next week and the following week.. And with that, please enjoy!!

Luckily for our country, the CIA was smarter than SPYDER was ten years ago. Ten years ago, when Audrey (who was working with SPYDER at the time) kidnapped us, they threw us all in the back of one truck. This time, when the CIA was transporting us, they split us up into two different trucks. Zoe, Audrey and I were in one truck while Erica, Mike and Hailey were in the other, in case we tried to work together to overpower the guards. The trucks were designed to look like big-box retail transportation trucks, but the backs were fashioned to look like a jail cell. There was also little door between the driver's seat and the back of the truck, in case an enemy takes over the drivers unbeknownst to the guards in the back.

Because the CIA agents working with Audrey didn't know her background with us, they trusted her to be our only guard. She was in the passenger seat of the truck, while we were locked in the back. The little door made it so they could hear us back there, in case we were plotting something. We weren't though. We trusted Audrey enough to get us out of there.

There was a mini cell type thing in the back of the truck. Zoe was handcuffed to the bars on one side, while I was chained to the other side. We were only about four feet apart, though. We could still talk.

Not that she wanted to. Zoe was refusing all of my efforts to make polite conversation. All she was doing was glaring hatefully at me. I was getting very uncomfortable. I wanted to turn away from her hard eyes or do something but we were locked in.

Finally, after about ten minutes of glaring at me, I finally caved.

"What?" I cried out, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

She glared at me once more, "You know why!"

"No!" I protested, "I really, really don't. You and Hailey both! What is happening?"

"Are you kidding me? No wonder you haven't had any girlfriends!" She rolled her eyes.

That stung. It was a sore spot for me, "Owch!" I exclaimed, "That was very uncalled for!"

Zoe gave me a look of disgust, "Um, sorry to say, but not really."

"Kinda was," I frowned.

"Look Ben," she exhaled, "I guess we're pretending you don't know. Whatever. You've gotta pick. For the time I've known you, you've been very indecisive. You can't pick both. Do you like fishing?"

Well that took a different turn at the end. Very random, "Um... well, I used to. But then, while my dad and I were fishing a few years back, I saw a duck and wanted to feed it, so I reached out. But then that tipped the whole boat and I fell-"

Zoe cut me off abruptly, "Let me give you some fishing advice, Ben. You either reel the fish into the boat, or let it go. Don't drag both fish behind the boat."

That shut me up quickly. It had nothing to do with fishing at all. I knew exactly what she was saying. And then I knew that she knows, or has a sense of what I'm feeling. To be honest, she was right.

"But what if you don't know which fish to reel in? What if you don't know what fish is biggest and tastes the best yet?" I asked, playing along with her metaphor.

Zoe wrinkled her nose, "Okay, let's stop with the whole fishing comparison. That got dirty fast. You ruined it."

Okay, yep, I should've thought about it more before I said it aloud.

"Ben, I know you still care about Erica. I do too. But you have to ask yourself if the type of caring is romantic. It's been ten freakin years Ben. What you guys had ten years ago was special, I know. But you've gotta remember, that was a long time ago. You both are very different people then you were back then. I think you might love the idea of liking Erica romantically, more than you do actually like her. You liked that relationship you had together a whole decade ago. Does that make sense?"

"Not really." I replied honestly.

She sighed, "Ben, Hailey is an amazing person. She's smart, like you, is super kind and funny. And you guys are supposed to be pursuing something, right? Then why are you being disloyal?"

"What?" I asked, a bit panicked. I didn't want to be disloyal to anyone.

"To Hailey or to Erica. Whoever you want to be with. You're acting like Kurt."

That really offended me, "Kurt?! No I'm not!"

"Not to the extent Kurt was, but a little bit. You're being disloyal to the person you truly want to be with. You can't be with two people. Release one and let the other one go. Don't drag them both along, or they'll cut the line themselves."

"I thought we were done with the fish stuff," I mumbled under my breath while I was thinking. I guess Zoe was right. I was unsure of my feelings towards Erica. I really liked Hailey. She was smart, funny, pretty and I could honestly see a future with her. But Erica. I really liked Erica too, but maybe not in a romantic way. More in a friendly way. I didn't want to completely friend-zone Erica if she was into me, but she hasn't really said anything about our relationship and if we want to try things out. I really appreciate Hailey speaking her mind and putting herself out there. Hailey was upfront and asked to try things out. I think part of the reason I am still contemplating this is because I don't want to abandon Erica. I know that sounds crazy. Erica didn't ever directly indicate that she likes me. However, I didn't want to make Erica think that I had forgotten everything we went through ten years ago. I didn't want her to think I forgot about her, and what we had.

Holy crap. I finally realized it. Zoe was right. I was in love with the idea of liking Erica, more than I liked her myself.

"Ben, I know it's a lot to think about," Zoe reassured, "But Hailey is really into you. She told me when we were talking outside of the mourage. Erica is a lovely person. She's a great person and an amazing friend. But don't let what happened between you guys ten years ago taint your judgement. You and Erica don't really have much in common anymore. The thing that binds you together ten years ago was being a spy, and now you guys aren't anymore. She's an international celebrity. You're an accountant. You and Hailey have so much more in common. You're both unfathomably smart, both funny, kind and look great together. And I don't want to seem rude, but does Erica even like you? She literally hooked up with Cameron while you were here. If she liked you, why would she do that? Erica never really indicated that she liked you. Hailey, on the other hand, put herself out there for you. Don't ignore that. I'm not picking sides here but..."

"Sounds like you are," I bit back, coming off way more aggressive than I intended. My mind was a whirlwind. I contemplated everything that Zoe said.

"But what about the kiss Erica gave me at the game?" I asked Zoe. She was a girl, maybe she knew about this kind of thing. And when Erica and I exploded at each other about it, Zoe stayed pretty tight-lipped.

Zoe sighed, "I don't think that was anything. You and Erica have kissed before in the past when you were into each other, right? Did it feel the same as this one? I'm guessing she was a little bit drunk and not thinking straight. I don't think you should overreact about that."

I thought about this once more. But when I thought back, I realized that I was happy with Hailey. Erica showed little to no interest in me, and if she didn't want to do this, why would I force her? I really did want to see where things could go with Hailey. She was into me, and I finally knew for sure I was into her. I had made my decision.

"I know who I want to be with. Not both of them. Hailey. Just Hailey," I told Zoe confidently.

Zoe smiled, "I'm glad you know, Ben. I think that'll make it easier for everyone."

"And I'm going to talk to Erica," I decided at that moment, "I'm going to have a candid conversation with Erica about this whole thing. I want Erica to hear it from me, and talk about it."

Zoe nodded happily, "That's a really good idea. You should talk to Hailey, too. Admit your true feelings, and don't be afraid to be vulnerable. Girls love that." She gave me a playful, sly wink.

Before I could respond, the truck hit a giant pothole. The roads in this farm area were poorly maintained. We jumped in our seats, as far as the handcuffs allowed us. Right, I almost forgot that we were in a CIA truck falsely accused of directly using CIA property. I think Zoe forgot as well.

"What are we going to do about this?" Zoe said, eyes darting around the back of the truck.

"Trust Audrey..." I said with less confidence than I intended. I did trust Audrey, but I was also very concerned how she would help us without incriminating herself.

"I guess..." Zoe said, sounding even less sure than I was. She seemed to be having the same concerns that I was.

After about ten more minutes of driving, we were here. Wherever 'here' was. The truck stopped moving and shut the engine off. A few moments later, Audrey unhitched the latch to the truck door and threw it open, exposing us to the sunlight. We both squited at the sudden brightness. Audrey hopped into the truck and unlocked our handcuffs that we locked to the truck's cells, only to lock them back behind our backs when we exited. When we got out of the truck, I couldn't hide my surprise.

We were on a huge tarmac. Not in the airport part of it, no, the actual tarmac itself. There were planes parked in the distance. We could see the actual airport from here, but we were standing on the concrete where the planes were. I just prayed we weren't on the runway.

But parked closest to us, was a small, government plane. It looked like those private jets celebrities (and I think Erica nowadays) owns, but this plane was painted black and significantly less nice. It was dented in too many places and probably couldn't be legal to fly, yet the CIA played by their own rules.

Even Erica looked a bit surprised when I saw her, Mike and Hailey exit the other truck. Mike looked excited at the new adventure, while Haiely looked around cautiously. She was still new to this whole spy thing and these weird spur-of-the-moment activities.

But I quickly realized that if we were on an airport tarmac and there was a government plane right here, we were supposed to be going somewhere far. And that couldn't be good at all. First, we were nowhere near solving the case of Mark's death or now disappearance. In fact, this trip may have made the mystery worse and opened a whole new can of worms. Second, all of our stuff is still at the Dazy's farm. I'm sure we can get it back when (and if) this whole mission is over, but for me, that was basically all I owned. When I lost my apartment and packed up to leave for LA, I took almost all my belongings with me.

Is this Audrey's idea of helping us? Getting us on this sketchy plane to who knows where? This was not what I had in mind.

Zoe looked even more upset about our sudden trip that I did. She quickly turned to Audrey, who was talking to another guard.

"Excuse me?!" Zoe demanded, "Where do you think you're taking us?!"

Audrey opened her mouth to respond, but the guard she was talking to beat her to it.

"Wherever we want," he said in a nasally voice, "You're suspects in a federal investigation. You have no right to question what-"

Audrey cut him off, "It's fine, Dale. You're coming with us to Washington DC."

Zoe looked like she was about to protest, but held her tongue once an agent with a big gun started to lead her towards the plane. The other guards were leading the rest of us too. Audrey was doing nothing to stop them. Was she really going to let us go to DC?

There was nothing we could do, so I didn't argue. We were all loaded into the back half of the plane. It was fashioned as a prisoner transportation plane, with the back half secure and the front half (with the pilot and everything) set up for the CIA agents. The thing separating us was a door, like the train doors you generally see splitting the cars up. This door however was steel and very heavy.

On our half of the plane, there were these little pod type things. No, they weren't fancy first class pods like some international flight do, but sturdy and ominous. I think they were even soundproof, with cameras so the agents could watch us in there. Each pod had two old, gross seats in them. I guess the idea was the same as that in the trucks. Split us up so we couldn't plot to band together and take over the plane.

I was planning to sit down next to Hailey for the flight. I could admit my feelings to her, and hopefully we can make up from whatever fight I didn't know we were having. However, when she entered the plane, she looked right at me, and promptly sat down next to Zoe. Mike came on next and claimed a pod for himself, saying he wanted to take a nap. Erica, however, as last on the plane She looked at me and tried to walk past my pod as well, but Mike insisted he wanted to be alone. Her only choice was to sit next to me. The guards unlocked our cuffs, thinking there was no way we could escape twenty thousand feet in the air. The guard was right. Although we weren't very game to go do DC, there was really nothing we could do.

Erica plopped down in the aslie, closest to the pod door. The guard closed it. I was on the window seat and purposefully pretended to look far into the distance. Audrey said over the speakers she needed to do a few checks on the outside of the plane, but that we'll be taking off shortly. Erica and I avoided talking to each other the whole time during takeoff. I realized though that this would be the best opportunity I would have to speak with Erica privately about my feelings. I was really reluctant to do so, but I was going to have to anyway.

I finally turned to Erica, "Look," I said very awkwardly, "I don't know how else to say this: I really like Hailey." I really should have thought about how I wanted the conversation to go before I opened my mouth.

Erica turned to me as well. Her raven hair glinted in the sun. "I know." She said simply.

That threw me for a little bit of a loop, "You-you do?" I stuttered.

"Yeah, anyone with eyeballs could see that," she said cooly.

"Are you mad?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

"No," Erica said with an edge in her voice, "I'm not mad. Why would I be? It's not like we were ever in a relationship."

That's the exact same thing she said to me when I confronted her about Cameron.

"Well, I, ah..." I trailed off. This is now how I expected this conversation to go, "Um. Well. You seemed a little jealous earlier today when Hailey and I were holding hands."

She narrowed her eyes at me, "Okay, maybe I was, a little. It's been awhile since I've been in a dedicated relationship."

I didn't know what to say to that.

But then Erica continued. She softened significantly, "Look, Ben, I have no right to be mad at you for liking Hailey. As far as I know, she honestly seems like a nice, genuine person. You're both smart and seem great for each other. What we had long ago was special, sure, but I didn't expect us to pick up where we left off and I'm glad you're finally realizing it."

Wow, Erica really has changed in ten years. She's been opening up in so many different ways in these past few days. Being an international celebrity changes people, and maybe not always in worse ways like the public assumes. I was happy to have this conversation with her and it would honestly be great for my conscious if she, well approved isn't the right word, but supported me. And so far, she seems to be doing that.

"I have," I agreed, "And I realize that we're just such different people." I was apprehensive of saying this, because it suggests that we could have been together. I was wary of her response.

But to my delight, she nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we are. It's been a long ten years. If we were different people, or in different stages in our lives, it could have worked. Plus, I cannot get mad at you for Hailey. I have no right. I would be the biggest hypocrite in the world. I told you that you had no right to be mad about me and Cameron, and that it was my own life. This is your life and Ben, Hailey is great for you."

I can't explain what a huge weight was lifted off my chest. The only uncertainty I had about me and Hailey was Erica. But now, I was certain that I wanted to fully commit to Hailey. And she even seemed to like Hailey, which was surprising as she doesn't normally come to like people she just met. And it seemed genuine, not like she was just saying that for me.

But something else was nagging me. When Erica talked about Cameron, I was still wondering about what happened between them and most importantly, why. I didn't want to push my luck when Erica was opening up to me, but curiosity got the better of me.

"Speaking of Cameron, what happened between you guys? I know you said that it's your life and your business, but I'm curious."

Erica sighed, "Well, I was drunk. Also, it really isn't your business if I actually did it because I wanted to do it with him."

"Wait," I processed what she said, "You didn't want to?"

"I never hooked up with Cameron, despite what it looked like." Erica looked around our secluded pod and sighed, "I guess this is the best time to tell you. These walls are soundproof. Okay, remember after we met Mike and Cameron whisked him away? And then you and Zoe went to the bar, while I left you guys?"

I nodded. I definitely remember my social anxiety spiking.

"While I was dancing and drinking, this young guy came up to me. I swear, he looked only nineteen or twenty. He looked too young to be in the bar. He obviously found me attractive, so he started flirting with me. And guess what he said:"

I was on the edge of my seat on this story. I haven't heard anything about this.

"He said that he was a recent high school graduate, one of the best promising baseball players in the next season of the MLB. He was bragging how he was probably going to be signed to the Red Sox in the next season. This guy was also saying how his agent was one of the best and was working hard just for him. I asked him who his agent was, and what I was fearing happened. He pointed to Cameron."

My jaw dropped. What did this mean?

"Wait what?" I asked.

"So I went to investigate. I pretended to be into Cameron, and that led to that make-out session in front of his door. He invited me in, and I didn't want to be rude and wanted the info out of him, so I went. I swear, we did nothing. All I did was eat his twenty dollar mini-bar pringles and convinced him to buy me room service. So I subtly asked him about this new kid. Like the kid, he wanted to show off, so he told me what was going on. Mike was ruining his reputation as an agent. Mike was a complete mess and everyone started to blame Cameron for part of Mike's issues with addiction. So about a year ago, when it got really bad, Cameron went out to Mississippi to scout this new kid. Cameron thought that his career with Mike wasn't going to last very long and needed a backup plan. But once he saw actually how good this kid was, his route changed. He thought this kid was better and had much more potential than Mike. Did you ever wonder why Mike was allowed to throw these raging parties before games and ruin his own career? Wouldn't you think someone, especially Cameron, who is concerned for his job, try to shut them down?"

I considered that for a moment as well. That was very true. Mike was ruining his career. Everyone could see that. But no one was telling him not to. Not directly anyways. The one person who should have been telling Mike was Cameron.

"Anyway," Erica continued, "I pressured Cameron to talk more. He actually admitted to me that after Mike spiraled into addiction, he was trying to make it worse, by giving Mike drugs, alcohol and organizing the raging bar parties. Precisely what he wanted happened in the game we went to. He wanted Mike to get suspended or even expelled, which he did, so Cameron could focus on the career of a more grounded and player that apparently has more potential. The city of Boston adores Mike, even if he's a druggie and addict, and it'll look bad if Cameron dropped Mike as a client. No one would like or respect Cameron anymore, thus rejecting his players. However, if Mike gets suspended himself, there's no one to blame Cameron."

I knew I had a bad feeling about that guy! He was a lying, cheating scumbag. I was getting mad on Mike's behalf. Cameron had basically ruined his career himself. He fed Mike's addiction, to the point where there was little hope of forgiveness and return.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I demanded, a little frustrated. Erica could have potentially stopped this.

"When would I have said anything? While Cameron was there? I only figured out the night before we left. I wasn't about to tell Mike because he would be all messed up mentally for the mission. Plus, there's nothing he can do about it now, until he gets back to Boston. Or Mike would have stayed back and made the matter worse, looking like he's spinning false accusations to preserve his own ego and career. It would look even worse."

That definitely made sense. I could see where she was coming from.

"But when are you going to tell him?" I asked.

"When this mission is over, and when it seems like he's over the drinking and drugs, so he can make a rational decision on how to move forward."

I nodded. That was reasonable. I turned to look out the window for the first time. The CIA didn't bother barring the windows because it would be suicidal to try to escape out the window without a parachute. The mountain ranges were starting to look familiar. It seems like we were already passing North Carolina and heading into Virgina. We were making great time. I guess if you're a CIA pilot transporting suspected fugitives then you're allowed to speed a little bit in the air. A lot a bit, based on the way the terrain was just a blur underneath.

I turned to tell Erica about the plane's speed, when something else caught my eye. The jet engine was on fire.

And the Berica ship has officially sunk. I am sorry to all Berica fans. I have gotten a lot of questions about the fate of this ship. I have also gotten some hate from the fact that this isn't a Berica story. I haven't addressed it yet, but I am going to now.

It never was going to be a Berica story. Reunion was planned very precisely in my head, long before I started writing. This story plotline and everything in it came to me over a year ago. Here's why:

#1, on Wattpad, there are SO MANY Berica stories. No hate to any Berica author (in Clash of Spies I was one as well) at all. All the stories are fantastic. I wanted to try something new and different. I went the Berica route before and it was super fun to read and write. However, this time around, I wanted to switch it up a bit, thinking it could be very interesting.

#2: As an amature author, one of my core values as a fanfiction writer is keeping the story realistic. The content could be crap, as long as it is realistic and stays true to the stories and the original books. For me at least, I will not read any fanfiction book, despite how good the plot is, if I feel like the characters are OOC (out of character) or unrealistic. To me, it ruins the original books because I can imagine the other stuff I read. Also, it doesn't do justice to the wonderful author who wrote the original books.

So that being said, part of this story was that I wanted to keep it realistic. Part of that is relationships. I'm guessing most of you are like 6-11th grade, around that. Think back to someone you knew TEN years ago. There was this boy that I "dated" in first grade (we declared we were dating and held hands every recess for a week haha). Imagine that person that you had a crush on, dated or were friends. Now pretend you haven't seen or talked to them at all in ten years, and then see them for the first time. Do you think that you would jump right back into the relationship you were in while a decade went by? There is little chance, at least in my opinion, that it would happen in real life. People change, personalities change, lifestyles change and a lot of things happen in ten years. Thus, upholding my value of realism, I did not opt to go down the Berica route in this story.

But don't get me wrong at ALL! Berica is still my favorite ship in the series. It is a ship I love and encourage in Ben and Erica's lives in Stuart Gibbs' stories. This story takes place in another time, much later, so that's why I didn't go for that. And plus, in this story, their lives are completely different.

So if this loses readers because it's not Berica, so be it. I want to uphold my own values and not change my opinion based on others. I would love to hear your thoughts and constructive criticism on this choice, but please don't outright hate on it. That doesn't do anyone any good. This doesn't mean that Ben will stop going through a bunch of relationship angst. He has a lot more of that coming for him. It just means Erica won't directly be involved in it.

Alright, thank you for listening to my Ted Talk and hit that like and subscribe button!