"Hey man, chill out!"
The guy standing next to Jacob said with a grin, "These checks are super laid-back. They hardly ever bother to dig through our backpacks. Just look ahead—"
Jacob glanced up and noticed that the officers were indeed doing a pretty half-hearted job, just tossing out a few routine questions without actually opening any bags. Carly had breezed right through without a hitch.
No one dared mess around in front of the Enforcement Division anyway. The worst anyone had were some snacks or drinks, nothing worth fretting over.
They weren't about to go on a wild hunt to confiscate stuff.
Seeing this, Jacob finally let out a big sigh of relief.
Each row had an officer in charge of the checks, and soon it would be their turn.
He was the last one in line, and the guy next to him was done in no time, giving him a nod.
It was like he was saying, "See, I told you, nothing to worry about. They're not thorough at all."
Jacob cast a look at his own equally stuffed bag and finally relaxed.
A huge smile spread across his face.
His goodies were safe!
"You're Jacob, right?" the officer asked with a blank expression.
Jacob beamed, "Yep, that's me, Jacob—like 'wildfires can't burn me out.'"
He had noticed that every officer asked for names, just part of the usual drill. After the name and a few simple questions, they'd move on to the next person!
Inside, Jacob felt like doing a little victory jig!
The officer's face stayed cold and aloof as he said, "Open your bag, I need to check it."
Jacob's smile froze, and his inner cheerleaders went silent; he couldn't believe it, "Officer, what did you just say?"
"Open the bag. I'm checking it. Are you deaf or something?"
The officer was losing his patience.
Jacob gripped his backpack straps tight, "Officer, you didn't open anyone else's bag. Maybe you could skip mine too?"
The officer looked at him with a cold stare, focusing on the hand gripping his arm, "Let go."
Jacob let go, tears in his eyes, watching his beloved backpack, "Officer, I won't take them in, but what's gonna happen to these snacks? You're not planning on eating them, are you?"
"...I won't."
But someone might.
"Really?" Jacob was doubtful.
"I won't eat them."
The officer said firmly.
Only then did Jacob believe him, looking longingly at his backpack, "Hang tight, my treasures. Once I'm done with the exam, I'll come back for you."
"Hey, did you tick someone off?" Once the officer left, the guy who had spoken to Jacob earlier came over, curious, "Why else would the officer only take your stuff?"
"Yeah, did you do something silly, upset someone?" Carly chimed in, intrigued.
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