Zach shut his bedroom door, gripping Steven's laptop like it was a ticking bomb.
Because, well… it kind of was.
This wasn't just some random laptop. It was a Razer Blade 18, sleek, powerful, and definitely way too expensive for a high schooler to just lose without freaking out. How does a nerd like Steven have something so expensive, even? He asked himself.
But none of that mattered now. He had what he needed.
He took a breath, then walked down the dimly lit hallway to the last door on the left.
Knocking twice, he didn't wait for a response before stepping inside.
His brother, Mason, sat at his desk, a cigarette between his fingers and three different monitors glowing in front of him. The room smelled like old pizza and burnt plastic.
Mason barely glanced at him. "What do you want?"
Zach held up the laptop. "Got a job for you."
That caught Mason's attention. He leaned back, blowing out a slow stream of smoke. "The hell did you do?"
Zach smirked. "Nothing… yet."
Mason grabbed the laptop and turned it over in his hands, whistling low. "Damn. This thing's worth more than my bail."
Zach rolled his eyes. "Can you do it or not?"
Mason opened the laptop and powered it on. "Depends. What am I looking for?"
Zach crossed his arms. "An AI. Some personal coding project this nerd's been working on. I need you to manipulate it."
Mason snorted. "You stole a whole-ass laptop just for some code?"
Zach's jaw tensed. "I don't know how to copy that crap. You do."
Mason shook his head. "You're an idiot."
Zach shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'm the idiot with the laptop."
Mason muttered something under his breath but got to work, fingers flying over the keyboard.
It didn't take long. Within minutes, he had the files copied, the AI reconfigured to incorporate the exact exam answers Zach had blackmailed Ava into handing over.
When he was done, Mason handed the laptop back. "Return this before they notice it's missing. Trust me, this?" He tapped the Razer logo. "Ain't something a kid just forgets."
Zach grinned. "Appreciate it, bro."
Mason rolled his eyes. "Get out of my room."
The next day, Zach leaned against his car, spinning his keys around his finger as Chloe approached, her arms crossed.
She glanced at the laptop in his hands. "So… what exactly are you doing?"
Zach smirked, handing it to her. "Returning it. Be sleek about it."
Chloe hesitated. "And… what did you do?"
Zach tilted his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Relax, princess. Just sit back and watch."
Chloe's stomach flipped at the nickname, but she forced herself to focus. "Seriously, Zach. What are you up to?"
He grinned. "Let's just say, by the time this is over, Steven's gonna wish he never touched a damn computer."
Chloe swallowed. She wasn't sure what made her more nervous, what Zach had done or the fact that, despite everything, her heart still did this stupid fluttering thing whenever he looked at her.
Before she could think too much about it, Zach slung an arm around her shoulders.
"Now," he said casually, "you up for pizza and a movie?"
She should have said no.
She should have.
But when Zach Monroe smirked at you like that?
Yeah. Saying no wasn't really an option.