You and Me (Plus Everyone In Between Us)

The Mainframe

We got a break after rehearsal again. The finals were tomorrow. Someone was gonna win this entire show and be catapulted into popularity just like Dilemma.

I wanted to sleep, but then if I slept, I would be somewhat unconscious and I couldn't think about the competition. Mom and Dad tried to convince me to drop out and said that they were planning to book tickets back to Toronto.

Maria wasn't mad when I told her. She seemed more excited than anything that I, her sister, was with Andre Robinson.

I hadn't talked to him since the concert, and even then we didn't even talk. Just because Fairouz said we couldn't talk in person didn't mean we couldn't talk at all. I didn't even know where my phone was. I didn't want to answer a phone call and find a million calls from angry fans.

Speaking of Andre, he allegedly made some statement I was sure was some PR jargon mismatch. Fairouz must have held a gun over his head to say all of it.

I pulled out my phone from the bottom drawer suddenly and skipped past all the angry text messages. I would have to change my number. The post was still up on the STAN blog and racked up almost a hundred million views.

Who the hell even was this person? Why was their one goal in life to make mine miserable? How did they get so much information about the industry? I'm sure if their identity got revealed, that would be the biggest cultural moment of this century. Even bigger than me and Andre. People would completely forget about me.

This website looked so sketchy even. I bet Emmett could hack into it. He won so many hack-a-thons.

But as I thought, I wondered if I could do it. Hack whoever STAN was and reveal their identity. That sounded like something out of a 2000s heist movie. But it would take the attention away from me.

Suddenly, I opened my Messages app to text 'Andy'. We hadn't talked in days. Maybe STAN and their crazy ass would tap my phone line too.

EZRA: You up?

I waited for five minutes before he responded.

ANDRE: Yeah? What's up?

EZRA: I think I know how to crack STAN's identity.

ANDRE: Why are you trying to play Inspector Gadget? Fairouz said she had a plan to settle it. TRUST HER! That woman has the most ironclad legal team in the world.

EZRA: She has a plan to get us out of it. But if we were to find out STAN's identity, that would shift the focus for us.

ANDRE: How the hell do you plan on doing this?

EZRA: I need you to meet me at the house. Do you have access to Sunrise Studio?

ANDRE: I have an access pass.

EZRA: Bring it in like half an hour, along with a flash drive.

ANDRE: Ez, are you sure this is a good idea?

EZRA: Sure.

ANDRE: You're lucky I like you.

Not enough to text me, though. I flipped and scrolled through another thread.

EZRA: Hey, I need your help!

EMMETT: It's twelve in the morning?

EZRA: I've figured out how to save my spot in the finals and help maintain your scholarship. But you need to meet me at the house within half an hour.

EMMETT: But Mom and Dad are gonna wonder where I am?

EZRA: You've snuck out to parties before. Say you're hanging out with me. You're eighteen now.