Ellie Sandberg would love to reinvent herself. When she earns a spot at an elite boarding school for young inventors, it seems like the perfect opportunity: A summer away from home, away from her overprotective parents, and away from the hopeless cr...
The light at the end of the hall beckons me. I hold my breath as I creep closer to the dimly illuminated door. I can just make out the sound of voices, whispering inside the room. Reese and Eleanor... Are they awake?
My heart thumps loudly in my chest. Maddox isn't the only one I'm dying to show my program. I can't wait to see the look on Reese's face. Our group leader expressed no small amount of skepticism when Maddox called a meeting last week. The four of us gathered in one of those library study rooms, and I did my best to avoid all eye contact while Maddox ran the others through our plan. "I like the concept," Reese had agreed after reading the proposal. "But how are you possibly going to build that functionality in a month?"
"Easy," Maddox had answered. "We've got Ell—I mean, Lowercase. She's our secret weapon." He'd nudged me with his elbow. "We can do it in a month, right partner?"
I can't remember how I answered him. I probably blushed bright red and stared at the tabletop, trying desperately to ignore the death-rays that Eleanor was shooting at me the whole time.
Awkward!
I don't know why Eleanor hates me so much. It's weird... like some animalistic dominance ritual, marking her territory. You can practically see the smoke coming out of her ears every time Maddox speaks to me. I wonder if she acts this way toward every girl he talks to.
There's no denying that the boy's a flirt. InstaLove keeps sending me push notifications, inviting me to interact with his avatar.
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I can't tell if he's prompting me himself, or if those are automated messages from the system. So far, I've resisted the temptation to hit 'GO'. If Maddox needs to communicate with me about our project, he has my number. We can text. The group dynamics are already awkward enough without adding any app-fueled drama to the mix.
Let's be honest. The group dynamics are downright toxic. It's clear that Eleanor didn't want me to join. Reese and Maddox overruled her. I can only hope she'll come around once she sees the code I wrote last night. It turns out I am their secret weapon, just like Maddox said. I didn't even need a month. I got a basic version of the hazard alert system up and running in one week. Reese is going to view me with a whole new level of respect when she sees it—and Eleanor won't be able to deny that I'm an asset to the team.
Maybe she'll be willing to speak to me then. Heck, maybe I'll even get my real name back. Let me be "Ellie" for a while, and she can go by "Uppercase." See how she likes it!
A small smile curves my lips. That's definitely Reese and Eleanor's dorm room with the light on. I tiptoe closer. The door is open a few inches. They must be awake. I go to peek inside, but the sound of voices makes me pull up short.
Is that...
It sounds like...
Some instinct warns me not to make my presence known. I dart sideways away from the door as I catch sight of the two figures on the other side.
