It Isn't Easy Being Queen

4. The Green-eyed Monster

The instructions were precise:

         Two dragon eyes

          A generous pinch of fairy mist

          Three blasts of demon flame

          A dropper-full of thieves' oil

          Sliver of a blood moon

          A liar's silver tongue

          The lesser half of a broken wishbone

          An ounce of wolfsbane

          Four drops of crone's tears.

          One tablespoon dehydrated unicorn blood.

Then how did it all go so wrong? Some say it was greed. Others say love. But aren't we all greedy when it comes to love?

"Hey, Miles," I whispered. The lights were dimmed in the classroom because we were watching the second half of a movie about some geniuses who hacked into the web setting off global chaos.

#Goals!

Is it my fault I became a hacker with this kind of educational exposure? This wasn't our first hacking movie either. And it wouldn't be the last.

Pale, sweet Miss Piltz had a dark side.

Same as me.

She also had recently been shopping at Dad's store. From the ceiling hung a six-foot plastic spider with glowy green eyes, on a massive gossamer web. Naturally, the one decoration the computer teacher displayed involved a web.

"Hmm?" Miles grunted. He hadn't stopped looking at Tyra the whole time. Almost as if he was under some weird spell. Wait. Was that drool coming out of the corner of his mouth? Gross!

Miles and I had talked about the sanitation mess for weeks, especially after the odor from the school dumpsters drew in the local rat population like an aromatic a Pied Piper. It was a mystery why the adults hadn't taken care of the problem. Lots of arguing in town council meetings, but no action.

Typical!

Which left it to me.

Miles had to be impressed.

Right?

"I did it," I said, unable to contain the pride in my voice.

"Shhh," he said, waving me away as if I was nothing more than a gnat buzzing around his head. "This is the best part of the movie."

"It's just meaningless graphics of computer code," I scoffed. "Look, I hacked the sanitation department and fixed the schedule," I said. He probably hadn't understood me the first time. This. Was. A. Big. Deal.