Hacker

Chapter 4 - Taylor

I know I can't give the boys much information, even with them possibly saving me from the biggest beating ever. Those guys were huge!

I stay slumped over Daniels shoulder, trying to hide my face from everyone as we walked to my mom's address.
I nearly told them my own address! I can NOT risk sharing my person information with these guys. I've made that mistake once, and look where that's lead me! Slumped over the shoulder of a jock.

I look at Ethan. His mom said he could come with us, so he's been talking to Daniel. They've barely talked to me since their questioning and I'm grateful for that. I can't reveal my past, or I'm done for.

Daniel knocks on my mom's door when we get there. My mom answers. "Hello? Are you that boy my daughter texted me about that saved her?" She asks. Ethan looks over Daniels other shoulder, standing on his tippy toes. "Me too!" He pipes. Mom doesn't look impressed, as she moves out of the way to let the boys in. Daniel gently puts me down. Mom checks out my leg. "Did you hear a crack?" She asks. I nod. "Even with all the screaming." I said. My mom is the only one who's knows what I do. Mainly because she's done it her whole life. She put her job onto me, and I honestly don't mind. I've always been exceptionally smart, so when I got into the tenth grade, she told me everything. How she works for the CIA, finds certain people in her city, tricks them, blah blah blah. In general she's a con artist who uses their talents for good. It's just that sometimes that gets her into trouble, like it did me today.

I sigh as my mom wraps a bandage around my leg. "I'm sorry mom.." I murmur. "I screwed up. Again." I say. I hate failing. I have OCD. Failure, disorganization, dirty stuff, being unsure, I can't stand any of it. My eyes began to spill tears the second my mom didn't say anything. She knew I was right. Ethan sits beside me. "It's okay, Taylor! Whatever you screwed up on can always be fixed!" He says, trying to assure me we were going to be okay. And he may be right, but I'll have to re-hack into their system and everything. This stuff can take weeks! Ugh!

Before I could say no, Ethan wraps his arms around me. I immediately pull away. "No!" I yell. Ethan looks confused, and immediately regretful. He looks down. "Sorry.. But, now that we're friends-" My mom looks at me, and I interrupt him. "NO. We are not friends!" I confirm. Ethan stares at me for a moment, shocked, before his eyes start filling with tears. I immediately feel bad, as he stands up, and moves away from me. Daniel takes Ethan in his arms, as Ethan starts crying. "Hey, my guy is sensitive." He says the words coming out piercing like ice, and thick, even though he sounds calm. Daniel is looking at me like he should've left me in there with my broken leg, which hurts like hell still. I look away. "I- I'm sorry.. But I can't have friends with the kind of stuff I do!" I try to explain. I look at my mom for help, but she's watching. Testing me. Seeing if I say the right words. I start sweating.
"What stuff do you do?" Daniel asks, suspiciously, as he raises an eyebrow. Ethan by now has his face buried in Daniels shoulder. It feels like I'm in some dramatic scene from a movie. No matter what you say, you'll upset someone.