Hacker

Chapter 9 - Ethan

"-I think I can trust with telling you guys the full story of what I do!" Taylor declares. My eyes light up, as I lean in. "Really?!" I ask, overly excited. Daniel's eyebrows are raised. He's just as excited as I am.
"Yeah!" Taylor confirms, becoming more confident. She goes on with her story. "So, what I do, is.. I hack. Duh. But, I hack for the police of this city most of the time. I'm kinda like a con artist who uses their talents for good."
My jaw drops as she continues. "So, when the police have a suspect to arrest, they ask my mom."
"Why your mother?" Daniel asks. She slightly smiles. "She used to do what I do."
If my jaw drops any further it's gonna lock. That sweet old lady?! No way.. I conjecture. Taylor goes on. "When I was in tenth grade she passed her job onto me because of how old she was getting." She laughs. I smile at her joke, but Daniel shakes his head. "That's disrespectful." He says sternly, his country accent coming out. Daniel was raised around country people, so he knows a lot about that kind of stuff. I know next to nothing. I love his country accent. It's hot, but I try not to think about that as Taylor goes on.

"So I hack into their systems. That kind of stuff can take weeks, it just depends how secure they are. There have been multiple times where both my mom and I have had to leave it up to the police either way. I'm not as skilled as you think." She pauses for a second before continuing. "I was able to hack into your school systems though! Mainly because I hack into my own a lot.." She chuckles nervously. Daniel asks another question. "Have you ever gotten a virus because of that before? Or had someone track you down?"
I turn to him, saying; "Ooh! Good one." We fist bump.
"No, and yes. I haven't got a virus yet, but I have been tracked down. A good example is when Ethan and I met!"
I snicker. "I forgot about that."
"OHHH!!" Daniel looks like he just solved a puzzle. "So that's why those guys were about to beat y'all up!"
"Yeah." She confirms, rubbing the back of her neck.
I grin. "That's so cool! But.. Why didn't you tell us this before hand?" I ask. Taylor sighs. "Because. It's a really secret thing. I didn't want to tell you, because by doing that, I'd have to drag you into it.."
"What do you mean by that?" Daniel questions. Taylor sighs. "That means you two are now obligated to help me."
I grin widely. "WE GET TO HELP YOU DO TOP SECRET GOVER-" She covers my mouth. "SHUT UP!" She growls through her teeth. She uncovers my mouth. Daniel is giving her a chilling stare.
I lick my lips. Salty.
"But, technically I guess." She continues. "I do the hacking, you guys kinda look out for me."
Daniel shakes his head. "Hell no, I ain't doing that."
Taylor's brow creases. "You kind of have to." Daniel shakes his head again. "I'm not getting myself, nor Ethan killed."
I whip my head over. "Daniel, I wanna do this!" I confront him. His eyes widen. "No! I don't want my best friend getting hurt!" He asserts. I scowl. "You can't control me!" I stand up. "If I want to help Taylor I can!"
Daniel stands too. "So you're choosing her over me?!"
Taylor stands, trying to defuse the situation. "Guys, guys! I promise! We won't die."
Daniel ignores her. "Well?!" He's waiting for my answer. I look down, teary-eyed. "Daniel.." I whisper, my voice breaking. "Please.. Just this once, and if you don't like it we can stop-"
Taylor raises an eyebrow. I continue. "But please!"

Daniel is quiet for a long time, before speaking again. "Fine." He mumbles. I jump with joy. "Yay!" Taylor then smiles. "So great, can we leave now? I'm cold."
Daniel huffs, and begins to walk.