Hacker • English Version

Chapter 7

Yoko's POV

Lately, I've made some wild decisions—especially about Faye Malisorn.

Before I leave Marissa's apartment, I roll my dice on her clean kitchen table. They gave me the wrong answer again. They say: Stay away.

Marissa wraps an arm around me and pulls me close. Even though she's smaller, she feels like a blanket of warmth.

Marissa: "They're just dice, baby."

I don't know if it's her soft voice, her sunny apartment, or her daisy scent—but being near her makes me feel like a little girl again. Like crawling into my mom's lap.

Okay. I don't regret warning Faye about that hitman. The dice would've let him die. So... maybe Marissa's right. Maybe I need a new way to make decisions.

Maybe I should start asking Faye instead.

That thought keeps me going as I walk the twelve blocks home. My backpack straps cut into my shoulders, but I don't care. Faye is smart—crazy smart. Smarter than me, smarter than Marissa.

And Faye knows me better than anyone.

And I know her too.

She's not going to hurt me. She's going to keep me. Protect me. Maybe that's what scared me in the first place—because I'm not some prize.

Some days I can't even look people in the eye. My plants get more vitamins than I do. I have carpal tunnel from sitting at my computer too long. I wear baggy clothes because tight seams bother me.

Faye is going to be so disappointed when she sees me in real life.

What has she been imagining? Some cute girl? A sporty beauty? Instead, she's getting a tired gremlin in sweatpants.

By the time I reach my building, I'm frowning so hard that even the doorman flinches when he sees me.

Doorman: "Excuse me—"

I stomp past him without answering and head to the elevator.

I picked this place on purpose. Because I don't fit in. My rich neighbors give me weird looks every time I walk through the lobby with grocery bags full of instant noodles.

I liked being the odd one out.

But today, as I punch the elevator button, I feel something new.

For the first time... I wish I could fit in.

If I wore fancy clothes and perfect makeup, maybe I'd look good standing next to someone like Faye.

If I could smile and talk to strangers, maybe she could introduce me to her friends as her girlfriend.

But I'm not like that. I've never been that girl.

As the elevator rises, I feel storm clouds gathering in my chest. I bet she's not even there. I bet she already lost interest after I said I'd come home.

I bet she overwatered my plants too.

I bet, I bet.

I stomp down the hallway, and the door opens before I reach it.

Faye: "Hi."

She's leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, her eyes shining with a playful look.

Faye: "What made you so irritated? I heard you coming from three blocks away."

Yoko: "No, you didn't."

Obviously, she didn't. She's just joking—because she's normal and knows how to joke.