We got a break after rehearsal again. The finals were tomorrow. Someone was gonna win this entire show and be catapulted into popularity just like Dilemma.
I wanted to sleep, but then if I slept, I would be somewhat unconscious and I couldn't think about the competition. Mom and Dad tried to convince me to drop out and said that they were planning to book tickets back to Toronto.
Maria wasn't mad when I told her. She seemed more excited than anything that I, her sister, was with Andre Robinson.
I hadn't talked to him since the concert, and even then we didn't even talk. Just because Fairouz said we couldn't talk in person didn't mean we couldn't talk at all. I didn't even know where my phone was. I didn't want to answer a phone call and find a million calls from angry fans.
Speaking of Andre, he allegedly made some statement I was sure was some PR jargon mismatch. Fairouz must have held a gun over his head to say all of it.
I pulled out my phone from the bottom drawer suddenly and skipped past all the angry text messages. I would have to change my number. The post was still up on the STAN blog and racked up almost a hundred million views.
Who the hell even was this person? Why was their one goal in life to make mine miserable? How did they get so much information about the industry? I'm sure if their identity got revealed, that would be the biggest cultural moment of this century. Even bigger than me and Andre. People would completely forget about me.
This website looked so sketchy even. I bet Emmett could hack into it. He won so many hack-a-thons.
But as I thought, I wondered if I could do it. Hack whoever STAN was and reveal their identity. That sounded like something out of a 2000s heist movie. But it would take the attention away from me.
Suddenly, I opened my Messages app to text 'Andy'. We hadn't talked in days. Maybe STAN and their crazy ass would tap my phone line too.
EZRA: You up?
I waited for five minutes before he responded.
ANDRE: Yeah? What's up?
EZRA: I think I know how to crack STAN's identity.
ANDRE: Why are you trying to play Inspector Gadget? Fairouz said she had a plan to settle it. TRUST HER! That woman has the most ironclad legal team in the world.
EZRA: She has a plan to get us out of it. But if we were to find out STAN's identity, that would shift the focus for us.
ANDRE: How the hell do you plan on doing this?
EZRA: I need you to meet me at the house. Do you have access to Sunrise Studio?
ANDRE: I have an access pass.
EZRA: Bring it in like half an hour, along with a flash drive.
ANDRE: Ez, are you sure this is a good idea?
EZRA: Sure.
ANDRE: You're lucky I like you.
Not enough to text me, though. I flipped and scrolled through another thread.
EZRA: Hey, I need your help!
EMMETT: It's twelve in the morning?
EZRA: I've figured out how to save my spot in the finals and help maintain your scholarship. But you need to meet me at the house within half an hour.
EMMETT: But Mom and Dad are gonna wonder where I am?
EZRA: You've snuck out to parties before. Say you're hanging out with me. You're eighteen now.
EMMETT: Okay.
♩
I felt like a drug dealer, lurking on the sidewalk, waiting for my next contract or victim. I was right outside, in the backyard. Andre and Emmett were nowhere to be seen. The night breeze was cool, but warm, too.
"Sorry for being late," a voice jumped out of the bushes. Andre came into view and I smiled. "My carrier pigeon couldn't contact you."
I laughed a little. "I'm glad you're here."
Andre leaned in forward to plant a kiss on my lips. I kissed him back eagerly, hands moving against his back and into his locks.
"Okay, so we're not here to do that," I said. "But thanks for the greeting."
"It's what I do best," he teased.
"Are you two done?" Emmett's voice grumbled from behind us.
We both turned to look at him standing awkwardly, breaking out of our embrace.
"Hey, glad you're here," I said.
"What's the plan?" he asked, crossing his arms. "Why is Andre here?"
"We need something to overshadow the finals and STAN tomorrow," I explained. "We can't rely on a breaking news story. So we need to create our own."
"You plan to commit war crimes or something?" Emmett wondered.
I sighed into a frown. "No. We're gonna find out who STAN's identity is."
"Whose we?" Andre asked suddenly. "How are we going to do that? Fairouz has it under control."
"You're gonna give me your access pass to the building," I explained. "There's probably a control or computer room or whatever you call it inside. Then Emmett is going to hack the website and find his identity."
Emmett scoffed. "You think this is a movie? It's gonna take all night!"
"Then we have to start now!" I insisted. I turned to Andre. "Do you have your card?"
Andre begrudgingly took it out of his pocket and handed me the plastic card and a flash drive. "Here."
"Thanks," I thanked. "You can go now. Emmett and I can take it from here."
"You sure?" he said, looking at me with soft eyes. I nodded and then leaned in for a kiss.
"So I thought we needed all night?" Emmett sighed before we broke apart again.
Emmett and I practically sprinted down the streets before we almost collapsed right in front of the doors of the studio. It was so fast; I didn't even register it. My chest heaved up and down before I rose. I scanned the access card against the back entrance before the door hissed open for us.
The air was eerily quiet as Emmett and I both scurried quietly down the halls.
"Where is it?" he asked.
I tried to recall the location in my mind. "It was in an administrative hallway. I don't remember the way all that well. A producer took me."
We both walked down what I thought was the hallway, before crossing into another one then another one, and then another one, until a hallway finally felt familiar to me. This was where Fairouz took me to get my warning. I think I found the door.
I scanned Andre's card against the scanner on the door, and it was unlatched for us. The computer room was full of computers, otherwise, that would've been strange. There were chairs and screens everywhere. They were all off.
Emmett and I both sat in the chairs and instantly his brain clicked into place. Suddenly, he knew what to do. He began toggling with the keyboards as the screen glowed to life. They said we needed an access card. He scanned Andre's and gained access.
After that, I couldn't tell you what Emmett did. He just hacked away and seemed to know what he was doing. I wanted to ask him, but it felt like the divide that had been slightly cracked after our argument was still in place.
I existed awkwardly, feeling far apart even though we sat next to each other.
"What are you doing?" I finally asked.
"It's too complicated to explain," he huffed. "So, are you going to pay me for this if it goes well? I know that the prize money and the contract are going to be sweet."
I sighed. "I'll see what I can do."
Silence. As usual.
"It's definitely not going to be in the movies where they hack into the mainframe and then say 'were in'," he informed me. "It's going to be a long process. Hours probably."
"So then, what do I do?" I sighed.
"Stay here for moral support, get snacks," he started.
♩
"I found it!" I exclaimed. "I found it!"
My eyes snapped open. I wasn't at the house. I was in a room lit up by screens.
I sat up to look at Emmett in front of a string of numbers.
"Really?"
"Yeah!" Emmett squealed. He quickly took a picture, and I did too, before taking out the flash drive and plugging it into the computer, downloading all the data. "We have evidence!"
We suddenly collided, but instead of awkwardly brushing past each other, we hugged?
Yeah. I hugged my own twin brother.
"We have an IP address," he said, pulling away, before crunching the digits into his phone. His eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"The address is in LA," he said, pointing his phone into my face. According to my phone, it's like twenty minutes away if we walk."
"Then let's get going."