~POV: Ed Nashton~
Thursday: [2 Days and 12 hours until Homecoming ]
Riddle me this: What three words are said too much but not enough?
A rather simple riddle, expect to those who are oblivious to what is right in front of them.
Jonathan said he'd be here today, that he would help me out. I pace back and forth with a knot growing in my stomach. This is a bad idea, I shouldn't be trying this. What if she's not smart enough... Across the room I see her dark orange curls, the ends of a perfectly knotted ponytail. She was on time, cordial like always.
Barbara Gordon entered the library in search of a new book. Every morning she would check out three books; one nonfiction, two fiction, then proceed to return them the following day. Of course the girl amazed Ed, she was the only one able to hack like him. He became fascinated by her a few days earlier when he caught her with a book of riddles in her arms. Barbara searched through the nonfiction isle, leaving her laptop behind a few desks back.
Now was the time. With or without Jonathan I had to ask her, before another boy did. I pause with trembling hands as I reached down to my phone. My fingers grazed across the keyboard, finding it harder to hack into her laptop then I expected. Harleen recommended that I talk to her in person, but that alone was too confrontational. Electronics were made for us to avoid awkward situations.Her firewall was well built, password changing every few seconds. She must have a two factor identification as well. I smile at the challenge and the thrill of time ticking down as I try to get past her firewall. Luckily for I, the schools wifi was not as easily protected. Pigging back on the server, I give a small grin. Her screen went to screensaver mode, but a riddle blocked her entrance from her usual password protection.
Riddle me this; What did one magnet say to the other? If you answer correctly the choice will be yours. A request of a night with food, dancing and mores.
I watch as she goes to sit back down. Her brow frays a bit as she sees my screen. Good, it should take her a while to crack that so I can set up- ding- a notification goes off on my phone. No No No.
ANSWER: I AM ATTRACTED TO YOU.
I lookup to see Barbara smiling. She already got in! How? What? I uh-
The code that encrypted her computer generated an automatic response to the correct answer; the auto prompt appeared next on her screen, making my stomach squirm.
A wonderfully correct answer my or my.
I was wondering if you would attend homecoming with I?
My face feels bright red. There's no way I can do this, I have to go before she figures that this was my doing. She is smart. What if she notices I could only hack her for short range distance, and tries to find me! I needed to get out of here. Only a couple seconds would it take for a hacker like her to piggyback on the traitorous wifi, and catch me. The rose in my hand trembles as I calculate the best way to the door.
I turn to head down another bookcase when I hear a soft voice come from behind me. "Did you do this Ed?" Her voice makes me jump. How'd she find me so fast? I was amazed and speechless. The girl stood right in front of me.
"Why?" I adjust my hat a little, flustered by her sudden appearance. "I mean..." I fumble through my words, eyes focused on the floor as I try to find the confidence I held earlier. "I-I-maybe know what your speaking of."
"Oh...."
"I mean.."Behind my back, in the palm of my hand was her bright rose which had a little magnet at the end of it. The flower was supposed to tie into the riddle. At the time I thought it was a cute idea, however, now all I could think of how stupid it is to have a magnet taped to a rose. "Yes, it was me." I say quietly to stop her from leaving, "It would be nice if you would say yes...I mean...the privilege would be mine...To take such a beautiful lady to dine."
"Uh..." Barbara thought for a second. Bruce was taking Selena, Harvey was taking Rachel, she didn't want to be a fifth wheel. Ed seemed like a nice guy, a sweet guy. She trusted him. "Okay, sounds fun..."
I was still babbling on like a fool when she answered. "It's okay, I didn't think- that's great!" I smile, handing her the rose. Girls liked flowers, right? She smiled which was nice to see. Hopefully she did not find it weird. Most girls think I am weird. I push aside my inner thoughts to try and remain focused.
"Well, I have class now, but I'll see you later..." Barbara said, hugging her three books close to her chest. She put her bookbag around her shoulder. "Oh and Ed?"
"Yes?"
"I don't usually go to football games, but a couple friends are going to support Harvey and the Gotham Knights tomorrow night, would you like to come."
Now I had never been to a football game. Personally, I found the sport barbaric, and out right boring. Riddle me this, What is the best advice you can give to a young baseball player? If you don't succeed at first, try second base. That's baseball though, it would make no sense to quiz her upon baseball. I would rather watch that. Anyone with half a brain could win at football, but no. They were the most idiotic people in the school. I sigh, deciding that I could take the time out of my wonderful alone time, and night with my laptop to be social for one night. Anyways, the odds were that Jonathan would come over and attempt to persuade me to be his test subjects for his foolish fear experiment. Taking a deep breath, I nod, "I would love that Miss Gordon."
Barbara smiled, headed back to her desk to get her work done before Gotham's game. She could not wait to tell Rachel about what just happened.
The homecoming game was big deal in Gotham High. Each year homecoming would fall on the easiest game of the year, whether this was planned or by accident was up for debate. Nonetheless, this year was no different. In fact this year a small farm school would be coming from out of state. The Principle promoted the event as to bring together two completely different schools, a city and a farm, still share the common privledge of football. Honestly, it was some bullshit reason. I for one knew the truth to why we were playing the Smallvile Crows. The Principle had some outside business deals going on that circled around a certian student at their school. Some believed he was trying to get the famous so called 'genuis' Alexander Luthor to transfer. Here, I thought we had enough rich kids to keep the school board happy. We are a public school! What does the board expect?
Nonetheless, the homecoming game would be the Smallville Crows versus the Gotham Knights.
Due to promotion by both Harvey and the Principle , lots of talk was stirring about these farm boys. Around the lunchroom kids, who most likely never picked up a football in their life, engaged in smacktalk. Rumours had it that the Smallville Crows just used hay barrels as tackling dummies or had denimim overalls instead of their football jerseys. The utter thought of all this is nonsense, but our school did not pride itself on the most intellegent students. Just last yesterday, Jones, one of the most dim witted minds of our school, attempted to cheat on our History exam. Now, I hate cheaters, however, Waylon can not even manage to cheat right with his putty like mind.
"Psstt. Nygma! Can you help me with one of these questions?" Waylon muttered utterly loud, not like the teacher would stop the boy from cheating. He would be a key tight end in Friday night's game.
"Sure! Which one?" I ask, keeping my voice low.
"The first one!-"
I tilt my head, the first question was a simple true and false. How could he not know that the
"Sign your Name here.."
I could not roll my eyes to the extent at which I was annoyed with him.
As I stepped out of the Library my eyes met with Pamela, I could tell from the amount of papers in her hand she was campaigning for something. "Edward wait up!" I walk faster, pretending not to hear that vixen from behind me. Yes, Pamela has been a bit kinder since her accident but that was only to the girls. "Edward!" Her voice hissed as she ran to catch up to me. For Throwback themed Thursday of spirit week, Pamela's outfit was an ill interpreation of the 1950s. She tried to take her look out of the final scene of Grease, instead of actually learning about the poodle skirt decade. "Here! It's so you know who to vote for, for Homecoming Queen."
"Whatever." I revert back to my phone, shoving the thin piece of paper back into my pocket. A new question entered my mind as I entered Math. Where was Jonathan and Harleen? It was almost the end of the school day and neither of them had returned my texts or has been sighted. Odd, rather odd indeed.