predominate
verb
1. be the strongest or main element; be greater in number or amount
2. have or exert control or power
Ms Palmers is waiting at the main doors that exit to the car park after school today. She has her usual serious face on, arms on her hips, ready for action. She nods in welcome and takes my backpack.
"Grant is in the SUV, Miss. He has your work bag ready for your next appointment. Will you be needing a change of clothes, Miss?"
"Yay, to Grant being with us. No to needing clothes. Lets get going." We managed to make it to the car without any problems. I did see a few nasty looks aimed at us.
"Two months, just two months and we're out of here." I complain once we're in the car.
"Hey Lills, how was your day?" Awww, I love Grant's friendly style, using my nickname.
"Grant, you have made it a hundred times better with your cherry smile."
"Oh, reading hallmark cards again?"
"How could you tell." I reply, dryly.
"So, where are we off to, this afternoon?" Grant asks as I buckle up and Patricia starts the car and drives out of the school grounds.
"I messaged my hacker friend today and asked him if he was interested in working with us on the Arts and Antiques App. He agreed to meet me after school in a nearby cafe."
"Ooooh, the hacker. Getting more interesting. So, how's school going?"
"Grant, school sucks a donkey riding on a bike without handlebars."
"That bad, huh?"
"Eyva has already spread rumours of my infidelity, my thieving ways, my suicidal tendencies and how I'm proposition the males hunks in school for sex."
"Holy crap, really?" I can see him in the rear vision mirror in the back seat. His eyes are wide open in disbelief.
"Enough about that. What about you, are you joining me at uni next semester?" I wave away the depressing thoughts.
"Yes, I am. I had a good talk with mum and dad and they both agree this is a great opportunity that I need to take, so if you will have me, I'd really like to join you and become your right hand man."
"You're only doing it for the hot hunks at uni, aren't you. Come on, admit it!" I tease.
"I admit nothing! Come on, who do you think I am?" He scoffs in mock indignation.
"A gay valet with tendencies of stupid?" Patricia asked sarcastically.
"Hahaha!" We laughed and joked around until we arrived at the cafe for our next meeting.
We found Dunstin Fredricks, aka HcakerFreddy sitting inside in the corner away from the windows. He was a brown haired, tall guy with a permanent mocha tan and the darkest eyes you've ever seen. He didn't look like your typical hacker geek who lived at home in his parent's basement, playing on computers all day long and living off instant noodles.
Nope. Dunstin Fredricks looked like a typical teenaged popular guy, a sports freak who winks at the ladies saying 'how you doing?'...
When we arrived at his table he was a little surprised. Whether it was because I knew what he looked like, or that I was a pretty girl who'd just walked up to him, I wasn't sure.
"Hey Freddy, I'm Lily Twice. I'm sure you've done your homework on me so I'll skip the formalities. This is my associates, Grant Hepburn, my soon to be study buddy and future accountant. This is Patricia Palmers who is my driver and personal assistant. So, what are you drinking? Need a top up?"
"OK, so skipping the fluff small talk. Yes, I'll have another Americano with a splash of nutmeg syrup, please."
"Grant, could you please get Freddy a double shot Americano, I'll have a vanilla latte with full cream milk, Particia?" I ask my PA what she'd like to drink as I hand Grant a fifty dollar bill.
"Flat white, please. One sugar."
"And could you please get an assortment of pastries from the cabinet for us too, please. I'm so hungry."
"Yes, school work will do that to you. OK, got it. Be right back." Grant collected the money and ordered our drinks and food.
"So Mr Freddy, can I assume that your willingness to meet with me and my team that you are interested in the contract job?"
"Miss Twice, yes I am. I was wondering if I could learn more about the project and if the payment could be set at a percentage of shares, rather than the ten grand payout." He rubbed his chin and I remember this mannerism of his from my previous life. Except we were on the opposites sides of the grand divide back then. He was contracted to incriminate me and my so-called nightly escapades. His infatuation with my step sister and her perfect image and incredible acting caused major damage to my reputation while at university in the next city over.
Although it wasn't all bad. Once he found out what he'd been party to and how it affected, not just my life but the lives of four other girls who were caught up in the trouble, he removed all evidence that he'd doctored and apologised publicly. But the damage to the girls and I and also to his reputation was already done.
I felt sorry for him, actually. He was tricked and lied to and fooled into thinking he had a chance with a beautiful gently and gorgeous goddess and would do anything for her. But when he was dumped and scolded for doing such a terrible thing - *cough cough* - he then realised just what kind of girl Eyva Overmeyer was.
I decide to clarify things a few things for his information, in case he needs to get his priorities right.
"You need to know that I am Eyva Ovemeyer's new step sister. My mum just married her dad and we've both moved into their estate to live. My mum has a four year old son to Wallace Overmeyer and he is the apple of my eyes. I have an undercover cold war going on with Ms Overmeyers that involved the reputation of everyone I've introduced to you today, and at this point in time, she is painting me as the green tea bitch who is out to get her home and family and destroy her life at school, while I call her White Lotus with a capital B because she is oh so perfect in all of her public scheming." I stop the introduction as Grant brings the drinks and snacks.
"Point is, if you work with us, you will sign an NDA regarding anything you learn, whether it be my business or my private life. Because you are over 18 years of age, this will hold up in a court of law. If you want more than the ten grand I've offered for the job, then I can give you half a percent share of the app on-sale profit up to fifty thousand dollars, with ten k up front. Forty will go into an escrow account held in trust. Once the app is sold, this monies will be released to you. The extra forty that I am giving you is payment in faith that you will be available for future projects, and that you keep your hands clean while working with us." I take a deep breath and watch Freddy closely, wondering how serious he is about taking on this job.
By my calculations, this guy has already done his homework concerning the amount of work the app will need and how much it would be worth on the open market, especially to the antique stores and art galleries. He nods his head, taking a big gulp of his black coffee, then leans back in his sofa chair. I can see his calculations working around in his incredibly brilliant brain.
"Let me reiterate. This means no illegal hacking while working with us. This includes any black web, dark sites, no hacking for profit or material personal gain. You leave your alias' alone for the next six months at a minimum, including HcakeWalker02."
His face stiffens when I mention his famous hacker alias. Then he slowly relaxes. If I wasn't watching for it I wouldn't have seen it. Wondering why I'm asking him to do this, especially over the next six months? Because he does something stupid and on a dare, hacks the local military security systems and gets caught and spends a year in jail. I don't want that to happen.
"I'm not telling you how I know all of this, but I ain't talking to anyone about it. But if you do this with us, you hold off on all of it until we are done. Do you get me?" Patricia pulls out the NDA form that I need him to sign. It has a few clauses that outline the sharing of professional and personal information.
He reads it, nods seriously at me, then signs the two copies on the table top.
"OK, I got it. So, what do you need me to do?" He asks.
"Here is the outline of the app that I want built that is database heavy but consumer pretty. The app links to online sites searching through other external and internal databases to find information about art works and antiques and reports it back to the consumer. This is the outline of the scope of the project, the authorisations for each external site that we were given, and a creative briefing for the artwork, design, and overall look for the project."
"This is really well thought out." He looks at me, watching my expression. I keep my face neutral. "Did you come up with all of this and the design yourself, Lily?" I nod.
"You will not find anything like it this side of eternity that is not plagiarised from this work." I tap on the project briefing on the table between us. I'm guessing that because I'm building it four years prior to the university professor who had the original idea that it won't be built again, since it is already created.
"I believe you. So, where do I sign up?" He smiled as he asked.
"Right here, Mr Fredricks. Welcome aboard." I smile widely at him and hand over the new contract for him to sign.