When we stopped between our two cars, he admitted, “Slow. I had a change of direction.” He smirked, mischief flashing in his eyes. “I’ll be ready for you by the deadline.”

I smiled. Good. Maybe his would be more direct and effective against Tanner’s vendetta than mine. Our simple challenge of riling up Tanner had taken an entirely new turn in light of what I’d learned from the people writing in to my site. The meaning and worth went so much deeper than this now. Bigger than a challenge to get back at another male in power pushing his beliefs on the masses. There were so many like him in the world—people who downplayed victims’ experiences, male or female, or were so set in their ways they believed all who didn’t live the way they did were wrong.

Dean brushed his fingers over my forehead, shifting a piece of hair that had fallen out of place. “I’m slightly terrified of the look in your eyes right now.”

I laughed, the tension easing in my shoulders. “I’m just pissed.”

“I know.”

“It’s unnecessary,” I said. “I hate that Tanner is even in a position to push his ideals in our faces. But he’s one in a sea of powerful people trying to claim they know what’s best for all of us.”

Dean arched a brow.

“Like his stance against birth control and sex and all of it. He rallies against something that should be a choice for each individual. He’s not the only one, and it even goes beyond the sex stuff.”

“Like what?”

I sighed. “Like the fact that I’m just as good a hacker as you, but you—a boy—are the one who’s been deemed the best and resident hacker genius of the school.”

Dean’s soft smile fell.

“I’m not blaming you,” I hurried to add, furrowing my brow as I tried to rein in my rant.

“If you want the title, you can have it,” he said, waving his arm toward the darkened school. “Then Tanner would have you at his beck and call because he’d blame you for the video prank and task you with—” He hissed, raking his fingers through his hair. “All his bullshit. Maybe you would’ve gotten the video down sooner.”

“That’s not what I’m saying—”

“What are you saying?”

“That there are problems here. That there are serious differences between the way boys and girls are treated in this school—hell, likely everywhere—and it’s total BS. And that, on top of every other agenda Tanner or people like him pushes, is why blogs like Ask Me Anything pop up.”