I forced out a laugh. “No one,” I said, pushing from the table and carrying my empty plate to the sink. I returned only to kiss Mom on the top of her head. “Great dinner, as always, Mom.” I bounded up the stairs and to the seclusion of my room.

I needed away from the conversation—hell, I needed away from my own thoughts. Now that this club was forced onto my plate, I had to focus up. All extra time had to be spent hacking. Practicing. Prepping. Winning the TOC was my sole goal—it would go a hell of a long way in an MIT interview as well as almost guarantee me a job at a major corporation. That’s where true improvement would happen, in the field, and I was beyond ready to start that chapter in my life.

One more school year.

My headphones were halfway to my ears when a knock sounded on my door. I sighed, not bothering to spin my computer chair around. “It’s open, Sean.”

“Hey,” he said, closing the door behind him. He sank onto my unmade bed across from my desk. “Did I do something?”

“You mean besides rearrange all the letters on my keyboard?” I smirked.

He gaped at me. “That was two years ago, bro.”

“I don’t forget.”

“Yeah, but you do forgive. And get even. You totally crashed my server with the spam-bomb you sent in retaliation. It took me a day to get it back to normal speed again.”

“Learned from the best.” I smiled at him. “It gets boring here without you, man.”

“I bet,” he said, leaning his elbows on his knees. “But it sounds like you’ve got plenty to keep you occupied.” He glanced at my computer, then back to me. “Nice job on scoring that entry to the TOC.”

My chest puffed out a bit. “It wasn’t easy.”

“No doubt,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve never made it in.”

“You’ve only tried once. And you were a baby.”

“Sixteen is hardly a baby.” He laughed. “And once was by far enough. Too much pressure. No thanks.”

“I like it.”

“You thrive off that rush. I like the slow-burn hacks. The hunt.”

The room fell silent for a few moments, Sean’s mind working out a problem somewhere else. I could see it in his eyes, recognize the same faraway look I wore when a challenge nagged me.

Speaking of.

“Hey, you set up the security system for the academy, right?”

“Yeah. Why?” He cocked a brow at me. “Dean,” he chided.

“What?”

He sighed. “I get it’s your senior year. You want to do something epic to sign off with…but stay away from Tanner.”

“He’s such an—”

“Asshole. I know. I spent a decade under his reign, too.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Well, I think he’s gotten worse.”

“How so?”

“You hear things.” I shrugged.

“High school has a way of embellishing.”