Clashing Obsessions

Chapter 19 - Kalix

"Roxy, wait, I— I have to tell you something."

She looks back at me suspiciously.

"You do know something, don't you?"

"Well..."

"Come on, Kal, help me investigate! With your help, maybe we could catch her. Imagine that, we'd be famous! The girls who caught an ingenious hacker! Just like the detectives in the books!"

Hey, at least she didn't say infamous... Not the point.

"Yeah, Roxy, there's a bit of a problem with that plan."

"What's that?" Roxanna asks worriedly, clearly sensing my discomfort.

"Umm, can we talk somewhere else?"

Roxy follows me to the bathroom, which luckily is empty. I hold up my phone and mouth, "turn your phone off". She looks confused, but nods and shuts it off, and I do the same.

"Kalix, what's going on with you?"

"I can't help you find Codebreaker, because I... Already know who she is."

Roxy stares at me expectantly, but her expression is mixed with worry and confusion, and she doesn't seem as excited as before.

"Well? Who is it?"

Not knowing how to respond, I awkwardly look around the room and shift uncomfortably.

"Kalix, who is she?" She asks again, more worriedly this time.

"Umm..." I say in a quiet voice, "you can't tell anyone, OK?"

"Kalix—"

"Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"Umm..." She sighs. "OK. OK, I promise. I won't tell."

"Roxy, it's me."

"Wha— What?"

"I'm xCodebreaker01."

"Uh, are you... kidding or something?"

"No, I'm definitely her..."

For the first time ever, Roxanna seems at a loss for words. After what seems like an eternity, she finally speaks.

"I... have a lot of questions."

"Yeah, that's... Understandable. Look, I— I'm sorry I lied to you— well, lied by omission, I guess, but I haven't told anyone, it was just too dangerous. And, whatever questions you have, I'll answer."

She nods, and is about to say something when the school bell rings. We share a moment of uncomfortable silence before she says,

"Well, I guess I'll have to ask those questions later. Um, see you in class."

She leaves, and after taking a deep breath, collecting my thoughts and of course, turning my phone back on, I head to my next class.

* * *

Half sitting, half falling into my comfy bean bag chair, I gesture for my monitor to come on and flick aimlessly through the channels. It's hard not to roll my eyes as I scroll through baking shows, reality TV, old 2070s reruns and the 23rd season premiere of some soapy trash-drame. So this is what I get for not paying for premium channels. Realizing there's nothing better on, I flip to a random news show.

"Tonight, on A-News Today," the reporter starts to announce, dramatic intro music in the background. "New developments revealed in controversial scientist Dr. Rovart Blayne's mysterious cybernetics project. Pictograph, Inc. has officially announced its acquisition of music and streaming startup, MyPlay. And, for our main story tonight, arguments arise between the United European Kingdom and African Constitutional Monarchy about how to best divide the natural resource hotspot recently discovered just northwest of Morocco Province. Stay tuned for the latest news and updates on A-News Today. An Allanite subsidiary."