Page 67 of You Had Me at Hello World
I was thinking more like confronting the thieves directly. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
He frowns. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Do you really think the adults will do anything to help?”
“Of course. Isn’t it their job to solve a problem like this?”
I’m pretty sure their main job is to keep Edvin Nilsen happy, but maybe he’s right. Maybe a lifetime of being failed by grown-ups has made me way too cynical. Besides, it can’t hurt to try.
“Do you want me to come with you?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No, you should work on Hello World. We still have to add web socketing for the chat feature.”
Then he marches off to find HellomynameisCourtney.
“Wait, so are you guys mad at me?” Obi asks.
The next day at breakfast, HellomynameisCourtney walks into the dining hall and claps to get everyone’s attention.
People fall silent. She’s all business. “One of the students has misplaced his Adderall medication. If it has come into your possession, please come forward.”
There’s a beat, and then everybody turns back to their conversations.
Khoi is stricken. “Wait, this is so not helpful! Nobody is going to fess up like that.”
It’s like he just found out that Santa isn’t real. I bite back the urge to sayI told you so.“Yeah, adults are useless,” I say. “More breaking news at eleven.”
“I really thought that going to the administration would help,” he says.
I stab at my scrambled eggs. I’m not sure what’s worse—the Adderall theft or Khoi’s naiveté. He’s a baby cow, and it’s adorable, but you know what happens to baby cows? They get sentto the slaughterhouse. “What can they do about it? It’s not like they can search every single student’s room to find the culprit.”
“But they don’thaveto search every room. It’s probably in Lucas’s room.”
“Nobody else at this program is enough of an ass to steal medication,” Obi adds. “That shit is low, even for Lucas.”
“Right, but there’s no real proof that it was him. And now that Brenda’s made the announcement, I bet he’s going to get psyched out and throw the pills away,” I say. “Khoi, can you get a refill at the pharmacy?”
“Adderall is a controlled substance. I can’t get a refill until August.” He groans. “Maybe I can chug Monster. Or stop taking my seizure meds so they won’t make me tired?”
I shake my head. “No. Absolutely do not do that.” Skipping seizure medication sounds super risky.
“Monster is D-tier,” Obi says. “Ever heard of Red Bull?”
I locate Lucas across the dining hall. He’s still chatting with his friends, seemingly unfazed. He can’t get up now, right after that announcement, without looking sus. But as soon as he gets a spare second, he’s scramming to flush those pills down the toilet.
“We need to break into his room,” I say.
Chapter Thirty
There’s one major problem with my plan—the door to Lucas’s room is locked.
I jiggle the doorknob again, as if maybe it’ll magically click open. No shot.
“Do either of you know how to pick a lock?” I ask.
Both boys stare blankly at me.
Ah, yes. The most brilliant technical minds of our generation, foiled by a simple single-cylinder deadbolt.
