Disclaimer: I'm a poor college student, please don't sue me. Besides, I'm making diddly squat off this. The Matrix and many of these characters belongs to Warner Bros., Wachowski brothers and company. I'm just.....borrowing some of them for fun.
Chapter 2
*one year later*
"Hey Joe," said Catherine, dropping her backpack on the floor. She kicked off her shoes and plopped herself onto the edge of his bed.
Joe's room was starting to feel like a second home to Catherine. They started becoming friends ever since she started coming over to tutor him in math and use his computer. Mr. and Mrs. Cabalero appreciated her "helping out our Joey with his homework." Catherine really appreciated their kindness and generosity. They treated her like a member of the family, and even Joe was starting to joke that she was like the little sister he never wanted to have. In such a warm environment, Catherine started letting her guard down. She had to admit, the Cabaleros were the Italian/Hispanic version of the Brady Bunch. With her mother working nights and Catherine pretty much left alone in the house all the time, it was nice to get away and be in a family setting. Joe gave her rides to her workplace in his new hand-me-down Toyota most days, and she sometimes walked over to his house afterwards, especially if her mom was working and there was no food in the house.
"Hold up, just a sec," he said, still typing away at his study desk. Catherine went over and peered over his shoulder.
"Do you want to know your grades?" asked Joe.
"Is this what you asked me over to find out?"
"Well, sort of," he said, smiling mischievously. "Do you want to see?"
"Sure, why not. I already know what they are though."
"Viola," he gestured, triumphantly. "Feast your eyes on the product of my genius."
On the screen was the Washington Middle School registrar's list of grades for Mr. Cheney's fifth period history class. Catherine was getting a B+, just as she expected.
"Not bad," she said. "What would really impress me is if you could change that B+ to an A- without getting caught."
"No problem," he said. "How do you think I've managed to stay eligible for the basketball team?"
"Joe!" she said, smacking him on the shoulder. "I thought you really were improving."
"Relax, Smurf, I didn't change my math grade. I actually earned that one." He called her Smurf because she was a midget compared his six-foot frame. True, she was still growing and she was tall for her age, but admitting that would take all of the fun away. Besides, she hated being called that.
"Aren't you gonna ask me how I did it?" he asked.
"No, but you're probably going to tell me anyways."
"Well, if you don't want to learn from the master, midget cricket, then I won't tell you."
"Don't need you to tell me, egoist maximus. I bet I can out-hack you if you give me two weeks."
"Yeah? I'd like to see that. It took me a month just to figure out how to get into the high school's computers. You think you can hack the high school's AND the junior high's in two weeks?"
"Maybe not two weeks, but definitely faster than it took you. Give me three weeks."
"That sounds like a challenge."
"Maybe it is. What's it to you?"
Joe thought for a moment. This could definitely be interesting.
"Well, I have the SATs coming up and I know I'll need help with that. How about, if I win and you can't do it in three weeks, you'll tutor me in SAT math AND clean my room."
"Alright, and if I win?"
"I'll give you this computer."
"Serious?" She couldn't believe it. Her own computer?
"Yeah, my parents are going to get a new one with their end-of-the-year bonuses, and we weren't sure what to do with this one."
"Alright, but your computer is old. What else you got to offer?"
"How about a high chair so you can sit and type at the same time?"
"Shut up, I'm not that short," she said, laughing despite the dig.
"A footstool so your little legs can rest on something?"
"Shut up!" Smack, right upside the head.
Joe looked like he was about to fall out of his chair from laughing.
"You know you're only tall so that your body would be proportional to your ego-inflated head," feigning annoyance.
Catherine started gleaning as much information as she could from books and the computer club kids. She experimented on the computers in the high school's lab, and quickly made some headway. It was simply a matter of understanding how the system worked, having the right skills, and messing with the computer until it jumped through hoops for her. The only thing holding her back was that damned librarian always looking over her shoulder. She had to keep an eye out and be ready to switch windows discreetly, so that it would look like she was just typing an essay. She got into the high school's system after two weeks, and into the junior high system four days later. The next day, she became the proud owner of a shitty old computer and a regular-sized chair.
********************************************
Now that Catherine had her own computer, she was able to mess with it to her heart's content. Her eighth grade year went by in a blur. Most days, she'd drag herself out of bed in time to barely catch the bus to school-her mom was usually passed out on the couch from exhaustion and liquor that she stole from the bar's storage room. School would be boring, she'd just sit there and think about what she might do on the computer. The Internet was starting to become known to people who didn't have two-inch thick glasses and who couldn't program in three languages. Usually, Catherine just went through the motions of going to school, got a ride from Joe to her job as cashier at neighborhood grocery store, plastered a smile on her face until she got off from work, and went home to tool around online until she barely had enough energy to drag herself to bed. She even picked out a username for herself: Trinity. It just felt right, and it symbolized the completeness that she had always been searching for.
Joe was busy with college applications, senior parties, and his new girlfriend, Gina. That was fine with Catherine, because she was starting to establish her own identity online, pulling small hacking feats for her own amusement and sending nasty viruses (her own creations) to people who picked on her. She once created a virus she called SmurfPimp that she snuck onto Joe's computer, which caused porn pop-ups to plague him whenever he signed on. Joe retaliated with EgoFreak, which changed everything on her computer-wallpaper, screensaver, cursor, and all icons-into pictures of his face. They still hung out once a week at his house. Joe was going to be a computer science major, even though his buddies teased him about "going geek on them." Catherine was worried what would happen once he went off to college and she was still stuck in high school, feeling more trapped than ever. Joe was the only real friend she had and the Cabaleros were the closest thing to a family that she had. She knew that she'd be just fine without him, but she was going to miss him. His life was going somewhere though, and she was happy for him.
Chapter 2
*one year later*
"Hey Joe," said Catherine, dropping her backpack on the floor. She kicked off her shoes and plopped herself onto the edge of his bed.
Joe's room was starting to feel like a second home to Catherine. They started becoming friends ever since she started coming over to tutor him in math and use his computer. Mr. and Mrs. Cabalero appreciated her "helping out our Joey with his homework." Catherine really appreciated their kindness and generosity. They treated her like a member of the family, and even Joe was starting to joke that she was like the little sister he never wanted to have. In such a warm environment, Catherine started letting her guard down. She had to admit, the Cabaleros were the Italian/Hispanic version of the Brady Bunch. With her mother working nights and Catherine pretty much left alone in the house all the time, it was nice to get away and be in a family setting. Joe gave her rides to her workplace in his new hand-me-down Toyota most days, and she sometimes walked over to his house afterwards, especially if her mom was working and there was no food in the house.
"Hold up, just a sec," he said, still typing away at his study desk. Catherine went over and peered over his shoulder.
"Do you want to know your grades?" asked Joe.
"Is this what you asked me over to find out?"
"Well, sort of," he said, smiling mischievously. "Do you want to see?"
"Sure, why not. I already know what they are though."
"Viola," he gestured, triumphantly. "Feast your eyes on the product of my genius."
On the screen was the Washington Middle School registrar's list of grades for Mr. Cheney's fifth period history class. Catherine was getting a B+, just as she expected.
"Not bad," she said. "What would really impress me is if you could change that B+ to an A- without getting caught."
"No problem," he said. "How do you think I've managed to stay eligible for the basketball team?"
"Joe!" she said, smacking him on the shoulder. "I thought you really were improving."
"Relax, Smurf, I didn't change my math grade. I actually earned that one." He called her Smurf because she was a midget compared his six-foot frame. True, she was still growing and she was tall for her age, but admitting that would take all of the fun away. Besides, she hated being called that.
"Aren't you gonna ask me how I did it?" he asked.
"No, but you're probably going to tell me anyways."
"Well, if you don't want to learn from the master, midget cricket, then I won't tell you."
"Don't need you to tell me, egoist maximus. I bet I can out-hack you if you give me two weeks."
"Yeah? I'd like to see that. It took me a month just to figure out how to get into the high school's computers. You think you can hack the high school's AND the junior high's in two weeks?"
"Maybe not two weeks, but definitely faster than it took you. Give me three weeks."
"That sounds like a challenge."
"Maybe it is. What's it to you?"
Joe thought for a moment. This could definitely be interesting.
"Well, I have the SATs coming up and I know I'll need help with that. How about, if I win and you can't do it in three weeks, you'll tutor me in SAT math AND clean my room."
"Alright, and if I win?"
"I'll give you this computer."
"Serious?" She couldn't believe it. Her own computer?
"Yeah, my parents are going to get a new one with their end-of-the-year bonuses, and we weren't sure what to do with this one."
"Alright, but your computer is old. What else you got to offer?"
"How about a high chair so you can sit and type at the same time?"
"Shut up, I'm not that short," she said, laughing despite the dig.
"A footstool so your little legs can rest on something?"
"Shut up!" Smack, right upside the head.
Joe looked like he was about to fall out of his chair from laughing.
"You know you're only tall so that your body would be proportional to your ego-inflated head," feigning annoyance.
Catherine started gleaning as much information as she could from books and the computer club kids. She experimented on the computers in the high school's lab, and quickly made some headway. It was simply a matter of understanding how the system worked, having the right skills, and messing with the computer until it jumped through hoops for her. The only thing holding her back was that damned librarian always looking over her shoulder. She had to keep an eye out and be ready to switch windows discreetly, so that it would look like she was just typing an essay. She got into the high school's system after two weeks, and into the junior high system four days later. The next day, she became the proud owner of a shitty old computer and a regular-sized chair.
********************************************
Now that Catherine had her own computer, she was able to mess with it to her heart's content. Her eighth grade year went by in a blur. Most days, she'd drag herself out of bed in time to barely catch the bus to school-her mom was usually passed out on the couch from exhaustion and liquor that she stole from the bar's storage room. School would be boring, she'd just sit there and think about what she might do on the computer. The Internet was starting to become known to people who didn't have two-inch thick glasses and who couldn't program in three languages. Usually, Catherine just went through the motions of going to school, got a ride from Joe to her job as cashier at neighborhood grocery store, plastered a smile on her face until she got off from work, and went home to tool around online until she barely had enough energy to drag herself to bed. She even picked out a username for herself: Trinity. It just felt right, and it symbolized the completeness that she had always been searching for.
Joe was busy with college applications, senior parties, and his new girlfriend, Gina. That was fine with Catherine, because she was starting to establish her own identity online, pulling small hacking feats for her own amusement and sending nasty viruses (her own creations) to people who picked on her. She once created a virus she called SmurfPimp that she snuck onto Joe's computer, which caused porn pop-ups to plague him whenever he signed on. Joe retaliated with EgoFreak, which changed everything on her computer-wallpaper, screensaver, cursor, and all icons-into pictures of his face. They still hung out once a week at his house. Joe was going to be a computer science major, even though his buddies teased him about "going geek on them." Catherine was worried what would happen once he went off to college and she was still stuck in high school, feeling more trapped than ever. Joe was the only real friend she had and the Cabaleros were the closest thing to a family that she had. She knew that she'd be just fine without him, but she was going to miss him. His life was going somewhere though, and she was happy for him.