Firewall

Home > Other > Firewall > Page 6
Firewall Page 6

by Sean Rodman


  “I think it’s stupid,” says Griggs. “You’re giving up some awesome stuff.”

  Their warfighters are both perched alongside mine, in the tallest turret of the castle. We watch my army slowly empty out of the fortress and head off into the distance. Soon the mechanic will start taking apart the castle, virtual brick by virtual brick.

  “It’s the right thing to do,” I say. “This game isn’t the same anymore. Or maybe I’m different. Anyway, I don’t need it the way I used to.”

  “I guess Sudo isn’t going to be using it either.”

  “Not for a while,” I say. “Dad said it’s going to take some time for him to get through the courts. He’s at some kind of facility until they get things sorted out.”

  “Huh,” says Griggs. His warfighter scans the horizon. “You’re right. Tear it down. So, see you later?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “But not here. At school.”

  “You got it.” Griggs’s warfighter vanishes in a spray of pixels.

  Jane and I leap off the turret and land in a cloud of pixelated dust at the base of the castle. I key in the final commands and we watch as the mechanic starts disassembling the massive structure. Soon nothing will remain of the castle—just the sketches in the margins of my school notebooks.

  “What about me? When am I going to see you next?” asks Jane.

  “Soon,” I say. “I won’t make you wait around.” She cuts her connection. I take off my headset and close the laptop lid. Beside it, on my cluttered desk, is an airplane ticket to Chicago. Just for a visit. But it’s a chance to see her. In real life.

  Chapter One

  Dear Son,

  It has been a while since I wrote to you. I am sorry and will not make excuses for that. The last letter you sent to me was about how much you hate your new school. I think that I would hate it too, but your mother thinks it is the best for you. And there is not much I can do from where I am, is there?

  So all I can do is give you some good advice. I think it is a father’s job to tell you how the world is. Not what it should be. And I tell you that you must fight every single day of your life. Whether with your fists or just the way you live every day, you will have to fight for everything. I know that I have.

  And so when you wrote that you hate your new school, that is okay. In fact, I think hate is good.

  Because in the end, the winner of any fight is decided by a few small things.

  The winner is the one who doesn’t crap his pants.

  The winner takes fewer punches than the other guy.

  And the winner hates just a little bit more. And has enough control to let that hate out, hit by hit.

  Dad

  Chapter Two

  “I don’t want any trouble,” I say.

  It’s a lie.

  I’m actually kind of hoping the bald guy makes the first move. It’s been one of my bad days, where my skin doesn’t feel like it fits. Like I’m just waiting for someone to come at me. I’m edgy. Pissed off. Looking for a fight. And I found one—this over-muscled chrome dome shoving around a skinny kid with glasses in front of the convenience store.

  The bald guy in the Lakers jersey looks slowly over his shoulder at me and then snorts. He exaggerates letting go of his victim—his fingers snap open to release the kid with glasses. The kid’s wearing the same uniform as me. The uniform of Norfolk Academy.

  Bald guy swaggers toward me. “What, you standing up for him? Private-school code of honor?” He laughs and shakes his head. “Would be funny, except your friend Jonathan here owes me money. So, you step off and let me finish my business.”

  “Mason,” says the victim—Jonathan—from behind him. “Take it easy, bro. We can sort—”

  I stand my ground. “Know what? I don’t know him and I don’t know you. And I don’t care what your business is with him. But you don’t do it on the street in front of me.”

  “Or what? You gonna get your nice white shirt all dirty?” Mason gives me a shove, both hands on my chest. I stumble and then come back fast. Push him with one hand on his Lakers jersey. He doesn’t move, but his expression darkens. Game on.

  Sean Rodman’s interest in writing for teenagers came out of working at schools around the world. In Australia, he taught ancient history to future Olympic athletes. Closer to home, he worked with students from over 100 countries at a nonprofit international school. He is currently the executive director of the Story Studio Writing Society, a charity dedicated to unleashing the creativity of young writers and improving literacy. Sean lives in Victoria, British Columbia. For more information,visit www.srodman.com.

  Titles in the Series

  Another Miserable Love Song

  Brooke Carter

  B Negative

  Vicki Grant

  Back

  Norah McClintock

  Bang

  Norah McClintock

  Battle of the Bands

  K.L. Denman

  Big Guy

  Robin Stevenson

  Bike Thief

  Rita Feutl

  Blue Moon

  Marilyn Halvorson

  Breaking Point

  Lesley Choyce

  Breathing Fire

  Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang

  Breathless

  Pam Withers

  Bull Rider

  Marilyn Halvorson

  Bull’s Eye

  Sarah N. Harvey

  Caged

  Norah McClintock

  Cellular

  Ellen Schwartz

  Charmed

  Carrie Mac

  Chill

  Colin Frizzell

  Comeback

  Vicki Grant

  Coming Clean

  Jeff Ross

  Crash

  Lesley Choyce

  Crush

  Carrie Mac

  Cuts Like a Knife

  Darlene Ryan

  Damage

  Robin Stevenson

  A Dark Truth

  Jeff Ross

  The Darwin Expedition

  Diane Tullson

  Dead-End Job

  Vicki Grant

  Deadly

  Sarah N. Harvey

  Dead Run

  Sean Rodman

  Death Wind

  William Bell

  Desert Slam

  Steven Barwin

  Down

  Norah McClintock

  Enough

  Mary Jennifer Payne

  Exit Point

  Laura Langston

  Exposure

  Patricia Murdoch

  Fallout

  Nikki Tate

  Fastback Beach

  Shirlee Smith Matheson

  Final Crossing

  Sean Rodman

  Firewall

  Sean Rodman

  First Time

  Meg Tilly

  Foolproof

  Diane Tullson

  Grind

  Eric Walters

  Hannah’s Touch

  Laura Langston

  Heavy Freight

  Sigmund Brouwer

  The Hemingway Tradition

  Kristin Butcher

  Hit Squad

  James Heneghan

  Homecoming

  Diane Dakers

  Home Invasion

  Monique Polak

  House Party

  Eric Walters

  I.D.

  Vicki Grant

  Identify

  Lesley Choyce

  Impact

  James C. Dekker

  Infiltration

  Sean Rodman

  In Plain Sight

  Laura Langston

  In the Woods

  Robin Stevenson

  Jacked

  Carrie Mac

  Juice

  Eric Walters

  Kicked Out

  Beth Goobie

  Knifepoint

  Alex Van Tol

  Last Ride

  Laura Langston

  Learning to Fly

>   Paul Yee

  Lockdown

  Diane Tullson

  Masked

  Norah McClintock

  Middle Row

  Sylvia Olsen

  My Side

  Norah McClintock

  My Time as Caz Hazard

  Tanya Lloyd Kyi

  Night Terrors

  Sean Rodman

  No More Pranks

  Monique Polak

  No Problem

  Dayle Campbell Gaetz

  Off the Grid

  Lesley Choyce

  One More Step

  Sheree Fitch

  One Way

  Norah McClintock

  Outback

  Robin Stevenson

  Overdrive

  Eric Walters

  Pain & Wastings

  Carrie Mac

  Picture This

  Norah McClintock

  Pinch Me

  Gabrielle Prendergast

  Plastic

  Sarah N. Harvey

  Rat

  Lesley Choyce

  Reaction

  Lesley Choyce

  Redline

  Alex Van Tol

  Refuge Cove

  Lesley Choyce

  Responsible

  Darlene Ryan

  Riley Park

  Diane Tullson

  Riot Act

  Diane Tullson

  River Traffic

  Martha Brack Martin

  Rock Star

  Adrian Chamberlain

  Running the Risk

  Lesley Choyce

  Saving Grace

  Darlene Ryan

  Scam

  Lesley Choyce

  Scum

  James C. Dekker

  Sea Change

  Diane Tullson

  Shallow Grave

  Alex Van Tol

  Shattered

  Sarah N. Harvey

  Skylark

  Sara Cassidy

  Sleight of Hand

  Natasha Deen

  Snitch

  Norah McClintock

  Something Girl

  Beth Goobie

  Spiral

  K.L. Denman

  Sticks and Stones

  Beth Goobie

  Stuffed

  Eric Walters

  Tagged

  Eric Walters

  Tap Out

  Sean Rodman

  Tell

  Norah McClintock

  The Way Back

  Carrie Mac

  Thunderbowl

  Lesley Choyce

  Tough Trails

  Irene Morck

  Triggered

  Vicki Grant

  The Trouble with Liberty

  Kristin Butcher

  Truth

  Tanya Lloyd Kyi

  Under Threat

  Robin Stevenson

  Up North

  Jeff Ross

  Viral

  Alex Van Tol

  Wave Warrior

  Lesley Choyce

  The Way Back

  Carrie Mac

  Who Owns Kelly Paddik?

  Beth Goobie

  Yellow Line

  Sylvia Olsen

  Zee’s Way

  Kristin Butcher

 

 

 


‹ Prev