Hard Wired Trilogy by DeAnna Pearce (smart books to read .TXT) 📕

trip. Before she could reply, someone knocked on the door. Ari and Tessa looked at each other.

“I provided the chocolate.” Tessa pointed out.

Ari stood and pressed the code to open the door.

Marco leaned against the door frame with wet hair and his goofy grin pasted on. “Miss me?”

Ari rolled her eyes but couldn’t help her smile. “Come on in.”

“What are you gals up to?”

“Not much.”

Marco turned his attention to Tessa. “This must be the famous roommate, Tessa. Nice to finally meet you. How’s it been living with my sister?” He pasted on a huge grin as he sat on the edge of her desk.

Ari knew Tessa wasn’t his type, but that fact was irrelevant to Marco, who acted like it was his duty to flirt with all of Ari’s friends.

“I’m trying to convince Ari to go to The Grid with me for the weekend,” Tessa said.

“The Grid, huh? Not bad. You might have fun there.” He paused for a moment then turned to Ari, “Is that the problem, fun?”

Ari glared back at him. “I have fun.”

“Yeah, but do you like it?”

Ari grabbed a nearby throw pillow and threw it at him. He caught it easily.

“You could come.” Tessa offered. “My parents own a condo there.”

Ari turned to look at her roommate in surprise. This wasn’t like Tessa. It had taken more than a week for her to offer to eat with Ari.

“Anyone else coming? Or can I invite a few friends?”

“No, Marco. You’re not throwing a huge party at someone else’s condo.” Ari wasn’t going to let him take advantage of her roommate.

“Not a huge party. Just a few friends. Reed, and a couple guys from our dorm. We’ll be out most of the time anyway. Just need a place to crash.”

Ari began to protest again, but Tessa spoke over her. “Sure. Why not? I haven’t pissed off my dad yet this semester.” Tessa’s eyes glimmered with the excitement.

This wasn’t going to end well.

“Great.” Marco clapped his hands together and pushed up off Ari’s bed. “I have to go. Ari, walk me out.”

“You just got here.”

“I have loads of studying. Exams, you know. See you this weekend, Tessa.” Marco nodded in her direction and headed out the door.

Ari followed. Before they reached the elevator, Marco turned to her. “Ari, I need to borrow some money.”

I shouldn’t be surprised. She let out a long breath. This wasn’t the first time he’d borrowed money. “No.”

“Only eighty cryptos.”

“Why?”

“I owe someone, okay? Please, I know you have it.”

“How can you be so horrible with money?” Ari had already lost two hundred cryptos and wasn’t going to part with more.

They both had worked part-time jobs on and off since they were twelve. And while Ari was usually fine through the year, Marco couldn’t even make it to Christmas. He said it made for better homemade Christmas presents, but Ari had a dark feeling about where the money went.

“Please, Ari. I really need it.”

Ari paused, realizing his jovial face had fallen into something serious, almost anxious.

The elevator dinged, and two boys exited.

Marco held the elevator open with one hand. “Please?”

Her resolve crumbled. “Here’s twenty bucks and get a job.”

Marco leaned in for a quick kiss on her cheek. “I have one, remember”

She doubted after Marco’s fight with Garrett that things were going well with their underground VR ventures. “Try a legal one.”

Marco smiled, the desperation gone from his countenance. “Now where’s the fun in that?” he asked as the doors closed on him. Ari couldn’t help but worry about him, and she found it frustrating. He was the older brother, and she wished he would start acting like it.

Building up to midterms, her nerves were harder to deal with than her tests. She fell asleep in front of her computer too many times to count, and flashes of code mixed with her dreams. Fortunately, her studying paid off. She turned in her assignments on time and flew through most of tests with no problems. When Ari walked into Dr. Coleman’s VR class, Advisor Williams sat near the back of the classroom, next to Dr. Coleman’s desk. She swallowed and nodded at his steely gaze. Suddenly, Wake’s annoying glares seemed trivial. She wondered if Williams was the one behind the hack on her computer. Pressure built inside her, her chest tightening. She couldn’t afford any mistakes, especially not here.

She spent over thirty minutes in the VR, double checking every step, carefully and methodically. When she finally left the classroom, the weight on her chest lifted. She’d aced the test, or pretty close. Coleman and Williams would have nothing to complain about. She finished her last class and then spent the night with Tessa gorging on pizza and packing for their trip.

The next morning, while driving into the city, Ari began to see why everyone from school went there. It was only a couple hours from campus, and this place had everything. Unique restaurants, hotels, and clubs were squeezed into every extra inch of the city. Ari could step into a different world with every door and VR port. Pools, fountains, and even a hot air balloon promised a fun-filled weekend for whoever could afford it. Even without money, Ari was determined to enjoy it.

She tried to push Dr. Coleman, her tests, and school out of her head as Tessa pulled into a small cream colored five-story building. They left their car to park itself. An attendant came to help with the bags. With a scan of her hand and a simple code, they rode the elevator to the top floor.

“Welcome, Tessa,” a mechanical voice boomed as Tessa pushed through the front door.

“Wow.” Ari couldn’t help her open mouth as she scanned the place where she’d be for the next couple days. Her feet sank into the thick carpet and the light scent of vanilla greeted her as she took her first steps into a side of humanity she’d rarely glimpsed. Rich colors painted the walls, browns and deep reds, with chartreuse accents adorning the doorknobs