Strong For Too Long Trilogy ✔️

03. Collaborative Introductions

CHAPTER 3: Collaborative Introductions

I hmm mindlessly to the music playing in my earphones as I try with extensive boredom not to fall asleep in class, when a hand swipes the ear phones from my ears and I see a disgruntled Mr Pierce leaning on my lab table, glaring down at me.

"Why are you listening to music in the middle of my class?"

"Why are you teaching in the middle of my music session?"

A round of laughter hits the classroom as I stare straight into Mr Pierce's slightly amused caramel-grey eyes, he smiles, shaking his head before tilting my desktop towards him and taking a look at what I'd been doing. The hidden screen of the icon below, in blue print is me trying to hack into his laptop. It's been three weeks now, of the exact same stuff he'd make me work on. My first session was hacking in and out of hotel units that were programmed to look as though we were hacking into a real hotel.

Another online practise session involved further drug trafficking used on an Xbox game. I had the ability to kill forty-three zombies in Call of Duty, whilst using a game hack to un-riddle each clue in stopping the drugs from being bought.

Next, I was told to look into a few drug deals that were supposed to be deposited into the country at London's airports. I'd put word out to recognise the carriers and stop them at the airport. When he told me it was in fact real, and I wasn't in a sim, I didn't speak to him for a good three days.

The bell rings for next class, but, right when I'm about to log out of the screen, I screech when he suddenly rears a dagger, stabbing it in between my fingers, I feel the blade scratch the skin on the side of both my fingers and I gasp, pulling my hand back.

Only a drop of blood slips between my index and middle finger as I glare up at him, he slams a hand on the back of my desk chair, "You play around in my class again and I'll bring bricks down on you for the rest of your stay here. You're here to learn, young lady and because you remind me so much of myself, I'm giving you a chance!" He stresses to me, eyes wide and lips pursed in anger.

My eyes concentrate on his, "I've never failed any task you've given me." I tell him, as a matter of factly and he rips himself from my table, just as the door opens and he quits his pacing.

I don't see who it is when suddenly I hear Reynolds' voice, "Mr Pierce, you asked for us." I swipe the dagger back from the table.

"Give me a minute." He says to them before gesturing I come towards him. I slowly slip off my seat before my peripheral vision picks up on the group behind him. A team of harsh exteriors as they stand in dark coloured mufti of their choice. The larger one, perhaps only an inch taller than Reynolds stands on the side, leaning on the desk as he rifles through what looks to be a lengthy file. They stand behind Pierce but, I refuse to make eye contact when I slowly move forward and he places another laptop before me, in my hands.

He points down to it and leans in so his head is close to mine, eyes level with mine, "You can complete these exercises then, we'll talk more about further arrangements." He stops me from protesting when he whispers lowly, "You don't want other teachers figuring out you hacked into the school accounts, do you?"

I ignore the sharp eyes, the gaze that seems to penetrate my profile very slowly, as if dragging along when I notice Madison is in the room, as she screeches, "What the hell is she doing in this class?"

"She's technically suppose to be in Combat training?" Reynolds whispers and Pierce snaps his head at them for a moment.

"Would you all shut up, for a damn minute?" He snaps.

Pierce grabs my shoulder, turning back to me and forcing me to look back into his eyes, "Are you blackmailing me?" I whisper with a scowl and he blocks me from the others by moving slightly , as he matches my scowl for his own.