He narrowed his eyes, which were green. And sharp. “I did a year of community service. It was all expunged from my record.”
“Really?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice. “The judge was lenient?”
“I was put in a diversion program for troubled youths,” Cam explained. “Even though I’m not troubled. Not like the others. Besides, he probably went easy on me because I was hacking for good.”
“For good?”
“Well…” He leaned over the armrest and cocked his head to the side. “I can’t discuss any of it. But let’s just say the reason I hacked into the superintendent’s computer was because I knew he was embezzling funds from the school district. I collected all the evidence and turned it over to the cops. He got jail time, while I got community service.”
“Evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in court,” I said. “You’ll learn about the Fruit from the Poisonous Tree Doctrine this semester.”
“Right, it can’t be used in court,” Cam agreed. He leaned forward, brushing hair away from his eyes. “But they used my evidence to get him to take a plea deal. Either way, I don’t regret a thing. Don’t tell the judge that, though. I had to read a whole statement of remorse in court.”
Hacking for good. How about that. I suddenly saw Cam in a different light than before. “Well, don’t get caught again, no matter what your motives may be.”
“You got it, Professor.” He stood up and gave a sloppy salute. “Anything else?”
I chuckled. “Nope. That’s everything.”
“What’s so funny?”
“You just remind me of someone, is all.”
“You can’t tease me like that and withhold the details. Who do I remind you of? Come on.”
“I don’t know why, but… Han Solo. From Star Wars.”
His eyes widened, and his smile faded. “Professor. As a self-avowed nerd, you just gave me the best possible compliment on theplanet. Do you want to get dinner with me tonight?”
“I… what? No. Of course not. You’re my student. Why?”
He shrugged and that easy smile returned. “Figured I might as well shoot my shot. Thanks again for the advising. Now, I need to go deal with a basketball player.”
Before I could ask what that meant, he’d opened the door and was gone.
And then, in a flash of insight, I realized why he looked familiar.
He reminded me of a boy I knew a long time ago, when I was a teenage girl.
Alex Holland.
My first crush. He sat in front of me in Geometry, and he was in the same gym class. One day, while we were playing dodgeball, we both tripped while reaching for the same ball and tumbled to the floor together—with him on top. Over a decade later, I could still remember the way his weight felt on top of me, and the smile he wore as he got up and offered me a hand.
Cam was a dead ringer for him. Except older and more mature.
What had Cam meant about dealing with a basketball player? He’d said it like it was a chore. Or, strangely, like a parent who needed to reprimand their child for shoving another kid.
I didn’t have long to wonder about it, because there was another student waiting outside my office. And it was someone else I knew.
“Hey, Lila,” Jace said, striding into my office with a knowing smile. “I’m here for your office hours.”
6
Lila
Lila. The way my name sounded on Jace’s tongue, you’d think we were good friends.
Or more than friends.
