Pep Squad by Eileen O'Hely Page B

Jess.
    â€˜Only if you get caught. And I’ve never been caught,’ said Ben, smiling deviously.
    â€˜What are you, some kind of überhacker?’ Emily asked.
    â€˜He’s a genius,’ said Matt. ‘He can break into anything.’
    â€˜ Almost anything,’ said Ben somewhat sheepishly. ‘Couldn’t find any trace of P.E.P. Squad online. Even trying to do a reverse trace through Facebook got me nowhere.’
    â€˜And the hacking challenge …?’ prompted Jess.
    â€˜Oh, right. It was tough, but I managed to break into this supposed supercomputer, and all I could find on it were details about me and Matt.’
    â€˜What sort of stuff?’ asked Emily.
    â€˜Academic records, our business …’
    â€˜You’ve got your own business?’
    â€˜Ever heard of BMgaming?’ asked Matt.
    â€˜ Racing Demons – of course! You’re not … Wow!’
    â€˜What’s Racing Demons ?’ asked Jess.
    â€˜Come on! You must have heard of it. It’s my favourite game of all time,’ said Emily.
    The three of them looked at Jess, forks poised in front of their mouths.
    â€˜What can I say? I’m not a gamer,’ said Jess. ‘What’s so special about it?’
    â€˜It’s the highest-selling product our company makes,’ said Matt.
    â€˜It’s the highest-selling product any gaming company makes,’ said Emily. ‘Did you guys write it?’
    â€˜We both worked on the storyline, Matt did the graphics and I did the real programming,’ said Ben.
    â€˜Sounds like you’re the brains of the outfit,’ said Emily. ‘Is he here as some sort of pet?’
    â€˜That’s a bit harsh!’ said Matt.
    Jess fought back a smile. Emily’s sense of humour was quite funny when she wasn’t on the receiving end of it.
    â€˜I think he’s the one who got me in, actually,’ said Ben. ‘Matt’s held the title of Kuwaiti under-eighteen wrestling champion continuously since he was twelve. He’s a machine in the ring.’
    â€˜I’ll bet he is,’ said Emily. ‘But back to your hacking the supercomputer …’
    â€˜Oh, right. Well, I must have passed the first round because Ms Pimsleur came up to us at GameCon and got us to play that game–’
    â€˜What game?’ asked Emily.
    â€˜The one in the VR cell with the gunmen on the roof,’ said Ben.
    â€˜Didn’t you play it?’ asked Jess.
    â€˜I didn’t play any game. I was offered a scholarship here after I won the South African Go-Karting Constructathon for the second year running. I guess dodging bullets is the same as dodging other racers in home-made go-karts.’ Emily shrugged, then flashed a grin. ‘Plus, I’m really smart. But my therapist says I need to work on my interpersonal skills.’
    â€˜You have a therapist?’ said Matt.
    â€˜If you were the only girl in a family of six older brothers, you’d need a therapist too,’ said Emily, matter-of-factly.
    â€˜What about you, Jess?’ asked Ben.
    â€˜Gosh, I’m nothing like you guys,’ said Jess awkwardly. ‘I don’t own a company or win national championships or anything. Lieutenant Parry just came to my school posing as an exam supervisor.’
    â€˜But why did he choose you? What’s your special skill?’ asked Emily.
    â€˜I don’t know. I do OK at interschool sports, and I get top marks all the time.’
    â€˜Yeah, we heard. In fact, I think the whole canteen heard,’ said Matt.
    â€˜Refectory,’ corrected Ben.
    â€˜Whatever.’
    â€˜Well, I’m glad you’re here,’ said Emily.
    Jess was so stunned that Emily had paid her a compliment that her mouthful of lasagne tumbled back out onto her plate.
    â€˜Although maybe one of those Swiss finishing schools could also have been a good choice,’ laughed Emily.
    Jess looked across at