The Sellout
The Sellout
Shelly was wrapping up a video call with Al when her phone buzzed on the desk. Not her watch. Em never used the emergency override unless it was serious. She unlocked the screen: "Shot shop… pissed!"
Her posture shifted. Al noticed. She closed the shared document quickly. "Well, that's all I've got. It's Em. Don't know what it's about, but it feels important."
Al was alone on her screen now. "Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. She's got a lot on her plate this semester, and we've got our eyes on her for the project." "Yeah," Shelly said, her voice tight. "She's a special one. I'll make sure she's okay, but she has to do the rest. I'll ping you later." They waved at their screens. Shelly locked her computer, grabbed her keys, and headed out. No follow-up texts came. That's how Shelly knew it was serious. When Shelly pushed through the door of the Shot Shop, it was louder than the street outside. The usual regulars worked in focused silence, headphones on, laptops glowing. But a table of cackling Karen's yelled over each other like they were competing for volume. Dale greeted Shelly with a quick hug, clearly delaying his approach to the table of Karen's. "Who told them about this place?" she asked. "Who knows. Your sister's in her usual cubby hole, facing the door." He nodded toward the back. "Let me go handle this." Shelly scanned the café and found Em: motionless, staring at her laptop. Not typing. Not scrolling. Just staring. That's how Shelly knew she was furious. Yves sat across from her, absorbed in a game on his phone, completely oblivious. Anyone walking by would think Em was mad at him. "Shells!" Yves jumped up and bear-hugged her, lifting her off the ground. Em didn't look up. He kissed Shelly's cheek.
"Want your usual? Extra spicy chai, espresso on the side?" He was already heading to the counter before she could answer. Without looking up from her laptop, Em said, "Sit." Shelly dropped into the chair. Fortunately, there was one under her. She leaned back, blocking out the café noise, and said, "Speak." "You know… I really looked up to that piece of shit! He was the best. THE BEST! And I wanted nothing more than to be like him. NO! I wanted to be better, and now, NOW… FUCK HIM!" She yelled that last part at the top of her lungs and even the espresso machine stopped hissing. "Not ME, I'm safe," Yves called from the counter as he finished paying for Shells' order. The payment terminal beeped approval, and everyone else went back to their conversations. Luckily, the cackling paused a bit longer too. "Okay, Em. What the hell are you talking about?" Shelly knew her baby sister better than anyone. Matching Em's energy now would only fuel it. A parallel thought raced through her mind: Yves… I freaking love that man. This is my future brother, and I love him for getting Em so much she shows this side around him. "Professor Simmons. FUCK HIM AND THE KEYBOARD HE TYPED ON!" Yves returned and sat down. "University promoted him to Dean." Shelly asked why that was a bad thing, and that question was the worst she could have asked. "He was supposed to finish this semester as my professor! He was supposed to go back into the field after this! Teaching wasn't even fulfilling to him. He loves the hack, the tests, what we do! He told us he wanted to make a change in the way things were done. That he was going to be the one who changed the industry, but now he's selling out and becoming more of an academic. HOW CAN YOU CHANGE THINGS FROM INSIDE AN OFFICE?!" To Shelly, the irony of that statement was almost comical, and she would have laughed if the server hadn't shown up with the drinks. "Ryan also sent this chamomile lavender-lychee for you, Em." The server slid the drink to Em with a caring look. Yves was licking mini marshmallows off his hot chocolate in obvious avoidance of the topic. "Em, I get it. Simms was the man. He's the only professor in university history to be a former prisoner. He's also super-hot. Not that she's into him, Yves." "Nah, dude got pull." "Just because he's doing this doesn't mean he's a sellout." Still angry but distracted by how good the drink was, Em squinted to show she wanted to hear more but wasn't stopping mid-sip to say so. "Em, there's a lot about my job I can't tell you while you're still a student. But as your sister and the youngest head in the university's history, please trust me. We have all of his students' best interests in mind. He has to finish the next two semesters before starting official Dean duties." Em relaxed. She forced Yves to try the drink, and when he took it from her, she slumped in her seat, pouting. "But he's still a sellout." "He's an adult who made a choice. I'm sure the people he worked for called him the same when he didn't go back underground after he was released. But if he hadn't straightened up, you never would have learned from him." "Shells, it's just that there was… DAMN THIS IS GOOD! Right!?" Em shoved the drink at Yves again. "Ew, no. Both your lips were on that." The three laughed. Em yelled, "SEE? IT'S POSSIBLE TO LAUGH WITHOUT INTERRUPTING EVERYONE!" Then they and others around them burst into another round of laughter. Shelly's watch buzzed. A message from A. Simmons: "She good?" She glanced at Em, now wrestling Yves for the last sip. Taking her phone from her pocket, she replied, "Yeah... for all of it." She hit send, picked up her chai, took a sip, then looked at Dale, who was walking into the back office where you could catch a glimpse of the server racks if you knew what to look for. He seemed to sense her attention and nodded back with a knowing smile.
Al was alone on her screen now. "Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. She's got a lot on her plate this semester, and we've got our eyes on her for the project." "Yeah," Shelly said, her voice tight. "She's a special one. I'll make sure she's okay, but she has to do the rest. I'll ping you later." They waved at their screens. Shelly locked her computer, grabbed her keys, and headed out. No follow-up texts came. That's how Shelly knew it was serious. When Shelly pushed through the door of the Shot Shop, it was louder than the street outside. The usual regulars worked in focused silence, headphones on, laptops glowing. But a table of cackling Karen's yelled over each other like they were competing for volume. Dale greeted Shelly with a quick hug, clearly delaying his approach to the table of Karen's. "Who told them about this place?" she asked. "Who knows. Your sister's in her usual cubby hole, facing the door." He nodded toward the back. "Let me go handle this." Shelly scanned the café and found Em: motionless, staring at her laptop. Not typing. Not scrolling. Just staring. That's how Shelly knew she was furious. Yves sat across from her, absorbed in a game on his phone, completely oblivious. Anyone walking by would think Em was mad at him. "Shells!" Yves jumped up and bear-hugged her, lifting her off the ground. Em didn't look up. He kissed Shelly's cheek.
"Want your usual? Extra spicy chai, espresso on the side?" He was already heading to the counter before she could answer. Without looking up from her laptop, Em said, "Sit." Shelly dropped into the chair. Fortunately, there was one under her. She leaned back, blocking out the café noise, and said, "Speak." "You know… I really looked up to that piece of shit! He was the best. THE BEST! And I wanted nothing more than to be like him. NO! I wanted to be better, and now, NOW… FUCK HIM!" She yelled that last part at the top of her lungs and even the espresso machine stopped hissing. "Not ME, I'm safe," Yves called from the counter as he finished paying for Shells' order. The payment terminal beeped approval, and everyone else went back to their conversations. Luckily, the cackling paused a bit longer too. "Okay, Em. What the hell are you talking about?" Shelly knew her baby sister better than anyone. Matching Em's energy now would only fuel it. A parallel thought raced through her mind: Yves… I freaking love that man. This is my future brother, and I love him for getting Em so much she shows this side around him. "Professor Simmons. FUCK HIM AND THE KEYBOARD HE TYPED ON!" Yves returned and sat down. "University promoted him to Dean." Shelly asked why that was a bad thing, and that question was the worst she could have asked. "He was supposed to finish this semester as my professor! He was supposed to go back into the field after this! Teaching wasn't even fulfilling to him. He loves the hack, the tests, what we do! He told us he wanted to make a change in the way things were done. That he was going to be the one who changed the industry, but now he's selling out and becoming more of an academic. HOW CAN YOU CHANGE THINGS FROM INSIDE AN OFFICE?!" To Shelly, the irony of that statement was almost comical, and she would have laughed if the server hadn't shown up with the drinks. "Ryan also sent this chamomile lavender-lychee for you, Em." The server slid the drink to Em with a caring look. Yves was licking mini marshmallows off his hot chocolate in obvious avoidance of the topic. "Em, I get it. Simms was the man. He's the only professor in university history to be a former prisoner. He's also super-hot. Not that she's into him, Yves." "Nah, dude got pull." "Just because he's doing this doesn't mean he's a sellout." Still angry but distracted by how good the drink was, Em squinted to show she wanted to hear more but wasn't stopping mid-sip to say so. "Em, there's a lot about my job I can't tell you while you're still a student. But as your sister and the youngest head in the university's history, please trust me. We have all of his students' best interests in mind. He has to finish the next two semesters before starting official Dean duties." Em relaxed. She forced Yves to try the drink, and when he took it from her, she slumped in her seat, pouting. "But he's still a sellout." "He's an adult who made a choice. I'm sure the people he worked for called him the same when he didn't go back underground after he was released. But if he hadn't straightened up, you never would have learned from him." "Shells, it's just that there was… DAMN THIS IS GOOD! Right!?" Em shoved the drink at Yves again. "Ew, no. Both your lips were on that." The three laughed. Em yelled, "SEE? IT'S POSSIBLE TO LAUGH WITHOUT INTERRUPTING EVERYONE!" Then they and others around them burst into another round of laughter. Shelly's watch buzzed. A message from A. Simmons: "She good?" She glanced at Em, now wrestling Yves for the last sip. Taking her phone from her pocket, she replied, "Yeah... for all of it." She hit send, picked up her chai, took a sip, then looked at Dale, who was walking into the back office where you could catch a glimpse of the server racks if you knew what to look for. He seemed to sense her attention and nodded back with a knowing smile.