Veneer by Daniel Verastiqui Read Free Book Online Page B

each locker came equipped with a portal on the front that displayed the student’s class schedule, lest they forget. But a central database provided that image, meaning all Rosalia had to do was find a way in, change the schedules to her shop, and bingo, instant saturation. She smiled thinly, already imagining the glorious fallout.
    Of course, it was all easier said than done. She already knew that the central server was only accessible via palette as an interactive menu system. To even bring up the menu, she would need a faculty ID card, which most teachers pinned to their shirt or hung around their necks. She wanted to help Deron, but stealing a card from a teacher would be too risky.
    “Never mind,” she said, dropping her palette onto the desk.
    “What's the matter?”
    “I need an ID card to get into the server.” When Ilya didn't flash recognition, she added, “Only teachers have them.”
    Ilya nodded and looked away. Tiny lines on her forehead danced, until finally she whispered, “Do subs have cards?”
    “Probably...” Rosalia followed Ilya’s gaze to the front of the room. There, in the corner of the sub’s desk, was an ID card on a lanyard. “But how?”
    “Don’t worry,” said Ilya, reaching for her blouse. She dragged her finger down the seam and popped three of the buttons.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Come on, bring your palette.” Ilya slid off her chair and started towards the front of the room.
    Rosalia hesitated, but the smile on Ilya’s face was too inviting. She stood and followed, clasping her palette to her chest. When they reached the sub’s desk, she circled around to the left while Ilya stood dead center and leaned over at the waist.
    “Can you help us with this problem?” asked Ilya, sliding her palette across the desk.
    From her vantage point, Rosalia could see Ilya’s breasts spilling out of her shirt, though it was clear the bra was doing most of the work. The sub barely glanced at the math problem before his gaze fell on the free show in front of him. He stammered out a useless explanation, pausing every time his eyes got lost in Ilya’s naturally occurring parabolas.
    Rosalia took the opportunity to place her palette on its side on the desk, shielding the ID card from the sub’s view. While Ilya flirted, she concentrated on moving the plastic strip to the reader on the front of her palette. With one quick motion, she scanned the card. After a moment, the sub’s picture appeared, followed by an Access Granted message. Setting the card back on the desk, Rosalia cradled her palette in her arms and cleared her throat.
    “Oh,” said Ilya, feigning an epiphany, “we were supposed to take the derivative here, right?” The sub looked up at her, annoyed to have his attention diverted.
    Rosalia thanked the sub for his help and Ilya took the opportunity to straighten up. Together, they hurried back to their desks.
    “Not bad,” said Rosalia. “You’re kind of a slut when you want to be, huh?”
    “When you’ve got it,” she replied, sticking her chest out a little.
    With the faculty menu glowing on her palette, Rosalia attacked the system in earnest. All it took was a little thought about the personal pastimes of Principal Ficcone to break in. Once in the database, she reconciled her shop and overwrote every schedule. Even though a knot formed in her stomach, she couldn’t help but feel pleased with herself.
    “It’s child porn, you know that, right?”
    Rosalia looked at Ilya, confused.
    “Russo and Jalay are still minors,” she explained.
    After considering that for a moment, Rosalia replied, “Well, that’s bad news for a certain substitute teacher, isn’t it?” She shook her head. “They really should do background checks on these people.”
    “Don’t you think that’s kinda harsh?”
    With forced solemnity, she replied, “In every war, there are casualties. Even the noblest of men must be sacrificed for the good of the whole.”
    “I