Westview Middle School, 7:48 AM
The morning sun painted streaks of orange across the sleepy town of Westview. Birds chirped. Cars honked. Somewhere in the suburbs, a toaster set off smoke alarms.
And at the bus stop, Leo Foster, now 14, straightened his hoodie and adjusted his backpack like he was heading into battle.
He turned to his best friend, who was currently typing furiously on a cracked tablet while balancing a mini drone on his knee.
"Hey, man. Ready for school?" Leo asked with a tired smile.
Jeasus didn't look up.
"Did you know the government tracks 80% of what we search, even in Incognito Mode? I swear, I looked up 'how to fix a toaster' last night and now my YouTube is recommending military-grade flamethrowers."
Leo laughed. "That's cause you also searched 'how to build one' last week."
Jeasus grinned, finally meeting Leo's eyes. "True. But still. Feels personal."
