Devil Incarnate (Boys of Preston Prep #4) - Angel Lawson Page 0,131

do that—set a password or a pin. Sometimes even puzzles.”

I look around at all the lab bays, shifting. “I don’t have a computer, and I don’t have the time to learn a program. Plus, I need something a little more sophisticated than a simple password.”

His forehead creases. “Sophisticated how?”

This had kept me up for a lot of the night. Without a phone or any access to the internet in my apartment, I hadn’t been able to properly research. “Something that lets it open once without any kind of block, but after that, it’s locked down.”

He pulls a face. “Yeah, that’s tough.”

My jaw clenches as I watch him, barely paying me any attention. “Can you do it?”

Finally, he stops typing, turning to regard me. “You want me to encrypt a file for you.”

I bite back a smart remark. “Yes.”

Oswald watches me, head tilting. “I’ll do it.”

“Yeah?” Well, that was easy. I pause. “Why?”

He frowns. “Why? You asked me to do it. Now you want me to justify it?”

I shrug and drop into the seat next to him. “I forgot you’re new. People around Preston don’t usually do stuff without a catch.”

“Oh.” he laughs. “Well, here’s a why. My father loathes you. Like, he probably has a five-hundred-page manifesto written about you and your friends and how you’re the scourge of the earth. If he knew I was doing you a favor, he’d lose his shit.”

That much I understand. I fish the USB out of my pocket. “I can guarantee that your father would go ballistic if he knew we were even breathing the same air.”

Ozzy plucks the drive out of my fingers and slides it into the computer. I reach out and wrap my fingers around his wrist. “You can’t watch it.”

His eyebrow raises. “Okay.”

“Or tell anyone you did this for me.” He nods and I release my grip. “It’s nothing illegal,” I add hastily, “but it’s personal.”

“Gotcha.” His fingers work quickly, typing in more of the gibberish. “It’ll take an hour or so.”

I bend over, open my bag and pulling out a bag of chips. Pinching the top together, I open it at the seam. “No problem.” I pop a chip in my mouth. “I can wait, and if you need to go to class, I can give you a pass.”

This teacher gig has its perks.

I eat while he works, opening my phone and scrolling through my social media. When my snack is gone, I trash the bag and say, “So I hear you’re going to the Deb thing with Haynes.”

His nose scrunches. “Yeah.”

“You like her?”

“Georgia?” He throws me a quick look. “Uh, she’s nice and I’m happy to go, but she’s not really my type.”

I snort. Georgia is every teenage boy’s type. Unless… “Wait. Are you gay?”

“Huh?” The clickity-clack of the keys pause and he looks up at me in surprise. “No.” He spots my arched eyebrow. “Seriously, no. I’m not gay.”

“Then how is Haynes not your type?” Big tits, thick ass, puffy lips…

He continues working. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s sexy and fun, but…I don’t know, there’s no spark there.”

I stare at him. “Spark.”

“Yeah, you know. That chemistry that flickers between you and a girl you’re really into.”

“So you are gay.”

“Jesus.” He shakes his head. “Look, I’ve heard the rumors about Georgia, that she’s...easy. But that’s not my thing.”

“You’re telling me you’re not tempted by a sure thing?”

“Not really.” He shrugs and frowns at the screen, focusing for a moment. “There’s something awesome about being with a girl you’re really into—not just for sex.”

I don’t know where Oswald went to school before this, but he is clearly not Preston Made, and he obviously doesn’t have the stomach to be a Devil. Not with this kind of mushy, romantic bullshit.

“Well, you’ll be too busy with your escort duties to worry about getting up her crinoline, anyway. Trust me.”

“You’ve been to one of these?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Any tips? I have no fucking clue what I’m getting myself into.”

I dig into my bag again and pull out a pack of crackers. “First of all, do exactly what you’re told. Wear the tux, show up on time, and comb your hair, or else some mother hen will harass your ass about it for an hour. Then, stay away from the bar.” I shake my head at the memory. “You’d think that a drink to take the edge off would be encouraged, but it’s not.”

His upper lip quirks. “Okay. Anything else?”

“The girls wear these super virginal, ridiculous gowns that cover everything but their tits. Those