Chapter 10 – "Logic & Lunacy"
Veronica had always been dramatic—but useful dramatic. The kind that could cry over a dead phone battery and simultaneously hotwire a backup.
So when her parents took her main phone—the one with the sacred SIM—and handed her a spare phone that looked like it belonged in a tech museum, she didn't despair. Okay, maybe a little. But mostly, she plotted.
They underestimated her.
They thought the spare phone was just a dusty relic. A blank slate. A brick with Wi-Fi.
They didn't realize that Veronica had watched enough heist movies to stage her own SIM rescue.
As soon as her dad mentioned he might disable the number permanently, she morphed into a stealth ninja at 2 a.m. She pulled out a bobby pin like it was Mission Impossible and surgically removed the SIM from her confiscated phone. She slid it into the spare like a key into a vault.
Signal bars.Group chats.Sweet, sweet memes.
It was like Frankenstein's monster came to life but instead of "IT'S ALIVE!" she whispered, "I'm back, people tremble."
Of course, she couldn't let her parents catch on. So when her dad said, "Maybe we'll shut off the SIM completely," she hit him with the ultimate counter-attack:
A printed 200-page PDF of study notes, stapled, organized, and terrifying.
"I need to contact my teacher for doubt-clearing. These are entrance-level notes," she said, wielding the packet like a legal weapon.
Her dad blinked at it. Then blinked again.
He sighed. "Fine. But no funny business."
If only he knew her entire life was funny business.
That night, she curled up in bed again, victorious. One SIM, fully operational. One spare phone, no longer useless. The soft light of the screen was her favorite kind of glow—late night, a little chaotic, and definitely emotional.
She opened Vance's chat.
Mr. Batman.
Still online, obviously. Probably coding an AI while solving quantum physics and ignoring sleep like it was optional.
So, like any reasonable person at midnight, she sent him a question out of nowhere.
Veronica:"If you had to go to a deserted island, what 3 things would you take?"
There was a pause.
Vance:"Water. Food. Knife."
She blinked.
Veronica:"…You're so… functional."
Vance:"You asked a survival question. what did you expect me to say?"
Veronica:"I don't know, maybe a book, sunscreen, and a Bluetooth speaker for dramatic beach moments?"
Vance:"I thought we were talking bout survival"
Vance:"I'd rather not die of starvation while reading Harry Potter for the 6th time."
She sighed. Logical. Unshakably so.
Veronica:"Fine. New question.If you could have three superpowers, what would you pick?"
This time he took longer. She imagined he was mid-keystroke in his code, running background tasks in his head while mentally calculating power dynamics.
Vance:"Matter manipulation. Mental control. Time freeze."
Veronica:"…You're literally building a supervillain loadout."
Vance:"They're efficient. I could rebuild cities, defuse conflicts, pause time to work without deadlines."
Veronica:"Can you also pause time and teach me integration?"
Vance:"No, but I can send you a playlist."
Veronica:"ohh what kind?"
Vance:"Carti off course. I am carti s evil twin and Tame Impala"
Veronica: lmao i should have predicted that mr batman.
Vance:indeed
Veronica:"Okay okay last one.If you could stay one age forever, what age would you pick?"
His reply came quicker this time.
Vance:"21."
Veronica:"Why?"
Vance:"Brain fully developed. Legal autonomy. Young enough to adapt. Old enough to be respected. Perfect balance of growth and stability."
Veronica:"Bro. It's just a question, not your PhD defense."
Vance:"You asked. I answered."
Veronica:"what are you ? i have asked many people such question not one answers like you"
Vance:"Thanks?"
Veronica:"you are welcome.Your logical answers to absurd questions never fails to amaze me"
He didn't reply for a moment."Thank you."
Later, she texted Sherlock and Josh—the chaos duo who never disappointed.
Sherlock, her sarcastic soulmate in the U.S., and Josh, his American best friend who had slowly become part of Veronica's own emotional support group.
Veronica:"SIM heist complete. Network: online.Mood: villain arc active."
Sherlock:"You worry me."
Josh:"Should we call Netflix? You sound like a one-season limited series."
Veronica:"Season 1 finale: I pretend to study but am secretly building an empire."
Sherlock:"Make me CEO. I can yell at interns."
Josh:"I'll be in charge of background music."
Veronica:"You guys are the weirdest board of directors ever."
Eventually, she wandered back to her chat with Vance.
Veronica:"You're coding while answering these, aren't you?"
Vance:"Yes. Also reviewing rotational motion."
Veronica:"I'm literally asking you if you'd fight a bear with a spoon and you're solving torque?"
Vance:"Multitasking. Call it academic survival."
veronica:"alright then continue i am not going to disturb your coding."
Vance:"nono i can easily anwer while coding"
veronica:"my bad i forgot the multitasking batman you are"
Vance:"its okay"
She smiled, watching the dots dance on the screen again.
Veronica:"You're not like the others, you know."
Vance:"How?"
Veronica:"You answer my stupidity like it's a board exam. Makes me want to keep asking more."
Vance:"Then keep asking."
And she did. Until the night stretched long. Until the chaos in her head stilled. Until the world outside her Wi-Fi bubble faded, and only one thing felt real:
Late-night logic. Dumb questions. His voice behind the words. Her heart, caught in between the lines.