In the lab, Adam, Leo and Harper were setting up the pins for bionic bowling. Adam was already dressed in his bowling attire, including the shoes. The three of them were waiting for Bree and Chase to return from work.

Bree and Chase just started their new jobs at the same place a couple of days ago after a disagreement between them. Bree wanted some space away from her brothers, while Chase wanted to work at Tech Town because he felt it was the only place where his genius was appreciated.

"Hey guys, check it out. We just got our first paychecks from Tech Town." Chase boasted as he walked into the lab, holding up the envelope.

"Nice! What are you going to spend it on? A video game? New kicks?" Leo asked, rolling up his sleeves and nudged Chase. "A birthday gift for a sibling who wants a video game and new kicks?"

Chase shook his head and took a deep breath, smiling. "Nope. I'm gonna open a savings account."

Everyone except Harper gave him disapproving looks.

"I want to like you, but you make it so hard." Bree said, patting Chase on his back.

Harper pursed her lips and shrugged. "Well, actually it's a smart idea. Saving at an early age could set you up for a secure future, without needing to move back in with your parents to save for your first home deposit."

"Thank you, Harper. That's why you're my favorite." Chase said with a smile as he walked over and planted a kiss on her cheek. He then pulled out his new phone from his pocket. "The job also comes with perks."

Harper's eyes widened. "No way, the ePhone7! Those aren't supposed to be out until later this week. How'd you get one?"

"Well, Harper, as a rising star of the Tech Town empire-"

"We all got one." Bree interjected holding up her phone before leaving the lab.

"People are already lined up for the big release Friday. You should've seen the crazed looks in their eyes when I walked by with this thing." Chase said before noticing Leo's intense focus on the phone. "Yep, that's the look."

Leo swiftly took the phone from Chase's hand. "This version's got the new auto-centering feature to help you take better selfies." He said, extending his arm out and snapped a photo of himself. Harper and Chase leaned in to see the terrible picture. Both of them gave him unimpressed looks. "Yeah, I don't photograph well."

"Point that bad boy over here. You're gonna want to record this perfection." Adam said, holding up a bowling ball across the pin set up. Chase and Harper walked over to Adam, while Leo opened the camera app to start recording. "I'm Adam Davenport, and this is 'Bionic Bowling'."

Leo circled around them, capturing the scene. "Adam is six-foot-two, a rare combination of incredible strength and not much else."

Chase and Harper took a step back, with him tucking his hands in his pockets and her crossing her arms. Adam took aim with the ball and let out a deep breath. Instead of rolling it towards the pins, he hurled it, knocking all the pins down. Harper burst into laughter at the unexpected move.

Harper clapped enthusiastically. "Good job, Adam!"

"Oh, yeah!" Leo cheered.

Adam raised his hands in the air. "Whoo!"

Chase shook his head slightly, unimpressed as Harper hurried over to the pins and rolled the ball towards him. She then swiftly set up the pins again with Leo for Chase's turn.

Leo hit record on his phone and held the camera in front of Chase.

"I'm Chase Davenport and this is 'Molecular Kinesis Bowling'." He introduced himself before smugly glancing at Adam.

Leo began circling around Chase, who got into position, smugly looking at the camera. "A native of Mission Creek, Chase's hobbies include being a tattle-tale and creeping out girls. However, much to everyone's surprise, he's currently off the market as he's dating my best friend."

As Leo zoomed in on Chase's face, he shot the camera a look, and Leo shrugged. Harper held a hand up to her mouth, trying to suppress her smile.

"Go Chase!" Harper cheered from the sidelines.

Chase set the bowling ball on the ground and used his molecular kinesis to knock down the pins. He managed to knock down eight out of ten pins.

"Oh! Oh, the dreaded 7/10 split!" Leo exclaimed, moving the phone closer to Chase, while Adam mocked Chase by making whimpering noises. "Devastating. Just devastating."

"Hold on, it's not over yet." Harper pointed out.

Chase raised his hand and rolled the ball, successfully knocking down the last two pins.

"You were saying?" Chase taunted Leo and Adam, grinning as he and Harper high-fived.

Leo and Harper quickly fixed up the pins and rushed back to Adam and Chase. Leo pressed record.

"I'm still Adam Davenport, and this is 'Blast Wave Bowling'." Adam introduced as he dropped the bowling ball and stepped back.

Adam charged his blast wave and released it, launching Chase into the pins and knocking every single one of them down. Harper's mouth parted in shock as she slid next to him, turning him over onto his back while Adam and Leo hovered over him

Leo shoved the phone in Chase's face. "And we have a loser!"

••••

Later that day, Bree, Leo and Harper walked along the sidewalk of the school, heading to their class. They noticed a black limo parked in front of the school, causing them to furrow their eyebrows as they entered the main hall.

"Whose limo's blocking the bus lanes?" Leo wondered.

"I don't know, I've never seen it before." Harper said.

"Me either, but I always wanted to ride in one. They look so classy." Bree added.

Suddenly, a trumpet blared from outside. A man unrolled a red carpet, and Perry's clicking heels stopped as she stepped onto the smooth material. Her luxurious leopard print overcoat clung to her body, and a fluffy pink scarf draped over her shoulders.

"Mornin', sewer sacks!"

Bree sighed. "Then again, looks can be deceiving."

"Sorry about blocking the bus lanes." Perry apologized, approaching the teens. "Can't walk too far in these. Haven't worn heels this high since I did the pageant tour."

Leo raised his eyebrows and tilted his head at their principal. "You were in beauty pageants?"

"Yep, never won though. Apparently, it's not a talent to squat-lift a 250-pound barbell while rocking a bikini." She replied.

Harper pursed her lips. "And yet, look how far it's got you."

Perry rolled her eyes before turning to the driver, giving him a wink "Here's a fiver, Butch. Keep the heater pumping."

"So, how did you get a limo?" Bree asked.

"Daddy Davenport just gave me a big chunk of hush money for keeping your bionic secret." Perry explained as she revealed a chain with the letter 'P' from her coat. "I'm wearing your college funds, kids!" She then stepped into the middle of the hall. "Gather round, pus pockets. Since I have come into some recent moolah, I have decided to start giving back... to myself. I hereby announce that I'm retiring as principal effective the end of the week."

Harper narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Wait, what?"

Leo's eyes widened. "Yes! I dreamed this day would come! Oh, it's time, people."

Leo took out his phone and started playing upbeat music. He began shuffling in place, dancing around, waving his hands in the air while holding onto his phone tightly. He nudged Bree and Harper, who both wore amused smiles. Leo then struck a pose in front of them and Principal Perry.

Perry grimaced. "Are you done? Cuz I gotta wash that off."

She walked over to the circular bench and removed the school's logo as steam escaped from the bubbling water.

"You bought the school a hot tub?" Bree questioned astonished.

"No, I bought it for me and I'm taking it with me when I go. Much like the vending machine." Perry said as she put on her swim cap and unbuttoned her coat.

She tossed her coat and scarf to Bree, Leo and Harper to hold. All that was left was her red and white striped one-piece bathing suit. The other students in the hallway had already departed.

"Oh, yeah." Perry said as she eased into the hot tub. "Take that undiagnosed skin condition."

Bree, Leo and Harper immediately threw Principal Perry's clothing from their arms.

••••

The next day, Adam, Chase and Harper walked down the school stairs and noticed that Perry's hot tub lid was off, prompting Adam to instantly smile.

"Ooh, hot tub's empty" Adam said excitedly, then pointed at Chase. "You better take your phone out of your pants. I'm gonna throw you in."

Harper shook her head. "Don't do it, trust me. You really don't wanna go in there."

Chase patted his jeans, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "My phone." He looked back and forth between Adam and Harper, panic evident in his expression. "It's gone!"

"Perfect, let's do it." Adam insisted, clutching onto Chase's shirt.

"Stop!" Chase shouted, pushing Adam off. "It has our bionic bowling on it! If someone sees it, our secret will be exposed."

"Okay, when was the last time you had it?" Harper asked.

"I must've left it back at the store." Chase replied, causing the three of them to sigh in frustration. "Come on."

Harper usually wouldn't skip school, especially since she knew she wouldn't get away with it and Lyla would scold her. However, she was confident that Lyla would understand once she explained the situation.

Today, Adam didn't drive them to school, so the three of them sprinted to Tech Town. Fortunately, they were already in town and didn't need to run from their houses.

They arrived at the mall and weaved through the long crowd of people waiting in line for the new phone.

The boss, Scott glanced at Adam, Chase and Harper as they cut through the line. "Chase! It's not even your shift, and you're here. I'm impressed."

"I'm not here to work, actually. I think I just left my phone on the prodigy bar." Chase informed.

"Oh, you mean our packing area?" Scott asked, pointing to the stack of hundreds of packed ePhones on the counter.

"Ahh." Chase gasped. "Someone must've packed my phone with the others. We have to find it!"

"And by 'we' you mean you and Harper? I just came to watch you freak out." Adam admitted with a smile.

Harper raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, Adam?"

Scott grinned as he glanced at his tablet and then back at his employees. "All right, it's game time!"

Chase hurried over to his boss. "Scott, can you delay opening for a minute so I can find my phone?"

"Let me run it up the corporate ladder." Scott replied, his arm escalating with each tick. "Tick, tick, tick, tick, no. Release the herd!"

"No!"

The crowd rushed into the store, paying no attention to Chase in their way. He was pushed around until Harper grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the mob.

"Oh, yeah! Now, this is the show I bought tickets to." Adam cheered.

It wasn't long when Scott addressed a complaint through his earpiece and left the counter. He navigated through the crowd with his lanky figure. Harper thought she heard Caitlin scream at the front of the line.

Scott returned to the store with Caitlin in his arms.

"She started it!" Caitlin whined, clutching a handful of hair.

Scott set her down near the packing area. "Caitlin, guard the phones and don't let anyone touch them." He then held the patch of hair Caitlin ripped off and started to walk away. "Gotta go find whoever this belongs to."

Chase sighed. "Man, we're never gonna be able to look for the phone with her on guard."

Adam shook his head. "Nope. But hey, look on the bright side."

"What's the bright side?"

"I don't know, I'm just trying to be a more positive person."

While Adam was distracted by the tablets behind him, Chase and Harper stood in the middle of the store as Scott returned empty handed.

"Maybe next time Scott leaves, we search the phones?" Harper suggested.

"How?" Chase questioned. "Unless we want a bald spot, we can't get past Caitlin."

"Or we could search people's phones instead of wrestling with Caitlin."

"Uh-oh." Scott spoke, catching everyone's attention. "We got another scuffle in line. Some old rich guy tried to take a cutsy and that's a Tech Town no-no. I'm gonna need some muscle." He glanced between Caitlin and Chase. "Caitlin, come with me."

Chase felt offended by Scott's comment but brushed it off and turned to Adam. "Okay, he's gone. Make up an excuse to look at the customers' phones."

"What do I say?" Adam wondered.

Chase shrugged. "I don't know! Be creative."

Adam nodded and turned around. He greeted the random man and pointed at his phone.

"Can I borrow your phone? My car broke down and I need to call a tow truck. You see, my wife's making me dinner and she gets upset when I'm late and..." The man tried to hand his phone to Adam, but he refused. "Whoa! Hold on. I'm not done. She's making me lasagna and it's my favorite. Okay, now."

The man handed Adam his phone as Chase and Harper exchanged glances.

"He's a bit too detailed but he's got the spirit." Harper said with a chuckle.

"As long as he's asking. We need to hurry." Chase urged.

Harper approached a woman with a friendly smile. "Excuse me, could I borrow your phone? Mine died, and I need to call my sister." The woman kindly handed Harper her phone. Harper quickly checked the gallery, found it empty and returned the phone. "Sorry, I just remembered she's picking me up soon."

The woman gave the teenager a strange look before resuming her check out.

Adam, Chase and Harper had spent five minutes searching through people's phones. Others started to get suspicious of the three as they ran out of excuses.

Chase sighed. "Man, we can't keep this up. We gotta get to the boxes before the customers get to them." The three of them headed to the packing counter, but Caitlin blocked Chase's path to the phones. "Can we just-"

"You're messing with the wrong girl on the wrong day." Caitlin warned him, her gaze piercing into his.

Chase raised his arms in surrender and stepped back, then turned to Adam and Harper. "What are we gonna do?!"

"Don't worry, Chase. We'll find your phone. No one will find out, not even Mr. Davenport." Harper reassured, reaching out grabbed his hand.

"You're right. Thank you."

Adam chuckled and waved across the mall. "Hey, look who's here. Hi, Mr. Davenport!"

Harper and Chase leaned back, looking in the direction Adam waved to see Mr. Davenport waiting impatiently in line.

Chase screamed as he dashed towards the stack of boxes, causing Caitlin to scream in horror as she moved out of the way. He knocked the boxes down and quickly rummaged through the phones.

Harper ignored the stares and quickly searched through as many cell phones as possible. While they tried to find the video they gave the people their new phones

"Sorry for the mess." Harper apologized to the customers with a smile. "I hope you have a great day."

Adam, Chase and Harper were met with disapproving glares from everyone they countered. None of the phones contained the video of their bionic bowling, crushing their hopes of finding Chase's phone.

They reluctantly handed back the cell phones, feeling defeated as they slowed down on the last couple of them.

"Man, we've checked every single phone!" Chase said in disappointment, placing the last phone down. "I can't believe I did this. After all Mr. Davenport has done to protect our bionic secret... I blew it."

"Nah, nah. I'm warning you." Scott spoke as he blocked Mr. Davenport from entering the store. "Don't even think about causing any more trouble. I have a really high scream and I'm not afraid to use it."

With that, Scott allowed Mr. Davenport to pass. Adam, Chase and Harper sighed and approached him.

"Mr. Davenport, can I talk with you?" Chase asked, stepping in front of him.

"Unless you wanna give me a free ePhone, I don't want to hear it." Mr. Davenport replied.

Chase sighed. "I think you do. I messed up. I may have-"

"Go home, everybody." Caitlin announced. "The sale's over! We're out of phones!"

The customers groaned in frustration.

Mr. Davenport pointed to the last phone on the counter. "What about the display model?"

A girl scrolled through the phone and Leo's terrible selfie appeared on the screen.

"Oh, no, no, no, no! Leo!" Chase exclaimed.

Adam's face scrunched up, smiling. "Oh, he really doesn't photograph well."

"Yeah, I suppose we could sell the display model." Scott suggested, placing his hands on his hips.

The girl holding the cell phone was swarmed by everyone in the store. She crouched down to avoid the crowd, but Caitlin reached her fist and shot up, holding the cell phone in her hand.

"Stop it! Look at you people! It's just like the last pretzel, except it's a stupid phone! This is why I hate crowds! You're all loving gadgets when you should be loving each other!" Caitlin shouted as she threw the phone and stomped on it, repeatedly.

Scott stepped forward and tapped Caitlin on the shoulder. "Caitlin, you're fired."

"May I ask why?" She asked calmly.

Scott then lifted her over his shoulder and carried her out of the store.

Mr. Davenport sighed and turned to Chase. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

"That...." Chase trailed off. "If you want to buy something for Tasha, you might wanna hurry cause the mall closes at 9:00."

Mr. Davenport tensed and spun in a circle, looking around the store. 'Harper, you've known Tasha longer than me. Help me find her a gift."

"Oh, I know just the perfect thing." Harper replied with a grin. She turned to Adam and Chase. "Come on, boys. We're going shopping."

Harper hooked her arms with Adam and Chase, and they had no choice but to follow her and Mr. Davenport.

________________
PUBLISHED: 30.8.24
DEDICATIONS: Peters_suit_lady