"So. Why don't you come over and sit with us, Oliver," Courtney asked in her remarkably whorish tone. In no postion to refuse one of the top dogs of the school hierachy, I graciously accepted her offer, steeling myself to cling on to the last scraps of my common sense. I saw Angel walk into the canteen, and waved to him, but he deliberately avoided eye contact. Turning back, the entire table was staring at me as if I had done something wrong. "What?"
"You do know who that guy is right?" Her tone was laced with even more contempt and I'm-better-than-you than I thought possible. I nodded. "Then you know he's one of those robot sympathisers right?" Another nod, slower this time. "Don't you get it? He likes those forsaken cyborg things. I heard even his own father hates him."
"So can't I wave at him," I asked.
"Let me tell you something, Ollie-" That nickname sounds so slutty when she uses it. "If you want to spend the rest of your life with some nobody like Oftanzas, then be my guest. But don't come crying back to me when your world comes crashing down."
"Oh. Don't worry. I'd never be seen with someone that shitty. I'm nice but I have standards too you know." I could feel myself almost vomit out the words, sounding more and more like a conceited brat. There are some things that must really be washed from your mouth with bleach, and betraying the one who saved your life is one of them. Courtney seemed proud of my transition to complete dick mode, and smirked in a way only a rich person could pull off.
Feeling guilty about throwing away Angel that easily, I excused myself and discreetly made my way to where Angel stood just outside of the canteen. "Why didn't you tell me about the people here?" He looked a little surprised to be approached by me. This Angel, it wasn't anything like the one I saw at home. He was too quiet, too scared. And then there was the sense that he was hiding something from me, something deep inside that only he could ever know.
"I didn't want you to miss out on them."
The words hit me a lot harder than I thought they would. So Angel would let himself be treated like shit just so that I could befriend people I didn't even like. The guilt of my earlier betrayal returned again, striking my stony heart with icy frost.
"Oh. Um. Thanks for looking out for me." I really hated myself at that moment. I had treated him like crap and could only come up with that. Fuck, I am complete douchebag.
Angel just shrugged, but for some reason he seemed a little happier, as if my complete asshole-ness had passed totally unnoticed. He smiled a little, and, if only for a flicker of a second, I saw the old Angel return. "You better get back to your table. Imagine what they'd do to you if you were seen talking to me."
"R-right." I felt disgusted with myself, in the presence of someone so selfless, I couldn't even bring myself to try and stand up for him. Maybe it's wrong, but I can't deny that it is scary. Seeing Angel miserable, assumably everyday because he has nobody to talk to, made me afraid to fall into a similar predicament. Self-preservation isn't only for natural humans. An android can wish to survive as well, so how can that be so wrong?
I dragged my despicable self back to popular kid land, and facaded my way through lunch break. Why can't school just be simple?