Radio Talk
Asking for back-up proved to be more troublesome than it was worth. His fellow campers were more concerned with making out than saving the world. While Raz appreciated JT and Chops guarding the cabin area, others like Kitty and Franke giving themselves manicures irritated him to no end. He was glad he had saved their brains, but he thought they could have been a little more appreciative by at least feigning interest in his plight.
Ford had told him that it was up to him to stop Oleander. Raz wanted to believe his fellow PSI cadets would have been a part of that. Standing up to the man who stole their brains and betrayed their trust, he thought they would have tried proving themselves like real Psychonauts would, but he supposed the other kids' circumstances and motivations were different from his own.
Trekking up the wooden planks of Oleander's treehouse, Raz came across someone who immediately made his eyes roll. He quieted his footsteps, the floorboards creaking nonetheless as he approached Bobby. To his surprise, Bobby focused on the coach's radio, not bothering to even glance at him or smack him on the shoulder like he had done when he was brainless.
He already knew the answer, but Raz took a breath and asked, "Hey, wanna help me save the world?"
A heavy sigh escaped Bobby. His shoulders lowered, but he pressed his knuckles against his hip, and they burned white. He tilted his head, melancholy dripping in his voice as he said, "She used to love that radio."
Raz leaned back and followed Bobby's thousand-yard stare. He remembered Oleander snoring up a storm next to it, a small puddle of drool accumulating underneath his cheek on his desk. But when he thought back to the beginning of the day, he hummed and nodded, glancing at Bobby out of the corner of his eye.
"We'll be re-braining Chloe really soon," he said, smiling and shrugging.
Bobby stiffened, his words cutting through his pensiveness. His eyebrows rose, and his mouth fell open an inch, a wordless shock coming over him. He furrowed his brow, his breath held in his throat, and he twisted his body to Raz, keeping one foot still pointed at the radio.
"You are? Ford's gonna do it right, right?" he demanded, his final word strangled.
"Well, he's been re-braining everyone else, and you seem to be fine for the most part." Raz snickered and crossed his arms. "Unless concern is a new personality trait Ford secretly stuck in you."
He looked ready to jump out of his skin. "Wha-? Shut up! Shut your stupid mouth!" Bobby barked, clenching his fists and stomping towards him. His freckled cheeks burned hotter than his knuckles, but he suddenly shook his head, his fiery hair quivering with him. He lowered his voice and dug his finger into Raz' collarbone, hissing, "Just-just make sure she's okay, got it, Gogglicious? If the coach doesn't kill you, then I sure as hell will if anything happens to her."
Raz set his hand to his temple and flicked it in a mock salute. "Sure thing, Hair Boy," he sneered, and he pivoted on his heels, deciding he was not going to gain an ally in his fight against Oleander.
He felt Bobby's gaze on him as he left. Quickly glancing over his shoulder in the entranceway, he suppressed a chuckle when Bobby grimaced when their eyes met. Bobby leered back at the radio, and he turned sideways, tightening his grip on his hip. Raz wiggled his fingers in a slight wave before making his way back down the planks with a spring in his steps, hurrying off and taking out the bacon for Ford to send him back to the battlefield.
Bobby scratched through his hair and grumbled to himself after Raz left. He knew the coach was crazier than ever. Keeping his attention on the radio Chloe adored, he slowly rubbed his arm and shivered as a chill trickled down his spine, a quiet part of him, which he tried ignoring, hoping everything would turn out okay.
