Disclaimer: I don't own My Life As A Teenage Robot or any of its characters.
Note: Hello there, new readers. This fic is my first (and only) multi-chaptered fic, so it's not in any way perfect, but it's a fun experiment in writing that grew :) It's a lot more mature than the original source tho; rated T for violence and blood, mental health issues, and self-harm. It's mostly action, though, so dw.
Enjoy the ride :D
Friday the 5-13-2072;
Just a few more weeks till summer. The warm, nice weather could compare to how Tremorton high's students felt with the end of the year's approach; relaxed. Teachers and students alike had loosened up, and seniors, although busy preparing for their upcoming finals and hunting dates for the long-awaited prom night, were no different, as they tried to make the most out of their last days in their beloved high school.
To no one's secret, Jennifer Wakeman was also excited about the end of the year. She was finally graduating high school, an important step of growth towards maturing as an adult. She would then go to college. Never-ending possibilities for new experiences were waiting for her.
The female robot couldn't get any happier. She didn't have to fight any monsters or enemies these past few weeks. Even natural catastrophes seemed to cease from happening and disturbing her peace of mind. The general tension and stress typical of high school had disappeared, leaving Jenny with no problems to deal with in her hands. Even her mother was giving her a lot more privacy and freedom since she was well behaved lately, and although they were few, Jenny's friends were very supportive, loyal, and as dependable as young humans can be. She couldn't get any happier.
There was one problem still left to deal with. She needed to get a prom date.
Jenny knew well that she wasn't very popular in her school, but she wasn't at the bottom of the school social ladder either, so she still had a good chance of getting a cute guy to accompany her to the special night. She might even get a little greedy and dream of being the prom queen, beating Brit and Tiff once and for all, but even then, she knew she couldn't get this lucky, knowing from past experiences that every date she gets with someone new was bound to be their last, ruined by some random unbelievable event or sabotaged by a certain jealous friend of hers.
Despite that. It was nice to have her mind occupied by regular teenage problems, instead of worrying about saving the earth from god knows what. As usual, Jenny was so determined that nothing would ruin her prom night, and that she would be the perfect girl at the long-awaited party along with the perfect date.
The teacher was still lecturing in a monotonous voice when the bell rang. Unsurprisingly, the students were already bolting out of the class without a second glance at the overworked teacher. Everyone in one stream pulled out of their classes, walking toward the lunch hall. The lunch period was always a welcomed break from the school routine day.
Jenny spotted her best friend, Brad, seated at their usual table, waiting for her. She got her can of oil and went to join him, eager to share her plans and thoughts with him, or perhaps get a piece of well-needed advice on the matters twirling in her head, even though the guy wasn't really the most skilled advice giver out there.
As she approached her table and took her seat, she noticed that her usually happy and upbeat friend wasn't so happy. The enthusiasm she had earlier disappeared once she eyed him carefully with a raised eyebrow, in the hope she could guess what was wrong.
He looked mostly fine. His brightly dyed red hair was spiky and well-styled as usual and he wore his characteristic outfit comprising a white shirt underneath a black sleeveless sweatshirt. His cheek rested on his palm as he lazily stared into space, his other hand pocking the food in complete disinterest.
-"Hey what's up? You look down." Jenny asked with a worried look.
-"Oh! Hey, Jenny!" He immediately put on his trademark smile, and she couldn't tell if it was forced or genuine. "I was just thinking about some stuff. Nothing too serious."
-"Hmm... what kinda stuff?"
-"The stuff everyone thinking about, betcha' ya' already know what!"
A smile crept into the corner of her blue lips. "What?"
-"Ah, you know, just trying to decide who's the lucky chick who is gonna be my prom date. You know, every girl in Tremorton high is dying to be my date." He winked at her playfully before he busted into a hearty laugh, soon joined by her own giggles as well. "Ah haha! Just kidding. We both know am just struggling as hard."
-"Maybe you should get Tammy to go with you. She will add some fun to the party and I am also dying to kick some alien butt." She stretched her upper arms, even though she had no muscles to stretch. " I have had no action in so long. I think I am starting to get a bit rusty."
Ignoring the memory of the cursed wedding, he chose to only address the last statement. "And that's a bad thing?"
-"Oh not really, I really am happy I finally get to live somewhat as normal as everyone else," she shrugged, "get to worry about everyday regular problems instead."
Brad hummed in response before taking a bite of the cold mashed potatoes. "Got any date yet?"
-"No one asked me yet," she sighed -a gesture she often did even though she didn't breathe- "It seems like all the cute boys are already taken."
Brad stifled a laugh. " I am still single."
Jenny challenged with a smug grin. "Wanna see who gets a date first between you and me?"
-"Uh, no thanks."
She leaned closer to his face. "The ladies' man is afraid of losing?"
He took some time before replying, seemingly deep in thought, before a sigh escaped his lungs. "I know I act like I am some kinda playboy or something but..." Jenny raised her eyebrow as if silently saying 'seriously? no one thinks you are,' but he ignored it. "-I rarely click with someone... ya' know? Like really connecting to someone on a deep level and feeling comfortable with them, like... if you guys are meant to be? I want someone just like that. Someone I can be happy with and not just some random pretty girl I get to flex her company in something like prom night"
Jenny casually sipped from her can of oil. " Almost like if you are not shallow," she replied flatly.
He rolled his eyes. "Haha, very funny."
-"Look, I already apologized about Melody, and you only dated her for one day. It's not like she is your soulmate or something."
-"who said anything about her?"
Feeling like the conversation was about to get unpleasant, Jenny looked around her in an attempt to change the subject. Her eyes darted around the building before spotting the familiar figure of her clumsy friend, who was carrying a tray of food, searching for a seat, or maybe looking for his tiny group of friends.
She silently thanked God and raised her arm to catch his attention. Their eyes met, and Sheldon's face brightened into a wide smile. He walked in her direction, oblivious to the stretched leg that was deliberately placed in his path. A brief yelp was heard, and he fell face-first into his own tray of food. Everyone within a twenty meters radius of the event busted into laughter save for Brad and Jenny. The latter looked in the opposite direction and raised her hand up to hide her face, embarrassed. An unheard 'ugh' escaped her lips.
-"Poor guy, looks like somebody thought it was funny to trip hi-" Brad's eyes widened in surprise watching the scene the front of him; his normally shy friend, who was now covered in the cafeteria's food, had gotten up with a furious scowl on his face, scooped up some of the food, and threw it on the face of the much bigger, bulkier guy who had tripped him.
"Huh! Now we are even!" Sheldon said, putting on a show of false bravado. His crush was watching, and he had to restore some of his lost dignity even if it meant unpleasant consequences would follow, which turned out to be the case, and the previous courage was erased from his face upon seeing the murderous glare the other guy had shot him. He took a few steps backward, nervously glancing at Jenny in a silent plea for rescue.
She wasn't even watching.
Brad shook his metallic best friend's shoulder and muttered nervously: "uhm, Jenny, I think Sheldon's in trouble."
Jenny was about to say it was none of her business, but Brad had already gotten up to assist their friend. Guilt crept into her, and she stood up to assist the situation. The bully had a death grip around Sheldon's arm, twisting it behind his back and attempting to push him into the trash pin despite his weak protests.
The robot hero joined the scene, grabbed the bully's arm, and easily turned him to face her as if he weighed nothing. With a low voice, she challenged: "why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
The bulky guy's face morphed into a horrified expression as he let go of his victim, who ran to hide behind Jenny. In a blink of an eye, the guy, despite his large size, was now cramped into the trash pin, legs poking helplessly from the top.
More laughs were heard accompanied who 'OOOOHs' and 'AAAAAHs' throughout the entire cafeteria, much to Jenny's annoyance, but she chose to ignore it. She was already used to this.
-"Dude, you really have to be careful with who you mess with," Brad commented, then added with a chuckle: "but to be fair, it was funny that you tried to get back at him."
Sheldon forced a small, unsteady laugh in response, still rubbing his painful arm.
Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Brad suggested: "uhm, I can share my lunch with you after you clean up."
-"I don't feel like eating anymore. I'll just go clean up in the bathroom..." he spoke, voice gradually getting quitter after each word. "I'll wait for you guys in class."
-"what?" Brad asked, not having heard the last sentence.
Sheldon abruptly made eye contact and blurted: "uhm, thanks, Jenny. you're a lifesaver!" He looked over to Brad. "You too, Brad. thanks. I am sorry for the trouble!" he added as he harried out of the lunch hall, waving goodbye. "See you later!"
-"Yeah... see ya'" Jenny half waved, puzzled.
Brad shrugged as well. "That was weird."
The bathroom was thankfully empty. Sheldon took off his now dirty hoodie, put it in a plastic bag, and then examined his white shirt. As expected, it was tainted as well. He opened the faucet, wetting his hands and carefully rubbing off some of the food spots.
The state of his hair was the worse. He had no choice but to wash it all with water. He finished by splashing more water on his face and stood to examine his reflection in the mirror. His wet hair stuck to his pale face, and droplets dripped on his shoulders, soaking his shirt. He tried his best to dry it with paper towels as he shivered despite the warm weather.
He must've spent too much time with the little task, as his own image turned foreign to him, almost as if he couldn't recognize the scrawny-looking boy staring back at him. He briefly wished the reflection didn't, in fact, belong to him.
The boy cracked the door open and peeked to see if anyone was in the hallway, but since it was still lunch period, the halls were deserted. He took his chance and bolted to his locker and took out a hoodie he kept in case of emergency. 'Hey, you never know what happens when you are a regular target to bullies.'
The black hoodie was slightly oversized, and a little worn out, but at the moment, it felt like a lifesaver. He pulled the hood over his head and zipped the thing up. Then headed to his next class. One he shared with both of his friends, Jenny and Brad.
The moment his brain recalled their names his mind trailed off to the previous incident, his freckled cheeks heated as he remembered the humiliation he felt back then, but he was so used to it to the point where it didn't hurt as much as it should. The thing that actually bugged him was that Jenny looked more embarrassed about the incident than him! She tried to ignore it until Brad got up to help. She should have joined his side sooner, didn't she? Or maybe she didn't want to get in trouble with the school stuff, especially since it's the end of the year. That must be it! Or maybe she just didn't want any more people laughing at her and calling her names. She went through enough of it already, and she didn't deserve to get embarrassed anymore.
'Is she embarrassed to be seen with me?' this brief, scary thought made itself a place in his train of thoughts, but he quickly shook it off and ignored it, even though a small part of him knew it may very much be real. He shrugged. 'At least I kind of stood up for myself back there. Even though there was no way I could get out of it unharmed if it wasn't for Jenny,' he mused, a small smile appeared on his face at the thought of the robotic girl.
Sheldon took a seat a few rows behind where Jenny and Brad usually sat, as he didn't feel like interacting with them after what happened, even though he was thankful for their actions. He lowered his head into his folded arms and waited for the period to start.
Not so long after, a few students were already making themselves comfortable in their seats. Among them were his two friends, who didn't seem to notice his presence, probably too distracted, or maybe because he changed his clothes. He was ready to go back to his thoughts when the conversation between the two teenagers had caught his attention.
-"...But oh Brad. what if you don't get anyone to go with you? We will never hear the end of it. How do you plan on surviving prom without a date?"
-"Easy Jen, I'll go with my own two bestest friends in this school. You don't really need a date to go to prom, it's not a law. We can all go together and have a fun night with none of the stupid formalities!" Brad said with a huge grin on his face, putting his arm around Jenny's shoulder. Sheldon smiled at his comment. It really made him happy to hear someone call him his 'bestest friend'. He wanted to join the conversation and raised his head, but at the last moment, he hesitated, desiring to hear Jenny's opinion first.
-"Okay fine. Whatever you want, but you know I am going to be on my own date," she giggled, "you and Sheldon can have your 'fun without formalities' thing." She gestured the air quotation with her fingers.
-"No, wait..." The redhead held his hands up. "I know you will end up going to the party with Sheldon-" he got caught off when Jenny frowned a little. "Uh i-it's not like... I just thought he is the most likely one to ask you out soon, but on a 2nd thought I don't wanna third wheel," he held his chin in between his index and thumb as if in deep thoughts. "Actually, on a third thought, I don't really mind. I'll just be happy for you two."
Jenny's frown deepened, and she crossed her arms. "No way Brad! I want someone who I can see eye to eye with."
-"Oh! I didn't know you preferred tall guys."
Sheldon, from his seat not so far behind them, couldn't quite hear what they were discussing clearly, but he could still make out most of it. He probably should feel guilty for eavesdropping, but his curiosity to know his crush's opinion on the thought of them dating was greater.
-"That's not the case Brad," she shook her head. "I meant someone who can make me feel like he is equal to me, Sheldon.. well... he is kind of clingy.." her eyes trailed around the room as if she was trying to avoid Brad's eyes. "Overly obsessed with me... and annoying."
-"Come on, Jenny, he is not that bad," he replied flatly.
-"He is that bad!" she exclaimed, but no one seemed to pay her any attention. The few students who were in the class were already busy chatting among themselves. However, she continued in a quieter voice: "you don't really know him like I do and you don't know the stuff I have to deal with!" She raised her arms. "He is really toxic, he is always stalking me, is overly jealous, sabotaged so many of my dates..." She listed on her fingers, "he even stole my plans from my house and accidentally gave them to my worst enemy! Can you believe it!?" she yelled, then shook her head disapprovingly. "I am only putting up with him because I don't want to hurt his feelings. But sometimes I really wish he would just stop being around me at school. It's really embarrassing!" she shook her head lightly and sighed. "Plus, I don't want the entire school chanting 'the freak and the geek' all over again. I already went through that once."
Sheldon lowered his head to the table. Pressing his forehead on the cool surface and holding a grip on his elbows with shaky fingers. He bit on his lower lip to stop himself from crying, suppressing any sound that threatened to escape. There was no way he was going to cry in the classroom.
He couldn't really believe the words he just heard. Could he be mistaken? Surely there was some kind of misunderstanding. After all, he couldn't make out all the conversations. Oh, who was he kidding? He felt like an idiot at the moment. The earth might as well just open up, swallow him and spare him from the pain building up at his chest. A part of him always knew it was true, that he wasn't really welcomed to be by Jenny's side. He would bury the thought every time and pretend he was oblivious to the signs, but not anymore. He can't lie to himself anymore after the facts had made themselves as clear as daylight.
-"Stop it Jen. He really isn't that bad. Remember when everyone thought you were some kinda' deranged machine cause of that rich kid who made you his toy? He was the only one who still believed in you," Brad replied with an unapproving tone, clearly annoyed at his friend's words. "Sure, he might act like a dork and be annoying sometimes, but he still got a lot of other good qualities, so please don't say those things about him."
Jenny, now looking down and obviously ashamed, replied in a quiet tone, "I- well.. Ugh, you're right. Now you mentioned that. " She bit her lip, "I shouldn't have said that."
-"Plus, let's not forget how you too stalked your mom and ruined her date. Or that time when you picked a fight with Melody cause you were jealous." he lightly shoved his finger on her chest with a mocking grin.
-"I told you I wasn't jealous, I was just wary of her! It's not the same thing!" she retorted, crossing her arms.
-"Yeah, sure thing," Brad snickered in response, but then, he looked suddenly alert. "Hey, didn't Sheldon tell us he was going to meet us in class earlier? Where is he?"
Jenny shrugged and turned her head around in search of the boy. Her eyes landed on the black hooded guy with his head in his folded arm. Looking like he was asleep.
-"Maybe that's him? He has the same shoes- oooh," she put a metallic hand on her mouth and her large eyes widened. "What if he heard me?"
Brad looked nervous as well, but he got up anyway and walked to his friend's side and tapped his shoulder.
Sheldon lifted his head and looked up, squinting at the light and rubbing his eye with the palm of his hand, as if he was just waking up from a long nap. "uh- wha? I think I might've fallen asleep."
It was easier for everyone if he just pretended he heard nothing. But oh God, it was still hard for him to look at the love of his life -who would never return his feelings back- without feeling tears building up. He lowered his head down again to avoid their gaze and muttered a "please leave me alone," in a quiet voice.
-"You ok there buddy?" Brad asked with concern in his voice.
-" 'm just tired."
-"sure?"
He raised his head back again and forced a smile. "Yeah. 'am sure. I am just tired. Thank you, though."
-"If you say so," Brad said, unsure. He went back to his seat, and Jenny stayed a little longer, almost as if she still wanted to say something, but instead gave him a small smile, then returned to her seat as well.
The rest of the school day went by normally.
Notes: I am kind of dyslexic and I rely heavily on grammar apps so, please excuse any spelling mistakes you might find. Also English is my 3rd language out of 4 :P
