What should I, Jack Spicer, evil boy genius, do on a rainy Friday afternoon?

Build more robots? Prank call Meghan? Nah, not evil enough. I need to do something big, something noteworthy to go down in history. Imagine centuries from now on, future students watching documentaries about Jack Spicer, baby! The world's greatest evil mastermind.

Though, truth be told I do not like the idea as much as the idea of the idea. Does that make sense to you?

Having my evil genius documented would be nice but come on, we all know what they would say in those soap opera-like videos. Oh, Jack Spicer? Self-proclaimed evil boy genius, an albino child with no friends, neglectful parents, and a creepy obsession with pudding. Which is not creepy at all, thank you very much!
Perhaps I should kidnap the Xiaolin losers and ask them to entertain me? I mean, force them to entertain me! Maybe they would like to play monopoly? Urgh, it's really pathetic when the closest thing you have for friends are your enemies...

"Sir! Sir! Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" a dutiful jack-bot warns as he flailed his lovingly-constructed robotic arms this way and that.

"Ahhh! Intruders!" I yell as I manly very manly jump into jack-bot's arms.

"Jack-bots! Mobilize and des-" I begin shouting when cue ball's cheerful voice interrupted me.

"Greetings, Jack Spicer! I have come here to do the hanging down!"

I stare at him for a bit longer than necessary before sighing and saying "It's hanging out."

"That too."

"Look I'm not trying to be suspicious here, but you are totally a liar pants on fire, Omi! You're here to snatch the few remaining wu that I have, aren't you?" I ask accusatorily.

"No, Jack Spicer. I am not you," Omi replies while smiling adorably. Sometimes I forget he must be around Meghan's age.

"Ha! Yeah right! Why wouldn't you rather hang out with your loser friends than with a bigger loser like me! Wait, that did not come out alright..."

"I do not think you are a loser, Jack."

How does one reply to that?

"I, Uhm, uh...thanks, Omi," I say, a bit bashful. What is wrong with me today?

"You are merely misguided. Yet I believe that soon enough you will leave the side of evil and join us on our noble quest for good!"

Oh no! Not another 'You don't belong on the Heylin side' speech!

"No chance, little man. I am pure evil. Pure evil here!" I enunciate carefully, wanting the words to sink into Omi's little mind. But he seems undaunted.

"I believe in you Jack Spicer!" he continues then he does the strangest thing ever. He hugs me. I haven't been hugged since three months ago when I helped Meghan go to her piano lessons. Her parents like to treat kids like an exotic attraction, to be visited rarely and doted upon shortly. Like my parents. So I took my new invention, The World hopper, which works kind of like the golden tiger claws, and traveled to where Meghan lives. She was overjoyed! Okay at first she asked 'What took so long, Jack?' and I forgot to take money with me for a taxi. But I managed to pickpocket an old grumpy neighbor when I offered to help him with his groceries. I only hope Meghan was inspired by my acts of evil! Anyways, she embraced me after the lesson was over! Best day ever!

I groan. It is hard to say no to Omi when he gets like that. Everyone has a soft spot for the Cheese head. Even Chase Young! Well, especially Chase. I am totally not justifying hugging him back. Certainly not! I am just, feeling alone, and, even evil geniuses need company sometimes!

Omi is so trusting! I could order my jack bots to vaporize him using a hand signal while he's vulnerable, and then goodbye Xiaolin loser! I do not ponder on why I do not do that.

"Hey, Omi?"

"Yes?" he asks, letting go of me.

"Remember that time I offered to take you guys for ice cream?" I ask nonchalantly.

"Oh, yes, Jack Spicer. I have a memory like a mammoth!" the Xiaolin dragon tells me, proudly.

"That is, memory like an elephant, Omi," I tell him, and I find myself actually enjoying correcting him. Hey, I can't help it. It's like having a younger brother.

"That too, " he says. Man, I have to buy him an idiom dictionary.

"Want to go now?" I ask and he nods enthusiastically. I look outside, the rain has stopped.

Omi takes hold of my hand and together we go toward an ice cream shop. I ask him what he would prefer, but the kid is too busy staring at all the flavors in wonderment. So I raise my voice a bit "Omi! Which flavor?"

"All of them?" he asks exuberantly before I lift an eyebrow. I'm not on a budget and I am rich, but c'mon, kid, you want the whole store?

"You can choose three," I tell him in a no-nonsense tone.

"Chocolate, caramel, and...mint!" he says, and damn, he has good tastes. For a moment I thought he was going to choose vanilla. I have to stop underestimating him.

I choose the same flavors. We sit at a white table. Omi's eating his ice cream very fast, getting it all over his face. I roll my eyes, get a napkin and try to fix the mess. I only notice that I'm acting unheylin like after I help him.

"Thank you, Jack Spicer," Omi says gratefully and I nod.

Good thing no evil villain is seeing me here, acting so, so...Xiaolin.

"Jack Spicer. Why evil?" he suddenly asks.

"Huh?"

"Why evil and not good?"

"Why chocolate and not vanilla?" I retort.

"I disagree with you most disagreeably, Jack Spicer. Evil is salted caramel, bleurgh!" Omi says and made a face.

"You, you just chose caramel!" I say, trying to defend evil.

"Sweet caramel. There is a difference," Omi tells me and I rolled my eyes again.

But he was right, wasn't he? Why evil? My granny sparked up the interest, but I suppose if I really psychoanalyzed myself I would say it was a way of striking back at the cruel word who only saw me as insignificant, unworthy of love, and too different to belong. True, I was rich and my parents showered me with expensive gifts on occasions but their choice of leaving me alone at home for months spoke volumes about their so-called love.

Did I say that aloud? Oh, no! Omi was looking at me with pity in his eyes.

"I've got to go, cueball. It was nice and all, but..."

"Jack Spicer," he says while taking hold of my jacket, "You are not anything that you have just said. You are significant, you do belong and most importantly, you are worthy of love."

I sigh, before taking some cash from my pockets, putting it on the table, tugging on my jacket, because Omi kept trying to make me stop. Why?

'So he could hug you again,' I thought, and as much as I craved love I could not let myself be hugged, not now, when I was so, so angry! And sad.

Omi finally let go of me and I exited the shop with a "See ya, Omi."