Title: Mister Roboto
Author: JacquiJack
Rating: PG
Warnings: a lot of bashing of Zach.
Summary: "Seth had never trusted robots. Zach was no exception." For all you who just want to take those batteries out of Zachbot and watch him blow up.
Disclaimer: I do not own The OC, Seth, Summer, Josh… blahdiddyblahblah.
Author's Note: Um, yeah. I hate Zach. This fic was just a way to vent out my anger towards his character. Do you like Zach? Do you find his relationship with Summer interesting and cute and awesome? If this is the case, STOP READING NOW. I don't want flames saying "aw i lyk zach he iz so not lyk dat u suk!!!!1". My opinion, my hatred, my fic. Deal with it.
Having said all that… if Zach pisses you off as much as he does me, then go ahead. Read, my friend. And most importantly, enjoy. And don't forget to drop me a review, I would appreciate it lots and lots.
He looks at them.
Standing together, smiling. She's holding his hand, grinning up at him like he's God. He's smiling too. But it's not a warm smile. You can't see any feelings or emotions through his smile. It's not even a smile. It's really just muscles; making his lips curl up and look like that.
It really is kind of creepy.
God, Seth hates him.
He's a freaking robot.
Seth remembers the time they first met. Zach had seemed like the cooler version of him then. He had even liked the guy, as ashamed as he is to admit it now. But then he saw him. With her. And all of the "LetsWorshipTheComicBookReadingWaterPoloPlayingCoolerVersionOfSethCohenGuy" thoughts he had had running through his head went instantly.
Seth isn't over Summer. He'd like to think that he is, and he likes to insist that he is, but deep down he knows that he still loves her. And deep down, he refuses to believe that she isn't over him too.
If it were any other guy, Seth would like to think that he'd be a bit cooler about the situation. What about Danny? Jared? Dylan? Every other guy in the school who wanted her? Maybe he could have dealt with that. Maybe.
But Seth has never trusted robots.
When he was ten, he received a car for his birthday. A toy one, that was controlled by a remote and everything. Seth loved it. He would play with it everyday, driving it around all over the house. At first he was fascinated with making it hit the leg of the dining room chair over and over. It would drive forward, make contact, draw back. Drive forward, make contact, draw back. It left a scratch on the front hood of the car after he did it too many times. Seth felt the same way with his own life, with his interaction with other kids his age. He'd go forward and try and make friends, but just end up getting rejected. And he would try again. And again. And again. But it always ended up with the same result. So he gave up. Then he learnt how to really control the car with the remote. The vehicle was swift, dodging any obstacle that came its way and not touching any chair legs. And he did the same in reality, too. Instead of trying to befriend people and setting himself up for the hurt and the rejection, he stopped talking to the kids. He just carried on with life and stopped interacting with them, except for the odd occasion in class where he would need to ask for a pencil or whatever. He didn't get those scratches that way.
One day, when Seth was playing with his car, the control started playing up. The car was spinning in clockwise circles when he commanded it turn swiftly to the right. It would finally turn that way when he'd press the accelerate button a few thousand times. Then it headed straight to the kitchen, where Mom was trying to cook something. When Kirsten turned to grab a plate, she stepped on the toy and slipped, the knife in her hand cutting her arm lightly. It wasn't a deep wound, but it was enough for Seth to be grounded for a month. Not that the punishment would have affected his social life anyway. After Mom had been cleaned up and Seth explained what happened, Sandy told him that you could never trust robots. Those things could always be faulty, and you can never tell until it's too late. Robots play up when you least expect it and sometimes those faults hurt someone badly. Like what had happened in the kitchen.
From that day, Seth had always listened to that advice. He loved technology, he couldn't live without his PlayStation and television and computer. But he was always wary. Since then he had stuck to toys that didn't require batteries, hello Captain Oats. And stayed away from the ones that did.
Seth has never trusted robots. Zach is no exception.
One of the things that bug Seth the most is his smile. Smiles are supposed to be a reaction to something that makes you happy, or laugh. Zach seems incapable of any of these things. Seth might have said that Summer, his Summer, makes Zach happy. But then Seth remembers that robots can't feel emotions. And it all makes sense. It would explain why his smile is so empty, despite the feelings it should be portraying. It explains the monotone of his voice, and his boring personality.
His smile, his laugh, the way he speaks, the way he moves, the way he is. He's almost perfect in every single way, and the ways that he's not make him even easier to hate.
It's not jealousy. Sure, secretly Seth wishes he was still with Summer, but there's now so much more to his hatred for Zach than that. He rubs Seth the wrong way. The way he speaks, as if he's so levelheaded and diplomatic. After all, he is the son of a politician. He is so boring! Not one thing that has come out of his mouth has been humorous. Well, okay, Seth has to admit the Luke and Leila pun was pretty funny, if only because it made Zach look like a fool. But the way he speaks… it is always void of any emotion. It is a freaking monotone, no matter what the situation is or how excited or upset he is feeling. Providing, of course, he can feel. He always seems to know how everyone feels, or at least acts that way. He always knows the full story to everything, and he is always right.
He could not be so wrong.
When Seth found out that Zach had cheated on Summer, he was amazed. The guy had a flaw. Well, he had always had flaws, at least in Seth's eyes, but this was a straightforward, no-buts-about-it baaaaad thing to do. He wasn't perfect. And Seth hated him even more for it.
Even though Seth doesn't remember letting it slip about the tutor, he still wishes that Summer had dumped his ass when she found out. He had cheated on her! Seth has no idea how Zach charmed his way out of that one, but it made him sick to know that Summer had fell for it.
Seth still loves Summer. He wants her away from Zach.
Not because Seth wants to take his place as Summer's boyfriend. Although yes, that would be lovely. But because he can see how Zach is bringing sweet, funny, snarky Summer down with him. Summer can never be herself around him, and that in itself is a tragedy. There is only one Summer Roberts; she shouldn't need to feel that she has to be worthy of anyone, or anything. Especially not Mister Roboto and his family.
Seth knows Summer doubts her relationship with Zach. He knows her too well; he can tell that she questions whether he's the one to be with. It just makes Seth curious as to what Zach is telling her to make her stay.
So Seth looks at them from a distance. He pretends to be interested in other girls, other problems. And sometimes he is.
But he is always watching. Waiting.
When Mister Roboto falls, he will not rise again. Seth will see to that.