I sat in my room, the only place where I felt safe. Ever since Rocket showed me the file, I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to me. I didn't want to be a freak, but that's what I felt like. I felt like an outcast, alone and afraid. I didn't want anyone to see me like this.
But then Rocket came to me, and he sat beside me. He looked up at the stars and started talking to me. He told me that I wasn't alone, that he had seen what had happened to me, and that he was there for me. He told me that I wasn't a freak, that I was just like him, a misfit.
His words made me feel better. I looked at him and saw the kindness in his eyes. I knew that he was there for me, and that he would always be there for me. I felt like I had a friend, a real friend, for the first time in my life.
I took a deep breath and told him everything. I told him about the tests, the experiments, the pain. It was hard to talk about it, but I felt like I needed to share it with him. He listened to me, without judgment or criticism.
When I finished, he put his paw on my shoulder and looked at me with a smile. "You're not so tough, Jake," he said. "But that's okay. You don't have to be tough all the time. You can be vulnerable, you can be scared, and you can still be loved."
I looked at him, and I felt a warmth growing inside me. A warmth that I had never felt before. It was the warmth of friendship, of acceptance, of love. And I knew that everything would be okay.