So I Dated a Sociopath
By
Ian Reid
Chapter 1
"And another thing!" Mrs. Ping added, "No more parties! I don't care if your friends have birthday, you're not leaving until house is spotless!"
It was the usual directions Mrs. Ping gave before she and Lee's father went out for a weekend. Lee knew the essentials: "No friends allowed!", "No girls!", "Do your homework!", "No leaving house until is spotless, even if on fire!"
Basically, it was another boring weekend as a prisoner in his own home. Lee found a way around it, though. Normally in the form of his friends Cam and Holger finding loopholes they'd exploit. It was much like a usual day in detention, only here he wasn't looking for clues to clear his name.
Mrs. Ping dropped Lee off in front of A. Nigma High School, before driving to the parking lot a little further down the street. Such was the boon and curse of one having a mother teaching at the same school you went to. Lee started for the school entrance, looking over to his long-time friend Camillio Esmereldo Martinez running toward him on his smallish legs.
"Dude, Lee!" he called, "Come quick, esé! We've got a chica down! Come do that CPR thing you learned, man!" Lee followed inquisitive to what his friend was talking about, led away from the entrance to a crowd of students; one kneeled beside a prone and motionless body. Lee stepped through the crowd of worried murmurs.
"Everyone, back up, give me some room," Lee said, kneeling beside the prone figure. The other person kneeling on their other side was lanky with long flowing blonde hair and wore glasses.
"Lee!" Holger squealed, "Praise the All-Father you have come to help Holger from school! Make quickly with the chest-rubbing and life-kissing!" Lee checked for a pulse. It was there, but weak.
"Holger, take Cam and get the nurse," Lee ordered, Holger bounding out of the crowd grabbing Cam along the way.
Lee took a moment to examine the person in question. It was a girl, one of fair creamy skin, long chocolate-brown hair with blonde highlights set in a braid. Lee set to work, doing as was taught in those seminars he attended only a month ago. Deep down, he was thankful to go to those classes with his mom, even though she thought it was going to bore him. Fifteen chest massages, tilt the head back, breathe into the mouth. The girl gasped for air after the third or so round of this, and Lee rolled her onto her side, patting her back until the coughing subsided. Cam and Holger returned with the school nurse in tow, complimenting Lee's work and took over.
Lee felt… good for lack of a better word. For some reason, it was like he set something in motion that would put the world on the right track. It was a feeling Lee had that hardly anything he thought –clunk!- could –clunk!- detract –clunk!- from –clunk!- this day –clunk!- going wrong.
Principal General Wendell Barrage towered over Lee, built like a tank and probably from parts of one. The decorated cyborg veteran regarded Lee's presence sourly, his lone glowing implanted cybernetic eye focused intently on his target.
"Well tie me down, and snort a line of pixie dust off my itty, bitty, pretty shiny bald head!" Barrage said, with some enthusiasm bordering on sarcasm, "Private Ping! What a wonder to find you topside! You should be in class, if not detention!"
"I was just on my way to class, Principal Barrage, sir," Lee said.
"Likely story," Barrage replied, "Heard you went 'n' gave the breath of life to another student in need." The crowded hall trickled empty as the class bell rang.
"Yes sir," said Lee. Barrage leaned in to stare at him eye to eye. A tension rose as the two stared silently at one another, Lee knowing deep down Barrage could crumple him, roll him and smoke him like a joint if he wanted to. Barrage straightened, and the tension lifted.
"Just for that, Ping," he said, "I commend you for you actions, soldier. I feel like I ought to give you one of my medals. But I won't! Because they're mine! Instead, I think I'll let you have the rest of the week off from detention. But after that, it's back to grinding your bones to make my bread! Understood?" Lee snapped to attention and a salute to the Principal, who dismissed him to his class.
Author's Commentary: This is as close to the original draft as I had intended. I held back on putting it up now, because I was trying to figure a good-sounding name for the girl Lee saves. Her part in all of this will be revealed soon, I promise. There is really no point in the series canon where this story would fit, which was honestly one of the bigger challenges, the show's season had its finale as of this story going up, so fitting it in somewhere in the space of canon is a part period to pin-point. That's really my only admittance to this story, so just look at it like a side-story for now.