The Prom
Author: Nyrki
Chapter 3: On Her Way
Before we explore further Cameron's motives and actions for the prom, I would like to thank my reviewers: olischulu, PSG1JOHN, XxDeathStarxX, The1Russter, Burnout'83, Velhu, meanoldmoe, TCandBTVSluver, Lsquare, supernatural94 and CloudyShadows, without forgetting my dearest friend Kara. I can't express how much joy your reviews provide me.
After this chapter, Cameron will be halfway through her incredible experience. I think I will let everybody spend good and relaxing holidays and I'll be posting the next chapters early next year.
Recap: Cameron promised to go to the prom with Morris. After John taught her why she must keep her promise, she threw herself 'heart and soul' into the project, maybe a little more than what the task required, showing John some emotion when he offered her the prom dress she couldn't get with Sarah's help.
Wednesday, morning break
Cameron reached and opened her locker, fetching the still useless books for her next class. When she closed the locker's door, Morris was just standing there. Cameron didn't cringe a bit, she just showed her usual blank face she always presented to anyone but John.
Morris was a bit disappointed he failed to surprise her.
"Wow, Cameron. You really have nerves of steel," he said with a look of admiration.
She looked over at him negligently. "More than you can imagine," she said with a slight grin. "What do you want?" she asked with a piercing stare.
The girl was petite and slender, but she never failed to intimidate him with her strange behavior and uncommunicative character. Unlike the other girls at school, she never boasted about her exquisite beauty, this is what pleased Morris the most about her. He gathered his courage like every time he had something important to tell her.
"Hum, Cameron, is it still okay for us to go to the prom? I didn't have the chance to run into you recently," Morris asked, as he didn't see her that much lately and she wasn't known to pay much attention when it came to extra-school activities.
She called her infiltration protocols to appear as cheerful as the circumstances required it. "Yes, it is. I promised."
"Okay. Then I'll pick you up home at 7 pm" he confirmed, glad she both remembered and confirmed.
"Thank you Morris. 7 pm will be just fine," she acknowledged with a larger smile than usual.
Wow, she's sweet on me. That's good, Morris thought. Maybe I can make a move at the prom. He was already imagining himself feeling Cameron up during a hot dance.
The bell rang, snapping brutally Morris back to a far less pleasant reality. "Oh God, better go or Mr. Mitchell's gonna kill me! See you Cameron." He quickly left, waving a hand at her.
Cameron's blank face instantly came back as soon as Morris was out of sight and she urged not to be late to her next class too.
Wednesday, after class
John and Cameron were on their way back home from school. The atmosphere was more relaxed than usual, they'd discussed about various subjects about their respective day. Cameron reported her encounter with Morris during the morning break.
"I confirmed Morris he could pick me up at 7pm on Friday," Cameron declared. "Do you think I can ask him if you can come with us?" she asked in order to always keep an eye on John, in a constant concern for his safety.
John chuckled in anticipation about Morris' reaction to this request. However, his smile soon faded as he realized he had to tell Cameron who was his own date for the prom. He'd always procrastinated, but now he eventually had to. He thought that he should have told her sooner, but he was somewhat afraid of her reaction.
"Ah, alright then." John hesitated once more. Come on, John. "Cam, um, you have to know I'll go with somebody too," he tentatively announced and looked over Cameron to sound out her reaction.
Cameron knew this information from long ago, but she decided not to tell him. John didn't like it when she was intrusive.
"Who is it?" she inquired, a little more harshly than necessary.
"Riley Dawson," John answered apprehensively.
Cameron couldn't quite hide some signs of annoyance to John's announcement. She frowned slightly but she said nothing and turned to look through the window.
Oh no! I don't like it when you bottle things up like this. Please Cam, say something, even that you don't like it.
Cameron replayed on her HUD an excerpt of John's conversation with Riley she'd recorded some days ago. 'If you want me, I can be your date for the prom'. So she knew Riley pushed him to accept instead he voluntarily asked her. There was something strange in this behavior. Her recent researches on the Internet have informed her it was the done thing that the boy invited the girl and not the contrary, otherwise the girl could suffer from a bad reputation. From her experience at school, she learned that girls always deeply care about their reputation. For some strange reason, Riley seemed not to care.
After a long moment, she turned back to John said. "John, I don't think it is a good idea."
John was pleased that Cameron eventually expressed her opinion, even if they disagreed. He tried to minimize the situation. "Relax Cam, she's just a schoolmate, the only girl who actually talks to me," John offered. He didn't want to confess he'd been turned down by Becky Taylor before.
"This is precisely why it is suspicious." Cameron carefully chose her next words and tried not to be too direct before a touchy John, but she had to warn him about potential threats. "You may endanger her life too, if you keep meeting with her," she added.
John felt a pang of anger. "You sound just like Mom," he started. "Why can't I–" He broke off at the realization it was part of Cameron's mission to be suspicious, as some threats could be twisty. On the other hand, he wanted to avoid Cameron's constant warnings, a cyborg never tires, so he decided it was preferable to try to reassure her. "Sorry Cam. Look, I know what the stakes are, I won't say anything. It's just a date for the prom, nothing more."
Not knowing how to argue further, Cameron decided not to push. She nodded to John but felt neither reassured nor convinced by his explanation. Riley was a threat, even if unconsciously. She also doubted that John wouldn't attempt to continue his relationship with her. It was a big problem for her and John wasn't helping.
Thursday afternoon, 3:00 pm
John's school day was finished, unlike Cameron's. Sarah's instructions in this case were to wait for Cameron in the safest place as possible - inside the school premises - before going back home with her.
But he wanted to talk with Riley and needed some privacy with her. Moreover, Cameron's recent displays of emotion scared him a bit. He didn't know exactly how she would react if she was to see him in company of another girl. Cameron was stuck in class for two more hours, so he'd left a message on Riley's cell to meet up at the same place as they usually did.
Riley arrived a few minutes late. Not that she was actually late, but she took the necessary time beforehand to check that the machine wasn't lurking around.
"Hi John." She greeted him with a broad smile, leaning a bit too much over him. It was a hot day and she was wearing a tight shirt which she'd unbuttoned one button too many, revealing most of her cleavage and some of her red lace bra. I have to strike while the iron is hot, she thought with some sense of irony.
Taken by surprise with the very embarrassing view, John swallowed hard.
"Hi um, Riley" he stuttered, turning several shades of red.
"Are you all right?" she inquired, as if she didn't know the reason of John's awkwardness.
"Yeah. It's just a bit too hot out here." he tried to justify himself, without conviction.
Riley had rapidly learned some of John's weak points and she was glad she had the assets to exploit them. Jesse advised her to make sure the mission succeeded, so she made the first move.
"So John, are you ready for tomorrow?"
John had rented his tuxedo and bought Riley's corsage already, but he couldn't help thinking about Cameron's dress tryout episode when it came to the prom. He wouldn't tell Riley however. "Yeah, I had some shopping to do, but it all went right."
"I'm sure you'll be handsome. I've prepared something special for you as well. We'll be the couple of year."
John remembered his conversation with Cameron from the day before and he had to admit she was partly right about Riley. However, he really wanted to go with Riley, so he tried to adapt his speech. "I hope we won't. Wait, I don't say that because of you or me, it's just… I don't like to draw attention on me, my mom always taught me to stay low," he replied solemnly.
Riley's strategy was to get him out of his current way of thinking and as a consequence, away from Cameron's influence.
"Is that why you didn't want to go at first? It seemed to me you were rather reluctant, as if it was such a chore to accompany your… sister."
John noticed the slight hesitation. He thought there was something a bit weird about how Riley referred to his 'sister' but couldn't quite put a finger on it. "No, it's not. But this is the kind of… event I'm not too fond of."
"Why is that John? You're a teenager, adults always say it's the best period of our life. No worry, just fun… and love. You have to enjoy it. We have to," Riley pleaded, getting a bit frustrated with John's attitude.
"I don't know, Riley. It's just that I can't afford…"
"What do you mean you can't afford? Just live your life!" she snapped. "Who knows how you're gonna be in twenty years? Do you?" She knew this would help him change his mind, knowing exactly what he would think.
Unfortunately, I do, he thought. You don't know what the future will bring, but I do. It's dreadful. Pushed by Riley's clever arguments, he slowly came to the conclusion that having good time when he still can was not a bad idea. After J-Day, occasions to party would probably be very scarce.
A sad future his robotic protector was unintentionally but constantly reminding him of.
Looking down, very thoughtfully, he finally gave in. "Yeah… Yeah, you're right after all." Then he looked at her, smiling. "Let's have fun together."
"Marvelous," Riley let out, satisfied. And maybe more, she thought. But as long as you forget about the machine, I'll be okay. She smiled at him in return.
D-Day, Friday 5:00pm
The dress was lying on the bed, ready to be worn. Cameron gazed at it for a long moment, figuring it would put the finishing touches to her preparation. Before pulling it on, she recalled all the time she spent discussing with other girls at school and at the library at night making searches, just to make sure to do the right thing. It helped her breaking the ice with the girl who replaced Eric some time ago.
She remembered the early steps she'd completed sooner in the afternoon.
She'd taken a shower first right after lunchtime. She didn't really need it, just washing her hair, but she'd felt she had to do it. She wanted to follow all the rituals of making herself look the best for the prom and to her surprise, she felt a bit excited about it. She initially put it on the fact that it was the first time she was doing it, but found out afterwards that there had been numerous things in the past she had done for the first time and did not feel quite excited at.
She washed her hair three times with that Jojoba shampoo John had often commented on how nice her hair smelled when she used it. She had always felt compelled to reiterate actions for which she would earn a compliment from John.
She remained under the shower longer than necessary. She normally didn't like water for obvious reasons. She couldn't swim, so stretches of water could only be an obstacle to her missions. More important, the combination of water and electricity could deactivate her. But at the present moment, feeling the hot water flow on her naked body did bring her a pleasant sensation and she closed her eyes. She chose not to deactivate her body sensors like she usually did and found all these sensations... interesting.
Thanks to a last minute cancellation due to an inexplicable car breakdown, Cameron could finally get a late appointment with the hair stylist. She had her hair done in a bun, a little like when they had gone to meet with the father and son from Dakara. It had been a long task and she didn't feel very comfortable, mainly because she didn't have John in sight, but also because she had never been in such a situation before. The stylist tried to be friendly and talkative, complimenting her with her hair. "I've seldom seen so perfect hair. Do you use a special treatment?" he asked, really impressed by Cameron's generous mane. A very old memory flashed in her head. 'Your hair. It's so pretty. We worked very hard on the hair to get it right'. She looked down, feeling remorseful. "No," she finally replied flatly. The stylist was surprised that the girl didn't boast about the quality of her hair.
She remained silent and still the rest of the time her hairdressing required, almost sulking. The stylist was surprised by the fact her head never moved even when he pulled on the hair. He thought that she must have a strong neck, but the neck was slender like the rest of her body.
When she'd returned home, she had only scanned the house to verify that John was okay before barging through the living room and up the stairs towards her room, ignoring Derek's contemptuous chuckle.
Cameron looked at the dress once again. It was the very first item she actually owned, besides weaponry and related stuff necessary to complete her missions. Of course she had everyday clothes, but she was usually buying them by herself and the dress for Dakara had been rented by Sarah. Owning something 'normal' made her feel more like a person. People have belongings.
Cameron decided it was time to get dressed. She removed all of her current clothes and put them in the laundry basket. She couldn't help but looking at her naked body in the mirror. She noticed John wasn't insensitive to her curves. But are these really my curves? The memory of Allison Young was starting to pay its toll on Cameron as her humanity was slowly growing.
She put on fresh underwear – among which a push-up bra she purchased on her own – and carefully slipped the dress on. She pulled up the zipper with ease.
As she adjusted the dress, she recalled about how she got her very first belonging. It was John's gift. John used to push her away, but now he seemed to relent, showing patience with her, even some kindness. She felt valued again. It was a pleasant sensation and she realized that he pushing her away had been a constant source of discomfort, however with little disturbance on her protection mission, as long as he didn't become too reckless. Now she was worrying he might because of this girl Riley. She thought she would have to do something about this issue eventually.
She started to put on her make-up. She'd always had a lot of beauty products and made great use of them, but this time she sensed there was something more than just looking good, so she took extra care. She applied shades of purple eye shadow so as to bring out the flecks of yellow in her brown eyes and then curled her lashes and applied several layers of volumizing mascara to make her eyes stand out even more.
She wondered if John's new behavior towards her was in relation with her desire to accomplish all these very human actions the best she can.
She applied some berry-hue blush. Her gestures with the brush were quick and accurate. She completed her make-up by applying deep red glossy lipstick.
John's new behavior made her wonder about his feelings for her. Before she reverted due to the car bomb, John had displayed very subtle signs of appreciation towards her she never failed to notice. It never went farther, however. It even disappeared after his birthday and it was easy to understand why. She looked down, feeling ashamed.
She put her high heel shoes on.
However, John recently started to show some signs of appreciation again. She wondered if there was a possibility for more. After all, he'd taken a huge risk by getting her back. Not knowing exactly why though, she confusedly decided that it couldn't be just because he trusted her.
She put on the right amount of perfume from a bottle she'd specifically purchased for the occasion, to Sarah's great disapproval. Chanel no. 5. Cameron had always loved numbers. She eventually completed her preparation by putting the black gloves on and then golden earrings and bracelets.
There might be more, but John had always seemed to hesitate when it came to her. She knew it was because she was a machine. He was unsure she was able to feel, so what about love? She'd told him once she could feel more than he thought, but Cameron had to admit she didn't know if she was able to love him, at least the way he would like her to. She didn't feel ready.
But she finally was, at least concerning her preparation. She admired herself in the mirror of her closet. Being a machine, she was naturally meticulous, but with the extra attention she took, her preparation was perfect. She felt that sensation of pride again. So dressed up, she was no longer the deadly cyborg that was sent on dangerous missions, maybe just a tool for some people. No, she now felt like a real person about take part in a public event and truly mix with humans. She felt more complete.
She scanned her appearance from head to toe and noticed something. Thanks to the push-up bra, her breasts effectively appeared to be slightly bigger. She remembered the two girls' nasty comments and that Allison Young, the human model she had been built at the image of, had average breasts. Because John was looking at Riley's bust and not hers, she inferred that her breasts were too small to John's taste, hence probably one of the reasons why he wouldn't get closer. She was pleased with the slight improvement but wondered if it would be enough for John to notice. She thought he surely would if they really were bigger but unfortunately, there was nothing more she could do about it.
She sat down and was surprised when she consulted her internal clock. It was 6:42pm already. She'd spent over one hour and a half to get prepared. By her standards, the whole operation should have taken less than twenty minutes. But even for a cyborg, she'd been very thorough. She thought she didn't need to make her best endeavors to get so perfect to keep her promise but felt compelled to. So why did I do all that? She realized she did it not for Morris, but for John, even if she knew she wasn't his date. All she wanted was to please John. I think I love him, she concluded. People make unnecessary efforts to please the persons they love. Maybe one day, I'll be his date.
6:49pm. Morris will arrive in 11 minutes. She'd noticed earlier that John had finished preparing himself and had been discussing things with Sarah and Derek in the living room for exactly 47 minutes and 23 seconds, he was probably waiting for her.
Thanks to her advanced audio sensors, she heard a car approaching the house. She promptly went to her window and saw a car slowly entering the yard. She relented and went back to her seat when she recognized Morris. There was no threat to John.
It was 6:51pm. Already? She thought. Why can't humans respect correct timing? That's not exactly so hard, is it?
After a moment, she heard Sarah calling her name from the living room. "Cameron, Morris is there. We're waiting for you."
"I'm coming," she cried. She stood up, smoothed her dress, let out a sigh and proceeded to go downstairs to meet Morris.
D-Day, Friday around 6:00pm
John got out of his room and went down the stairs into the living room. He sat on the couch aside Derek and across Sarah who widely grinned at the vision of her son in a tuxedo. She thought he was a fine figure of a man, prefiguring General Connor she would have hoped to live long enough to see.
Seeing his mother's silent but permanent stare on him with a melancholic expression on her face, John said "What?"
"Huh, nothing" she replied. "It's just that you're very elegant and handsome. You should dress up like this more often in the future," she said, not bothering to hide the mother's pride in her voice.
Derek chimed in. "He will."
Sarah and John both turned and looked at him in surprise.
"Well, General Connor was- will wear his ceremonial uniform on some occasions. When I saw you dressed like this, I almost stood up to salute you," Derek explained.
The three of them burst out laughing.
Derek spoke anew. "So you're going to the prom tonight? Who's your date? I'm surprised you could find a girl, you're so grumpy," he said laughing again.
"Very funny, Derek," John replied with darts in his eyes. "Her name is Riley Dawson. I met her two weeks ago when she arrived…"
"Two weeks?" Sarah interrupted him. "Isn't that a bit too short to date her?" she asked.
John didn't want to confess the adults that it was actually her who dated him. Sarah would inevitably find it suspicious. He wanted to keep is teenager pride too.
"We've been talking a bit. She told me she lost both of her parents in a car accident and she's now living with her foster family. She's new in town, in school, and has nobody to talk to. I don't either, so that makes a good reason for us to meet," John explained.
Even so, Sarah was a bit suspicious while Derek was satisfied to hear that. He was glad this girl could distract him from being too close to the machine. That's good. John needed to stay focus and if this new relationship could be controlled, everything would be perfect. Keep the machine's role as a mere protector, nothing more. Anyway, there can't be anything more, right? he reassured himself.
"Unknown origins, went right towards you, I don't like it. We have to investigate her," Sarah said seriously.
"Mom! You're getting too paranoid. It's just a girl," John snapped, annoyed that his mother doubted his ability to make female friends and also that she was entering a private area.
"John, don't you think it's strange?" Sarah argued.
"No, it isn't. Is my meeting and dating a girl something so hard to believe? Look, the last time a pretty girl walked up to me then…" His voice trailed off and he looked down at the realization that the last girl who actually did so was Cameron. However, he couldn't stifle a chuckle at the memory. If Cameron had been human, it would have been a magic encounter.
Sarah and Derek were both grinning.
"Okay, bad example. But you see what I mean. Anyway, I have the right to date whoever I want, right?" he stated with a defying stare at his mother, now short of arguments.
"I think the kid's right, Sarah. You can't suspect everybody," Derek offered.
Sarah relented. "Okay John. We don't have the time to make a full inquiry within an hour, anyway."
"Mom!" he said, rolling his eyes. This was the kind a discussion with his mother which made him doubt he could become the respected General Connor. He was determined to make it.
"Is the SUV ready?" he inquired.
"You won't need it, John. I rented a limo for Cameron, you and your respective dates. John, it'll allow Cameron to ensure your safety, but I also wanted you to fully enjoy your prom evening, just like a normal boy. I thought it was a great occasion to offer you a normal day. They are so scarce, I don't feel like denying this one to you." The more she spoke and the more her voice was trembling with emotion. When she finished, a tear went down her cheek. She felt ashamed to display her emotions, in particular in front of Derek, but sometimes the circumstances are not favorable.
John felt all his anger instantly fly away. All he could see now was a loving mother who wanted to give him the best gift she could. He rushed to her and hugged her so tight she could barely breathe.
"Oh thank you Mom. Thank you so much. You don't know how much that means to me," he whispered in her ear.
Oh yes, I do. Believe me.
After a moment, she broke the embrace and put a soft kiss on his forehead. "Enjoy every moment of it."
"I will."
"Don't forget to take the SUV's spare key though. Derek and I will leave it at the prom later so you can safely return, just in case something happens," she added, in a constant concern for his safety. They discussed about random topics afterwards until John began to worry.
"What is Cameron doing?" he wondered.
"She's locked up in her room since she's returned from the hairdresser," Sarah indicated.
"Maybe she's making a complete overhaul?" Derek sarcastically said. "Perhaps she needs extra oil to avoid too much grating. It's summer time, I would suggest 5W30."
John turned to him and glared at him.
Uh oh. We're not there yet. This Riley girl will have to be very persuasive.
"I'm going to see how she's doing," John said. Just as he stood up, the door bell rang. Derek reached his gun, but John gestured him to put it away.
"It's okay. That must be Morris."
"All right, but pay attention," Derek advised him.
Sarah went to the door. "Who is it?"
"Hello, Mrs. Baum. This is Morris. I'm coming to pick Cameron up."
Sarah opened the door and smiled. "Hello Morris, please come in. Cameron will be ready in a short moment. You know how girls are…" Sarah cheerfully prompted Morris to enter and sit on the couch.
"Thank you, Mrs. Baum. I'll wait."
"Cameron, Morris is there. We're waiting for you," Sarah called aloud. What is she doing? Now if even cyborgs take as much time as human girls to get prepared…
"I'm coming," came the swift reply from upstairs.
7:00pm sharp. Cameron got out of her room and went down the stairs. Everybody looked at her as she gracefully made her way down the staircase.
John had already seen her in her prom dress, but not with her hair done and makeup. The vision he had was wonderful. Cameron was naturally pretty, but he thought she was presently looking like a princess. He even noticed that her bust was beautifully enhanced, an act of coquetry he didn't think she was capable of. He intensely admired her, while smiling warmly.
Morris chuckled in awe. Cameron was gorgeous in her dress. She looked so different than at school. He couldn't believe his luck. He would go to the prom with the prettiest girl in school, he was sure of that. Then he noticed how her 'brother' was looking at her, which he found weird. But he rapidly dismissed this thought, he was too happy.
Sarah gasped in surprise. John had told her he'd chosen Cameron's dress himself without even having her trying it out, so she was expecting something bad. She was doubly surprised. At first because the dress was very elegant, classic and at the same time with the Gothic touch Cameron was apparently appreciating. He managed to reconcile classic look with Cameron's likings. She was proud of John's taste. And then because John could choose a perfectly matching dress, showing that he perfectly knew Cameron's measurements. She felt very uncomfortable with that idea.
Derek shook his head. He knew Cameron was going to the prom with Morris and that she had to keep her cover. But he wondered why she'd decided to do it and why she prepared herself so thoroughly. He wondered what kind of evil manipulation that CPU of hers was plotting.
Morris approached Cameron and expressed his admiration "You're beautiful, Cameron." Then he offered her the corsage he had bought. "This is for you."
The corsage was made of black leather and feathers and was matching her gown. She accepted it and put it at her right wrist.
"Thank you," she said cheerfully.
"May I?" Sarah asked Morris, taking Cameron's arm and drawing her apart. When they were out of range of being overheard, Sarah sighed and said, "Cameron, I think I owe you an apology. I can see all the efforts you've made for your preparation and I have been of no help to you. I don't exactly understand why it is so important for you, but… I'm sorry. I should have been more patient with you."
If Cameron was surprised by Sarah's apology, she didn't show it.
"Apologies accepted. I understand now why my initial choice wasn't appropriate. I should have followed your advice," Cameron answered. She didn't smile, but Sarah noticed that her eyes were noticeably softer than a few moments ago.
"Enjoy the party and watch yourself. Don't do…"
Sarah gritted her teeth. She'd caught herself again considering Cameron as her daughter, not the machine. To her credit, the cyborg's attire and the circumstances didn't help. Damn Sarah, Cameron is not your daughter, it's a machine.
"What?" Cameron gave Sarah a quizzical look.
"…please keep an eye on John."
"I will Sarah. You can count on me."
Sarah simply nodded and averted her stare from Cameron's eyes in sign of discomfort. She didn't know what to say. She wondered if the cyborg would understand her gratitude.
"I hear a vehicle approaching the house," Cameron suddenly informed her.
Sarah was glad the awkward moment did not last long.
"This must be the limo." She turned towards Morris. "Morris, the limo is for you too. You can leave your car in the yard. Okay kids, it's time for you to go. Now listen to me very carefully. You come straight back home after the prom. No after party shenanigans," Sarah declared with her classic 'and I mean it' look, so the things were clear for John in particular, she had no specific worry concerning Cameron.
Morris seriously nodded, impressed by Sarah's tone, John mumbled something and Cameron tilted her head in confusion. She stayed still for a moment and then motioned to follow as everybody was already getting out of the house. Once the boys were out the door, Derek chose that moment to stand in front of her.
"All polished up for the prom Miss Metal?" he said with all the contempt he could put in his voice.
Cameron stared at him with her usual blank expression and said nothing.
Derek took a menacing look and pointed at her. "Listen. I don't know exactly what you're up to with this prom stuff, but don't think you're gonna seduce and manipulate John that easily."
"Are you upset because you couldn't date me instead?" she responded flatly and then got past him to catch up with the others, leaving a gaping Derek now pointing at nothing but air. She went straight to John.
"John?"
"Yeah?"
"What did Sarah mean by 'no after party shenanigans'?" Cameron asked with genuine curiosity.
John turned several shades of red in embarrassment.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Even before Cameron could acknowledge, he added "Yeah, I imagine you are." He sighed. "Well, um, you know Cam, the prom is a great moment for everybody in the school year. Some people may… make out or have sex with their dates afterwards," he confessed.
"Oh, thank you for explaining." Cameron curved her lips in a hint of a smile and left a flabbergasted John who wondered why she didn't ask him to elaborate, just like he expected.
Is that all? Damn, what are you up to, Cam?
Cameron was doubly annoyed by John's statement. First of all, she didn't particularly want to have sex with Morris and interrogated her tactical system to submit to her a way to dissuade him from trying. She dismissed the first list and added a condition to a new query: without termination or serious injury, but the new resulting list was empty. She would have to figure out by herself. She didn't want John to have sex with Riley either, but she didn't know how to prevent it, however. The end of the party was promising to be hectic.
"We have to go now. I told Riley I would pick her up at 7:30pm," John declared.
Sarah came outside to see them off. She surprisingly found it almost harder to see her son leaving for the prom than for a mission.
Morris opened and kept the limo's door open for his date to take place in. Just before she stepped into the limo, Cameron suddenly turned and went to Sarah and whispered to her, "Don't worry Sarah. Nobody will have sex after the party". She immediately turned to walk towards the limo with a very girly gait and took her place in, satisfied she could for once reassure Sarah.
Wha–?
Sarah could just stand with a stunned look on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but finally remained silent, not knowing what to say.
John and Morris stepped in into the limo. Morris sat beside Cameron and John across them. The limo moved away in silence. Sarah remained standing in the yard several minutes after the limo was gone, arms crossed on her chest, thoughtful.
Have a nice prom, my son. Forget all about this shit, at least for one night. She turned and walked back to the house. She frowned. What the hell did Cameron mean by 'nobody will have sex after the party'? She didn't find the cyborg's statement particularly reassuring.
D-Day, Friday 7:20pm
The limo was quietly diving towards the house of Riley's foster parents. For the moment, the drive was rather silent. John wasn't too comfortable in his tuxedo, Morris kept staring intently at Cameron and Cameron didn't know exactly how to behave or what to say so she wisely chose not to do anything. She was sitting with her hands neatly resting in her lap, looking a bit down. As a consequence, she was looking very demure. It didn't surprise John, but Morris thought Cameron was now a very different person than the one he knew. The cold stare and self-confidence seemed to have gone away. Maybe she was just pretending to be tough, now she's shy. Perhaps going with me makes her feel different. It's going well.
Cameron tersely responded to some compliments from Morris, which she mostly did while looking at John.
7:34pm. The limo arrived at Riley's home. John told the driver to honk in order to tell her they were there. After several minutes, Riley still hadn't shown up.
"Maybe Riley is not coming John…" Cameron said. "We should go now, I don't want to be late." Morris smiled at the comment.
John opened the sunroof and stood up through the opening. He put his hands in front of his mouth in the shape of a megaphone and he started shouting.
"Riley, this is John. We're waiting for you. If you're not joining us within two minutes, we're going to leave without you."
One minute and twenty-three seconds later, Cameron heard someone knock at the smoked glass. She knew it was Riley, no need of advanced sensors to be sure. She was disappointed Riley could make it but marveled at John's efficient strategy.
John lowered the glass and Riley's face appeared. She was red and panting.
"Sorry. I didn't think it was you John. You said you would pick me up with your SUV," she explained while trying to catch her breath. She noticed Morris and Cameron. "…alone," she added.
"Yeah I know, but my mom rented this limo for us. Isn't it cool?"
"Yeah, sure," Riley smirked.
"Come on in," John said as he opened the door. Riley took her seat beside him, a bit closer than what Cameron was comfortable with. She was wearing a very short, daring strapless satin white dress which revealed most of her legs and cleavage. Cameron frowned. She felt unhappy. I thought this kind of revealing dress was inappropriate. Would Sarah say she's a whore? Why doesn't John say anything?
Riley decided to make the best of a bad job. She thought that if she could get close to John, it could durably mark the machine's simple mind. John involuntarily gave her the opportunity. He reached out and offered her the corsage.
"Riley, would you accept?" he asked.
Riley grabbed her chance. "Oh thank you John, it's beautiful. John, I don't like wearing it at the wrist. Can you pin it on my dress, just over there?" she asked, leaning further over him and showing a place above her left breast. The dress being strapless, John was caught up peering down at her cleavage. So he proceeded to pin the corsage his hands millimeters away from brushing up against her breast.
John started to turn red as he was facing some difficulties to complete the simple task.
Riley smiled coyly.
Cameron was inwardly fuming with rage and finding it increasingly difficult to keep her blank expression.
Morris was practically drooling as he thought about being able to do the same with Cameron.
"Cameron, if you want–"
"No." She snapped.
Morris saw that Cameron's expression had changed again. She was visibly very upset with the scene in front of her but he couldn't understand the reason. Why is she upset? She's his sister, not girlfriend, so what the heck?
John finally pinned the corsage and he leaned back again into the seat, trying to relax. He purposefully avoided Cameron's icy stare.
"Thank you John. My turn to give you something," she said mysteriously.
What now? John and Cameron thought in unison.
"What is it?" asked John, afraid of what it could be.
"Your boutonniere. You can't go to the prom without it. Let me pin it for you."
She leaned over him again and undertook to pin the boutonniere at the tuxedo, pretending to have the same difficulties than him.
"Look, I can't do it either. Funny, ain't it?" Her breasts were slightly rubbing up against his chest in the process.
John was in a paroxysm of awkwardness, as he knew he was under Cameron's heavy stare.
When Riley finally did it, she leaned back in her seat close to John, satisfied.
A heavy silence fell in the limo as a deviously grinning Riley and an upset Cameron entered in a stare contest. For Cameron, Riley's behavior and outfit could only mean one thing. Cameron won it of course, but Riley didn't care, she knew she had the advantage. Cameron still glared at Riley long after she'd averted her eyes. She broke the silence and bluntly asked, "Do you want to have sex with John after the party?"
Everybody turned their head to Cameron with a look of complete shock on their face.
"Oh, Cameron! No, we're not… Cam, please apologize!" John said with an outraged look. He was flabbergasted by Cameron's boldness.
"No, it's okay John. I'll answer," Riley rapidly said, finding a way to catch the machine off guard. "If he's all right with it, I wouldn't say no," Riley added uncaringly with a wave of her hand, before a flustered John could even say something then she looked Cameron right in the eyes.
John turned red. "Riley!" He thought that was one of those moments where he seriously doubted he could become General Connor one day.
"You can't," Cameron remarked.
"Why?"
"Mom said 'no shenanigans after party' before we left," Cameron explained.
"John's not obliged to follow mummy's orders, is he?" Riley retorted, turning to look at John. "Would you prevent him from doing it?" Riley knew she could only win. If Cameron does, John will not be happy, and if Cameron doesn't, she stays with him. Check mate.
"You don't deserve to be his date," Cameron said, implicitly admitting defeat. The expression was still blank, but anger could be seen in her eyes.
I can't believe it! John thought. Is Cameron… jealous of Riley? It's time to regain the control of the situation otherwise it may end up badly.
"Ladies! This is no time and place for a quarrel. Please ease up. Cam, don't insist. Riley, don't push my sister," he said with the most convincing tone he was able to offer.
"Okay John," Riley said.
Cameron didn't move at all.
After a small moment, Riley noticed that the car was driving slowly. She glanced up and proposed. "Look, what about putting our heads through the sunroof?"
John would have agreed to anything that could avoid the heavy silence again. "Okay." They did so and enjoyed it for a moment, John holding Riley by her waist all the time.
Riley lifted up her arms to heaven and let out a cry of joy.
"How do you feel John?"
"We're fine. We're good. We're alive. For now." He said, enjoying the moment, but knowing that it would eventually come to an end one way or another.
"You're full of carrots and apples," Riley told him.
"Carrots and apples?"
"Yeah, carrots and apples. You know, happy thoughts."
Riley's statement triggered a search process in Cameron's database.
After a moment, John and Riley sat again. Cameron felt compelled to do the same, although unsure why. She put it on the purpose to better blend in.
"Morris, shall we do the same?" Cameron asked him.
"Oh, of course Cameron," Morris answered, too happy to please her.
They both popped up through the sunroof to take in the experience and enjoyed doing it too, though both differently. Cameron felt the light flow of air on her skin and through her hair, a sensation akin to the one she felt in the shower some hours ago. It was a pleasing and soothing sensation. She didn't prevent Morris when he gently but cautiously put his arm around her waist.
To his great surprise, John felt a pang of jealousy when he saw Morris' arm around Cameron's waist.
However, he didn't have the time to dwell on it. They were arriving at their destination shortly. It was 7:59pm, time to exit the limo and join the party, to Cameron's delight.
END OF CHAPTER