CHAPTER EIGHT: ROXANNE'S OLD WOUNDS

In fifteen minutes, I arrived back at my house. For the entire ride back to the house, I had the biggest smile on my face for I was the happiest I could be, being in the best mood I'd been in a long time. I couldn't stop thinking about the amazing solo performance that Roxanne had performed for me in her green room. Now, I had never been invited to that sort of thing so for that to happen to me, and seeing one of the four mascots perform right in front of my eyes was like watching a real human play. Whoever designed them to be that advanced and amazing was like a gift from the gods themselves.

I turned off the ignition and sat there in my truck for a minute, thinking over everything that's happened today. It was a pretty good day, and the end of it was only made better because of the performance that she performed for me. I didn't know why, but like earlier before she performed for me, I couldn't help but get the feeling that there must be another reason as to why she invited me to her green room to watch her play. One of my earlier guesses was that maybe Roxanne was trying to overcome her shyness and nervousness around me, as well as her way of proving to me that she was the best. But for some reason, none of those reasons fit it at all.

Then, another thought came up in my mind, one that made me freeze up. Does she… like me? No, there was no way that had to be the case. There really wasn't anything particularly special about me. Besides, I was a human and she was an animatronic so there was no way that would work out in the end. It would look pretty weird in the eyes of society. The last thing I wanted was to be terribly ridiculed by society and even get bullied because of it. It didn't sit well with me, but if Roxanne does like me that way, I wasn't going to call her out on it. It would destroy whatever progress that has been made so far.

I grabbed my plush that I had sitting on the passenger seat, stepped out of the truck, and began walking over to the house. Just then, I heard the faint sound of footsteps coming up from behind me. I slowly turned around to see Peter walking over to me with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Mihael!" he called out.

"Hi, Peter," I called back, and soon, the man was now about a foot away from me. I made sure that I kept the Roxanne plushy out of his line of sight. I didn't want him asking questions about it. That would have been really embarrassing.

"How was your day?" he asked.

I shrugged. "It was pretty good. I started my first-day shift today and I will say this; I enjoyed it."

Peter beamed at this reply. "That's really wonderful to hear, Mihael! I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your new job! What do you think of the animatronics there?!"

I frowned at this. I've only met Freddy, Chica, and Montgomery during my first night shift and have met Roxanne a couple of times. Roxanne has been the one to see me during my day shift while the others didn't. I understood that they might have been busy, what with all of those kids and all, but how come Roxanne Wolf was the only one who has been able to come over and see me during my shift? It was weird to me, and the idea of Roxanne possessing an interest in me sprung up, but I tried to push that thought away. I had to do something about that. I couldn't just be around only Roxanne, that was for damn sure.

I shrugged once again. "They're okay, I guess. I've met and seen Freddy, Chica, and Montgomery during my first night shift, though I have been around Roxanne a lot. She actually came to talk to me during my shift and even invited me to her green room for a solo performance so I think she's pretty cool."

Peter's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "ROXANNE WOLF INVITED YOU TO HER GREEN ROOM FOR A SOLO PERFORMANCE?!"

I was taken aback by the sheer intensity of his shock. I didn't know why but something about it told me a story.

"Yes, she did," I replied hesitantly. "Why? It's really not that big of a deal."

"It is a big deal," he countered. "After what nearly happened to her a few years back, she's stopped inviting people for a solo performance since."

This instantly caught my attention. I didn't have any knowledge about what goes down at the Pizzaplex, considering how I stopped watching or even reading the news regarding the Mega Pizzaplex after both my little sister's disappearance and my father's suicide. To hear that something nearly happened to Roxanne a few years ago made me both very curious and concerned.

"What do you mean by that, Peter?" I asked.

"About 6 years ago, according to the information that was shared to the world, Roxanne Wolf had invited a previous security guard, who was the night guard at the time, to her green room for a solo performance. From what we've heard, in the middle of the performance, that guard tried to bludgeon the poor wolf with a roughneck hammer. Roxanne had suffered minimal damage, but she would've suffered way worse if her friends hadn't come to her rescue. The next morning, that guard was both fired and arrested for damaging company property."

I covered my mouth with my right hand, my eyes going wide. Shock and horror washed over me as what Peter had just told me sunk in. Someone tried to bludgeon her with a hammer, almost successfully killing her in the process?! I couldn't even imagine the fear and terror that she had to go through when that happened to her.

"But… why?" I asked, shock and horror present in my tone.

"That's what is the most messed up thing about it," Peter said. "From what we've gathered, it's because this guy was getting very annoyed with her constantly saying how she's the best and that she's better than everyone. Eventually, this guy had enough and began planning to decommission Roxy for a few months and began waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike."

I felt my shock turn from anger to fury. This guy wanted to get rid of her all because of her narcissism and insecurities talking! Didn't it occur to that guy that was the case?! Apparently not since he tried to kill her over it! The only thing keeping me from wanting to track that guy down and pound him to a pulp was the simple fact that he was arrested and put behind bars, which that man rightfully deserves and was probably rotting away.

I snapped out of my anger at the thought of wanting to pummel the guy for what he did. I was genuinely shocked at myself. I could get angry, but not to the point where I would want to hurt somebody. And it all came to the fact that it had something to do with Roxanne. Why was she making me feel this way? Honestly, I didn't like it.

"Well, at least he's behind bars," I added. Peter nodded his head in agreement.

"Sentenced to 10 years, I believe," he said. He then put that all too familiar smile on his face. "So, do you have any plans for the rest of the night?"

I smiled and shrugged, grateful for the change of subject. "Nothing really. Just going to take a shower and get some sleep."

"Alrighty then," he said. "Well, you have a good night, Mihael."

"You too, Peter," I said. With that, I opened the front door and then stepped inside, closing the door behind me. I was very glad that Peter had changed the subject because I didn't think that I would be able to handle hearing about anything bad happening to Roxanne Wolf.

I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling with my right arm wrapped around the plushy Roxanne gave me. I had tried to go to sleep for the past 15 minutes, but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get what happened out of my head.

Roxanne Wolf had invited me to her green room for a solo performance, which was amazing in my opinion. I couldn't help but feel special that she wanted to show me how she played. I didn't know why, but it felt like a huge honor to have one of the Pizzaplex's mascots invite me for a solo performance.

I would've smiled and felt honored if what Peter had revealed to me didn't keep on echoing in my head. All that did was bring forth a big frown on my face. The feeling of specialty and honor washed away like dried dirt and felt a string of pity for Roxanne.

I couldn't believe that someone, a previous security guard, attacked Roxanne in her green room during a solo performance all because of her narcissism and insecurities talking. While I was glad that scumbag was now behind bars, the thought of Roxanne no longer existing if the man had succeeded and caused irreparable damage to where the wolf couldn't be fixed brought a sinking feeling in my heart. I cringed at that very thought.

I didn't know why that stupid thought made me feel this way, but it did. Then, I thought back to the things Kyle had said to me after my first night shift on the job.

"If I'm reading you correctly, I say that you might have a thing for her. You care about her more than you should and I even saw that you were gonna cry after what you just told me. I could be misreading you, but that's what I think."

I shook my head at this. There was no way that could be the case or the reason why I felt this way and I really doubted that Roxanne could be feeling the same way for me. Right? If so, then how does it explain the strange feeling I was feeling in my chest area right now? And how does it explain Roxanne's shy and nervous behavior around me, as well as her inviting me to her green room for a solo performance, despite what happened to her 6 years prior?

I shook my head again at both these questions and the thoughts. That couldn't be possible. A human and an animatronic? Together? That kind of thing would be ridiculed and looked down upon. But maybe…

'Stop it, Mihael!' I angrily scolded myself. 'You're overthinking it again! Just go to sleep and forget about it!'

I rolled onto my side, pressed the plushy tightly to my chest, and I thankfully fell asleep.

THE NEXT DAY

I woke up to the sound of my alarm going off. I rolled onto my other side, hit the snooze button, and then switched off the alarm. I sat up on my bed and rubbed my eyes. With that done, I threw the covers off me, and hopped out of bed.

'Time to start another day,' I thought to myself. Walking over to the dresser, I searched and hoped to find another pair of black sweats and a white T-shirt. Thankfully, I found both, but unfortunately for me, they were my last pair. Since I didn't have a basement nor a washer or dryer in my house, I had to wash them by hand. While I hated doing it, it does get the job done.

Now fully clothed, I walked over to the nightstand and retrieved the watch, my phone, and keys. I, once again, brought the watch home with me by mistake. I really hated how I would forget certain things and I swear, it would cost me one day.

Strapping the Faz-Watch securely to my left wrist, I stepped out of my bedroom, closing the door behind me, and walked over to the front door. As I reached for the knob, my stomach growled. At first, I was considering skipping breakfast again, but since the only thing I've eaten all day was a small bowl of cereal last night and I had to come in at 8, it would be better and smarter to put something in my stomach so I didn't regret it later.

I sighed and walked over to the kitchen. The kitchen was small with a stove and oven, a microwave, a refrigerator, white linoleum floor, a wooden table with three chairs, white wooden cabinets, and a cupboard where all of my supplies are at.

Entering the small kitchen and placing the keys on the table, I retrieved a small yellow bowl from the cabinets and a spoon and placed them on the table. I then retrieved a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a gallon of milk from the fridge. I walked over to the table, sat down at the far left end of the table, and prepared my meal. Pouring the cereal and milk into the small bowl, I began eating.

As I ate, my thoughts shifted to what happened yesterday, as well as the possibility of Roxanne taking an interest in me. That wouldn't be such a big problem if it wasn't for the fact that me and her were very different from each other. I had flesh and bone while she was made out of metal. It wouldn't work out.

While I was aware of the fact that there were movies and books that featured a human and a robot being together, the problem was that it was fiction. It would never work in real life. That's the problem with humanity; they might like or take an interest in something that is happening on screen, but if that very thing was happening in real life, it would be frowned upon. It wasn't fair, but that was life.

If Roxanne Wolf was interested in me, how was I going to tell her it wouldn't work out in the end? How would I do it in the most polite and friendly way without hurting both her and her feelings in the process? If I didn't do it correctly, it would no doubt destroy whatever bond that we've developed so far.

In the end, I decided that I was going to wait it out and see how it goes. It wouldn't be right to make assumptions and get into a big load of trouble because of it. It would be reckless and wrong.

After I finished eating, I washed and dried off my bowl and spoon and placed them back in their respective places. I grabbed my car keys and walked out the kitchen and out the front door, closing the door behind me.

I arrived at the Pizzaplex in fifteen minutes, as usual, and sat in my truck for a moment. I didn't know why, but something deep down told me that something was going to happen. The problem was that I didn't know whether whatever it was would either be a good thing, a bad thing, or something that's entirely unexpected.

Plus, I couldn't help but get the strong feeling that it might have something to do with Roxanne. She might've taken what I said to her to heart and to be quite frank, it wouldn't be a bad thing, but something told me that she might grow closer to me as time passes. I genuinely wouldn't have a problem with that, but if Roxanne does end up having a thing for me, then that could become a problem.

I had no idea how Kyle would feel or react to any of that. Probably might not take it very lightly. While he has been a real nice guy, all of it could change in an instant. And worst of all, it might even land Roxanne into some serious trouble.

And then there was me. I couldn't imagine how my mother would feel about any of that if it ever came to that point. She might end up cutting me out of her life. I was aware that she would never do that, but I just couldn't live with myself if that ever happened.

'You're overthinking it again,' I thought to myself. I exhaled and stepped out of the truck.

I walked over to the entrance and stepped inside. The Lobby was empty and there was no sign of Kyle or those two rude technicians that I saw yesterday. For some reason, I couldn't help but get the feeling I was being watched. Out of instinct, I turned my head left and right to see if I could catch whoever was watching me.

I turned my attention to the gift shop… and held in the urge to let out a blood-curdling scream. Staring back at me through the window was some kind of strange figure. I couldn't make out much, but what I was able to make out was that it wasn't human. The figure looked disfigured as if it had multiple limbs, a bit taller than a human, and it seemed to have a second head. The main head that was staring directly at me, however, looked like that of an animal, but what kind I wasn't able to tell.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The figure was animatronic, but it didn't even look like Freddy, or Chica, or Montgomery, or Roxanne Wolf for that matter. This thing was something else entirely. I was hoping that it would look away and disappear.

It never did. It continued to stare at me with this blank expression on its face. What kind of animatronic was that thing? If this was once an animatronic that the Pizzaplex once had, what was it doing here in the first place? If anything, was that thing roaming around the whole establishment without being seen or noticed the entire time and no one was the wiser? I didn't like the sound of that.

"Mihael!" cried out a familiar voice. I looked away from the figure to see Roxanne Wolf charging at me with a smile on her face. Seeing her charging at me was setting off my fight-or-flight instincts like crazy.

When she reached me, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me. I was frozen, my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"It's so good to see you!" she beamed. Snapping out of it slightly, I reluctantly wrapped my arms around her and returned the hug.

"It's good to see you too, Roxanne," I said, trying my best to sound casual. After a moment, we ended the hug and the smile on her face had grown slightly.

"How was the rest of your night?" she asked. I internally gulped. I wasn't going to tell the wolf that I knew what happened to her 6 years prior as that would trigger bad memories, no doubt.

I shrugged. "It was alright. I didn't do anything special so when I got home, I just showered and went to bed."

Her smile grew slightly. "That sounds cool."

"I guess it can be," I replied, shrugging again. "What about you? How was the rest of your night?"

Roxanne beamed brightly at my questions. "Oh, it was great! After you left, I went and told everyone that you liked my performance. They all congratulated me and suggested that I ask you if you wanted to see my raceway! I thought that was a great idea and I have been waiting for you to arrive!"

I was caught by surprise at both her reaction and her reply. I then thought about how I was checking the cameras and saw them chatting at the Atrium. I couldn't help but get the feeling that her friends had talked her into giving me a solo performance. I might be overthinking things again, but I might as well keep a mental note on that.

"Really?" I asked.

She nodded her head. "Yep! So, you want to see my raceway?"

I began to think it over. It did sound like a cool idea, but at the same time now that I thought about it, I didn't like the idea of there being a raceway in a kid's friendly establishment. Thinking about the raceway reminded me of the times my father tried to get me to watch auto racing on TV.

My father was a huge fan of auto racing and whenever he came home from work or when something special was taking place, as if his life depended on it, he would flip to the channel for auto racing and would watch it non-stop.

He tried to get me and my sister to watch it with him. My sister got hooked on it. For me, I never liked it, mainly because I didn't see it as something fun, but rather something that was reckless and stupid. I feared for people's safety as that kind of sport has led to many an undeserved death. My father was upset that he never got me into it, but he didn't force me to watch it with him, which I was very thankful for, and I still am to this day.

But then, I thought about my choice a little more carefully. This was a friendly family establishment, which means that it might not be as crazy as the auto racing is shown on TV. In places like this, there have to be rules and safety protocols that have to be followed to ensure the safety of the guests so they don't end up hurt or even killed. If that were to happen, it wouldn't look too good for either Roxanne Wolf or the company of the establishment.

I sighed mentally. I've made my choice. I looked Roxanne in the eyes, the wolf looking at me with anticipation, and I gave her my best fake smile.

"Sure, I would love to see your raceway, Roxanne," I replied softly. The amount of utter joy Roxanne expressed made me feel good. Her tail began wagging uncontrollably, the smile on her face grew, and she was clapping her hands rapidly.

"Wonderful!" she cried out happily. "Follow me! I will show you the way!"

I nodded and with that, Roxanne led me up the stairs and to one of the elevators. She pushed a button and the doors closed, taking us to another part of the Mega Pizzaplex. The entire time on the way to the elevator, I didn't catch sight of that strange figure again.

The elevator dinged, signaling to us that we had reached our assigned destination. The doors slowly slid open and we both stepped out of the elevator, entering the Atrium.

The Atrium was this large dark purple room with blue assets, packed with rows and rows of tables with balloons that seem to make up the dining area. It was filled with different neon lights with a neon star on the ceiling, and what appeared to be a stage. On different floors, there appeared to be different attractions that people could go and visit. The room looked beautiful.

Roxanne gestured for me to follow her behind her. I did. As we walked past the numerous tables, I realized just how big the place really was and the number of attractions that were connected to it.

"Are all of the attractions connected to this place?" I wondered out loud.

"In how you put it, yes," Roxanne replied suddenly. "The Atrium acts as a gateway to the many attractions here in the Pizzaplex, my raceway being one of them. It's my pride and joy."

"I bet it is," I complimented. "I can't even imagine how popular it became when the Pizzaplex opened."

Suddenly, to my confusion, Roxanne Wolf stopped dead in her tracks. I stopped in my tracks as well, wondering why she stopped like that. I took notice of how still Roxanne was; still as a statue. For a moment, none of us did anything. I slowly began to fear that I might've said the wrong thing.

To my utter horror and dismay, Roxanne began trembling slightly and mimicking sniffling sounds. Choked sobs escaped from the wolf, her arms wrapped tightly around her, and her trembling increased slightly. I mentally kicked myself for potentially saying something stupid. It was all going so well and I had to mess it up!

I quickly ran to her side and rested my right hand on her arm. "Roxanne, what's wrong?"

Roxanne sniffled and looked me in the eyes, her expression pained and broken. "My raceway… wasn't ready by the time the Pizzaplex opened."

This caught my attention. That didn't make sense. Why was the raceway not ready when the Mega Pizzaplex opened 12 years ago? There could be a number of reasons, and stupidly, I felt my curiosity growing at the mystery.

"What do you mean by that, Roxanne?" I couldn't help but ask. There was a brief pause before she spoke.

"My raceway was still under construction when the Pizzaplex opened," she explained. "For 3 whole years, construction on my raceway stalled because from what I heard, they discovered a sinkhole underneath and the power was being drained underground. I increasingly grew more and more frustrated with my attraction not being completed and I took all of my anger out on a lot of S.T.A.F.F. driver assistant robots by beheading them. It didn't help much.

"While I waited, I had to try finding different ways to attract an audience, compete against the others so I could be just as popular as the rest of my friends. I was able to get a good gathering, but I just wasn't as popular as them. I was afraid that if I failed to attract an audience, they would decommission and replace me. It didn't take long for Kyle to find out about my fears and tried to reassure me that all was going to be okay. It helped, but not too much.

"When my raceway was finally completed, I was so happy since I now had something that people could associate with me. My popularity had increased when it was opened, though it isn't as great as the rest of my friends. There would be moments when parents had to force their kids to come to see me and ask for an autograph. I have fans, but I don't have as many as Freddy, Chica, or Monty. Am I not good enough? What's going to happen to me if no one… likes… or loves me… anymore? Am I… a loser?"

That did it for her. Oil began to build up in her eyes, her lower jaw began trembling. She then covered her eyes with her hands and began to sob hysterically.

I felt so bad for her. I couldn't even imagine the fear and pain that she has to go through every single day. Fear of something happening to her once her popularity dropped and no longer grew and pain at the thought of not being loved and no one caring about her anymore. It was very heartbreaking to see as this shed some light as to why Roxanne was insecure. I wasn't 100% sure, but I believed that all Roxanne Wolf wanted and needed was love; someone that would love and care about her in her time of need.

I didn't have time to feel guilty for opening old wounds that didn't need to be reopened at a time like this. I had to calm Roxanne down. I moved in front of the sobbing wolf and slowly reached for her arms. I gently wrapped my hands around her arms and gently removed them from her eyes. She stopped crying and looked me in the eyes, her beautiful cheeks stained with oil.

"Roxanne," I began in my best soft and comforting tone, "don't ever think of yourself as a loser for not being popular as Freddy, Chica, or Montgomery or that you're not good enough. You're just as important as everyone else here in the Pizzaplex. You have friends who love and care about you and if something were to happen to you, I have no doubt in my mind that they would care. Why? Because they would go down to the ends of the Earth for you.

"I know how you feel because… I felt the same way when I was younger. I never grew up with friends as I was bullied relentlessly and no one really wanted to associate with me. Every night after school, I would ask myself 'am I really that much of a loser?' and 'am I just not good for anyone to want to be friends with me?'. It's ironic for me to say because I have a neighbor who wants to be friends with me, but I just don't want to because I just don't think I would fit well with him as a friend.

"What I'm trying to say, Roxanne is don't ever think you're not good enough, a loser, or that one day, everyone's going to stop loving and caring about you. Freddy cares about you, Chica cares about you, Kyle cares about you, Montgomery cares about you." I paused. "I care about you. We may have known each other for a short time, but just know that I care about you as much as your friends do. Don't ever think that you are alone because you're not. We will always be here for you no matter what."

I internally cringed. That had to be the cheesiest thing I had ever said. But what I said to Roxanne about caring about her was true; I truly cared about her and I would do anything for her. I wanted her to know that she could trust me and know that I would be there for her if she needs it.

"Do you… really mean that?" she whimpered.

I nodded my head. "I do. I really do. We all care about you. The Mega Pizzaplex would never be the same without you. You are the best, never forget that."

Roxanne covered her mouth with her right hand as oil began building up in her yellow eyes again. She then shut her eyes tightly and began whimpering as she began crying again. Then, she lunged at me, wrapped her arms around me, and began hugging me tightly.

I slowly wrapped my arms around her, returning the hug. I let Roxanne cry out all of the pain and fears that had built up within her after so long, the wolf sobbing loudly and hysterically as she did. I didn't care if her tears stained my shirt because fuck the T-shirt. The only thing I cared about was letting Roxanne let everything out.

It took a moment for Roxanne to fully calm down and when she did, she mimicked a hiccup, her body spasming as a result. She then released me from the hug and I did the same. We made eye contact with each other as Roxanne began wiping the last of her tears away.

"Feeling better, Roxanne?" I asked softly.

She nodded her head weakly. "Yes, thank you, Mihael. I never realized how much I really needed to hear that. I feel like a new wolf."

"I'm glad to hear that," I said before I allowed guilt to consume me. "I'm really sorry for opening old wounds, Roxanne."

"It's okay, Mihael, you had no way of knowing any of this," Roxanne said in a reassuring tone. I felt slightly better, though I still felt like crap for causing this whole thing.

I suddenly remembered what we were doing before this whole thing. "Where were we before then?"

After wiping the last of her tears away, Roxanne thought about it for a moment before it seemed to click in the wolf's head. A smile formed on her face and her tail began wagging.

"Oh, right," she said. "Follow me."

I nodded and with that, we both headed up the stairs in the direction of Roxy Raceway, her pride and joy. I didn't know why, but I couldn't help but get the feeling that my stupidity had brought both me and her closer. Maybe that's the only good thing that came out of it.

Author's Note:

Here is the eighth chapter of the story! :D

Originally, this chapter was going to be longer, having Roxanne shows off her raceway to Mihael, but I felt like that was a bit too much, so I decided to have this chapter be about Roxanne's old wounds being opened and Mihael comforting her through it. At least something good came out of the whole thing, right?

Chapter Nine will take longer for a reason. I will be taking a break for at least 3 days to give my brain some time to cool off and let my juices refill. Even I have limits on how much I can take. Because of that, I want you guys to please be patient as I can't work under pressure. It puts me under a LOT of stress, which makes it harder for me to get anything done.

One last thing. You may have noticed that I added some new content to Chapters One and Two. That's because those ideas just popped up in my head and I felt the need to add them. Gives a little more insight and detail to them. If you guys think I could add more to past chapters, let me know and I will see where I can fit them and all.

That's all. Thank you so much for the comments, all constructive criticism is appreciated and I will see you guys in Chapter Nine! :)