Since getting home, Robbie had had an absolutely pounding headache. His brain felt like it was doing somersaults inside his skull, and even laying in his dark room did nothing to help. Groaning, he buried his face in his pillow. He didn't know what to do to stop this headache, and he certainly wasn't about to admit to his mom that he'd been drinking.

Last night had been... something. His first real drinking experience, his first hangover. And then this morning, the biggest revelation of all: Cat and Jade. He still couldn't wrap his head around it.

"Jade and Cat?" Robbie mumbled into his pillow. His chest tightened as the thought came back to him. He'd always had a soft spot for Cat, ever since the first day at HA. She was the sunshine in their group—bright, bubbly, and sweet. Someone who'd always been kind to him, even when others teased him. And now, she was dating Jade of all people.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his temple. The room spun a little, and his eyes landed on Rex, sitting on the chair in the corner like always. The puppet's glassy eyes stared back at him, a silent presence in the room.

"Yeah, it's weird, right?" Robbie muttered to himself, his voice a little hoarse. "Jade and Cat... together."

Rex remained motionless, as he always did when Robbie didn't have the energy to animate him. But the voice—the one that lived in his head, the one that had always been there, ever since Rex was created—began to stir.

"Weird? It's more than weird, dude. It's wrong," Rex's voice echoed in Robbie's mind, harsh and cynical.

Robbie sighed, the knot in his stomach tightening as the internal dialogue began. "It's not wrong. They... they're happy together."

"Happy? Please. Since when does Jade make anyone happy? She's all sharp edges and attitude. And Cat? She's too... you know. Too innocent to even know what she's doing with Jade."

Robbie winced. "That's not true. Jade's... she's not that bad. Not to Cat, at least."

"Sure, sure," Rex's voice sneered. "But it doesn't change the fact that you still have a thing for Cat. And now what? You're supposed to just be okay with it? Come on, Robbie, you deserve better than that."

Robbie shook his head, feeling the weight of his emotions crashing down on him. He'd known for a while that his crush on Cat wasn't going anywhere. She'd never seen him that way, not really. It wasn't Jade's fault, or Cat's. It just... was.

"I don't deserve her, Rex," Robbie said softly. "She's with Jade now, and... and that's okay. I can't do anything about it."

"You don't have to be okay with it," Rex's voice hissed. "You should be mad! They didn't even tell you. They kept it from you because they knew you wouldn't like it. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Maybe," Robbie admitted, his voice shaky. "But they're still my friends. I can't just be mad at them for being together."

"Friends don't do that to each other," Rex argued, the bitterness in his tone growing stronger. "Friends don't just spring stuff like that on you. Jade stole Cat from you, man. She—"

"Jade didn't steal anything," Robbie interrupted, his voice a little louder now. "Cat never liked me that way. And Jade didn't do anything wrong."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

Robbie closed his eyes, feeling the tension building inside him. He didn't want to argue with himself—he was already exhausted, physically and emotionally. But Rex... or the part of him that was Rex, always knew how to push the right buttons.

"I do believe that," Robbie muttered, trying to focus on the truth, trying to separate his hurt from what was right. "It's not Jade's fault, and it's not Cat's fault. I have to get over it."

"Over it? How are you supposed to get over it when you're still hanging around them all the time? Every time you see them, it's gonna hurt. Face it, you'll never really be okay with it."

The words hit him harder than he expected, and Robbie felt his heart clench. He didn't want to think about it that way. He didn't want to admit that seeing Cat and Jade together was painful. But Rex was relentless, always digging deeper, always finding the parts of Robbie that were most vulnerable.

"You know what?" Robbie's voice trembled, but he felt a surge of anger rising in him. "You're wrong, Rex. You're just saying all the stuff I'm scared to say out loud, but it doesn't mean you're right."

"I'm always right, and you know it."

"No, you're not," Robbie said, louder this time. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, the frustration boiling over. "You're just a puppet. You're not even real!"

The room went still. Robbie's voice echoed slightly in the quiet space, hanging in the air. He stared at Rex, the puppet's lifeless form sitting in the chair, unmoving. For a moment, it felt like the entire world had paused.

"You're just... a puppet," Robbie repeated, his voice softer now, but firmer. "And I'm done listening to you."

For the first time in years, the voice in his head didn't respond. There was no snide comeback, no bitter remark. Just silence. Robbie felt an odd sense of relief, mixed with something like fear. He'd never really talked back to Rex before. Not like this.

Slowly, Robbie stood up, his legs shaky beneath him. The headache from his hangover still throbbed, but his mind felt a little clearer. He walked over to the chair where Rex sat and stared at the puppet's glassy eyes. They seemed so... empty now.

He reached out, hesitating for a second, then gently picked up Rex and placed him in the closet. As he closed the door, something inside him shifted. It wasn't a complete break, not yet, but it was a start.

Robbie took a deep breath, standing in the quiet of his room. Maybe he wasn't okay with everything just yet. Maybe it would take time to fully come to terms with Cat and Jade. But for the first time in a long time, he felt like he was taking control.

And that, at least, was something.