The Congregation in the Gas Station: A Combination of Short Stories

Cyborg Takes On Prom

Prom. Girls dream of becoming Prom Queen. Boys dream of dancing with the girl they've liked since middle school. Every teens reward for completing high school.

No one knows what to expect when they go to prom. Endless dancing? Disco Balls strung from the ceiling? 

Cyborg has been considered the outsider of the school. They were half human, half computer. They would sit in the back of the class, and when the teacher asked a question, it would immediately know the answer. It got to the point where all of their classmates would hate them but only use them for the answers to the tests and assignments. But one day, that all would change.

"I'm so excited for prom." Cyborg said to Dr. Champagne Papi.

"I bet you are my Young Money." Dr. Champagne Papi responded, CP for short.

"I just wish my classmates would like me, and ask me to the prom... I've always imagined high school would be like the movies but, it's been nothing like that. One time at a basketball game, someone got hurt and I stood up like Gabrielle in HSM 3 and sung 'Troy!' and everyone yelled at me and said 'sit yo' bionical a$$ down!" Cyborg started to cry as they recounted the story causing their joints to rust and make them immobile.

"Aw shawty, it'll be okay. As long as you be yourself, you'll be okay. You know what I say... I like a woman with a future and a past. Haha... More Life." CP said doing the light skin face as he applied oil to Cyborg's rusted joints helping them move again.

It was now time for prom. Cyborg didn't need a limo, it had built in flight gears that it used to transport them. As soon as Cyborg got to the venue, they realized they were two hours late! "LOL 0100010, the party has arrived. Automatic laughter track." But, that wasn't the only issue. It seemed like the party goers had an issue with the music and disco ball. 

"This is my chance to increase the chances of my classmates liking me. The probability of this working is 0.001%." Cyborg reassured themself and walked in and offered assistance. 

"Who called the Geek Squad?" "Yea, who brought the computer! Did someone bring its charger?" Laughter emerged from random classmates.

"Fear not, I have found a solution to the problems that you are facing. It seems that the hard-drive is having malfunctions within the inner cortex of the software. It has caused a malvirus to be created stopping the server from allowing your musical vibrations to be heard at a frequency able to be intercepted by humans. I have found that if I disconnect the motherland from the mainframe of my left leg, I can connect both the vibrations and the disco ball to create a sequence light show and hear the 'music' by all partygoers." Cyborg disconnected their left leg and as they walked down the dance floor, the partygoers seemed to part like the Red Sea. All eyes were on Cyborg. It was its time to shine.

Cyborg placed its leg in the middle of the floor. A spark came out and the music became distorted. The partygoers looked at Cyborg confused but slowly the music and the light show went to normal. Everyone cheered and applaud. Cyborg finally felt apart of the society created in high school.

"Alright everyone settle down. It is time to announce Prom King and Queen!" Everyone gasped and held onto their friends. 

"Remember. Prom King and Queen were both voted on by their classmates... alright. Prom King is.... Toboggan Cordoroy!" A swarm of cheers and applauds erupted from the partygoers.

"And for Prom Queen.... Cyborg?" The cheers suddenly stopped, and all eyes were on Cyborg. Cyborg looked around at the partygoers and walked up to the stage. Cyborg was so nervous that their gears were making metallic clanking. 

"Would you like to give a speech?" The announcer asked Cyborg.

"Um... I know that many of you are shocked... and well.. so am I. I mean... I never thought that any of you liked me. You guys always pour water on me to make my circuits fry or put gum on me. But... high school. Prom. Everything. This is all a popularity contest. It doesn't determine your success in life. It doesn't make or break whether you will succeed or be happy. High school is only a phase. A phase of four years, where you discover yourself." Cyborg looked among the partygoers... then looked down at the crown.

"This isn't just for me. It's for all of us." As Cyborg was saying their speech, someone whispered in the announcer's ear. 

"Let's sing. We're all in this together... once we know that we are, we're all stars." Cyborg began to sing and the announcer took the microphone.

"I'm sorry but, there has been a mistake. The real prom queen is Jennifer Clark." Everyone began to cheer as Jennifer took the stage.

"LoL, what did they think this was a movie!" Everyone laughed and Cyborg's mainframe broke, and Cyborg died of embarrassment. 

THE END.