The Robot Rewrite

The Robot

It was break time at Elmore Junior High and Bobert was sitting on the bench feeling depressed as he watched the other students play kickball.

He sighed before he noticed the ball rolling over to him.

"Hey, Bobert! Kick it over! Come on, dude!" Tobias called out.

Bobert stood up and kicked the ball but the kick was so powerful that the ball flew right into the Sun, hitting it in the eye, before disintegrating into ash.

The sun blinked, unphased.

"Oh, Bobert! Now look at what you've done!" Jamie yelled out annoyed.

Tobias crossed his arms annoyed and yelled in a sarcastic tone. "Yeah, good job, robo-dork!"

"Hey, take it easy!" Alan protested, feeling bad for Bobert.

"Pfft, why? It's not like you can hurt his feelings. He's not a real boy!"

Tobias and Jamie laughed and walked away with Alan leaving Bobert alone.

Bobert sighed and walked away upset.

Elsewhere in the schoolyard Gumball and Darwin were playing with dolls, both talking in fancy voices.

"Would you like a cup of tea, Mrs. Biggerlocks?"

"Don't mind if I do, Mrs. Pumpernickel."

"and could I interest you in a... Dynamite cupcake?!"

They tossed their dolls around acting out an explosion and pretending to fight. Then they noticed the upset Bobert walking by them and slowly stopped playing, their faces, and Gumball's ears, slowly lowering.

"Hey, Bobert. What's wrong bud?" Gumball asked him softly.

"Oh...it's nothing..." Bobert replied sounding downbeat, well as much as a robot could.

Gumball crouched down beside him and gave a reassuring smile, as did Darwin who Bobert looked over to. "Aw, come on, you can tell us. We're friends."

Bobert sighed. "I just wish I was a real boy..."

"Oh! Well, wish no more, we'll help you!" Gumball smiled.

"Really!?" His monitor changed to a happy expression.

"Of course. That's what friends are for." Darwin nodded.

He printed out something on paper then happily showed it to Gumball and Darwin.

"What's that?" Gumball asked, looking at it in confusion.

"It's the algorithm for a smile."

"Awwww..." Darwin smiled.

Gumball also gave a weak smile. "Bobert, that's cute and all but..."

He grabbed the paper and threw it away.

"...you've got a lot to learn. If you want to be real then you have to have proper emotions."

"Define emotions."

"You know...like... feelings and stuff." He shrugged.

"Define feelings."

"You know... When you feel things... like, uh... pain!"

"Define pain."

He sighed. "Okay, look. Let me demonstrate. Here, Darwin, describe this."