Within These Walls

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Sam kicked over his car's engine and Louis let the vibrations take over him as he sunk into his seat as Sam pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

Trying not to let his mind settle on what was to come at school, Louis tried to think of something else to help with the nerves that were slowly snaking their way through his body. Though, every time he let his thoughts wander, they always ended up on the same memory.

The night his aunt passed away.

He remembered the calm he felt laying with Isaac before it happened. They were planning a 'not-date'. Something they could do together as a couple which wasn't fancy or a proper date.

They were going to go tenpin bowling.

Then it happened.

The image of his aunt laying on floor in the aftermath of an overdoes was ingrained on the back of Louis eyelids every time he closed his eyes. It was one of the reasons he couldn't sleep. Though, now it seemed the image wanted to plague his waking moments, too.

"So, why Friday?" Sam suddenly asked, and Louis snapped out of his own little world and turned to look at his best friend.

"What?"

"Why not wait to go to school on Monday?"

"Oh..." Louis mumbled, turning to look at the road before them as Sam drove recklessly through the suburbs. "If it goes bad, I have the weekend to... recharge."

"Ah. Always thought you were a robot."

"That so?" Louis closed his eyes and sighed as the school came into sight.

"Yep. You got that robot face," Sam explained, taking a turn before pulling into the school parking lot. "Plus, I've never seen you get wet."

"Why would you want to?" Louis questioned, letting out a laugh, though the both of them knew it was forced.

"Not saying I want to. It just adds to my theory."

"But I feel emotion," Louis pointed out hesitantly, hoping it wasn't going to take the conversation in a depressing direction.

"Robots feel emotion." Sam pulled into a free parking spot and turned his car off, turning to look at Louis as he did. "Hence the robot theory."

"No, they don't. We had this conversation after we watched iRobot."

"Sonny one hundred percent had emotions and you can't tell me otherwise."

Louis shook his head at Sam and opened the passenger side door, slipping out of the car and grabbing his bag as he did so. The morning air whipped around his face as he closed the door behind him and watched Sam walk around the car to stand beside him.

"Cyborgs can feel emotion because they're still part human. Robots can't," Louis pointed out as the both of them began walking through the parking lot toward the school.

Even though they were slightly late, there were still some students wandering toward the school buildings with them, talking amongst themselves. Some of the stole glances toward Louis and other offered small waves, which Louis returned with a small, fake grin.

He hoped this wasn't something which was going to happen the whole day. He hated being the center of attention.

"Also, can we go back to my 'robot face'?" Louis asked, moving his attention back to Sam.

"What about it?"

"Why is it a robot face?"

"Square."