Lilly

Part 4

"It's inside you."

"Get out of my head!"

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Lilly sat in the audience, watching the performance with excitement. Her dads and their friends were amazing up there, as always. She loved watching her parents perform. Max preferred to hang out in the arcade, but she enjoyed the shows. She falt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see a human boy her age, looking at her with a mix of curiosity and nerves. "Uh, hi?" Lilly said, tilting her head slightly.

"Hey," the human boy said, his eyes scanning Lilly's unique appearance. "I'm Tyler. I noticed you guys are always here, watching the shows. Are you, like, part of the crew or something?"

"I'm... their daughter." Lilly said, pointing to Freddy and Bonnie on stage behind her.

"Yeah, cool, anyways," the human boy said, his voice a mix of awe and nonchalance. He leaned in closer, his curiosity getting the better of him. "So, like, what's it like having robot parents?"

Not this god damn question again. "What's it like having human parents?" Lilly asked sarcastically.

"Well, my parents are human, and so am I." Tyler said with a shrug.

"Well, my parents are animatronics, and so am I." Lilly said with a matter-of-fact tone, her eyes not leaving Tyler's face for a moment.

"Jeez, what's your problem?" Tyler's tone shifted from curious to slightly hostile.

"I'm sorry, Tyler," Lilly said, her tone softening. "I just don't get why it's such a big deal. It's like asking you what it's like to have two hands. It's just what I know."

"Whatever," Tyler said, shrugging off the tension. "I originally came here to tell you that you're hot. Like, for an animatronic."

Lilly had never cringed so hard in her life. "Thanks, I guess?" she replied awkwardly, not quite sure how to take the compliment. She had never been hit on by a human before, and she did NOT want to be again. "I'm gonna go now." She said, standing up to leave.

Tyler leaned against the railing of the bars meant to keep the audience from the stage, his arms crossed over his chest. He had a smug smile plastered on his face, thinking he was the coolest kid around. "Sure thing, babe," he said, not even bothering to hide his amusement. "But before you go, I gotta ask - do you have a crush on anyone here?"

"Yes." Maybe that'll shut him the hell up.

Tyler's smile widened, mistaking Lilly's curtness for playfulness. He leaned in further, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Oh, really? Who's the lucky guy?"

Lilly sighed. "Someone." She lied. She was sick and tired of this boy already.

Tyler's smug smile wavered for a moment before recovering with a shrug. "Cool, cool," he said, trying to maintain his nonchalant demeanor. "But you know, if you ever change your mind..."

"Fuck off." Lilly didn't usually cuss, but Tyler was pushing her buttons. She didn't need this kind of attention, especially not from a human. She ended up walking away, feeling his eyes on her back until she was out of his view.

Tyler watched Lilly walk away, his smug smile fading slightly. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt, but it didn't deter him. He knew that she was just playing hard to get. He'd seen it before with other girls. "So is that a maybe?"

Lilly walked into the arcade, where she found Max playing PacMan, his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration. "Having fun?" she asked, trying to push Tyler out of her mind.

"Thure am, Lilly!" Max said, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Lilly couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Max's enthusiasm. She watched him for a moment, his tail flicking back and forth as he played, and felt a pang of relief that he wasn't bothering her about the Tyler situation. She leaned against the arcade machine, her hand gently tapping the side. "I'm gonna go grab a drink," she said, mostly to herself. As she walked away, she couldn't shake the feeling that Tyler was watching her, his eyes burning a hole in her back. She wished she could just ignore him and enjoy her day, but she knew that wouldn't be so simple. She made her way to the vending machine, her mind racing with thoughts of  the comforting dream she had the night before. The coolness of the metal floor beneath her feet helped ground her, and she took a moment to focus on her breathing, just like the marionette had taught her.