Removed

07

Pausing to steady my nerves, I glance inside the ice cream shop. I know it isn't night time and there is a slim chance he is here. However, if his aunt owns it, there is a high chance I can figure out a way to contact him.

Pushing open the door, I'm greeted with the usual sweet aroma. Glancing around, I thankfully spot a familiar boy sitting at a table; my usual table. Ignoring the few other customers, I walk over to him and plop down in the seat across the table.

Cody jumps, ripping out his earbuds and placing a hand over his heart. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

I sigh, mostly to calm myself down rather than out of annoyance. Running a hand through my hair, I squeeze my eyes shut. My adrenaline slowly leaves, causing my heart beat to become somewhat normal. Yet, I can't stop trembling, I can't stop reliving the events of moments ago.

My aunt is gone, and my whole life is become thrown out of balance. Absentmindedly, my fingers graze my faux skin, a shiver running down my spine. It all started with this. It all started with one fated night, and now I feel like someone yanked a rug from under me and left me to tumble.

"What ever we need to do, throw it at me." I glance at the ice cream dripping down his cone and onto his wrist. Shaking my head, I pluck a napkin from the table and throw it his way.

His hazel eyes widen, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "You do?" Of course, he completely ignores the napkin.

I solemnly nod. "Nothing is making sense anymore, but I want it to." Ever since Ash left, ever since her talks of trust and everything wrong with society started, I think I knew something was going to have to give. I'm not going to live in the dark any longer.

He seems to contemplate my response before slowly nodding, a smile worming onto his face. "That made my day. So, what now?"

I give him a flat look. "I should be asking you that!"

"Well, I'm honestly not quite sure where to start. If we're going to be a team, there's not going to be a leader, or someone coaching us through this. So, where do you think we should start? You said nothing makes sense. What doesn't make sense? What answers do you need?"

For a moment, I sit in silence, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. I've spent so much time thinking about the reasons everything is wrong that I never stopped to ponder how exactly I can make them right. Or, for that matter, what the exact answers I need are. "I-I'm not exactly sure."

"I just needed someone who was on my side, who would help me make a difference. I guess making a difference, finding answers, or anything, is easier to think about than to act upon."

"Difference? I hate to break it to you, but I doubt I can make a difference. No one will pay me any attention. It's not like anyone expects me to change anything."

Cody sighs, then looks down. Finally noticing the dripping ice cream, he picks up the napkin I threw at him and wipes up the gooey mess. Then, he bites a chunk out of the melted goodness and the cone. Once, he's done chewing, he replies, "Well, show them otherwise."

I shake my head, folding my arms across my chest. "That's easy for you to say."

"I'm serious. Be the difference you want to see."

"We're two high school kids!"

"If you didn't believe we could do anything, you wouldn't have said yes."

I sigh. He has a point. "This is more of a last resort, but fine."

He manages a meek smile, his eyes burning with hope "Maybe we can examine your Chip. You can do so much now that you're not under their constant control!"

"That's where we're going to start?" I question.

"We need to start somewhere!" He defends himself, quickly glancing around the shop.

My eyebrows scrunch in confusion. "Still, I have the Chip with me then they can track me. And, I have my watch on my wrist. Is anyone really free?"

He looks at me like I'm dense, like I don't understand the fundamentals. "You can leave those things anywhere! Now that I have access to your Chip, I can tweak it as well! The possibilities are endless!"

A full grin attacks my face, stretching my lips so wide it's almost painful. "Wow. I never allowed myself to think this way. You're right. There is so much we can do." I guess I never realized how pessimistic I had become.

After the important discussion is over, we fall into silence. This one feels oddly comfortable as I lean back in my seat. Cody finishes his ice cream rather quickly, and I simply watch. Chocolate becomes smeared on the sides of his mouth and I stifle a laugh, watching as a little drop gets caught in his hair.

Finally, after he licks his fingers clean, he wipes his mouth with a fresh napkin. "Do you want some ice cream?"

I laugh lightly. "You ask me now? You know, after you practically devoured yours."

He rolls his eyes, rising from his seat with the napkins in his fist. "Fine, no ice cream."

As I open my mouth to respond, my daily reminder chimes, reminding me of the exercise session ahead of me. "I can't waste anymore time, anyways. Thanks, for everything. You're- different. You know, from everyone else in this place."

"You are too."

With that, I exit the shop, feeling as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can finally gulp in the air around me with more ease, walk with more of a bounce in my step. Maybe, just maybe, I've just made an acquaintance. It's not a friend yet, but maybe it could be. Maybe, everything could change for the better.

As for the worse? I don't want to think about it right now.