I tried to remind myself that this was still Tony. This was still the boy who had given me the glass bird on my birthday. This was the boy who had held Emily close and comforted her whenever I couldn’t. This was the same boy who sold his body again and again so that his siblings could survive.
He sold himself to science for those siblings.
“Tony,” I whispered, leaning even harder against Simon. Only his arm kept me from slumping to the ground.
“Still sleeping with the enemy,” Tony sneered. “Eh, Lia?”
This was definitely Tony. He was still cocky, still arrogant, and still a jerk.
“No,” I shook my head and wrapped an arm around Simon’s waist. He was tense. “I’m sleeping with the guy that I love.”
Tony glowered, and I shook my head.
“What are you doing here, Tony?” I asked. “I’m a little tired right now. We all are.”
“Yeah,” he snickered. “I saw your fight with Fido. To be honest, I’m a little disappointed. I was rooting for the mutt.”
“Very funny,” I laughed humorlessly. “Look, I just wanted to make peace with you, and then say goodbye.”
“No,” Tony shook his head.
“No what?” I demanded.
“I wasn’t joking,” suddenly his eyes looked a lot darker, a lot more bloodthirsty. I shifted closer to Simon. “I wanted that robot to kill you.”
“Why?” I shook my head. “Why would you want that?”
“Because I hate you, Lia,” Tony took a step forward, and Simon pulled me behind him slightly. “It’s part of how they programmed me. I’m supposed to hate you with every fibre of my being.”
“But you don’t,” I insisted. “The glass bird… on my birthday.”
Tony flinched visibly. “A lapse of judgement.” He replied quickly.
“So the fail-safes,” I murmured. “You were the ultimate fail-safe.”
“They were only going to activate the hatred programming or whatever if you went too far out of line.” Tony laughed again. “This is pretty damn far out of line, Lia.”
“So what are you going to do?” I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. If I had to fight Tony…
I don’t know who would win.
“I’m going to kill you,” he shrugged, and then he was on fire.
YOU ARE READING
The Perks of Being a Freak (Editing)
Teen FictionI am not special. I am not extraordinary or unique. Everyone in the world faces hardships. Everyone suffers, at one point or another. I am not unusual. Neglect is common. Abuse, unfortunately, is common. Poverty is common. Five different people, fiv...
