Hate Me Love Me

42| Robot in Love 🧠

AN: There's kinda a surprise at the end but like idk hehe 😏.

֍҉֍҉♥҉֍҉֍

"You know what truly aches all that you are? Having so much inside you and not having the slightest clue of how to pour it out." --- Christopher Poindexter.

֍҉֍҉♥҉֍҉֍

Alaric Aldrois

'You're so weird!' Vincent whines, munching on chips, watching me like a creep, and all I want to do is throttle him with my fist and throw him off my balcony.

I can't hear myself think.

I continue to stroke pale red onto the canvas in front of me.

'Look, he's even using water colours today. He never does that,' Sebastian notes and turns to face me. 'Dude, you good?'

God, why can't they just leave?

'Are you ignoring us?'

'How rude!'

'I'm so hurt!'

'Dude what's up?'

I place my paintbrush down beside my palette and stomp over to them with a scowl on my face. I snatch both of their large, family size chip packets and walk away from them, ignoring their protests. The chips go on a free space on my table and they know better than to retrieve them. I go back to my painting.

And then it's quiet enough for me to replay the morning in my head.

I was about to drive off when the door opened again and this time, instead of Megan, Valerie stepped out. She saw me in my car, and I know she probably wondered if I'd been in front of her house all night.

I had my reasons.

I had sped off before she could walk over to me and now I can't help but think of all the ways I could have dealt with this differently to avoid getting caught.

Damn it.

I leave the canvas and walk over to the sofa opposite my suddenly-silent friends, grabbing one of the chips packets on my way.

I plop down on the sofa and shove a handful of crisps into my mouth, munching messily enough to drop crumbs all over my apron. I use my other hand to dust them off.

Now both of my hands are ruined.

I drop the packet and bring my hands in front of my face, chewing and looking at the crumbs and grease all over my fingers and palms.

A feeling rises in me. It feels like hurt and uselessness. What am I good for, anyways? All I am is a pawn in a game designed by my father. I am a means to a continuation. I am an heir to a business. He only wants me so his name never stops coming from people's mouths, so his memory doesn't get wiped off the face of the Earth.

I am to help him succeed.

I turn to Vincent and Sebastian. They have identical frowns on their faces as they stare at me.

'You guys are my friends,' I say, and it comes out involuntarily in the form of a whisper.

'Yes,' they reply in unison.

'Why? Why are you my friends?' I'm bewildered and I need an answer.

I'm not a human to most people. I am Dean's son. Dean's heir. I belong to Dean. Valerie was someone I wanted as my own. The only girl I tried to keep. Because of my father, I thought people were to be owned.