“Dizzy!” I yelled after I got up.

 

It was Friday morning and I had just rolled out of bed. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes I turned toward the bed I made for Dizzy and she was nowhere to be found. It had to be modified to her height, so it was pretty flat toward the ground, easily able to be crawled into by her.

Over the past day though, she’s been making small adjustments to my home other than what was hers, according to Tipsy. Some were helpful and things I’d never thought of in my whole life living here while others made life more annoying and confusing till I figured them out. But I’d been getting frustrated with Dizzy since she’s been going around behind me and installing these things without my consent. If she asked me, I probably wouldn’t say no. But today she crossed the line and messed with my invention again, telling me I didn’t understand it. After I through on a light blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans, I went hunting for Dizzy, which wasn’t hard considering I knew where she liked to hang out.

 

“Where is she?” I ask Tipsy, who was sound asleep on the couch arm. Even though she was a machine, she needed to shut down from time to time.

 

However, she didn’t look too happy to have been woken, but she answered in her same, helpful manner anyway.

 

“Last I saw her she was working on the shower in the bathroom,” she says lazily as she stretches.

 

The shower was probably just another thing on her to-do list. Since she’s been here she’s modified the kitchen so it worked faster and operated at better efficiency, not that anything was really wrong with it before. She’s turned the living room into a technological mess and anytime I think I turned on the TV I end up operating something in the kitchen or the lights. She also fixed everything to help her own height, giving things auto adjustments in sizes. And now she was working on the bathroom, but God only knows why. I didn’t question it much as I marched down the hallway.

 

When I entered the bathroom Dizzy was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, a wrench in one hand and her small device in the other. She was wearing the new clothes I had made for her, smaller and modeled after my own. But after she got a hold of them, she made adjustments and turned the jeans into midnight blue shorts and the top into a storm grey, sleeveless T-Shirt that had a dark purple, duster sweater over it. Her feet were bare. I turned toward the sink and noticed a half open panel in the floor that looked to be concealing a staircase, the toilet looked like it was slightly shorter and the shower had one step built into it.

 

“Dizzy, what the hell are you doing now?” I hadn’t realized it yet, but my anger was getting the better of me. But when someone modifies your home and makes it feel less like yours, it kinda gets under your skin. But it was odd for me to get this angry this easily, especially this past week.

 

“The water pressure selection was limited,” she said as she continued working.

 

“And the water was too hot when I tried to use it yesterday. Also, the lack of lighting in here is atrocious. I can tell these machines are trying to work their hardest, and I just wanted to ease them of that burden because you didn’t. Unlike you, I listen.”

 

It’s here where I have a problem. The first time I heard her talk like this was when she modified what I was working on in my room, treating it like it was a living, breathing thing. She also did this to everything she worked on, like she understood what it wanted it tried her best to have it as the end result. Even though I couldn’t stand her modifying whatever she wanted, I had to admit that her skills were above my own. It’s like she was indeed one with any non-organic thing. Food came out tasting better and what little I do know of the new living room set up, it all worked much better. But I still didn’t want her messing with things, especially what I was working on. But in truth, I was jealous of her.

 

“Listen Dizzy,” I said, trying to calm down.“I don’t want you randomly messing with my stuff. I got to go to school today and I’m not looking forward to it. So can you please refrain from touching my stuff? If you want spare parts to work on something, go to the junkyard. Tell them I sent you and they should let you in.”

 

I must have hit a nerve, because she stopped working abruptly and turned toward me with her emotionless face, wrench and device in hand.

 

“Easy for you to say; you’re not short.”

 

She then stepped passed me and headed toward my-now our-room. I was still furious with her but she needed to not touch my things. But I guess I was being too hard on her and could understand where she was coming from. Living with someone else isn’t as easy or fun as I thought it would be. But I couldn’t think about that with school about to start soon. I haven’t apologized to Cody or Cocoa, which I hoped I’d be able to do today. Now I probably had one more person to add to that list. I sighed, went to grab my backpack, which was in our room causing us to cross paths one last time before school, and left.

 

On the way to school I passed by the hot chocolate shop and pictured me and Cocoa sitting at the counter talking and laughing. Times like that seemed so long ago. Other memories started to come back as well and it made me sad how different Cocoa and I have become over the past few weeks. I’m positive it was thanks to Aurora that we started being more distant from each other. Damn her.

After one long, last look I continued forward, trying to push the memories away. School was still a ways off and I had to apologize to Cody as well as Cocoa, but for completely different reasons. As I continued to walk however, I bumped into someone.

 

“Oh, sorr- Random? Hey, how’s it going?” It was Cody.

 

It wasn’t strange running into him here, as he lived not too far from here. His voice was still just as breath taking and his black T-Shirt with worn, dark blue jeans made him look amazing. I haven’t even thought about what to tell him since I ran off with Serena the other day. Usually when I was with him, I felt happier. But today, I still felt depressed.

 

“Hey,” I say, trying not to sound too distracted or sad. “About the other day…”

 

“It’s okay,” he steps in quickly, shrugging it off like people always blew him off.

“Something must have been bugging you and you had to take off. I was just going to ask if you wanted to go to the park or something for a picnic. We haven’t had much time together and whenever we do you seem to have your mind on other things. I thought we could have a peaceful day with no interruptions, if that was okay with you?”

 

He was right; my mind was all over the place right now. But a picnic did sound like something I’d enjoy doing together, and my heart must have agreed as it felt like it was fluttering. I could even take him to our favorite spot that Cocoa and I… No, I didn’t want to think about that spot right now with how Cocoa and I were.

 

“Sure, I’d love that. How’s tomorrow work for you?” I ask him, trying to get a smile to come out to show him I’m alright.

 

“Tomorrow’s good. Maybe we can talk about what to do for the stalls. They’re supposed to be announced today, right?.”

 

That’s right, what we’re doing next week is going to be announced today. My original plan was to go with Cocoa and doing something both of us can get into. But then Aurora stepped in the way and ruined everything. I could have easily gotten picked to run any one of those stalls or found someone else who knew what was being planned, but it had to be her. Now the day was finally here and I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Aurora said that metalworks weren’t going to be there. Then it hit me, I could ask Cody to go instead, after I apologized to Cocoa. She seemed dead set on getting something in business, so I’d be happy if she did that.

 

“Hey um, Cody…” I was sounding nervous but didn’t know why. “Do you w-want to do one of the s-stalls with me?”

 

He stared at me for a few minutes with a look of surprise on his face. I guess he hadn’t planned anything out either, or maybe he didn’t even know metalworks weren’t going to be there. Come to think of it, I didn’t know what other things he’d be interested in besides metalworks and cooking.

 

“I’ll think about it,” he said with a sly smile. “After they announce what’s going to be there. In the meantime, I got to get to class early, so I’ll see you after school.”

 

With one final wave he raced off toward school. I smiled softly and thought about how nice it would be to spend the week with him. Then the thought of apologizing to Cocoa came back to me, and my smile faded like yesterday’s rumors. I looked toward the direction Cody raced off in, took a deep breath and continued my walk; thinking about what I should say to Cocoa.

 

After entering the school doors I began trudging through the crowded hallways. Gossip and jokes were being told and then were lost to the wind. I ignored most of them, as I don’t pay much attention to them anyway. What did catch my attention was Cocoa, standing outside my locker in a brown mid-length skirt and chocolate, button up T-Shirt. She had a stern look on her face, but I could tell there was concern mixed in as well.

 

“Hey Cocoa, I’m sorry about exploding in the lunch room the other day.”

 

I tried to talk with her in the usual tone we use around each other, but it looked like she wasn’t in the mood for it.

 

“About that… Were you mad at me? I was just asking her for advice and you got all angry about it.”

 

After opening my locker, I responded to Cocoa.

 

“Cocoa, I wasn’t mad at you. I was mad at Aurora. She gets under my skin and just pisses me off… It has nothing to do with you.”

 

“Then why’d it feel like you were yelling at me and not her? I’m her friend too, Random. She told me you made her upset after you left. I thought you were better than that.”

 

I closed my locker and turned toward her. So many thoughts sped through my head thatI didn’t know what was happening. The woman standing in front of me, who I’ve known for 3 years, who I’ve hung out with every day since we became friends, was lecturing me and treating me like I was the enemy. Even if Aurora befriended her or she befriended Aurora, it made no sense for her to defend someone like that.

 

“Cocoa, what are you talking about? Look, I’m sorry if I made her upset,” I bit lip because it sounded like a lie. “But listen, I still want to do one of the stalls with you if-“

 

“I’ve already decided…” She turned toward the hall and looked into the distance.

 

Decided?

 

“I’m going to be going with Aurora. She’s in two of my classes and knows a lot about business. She even gave up her position in AI to help me. So I’m sorry, Random.”

 

I was awestruck. She picked Aurora without telling me? But I guess I was no better, turning toward Cody as a way out.

 

“Cocoa… Why?! Why choose her over me!” I couldn’t help but get angry. “She, she’s going to-“ I stopped myself in my tracks. I couldn’t tell her about the dream I had nights ago. It was too obvious and would have felt like a direct threat against Aurora. It would also make it look like I was taking sides, although there was no side to take but my own.

 

“Fine.” I let my anger subside before I continued. “I’ve already chosen to go with Cody anyway, telling myself I’d be happy if you’d got to do what you wanted.”

 

For a second I thought she’d looked offended, but then she turned and walked down the hallway, leaving me standing outside my locker alone, feeling like I’ve been abandoned by the only person in the world I could truly call a friend, with people whispering all around me.

 

Grabbing my thinks, I quickly raced to class to escape the it all, to try and lose myself in my work and hope an eletric arrow through my heart of emptiness would jolt me to the reality of yesteryear.