Glitch (boyxboy/android)

Chapter 25: Show yourself

"Leo looks at The PT, the same way I look at you." 

☆

"Try it now Enzo." Jojo instructs, as he presses enter, after tapping in another string of codes. 

So far, whilst Leo was at work, they had attempted several times to activate The PT, but it still possessed major glitches. One time attempting to pick up and play with Leo's precious Nintendo figurines, damaging one, another time, talking very factually about snails in great length and detail.

"Are you sure about this? I mean it's so unpredictable." Enzo says, hand poised ready to activate.

"Just do it, I'm here if it goes crazy." Jojo tries to reassure. 

Enzo nods and puts his hand with The PT's, but nothing seems to happen. "Hello, PT....hello?" Enzo steps a little closer, the eyes rotating furiously. 

All of a sudden it grabs Enzo's sleeves, making the boy tense up. The PT was strong. It leans into Enzo's ear and whispers... "I'm just a human, human, human..." it suddenly pushes Enzo back and once again stills. 

"What...what did it say?" Jojo says panicking, looking at Enzo who was just staring at The PT.

"It says it's human." Enzo replies in thought.

"But it's not human." Jojo says half chuckling back. 

Enzo turns and looks down at Jojo sitting crossed legged on the floor. "What makes a human Jojo?" Enzo now sits next to him on the floor, mirroring his crossed legs. "I've seen the way Leo and The PT are together. He calls it Cameron and him, not an 'it'!" Enzo momentarily pauses before carrying on, swallowing hard. He looks Jojo in the face. "Leo looks at The PT, the same way I look at you." 

Jojo's mouth opens slightly in surprise at the words he is hearing, with Enzo laughing at his dumbfounded expression. "Don't act like you don't know Jojo." 

"So...last night, when we...we cuddled in bed, it wasn't just because you have trouble sleeping alone." 

"It's partly true, but Jojo, I like you...as in...well you know." Enzo can now feel the full force of his embarrassment kicking in, Jojo's silence too much to bear." 

He puts the laptop on the carpet and gets to standing, looking down at his friend. "I...I need to go." He mumbles as he exits the room, leaving Enzo sat mortified and paralysed on the floor. He hears footsteps disappear down the stairs, the house front door click closed and he is alone. 

***

"Where's Jojo?" Leo asks, when he gets home to see Enzo in his own room, on his console and The PT untouched in his room. 

"Gone." Is all Enzo says.

"Gone? Gone where?" Leo question. 

"Just...just gone ok?" Enzo shouts, now getting up from his beanbag and heading for his bedroom door and slamming it in Leo's face.

Leo just avoids getting his nose banged by the door, before he heads to his room. He places his things by his bed and proceeds to sit on the edge of it and looks at the vacant PT. He smiles to himself. "You know, I told my friend about you today. How about that, are you proud?" The PT doesn't respond, but Leo continues to ramble on, finding it somewhat therapeutic to let his thoughts free, even if it seemed no one was listening.

"I'm going to an open audition Friday, before the prom. You would be proud of me, I'm releasing my inner bee as you would say." He stands up and walks to face The PT, placing a hand on its shoulder. He takes a sigh. "Cameron...I'm trying...I'm trying so hard to be myself, I'm nearly there, I promise." Leo looks at The PT's eyes, in the hope that there would be something, but the eyes stay dormant. Leo drops his hand in defeat, turning his back and grabs the towel from the rail in order to go shower. He doesn't see the slight spark in The PT's eyes, he doesn't see the slight upturn in the corner of its mouth, the hint of a smile.