A Synonym for Chill [COMPLETE]

13. Liar, liar, plants for hire

[Spot the reference, win a prize! - Beebs]

I paced back and forth in front of a bench, running my hand through my hair. "Did you see! That was awesome! I have to find Eli!" I said excitedly. My Squip gave me a long look, then sighed.

"Eli has left the mall." He said.

"Wait, what?!" I asked in surprise. "How do you know?" He full-on laughed, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

"I can access the mall security cameras." He replied, waving his hand. My eyes widened.

"So how am I supposed to get home?!" I asked, alarmed. He groaned, grabbing my shoulders and stopping my pacing.

"I told you accepting a ride was imperative," He said. "If this is going to work, you can't just listen. You have to obey ." His voice dropped a few octaves, making me shiver. I wanted to speak but didn't have anything to say. "Now, repeat after me: everything about you is so terrible." He commanded. I looked at my feet, my face burning red, but managed to finally form words.

"Everything about me is just terrible," I said softly. He gave me a smirk.

"Good. Everything about you makes me wanna die." He continued. I took in a shaky breath, then exhaled.

"Everything about me makes me...wanna die..." I heard my voice break on "die," and I had to struggle to stay within some semblance of composure. The last thing I wanted anyone to see was me crying. Almost as if he was sensing this - oh hell, he probably was, since he's in my head - his expression softened slightly as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Now you got it!" He said, smiling. "But Falner, soon you'll see that if you listen to me," He squeezed my shoulder gently, placing his other hand against my cheek. "Listen to me, then everything about you is going to be wonderful!" He sounded excited. Suddenly, a group of people surrounded me. I could pick a few faces out of the crowd, most notably Tempest, Hope, and Rose.

"We love everything about you!" Their voices sent a shiver down my spine. They sounded robotic and heavily autotuned, almost to the point of echoing.

"Everything about you is going to be so alive!" My Squip said, grabbing my wrist and twirl-throwing me into...Eli's arms. I couldn't believe it. Trying to speak proved unsuccessful, due to the fact that I couldn't form words, choosing only to stare up at my best guy friend. His eyes were a striking neon blue, as were everyone else's, making them match my Squip.

"We could never live without you!" The group - including Eli - said. My Squip tapped me on the shoulder, making me turn to face him. He was leaning on a blissfully oblivious Tempest, specifically her shoulder, and giving me a smile that was all teeth.

"You won't be left out or unsure," He said, striding up to me and patting my cheek with his hand. "You won't be ugly anymore, because-!" At this, everyone else joined in.

"Everything about you is going to be cool! And powerful! Popular! Incredible!" They said. I flushed, Eli picking me up and swinging me onto his shoulders while my Squip jumped onto Tempest's shoulders and stood beside me.

"You will-!" He started to say, but I cut him off.

"Be more chill!" I said, giggling. He gave me a smile.

"Be more chill ~" He whispered the words into my ear, making me shiver. The entire group walked with Eli and me out of the mall, and all the way back to my house, dispersing once we reached my street. Eli gave me a smile before putting me down and turning around, walking home himself. I yawned slightly as I walked down the street, my Squip walking next to me.

"Why did you lie?" I asked, staring at the smooth pavement in front of me.

"Hm?" He made a confused sound.

"Why did you lie to me about Eli leaving when he was clearly in that group?" I asked. He looked almost uncomfortable.

"I wasn't lying at the moment. He had almost completely left the mall, but I was able to pull him back and have him join the crowd for a little bit. Your boyfriend has quite a strong sense of willpower, I'll give him that." He said. My face flushed.

"H-He's not my boyfriend!" I sputtered. "He's just my best guy friend!" He raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Because I felt your heart rate increase almost tenfold once you realized it was him." He said pointedly. I buried my face in my hands, running the rest of the way home and barreling through the front door.

"Hi, Dad!" I called.

"Hi, honey!" He called back from downstairs. "How was the mall?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Pretty good. Found what I was looking for. I'm actually feeling a little sleepy." I admitted. My dad laughed slightly.

"I won't stop you if you want to go to bed early." He said simply. I smiled.

"G'night, then," I replied, walking up the stairs, down the hall into my room, and closing my door. "Be more chill...I'm gonna be...totally awesome...and super...chill..." My voice was suddenly slurred with sleepiness as I stumble-walked over to my bed, almost collapsing on top of it. My Squip gave me a smile, pulling the covers up and over my body.

"Shh..." He shushed me, leaning down and gently kissing my forehead. "Sleep well, slugger. You've got a big day tomorrow." He whispered. I smiled at him, closing my eyes and drifting off into sleep. I felt him gently place his hand on my shoulder, massage it for a moment, then kiss my ear and disappear.