The Glitch

Two

"I can't believe she caved!" I cried. "And to Gerard! Now, caving to me I could see, but him? I can't help but wonder what got into her..."

Pete grinned. "What, is she not allowed to love Gerard anymore?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "You know that's not what I meant, you dork."

He laughed, pulling me into a tight hug. "I know," he said. "And I totally agree. You're the more adorable sibling. How could she give in to someone who wasn't you?"

I blushed. Pete and I weren't together, but sometimes he made me frustrated. Like, he liked to flirt to the point that I was ready to just pin him against a wall and fuck him, but then he'd start talking about Patrick.

I grimaced at the name. I mean, he was a perfectly nice guy and everyone loved him. How could they not? He was...

He was perfect.

I wasn't perfect, not to Pete.

And I tried every day to tell myself to forget about it, but then Pete would call me and talk me into hanging out with him, and I always ended up just...

Just wishing for-

"Hey, cutie, tell me more about your little robot party later," Pete said, slipping an arm around me.

"Well, they're both coming around this afternoon," I said. "After school. And-"

"Pete!"

I looked up to find Patrick walking towards the two of us.

"Patty, hey!" Pete cried. He stood up and grabbed Patrick in a hug, one tighter than he would ever think about giving me.

"Hey, Pete, I think I'm gonna go," I mumbled. I stood up, shoved my hands in my pockets, then started making my way back to the classroom. I turned my phone off on the way.

No texts that would get my hopes up, not today.

I had to focus on these weird "Raymond and Frank" people.

~

I jumped when the rhythmic knock came at the door.

"That's them!" Gerard cried. "Mom, they're here!" I heard her bedroom door lock through the thin walls of our tiny apartment.

My brother ran to the door to open it. When he did, Raymond and Frank gave him their trademark mechanical smiles.

"Hey!" Gee said. "Come on in, guys." The two stepped through the door, and I shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"Have a seat anywhere," Gee said. "Can I get you anything?"

"You don't have to get us anything," Frank said, taking a seat in the chair across the room from me.

"Don't worry, we can care for ourselves," Raymond said. He sat down on the couch by me.

"Well, don't hesitate to ask," Gee said. He took a seat in the chair beside Frank's. "So, what did you want to come here for again?"

"We noticed in the store that the two of you stimulate a strange reaction in our minds, and we wanted to try to find out exactly what these reactions were," Raymond explained.

"Right, you said that last night," I said. Raymond nodded. "That being said, we just want to study you." I looked at my brother, but he was staring intently at Frank.

"I-Study?" I asked. Raymond nodded again. "It's nothing to be afraid of."

"Who said I'm afraid?" I asked.

"Everything about your current demeanor," he explained. "You're tense. You keep looking around. Your hands are together, in your lap, and your back is very straight. Actually, no, it isn't. You might want to see a chiropractor."

"I didn't ask for a medical analysis," I muttered, blushing slightly. "You're right," he said. "You asked for the reason you were afraid."

"I'm not scared!" I said. "B-But what exactly do you mean by 'study?'"

"A study just calls for a simple analysis. Most people who have undergone studies had no complaints."

"Most?"

"Seventy-nine point three four percent, to be exact, had no complaints."

"What were the complaints of the others?"

"Just that the process made them slightly uncomfortable. On a scale of one to ten, they rated their discomfort a three: awkward."

I thought about what he was saying. What was "awkward" about a study? "What exactly is the process of a 'study?'" Gerard asked.

"A study is a simple analysis of the subject," Frank explained.

"Analysis of what?"

"Emotions at current, physique, health, and mentality."

"How the fuck are you supposed to get all this information?" I asked.

"Would you like me to show you?" Raymond asked. "It's not only quick, it's easy, and we can get it over with."

I hesitated. "O-Okay."

Raymond reached out to me and took my hands. I found myself surprised at how warm his fingers were. I guess I'd always associated the emotionless with cold.

He looked me up and down repeatedly. I glanced over to see if Gerard was watching me, but he was in awe at Frank, who was doing the same thing that Raymond was doing to me.

Is this a "study?" How weird. This is kind of awkward. I can see where that... I don't know, twenty-one percent were coming from. But it isn't that bad, I guess. I mean, he's just staring me down and holding my hands, no big deal. And-

"Finished analysis," Raymond said. He placed my hands back in my lap gently and sat back. "Was that bad?" he asked.

I shook my head. "It could've been worse," I said. He smiled his engineered smile at me. "I told you."

I forced a laugh. "So, did you get what you wanted?"

"I don't know yet," he said. "I've only done one analysis of you. I haven't completed the study."

"I thought that was the study," I said, tilting my head at him.

"A full study is several sessions of analyzing you, then the completion of the study is when I put all of the results together to get my conclusion. I will then use that conclusion to decide if I have what I want, and what I want is to find out what it is about you that brings something to my mind, and exactly what that something is."

"How long is that going to take?" I asked.

"With you?" Raymond asked. I nodded.

"You're an anomaly. It could take months to fully understand what it is about you that strikes me so strangely. I just hope I'll be worth your time."