Prototype

Fear

" WHY ON EARTH DID YOU SAY NO," Star screamed at me in the middle of the food court. She caught more than a few people's attention. " Hey, calm down. That's exactly why I wanted your help because I feel as if I did something wrong."

"Um hell yeah you did something wrong. I thought you liked Linus?" 

 " I do like him. He's a very fun person to be around and he makes me laugh in humor I haven't found before." This is all true. I found my time with Linus to be a brand new experience that I think I'd never have if I hadn't met him. I remember that I was mostly worried about not being bored anymore and now I really can't seem to keep from being excited about anything that goes on with these two. I go to Star when I'm in trouble or need a hand and I go to Linus when I want a change in pace from my monotonous routine. She finally sighed and sat down. 

" Well if that's the case then why'd you reject him when he asked you out?" I thought that was simple enough to answer.

" He asked if I would go out with him but I'm expecting Elijah, the guy from the comic book shop to come by and watch movies with me. Why promise to go out with Linus when I've already committed to doing something with Elijah? It only seemed logical to decline Linus and more than likely take a raincheck instead." Her only response was her grabbing her temples and a good groan. I think I messed up.

" Leon. When someone 'asks you out' they don't mean like going out they mean 'can we date'. That's what Linus was trying to ask you. If you two could be in a relationship." Well, that makes little to no sense. I will never understand the current lingo of the new age that we live in. Now I must apologize for my incompetence towards Linus. But can I do that before I even have an answer to his question? " Don't worry I'll just manipulate him into giving you another chance," said Star with confidence. Although I'd love to see how her chip works with manipulation, it'd be pointless to try it out on Linus because he's also a Prototype and I never told Star. "Actually, even though I appreciate your efforts, they'd be for naught. Linus is immue to them. He's a Prototype." She grunted in frustration and then regained her composure. "Does your chip work on him? "

"Well, my chip is more for usage in statistics and information rather than using on people. It's made me very analytical and good at reading people and their personalities but that's only due to the information I have," I explained.

"So you can't 'use' your chip on him because it isn't supposed to work on people. Gotcha. So what does his chip do."

" He may as well be a mind reader. But he excels at reading emotions. This allows him to read the person's entire demeanor and know how they're feeling." Linus has a defect in his program though and I'm unsure if it is wise to tell Star. In fact, if his defect is directly linked to his chip's program then that means the possibility of Star having one is also likely. Maybe I have one and my chip is a more advanced model. Star might be gullible despite being able to manipulate and I have some kind of ignorance despite being very knowledgeable I presume. 

"Well, what do you want to do now? Do you want to be in a relationship with him or not?"

"I...I'm unsure. I've never been in a relationship before. How is it?"

She took a moment before answering. "When you have someone who works to you happy and tries their best to please you, you find yourself asking 'what'd I do to deserve this'. It's an incredible feeling to have someone who cares about you and wants nothing but the best for you.  But....it can also be painful. If you like that person to the point that it hurts and something happens or infidelity rises. You just have to be careful because relationships have multiple ways they can start but the same sad ending. Are you going to take that risk?"

Now I was considering every possible outcome of the choices that I was given. And then I realized I was something I never have been before.

I was afraid.