7 Popularity Pruning
Class Says What?
Or,
Popularity Pruning
-= Gears N' Grinding =-
"Hey, Jenny?"
"Yes Ray?" She inquired, her head tilted to its side.
"Why did your mother kidnap me?"
She blushed, turning her head to look at anything but me. "You wanted me to be there with you on your first day, didn't you?" I deadpanned. She chuckled nervously.
I let out a tired sigh, "Jenny. All you had to do was ask you know? You're my girlfriend, of course I wouldn't say no!" I chastised her. Even if she, by all accounts, is actually incredibly intelligent, she could still be a bit of a numbskull.
"I-I was worried you'd say no, alright!" She huffed, a blush adorning her metal face.
"Heads up you two!" Ms.Wakeman- You know what, I'm calling her Nora now.
Nora signaled to us, before looking through the rear-view mirror to address Jenny, "There's the marker. Final destination visuals coming into range. XJ-9! We are approaching ground zero."
Jenny begins packing some things into her bag, her schedule, some papers, and two freshly sharpened pencils.
"Just securing my equipment mom." She answered back.
I couldn't stop myself. I pointed towards myself, "Do I technically count as equipment Jenny?" I asked, a shit-eating grin present on my face.
She blushed. Nora coughed into her hand to get Jenny's attention.
"This could be your toughest challenge ever," Nora continued, "A constant test of your abilities! The pressure to perform could become unbearable!"
She let out a sigh, "There is no dishonor should you decide to back out..."
Jenny sat up, securing her bag, "Momma didn't raise no chickens!"
"Don't you mean 'Chicken'?" I asked.
Jenny shrugged. Before turning to her mom, and giving her a thumbs-up, "Ready to deploy!"
Well, might as well grab my shit too.
I grabbed my bag from its position on the floor, and hung it on my shoulder. I idly played with one of the zippers as I waited for the van to stop.
Nora hummed to herself.
"Alright. Depressurising cabin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go Go Go!" She yelled, urging Jenny to hurry up.
Me, being the guy who didn't want Jenny to become a laughing stock, pulled out a nifty little device. It was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.
I call it the 'Sound Shield'. It's not the most... unique in the world, but I made it to separate two points in space t nullify any sound from both sides. One side can't hear the other, vice-versa.
It has a range of thirty meters, the smallest being five.
I spent three charges on [Super-Spy Tech]. Which, I feel like shouldn't work, but hey, Cartoon Logic.
It works using a combination of Infrared, Gamma Rays, and Ultraviolet light. I'm glad that all I had to do to make this thing was to scrap the toaster and Microwave.
...I need to buy two new ones now though.
The van jostled, breaking my train of thought. I spotted jenny flipping out of the open van, and I soon joined her, taking a calm step onto the pavement.
I sneakily tapped the Sound Shield's activation button with my index finger before slipping it into my jacket pocket.
"No hostile movements..." Jenny hummed to herself. "Nows my chance to blend in!"
I chuckled. She glared right back.
*HONK HONK!*
OH CHRIST THAT IS LOUD!
"Okayyyy! Bye-bye sweetie!" Nora waved from the open side-door window, "Have a good first day!" Before driving off.
It took Jenny a second to realize it, but she finally noticed the complete lack of sound. "...What's going on?"
"Ah, that would be me." I slipped my hand into my pocket, grabbing the Sound Shield and holding it out.
"What's this?" She asked, intrigued by the device, scanning it intently.
"This, is a 'Sound Shield'. Not the best name in the world, but in essence, it creates a small shield that lets no sound in or out. If I didn't do that, you probably would've become a laughing stock." I rambled. Jenny looked slightly peeved at what I said though.
"What do you mean 'Laughing Stock'?" She asked with a sweet smile on her face, but the twitching eyebrow says otherwise.
"Do you think that what your Mom just did isn't embarrassing?" I questioned, confused.
She stilled, raising a hand to cup her chin.
"Hm..." She squinted, mulling over what I just said.
I could pinpoint the exact moment it clicked in her metallic mind.
Her depression changed, now seemingly downfallen. "...Oh."
"Well hey," I walked up to her and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her close, "I prevented that, didn't I?"
She sighed. "Yeah yeah, guess you did." She leaned over, pecking me on the cheek.
"C'mon Ray, we have class you goof!" She yelled, pulling me through the crowd.
"Whoa!"
.
.
.
"Huh, studying already Jenny?"
"Brad. That's a magazine." I deadpanned.
"So?"
Face, meet palm.
After we waded through the massive crowd of students out front, Jenny found a magazine about 'Fitting In'. Honestly, I thought my presence as her boyfriend was doing something, but I guess It wasn't enough to remove her insecurities.
"Jenny, do you really need that Magazine?" I asked, pointing to the magazine in her hands, titled 'In-Crowd'. "If anything, I'd rather you avoid the popular kids. The more popular they are, the worst their personalities are."
She waved me off, "It'll be fine. They can't be that bad... right?"
I let out a strangled sigh. "...first rule of life. Never tempt Murphy." I muttered under my breath as I rubbed my temples.
""Who's Murphy?"" Both Brad and Jenny ask.
"Alright, here's a little insight into the genius mind that is Ray Lent," Brad deadpanned, and Jenny chuckled at my antics, "Murphy's Law states that 'Anything that can go wrong will go wrong', and I live by that statement."
Jenny tilted her head in confusion, "But what does that have to do with what I said earlier?"
...*sigh*
"You probably jinxed yourself Jenny."
Jenny just shrugged, before going back to scanning any passing students, often stealing glances to an open page in the notebook.
After a bit of walking, Brad spotted his Homeroom before waving us goodbye. But unfortunately for me, It seems some things are fated to happen. Like meeting the... *shiver*... the Crust Cousins.
"Uh... Jenny? Why'd you-... Oh. Them." I stopped myself from saying anything else, my irritation rising.
When I watched the show, I never really liked the Crust Cousins. Sure, they had neat designs, but personality-wise?
Bottom-of-the-barrel Highschool Popular stereotypes.
That, and they bully my girlfriend in almost every episode they're in! No way in hell am I letting that happen!
"What is up, home-slices!"
Oh good lord jenny...
I cup my head in my hands and sigh, loudly. I walk forward, before joining my girlfriend near the lockers.
"Jenny?"
She turned to look at me, excitement present on her face.
"I love you, but please. Never say that again. That hurt me on a physical level." I pleaded, the headache I've been nursing is getting progressively worse.
I turned to the two girls, trying my best to hide my irritation, "Hey, I'm Ray, and this is Jenny. Nice to meet ya', goodbye" Grabbing Jenny by the arm, and dragging her with me. Believe it or not, it was rather easy to drag a 600-pound metallic teenage robot.
"What the heck Ray?" Jenny asked irritatedly, "I was making friends!"
"Jenny. Please don't believe whatever magazines tell you. I just don't want you to experience what I did." I told her, concern oozing from my voice.
Her expression softened, "Ray... what happened? Do I need to hurt someone?"
"Well... I wouldn't go that far, but... Middle School wasn't exactly the nicest of places." I lied through my teeth.
In my old life, I tried to... 'fit in' so to speak. That's where I learned that Highschool life wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
I spent two years being a lackey for the 'Popular Kids' before I finally decided I had enough. It took two fights and a Suspension for them to stop pestering me for shit.
I just didn't want Jenny to end up in my old position. She's well-meaning but incredibly gullible. And that's just another thing I love about her, but in this case...
It isn't a good thing.
"I mean, I'd like to think I solved any lingering issues, But I dragged you over here because those two just... I don't know how to describe it but something about them reminds me of what I went through."
I squeezed her shoulders tighter.
"I don't want you going through what I did, alright?"
She stared at me, before breaking eye contact and sighing.
"Alright. But in return, you're helping me make friends, okay?" She pouted.
I chuckled, agreeing with her, "Yeah, that's fair."
"So-"
*RIIIIIING!*
*RIIIIIING!*
The late bell rung, interuppting me. Her eyes widen, her boosters popping out from her boots and ponytails
"I forgot about class! C'mon Ray!" She yelled, grabbing me by the arm, and blasting off in search of our class.
"Wh-AAAA-!"
-= Gears N' Grinding =-
____________________________________
Hey everybody, Dumby here!
I've been looking for designs that I could use for her Gynoid form. And I finally chose one! I had several in mind, so I plopped all five of them in a picking wheel.
And this one won.
Thicc Robo Waifu, gamers!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Dumby, Out.
