~Jives~
After we left that night, I took the hovercraft back to my home. When I got there, for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel the urge to do paperwork. No, I wanted to grab some of the wine that was in the fridge, crack it open, and just chill. That’s what I did, and that’s what made me happy.
I sat out on the balcony, not speaking to anyone, just thinking about the way everything was going. I felt happy I could be there for her. I truly did feel good. I knew that this made her feel happy as well.
So why did I feel a slight rush of emotion when our fingers touched? Why did I feel my heart thump when she said she wanted to see me? All of these feelings drove me slightly crazy, and I felt almost unsure of what this meant for me. After a little while, I started to wonder: would it be okay to let my walls down around her?
No. That wouldn’t do. I didn’t want to do that. Not because I feared her response, but because of the pain from before. I began to remember those moments, when I did let my guard down and actually showed emotion, when I told people my thoughts and feelings. When I actually cried. The times that I did that were the times I got screwed over. The times I lost everything. Remi saved me, but that darkness was still there.
I sighed. I had everything I wanted right now. The last thing I needed was to scare her away. I did need to do something about that godawful boyfriend. I thought about that, thinking about how I could manage to help her, and that’s when I got an idea.
I went to my computer, immediately messaging the president, saying that there was a situation with a human that I needed to be fixed. He asked what it was, and I asked for information on Brad the artist. Apparently that wasn’t very common, and he immediately showed up. I did a bit of research, and that’s when I learned it.
Embezzlement. Fraud. This guy had some serious dirt on him, and I realized at this point that I could use this. I didn’t know how much help it would be, or if it could do much, but I put together a report, and I did manage to get some of the forces that I had under my control to go after this man first thing in the morning.
I read that he never got anything for it. Well, he was about to. I finished filling out the rest of it, closing my computer, and that’s when I sighed. I did that for her. I didn’t do I for myself, or for the people. I did it to help her out.
It felt bizarre, so very weird, but at the same time, I liked it. I liked helping her, to show her that I did care. I couldn’t really be too emotional, but I wanted to show in other ways.
Or maybe I could. Maybe one day, when the time was right, I could finally show how I really felt to her. I doubted it. The time would come eventually, but I guess I’d figure it out when it came along.
That night, I slept soundly, and when I woke up the next morning, I heard a dinging on my phone. I grasped it, seeing that it was from Tracey. It only read four words.
“Look at the news,” I read to myself.
I rarely looked at the news on Earth. After all, I kind of lived the life of what they reported. They were always scrutinizing the president, talking about the rules he enacted, also talking about the relationship between the Klandens and the Earth people. After a bit of searching, I opened up the news, and that’s when I saw the report.
It was on her ex. Brad was taken into custody on accounts of fraud and embezzlement, both of which were proven this morning upon an audit of his accounts. It was reported that the world-renowned painter was doing a lot more than painting, and recently there were discussions of an illicit affair happening. I watched I, seeing the news anchors talk on and on about it, and that’s when I realized it.
I did this. I was the one that caused this. I felt a sort of happiness in my body, seeping through my bones, making me super excited. I began to shiver in anticipation, happy that I could help her out, and there was that part of me that wondered if she knew that it was me, that I was the one that did that. I didn’t really know, but I guess I’d find out.
I called her, and after a few rings, she finally spoke.
“You saw it, didn’t you?” she said.
“That I did,” I said.
“Did you have… anything to do with it?” she asked.
I wasn’t going to lie. There was no reason to.
“Yes. I found out through some digging that your ex was doing a lot more than seeing other girls. I couldn’t let this slide, so I did what I needed to do,” I told her.
There was a silence on the line, and I immediately felt nervous. Was she happy about this? Or was she pissed? She finally spoke.
“You know, that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Plus, it really does show that you care. Thank you,” she said.
I immediately felt surprise linger in my bones. “You’re most welcome,” I replied. I wanted to be a good friend to her. I truly did. I mean, normally I wasn’t the type to get payback on ex’s or anything. That seemed so petty and something humans did, but I guess she was okay with it.
“I don’t know what to do now though. I mean, we broke up, he’s in jail now. I’ve never felt so out of sorts about my future. Like ever,” she told me.
“Then it might be best if you sat down and thought about it. It’s not like you have to make a decision now,” I told her.
I wanted her to think about what just happened, but it was obvious that she had a lot of that to do.
“So you really did it because you care about me, right? You’re not just pulling my leg?” she asked me.
I shook my head. I didn’t want to seem like a bad person, but it was obvious that she needed someone to step in.
“I could tell he really hurt you, Tracey. You’ve been grappling with this for a while. I stepped in, used the power I had, and helped you. You don’t need to thank me. Just do what you feel is right,” I told her.
I did it because I didn’t like the idea of someone hurting her, or at least that’s what I told myself. She thanked me again, and I soon ended the call. I went back to my duties, working on this. However, one of the employees saw me come in late, and he immediately followed me.
“Hey, is everything okay, Jives?” he asked.
“Yeah. It’s fine. I just… had to use my position of power to help someone today,” I said.
“Oh? Was it a girl?” he asked.
“Yes, but I have no interest in her. I just didn’t want to see her hurt,” I told them.
“I see. Well, you probably did a lot for her. You seem to be a lot happier these days. You’ve got a girl now, right?”
“I don’t. I’ve just helped someone. I met someone that I do enjoy spending time with, but I doubt it’ll become anything more than that. Besides, I have a planet to run, and relations with the outside world to uphold,” I told him.
“Right. Well, I think that it might be a good idea for you to consider branching out. After all, there are a lot of cute human girls here,” he said with a smile.
I shook my head. “Not my problem. I don’t want to be bogged down by another,” I replied.
The other grew annoying and soon I pushed him away. Gosh, why couldn’t people understand my actions? I felt like I was being forced to follow the traditions. But I didn’t want to. I wanted to work on myself. At least, that’s what I said out loud.
But did I really do this just for myself? Was I really not looking out for anyone other than myself? I began to wonder this, and I knew for a fact that this was only going to bother me more and more. I wouldn’t do anything currently, but my heart did wonder what Tracey was up to, and I certainly knew that this was only going to continue to bother me for a long time.