Sometimes... Love Hurts.

Okay. Random scene I felt like writing. Any advice, opinions, or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.


I sprinted away from the school, my house only a few blocks away. I barely even remembered what the teachers taught me today, but didn't really care. I...don't like school. Sure, learning is cool and stuff. But I'd much rather be at home.
I barged inside of the small, simple, white house, my mom jumping up, almost falling out of her recliner.
"Raisa! Dear, please knock." She put a hand over her heart, sighing. "I'm gettin' old, you know."
I just rolled my eyes, stepping over to give my mom a warm hug. "Sorry, mum. Just excited! Summer Break!" I smiled, sliding out of the hug, then went over to hang my backpack up.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's it. Sure you aren't excited about something else? ...Someone else?" mom said, raising an eyebrow, then winking when I stared at her.

It took me a little while to realize who she was talking about, and I couldn't help sputtering, heat rising to my cheeks. "W-What?"
She laughed lightly, going back to skimming over her magazine. "Cameron. Boy never takes his eyes off you."
"Mom!" I said, fumbling for words. "Cameron's just a friend..." That's it. Nothing but a really... really good friend.

Cameron and I had known each other for three years now. I guess you can say I'm a sort of loner. I'd rather sit in a corner and play with metal shreds then to be gossiping with all the other girls. He had approached me one day, pulling a chair right up to my little corner.

"Hey." he said, his stormy grey eyes searching me, his greasy blonde hair slightly darker than my own hair.

I had just stared at him, raising an eyebrow, my fingers wandering over a few nuts and bolts I smuggled into class.

He looked at the screws, a crooked smile creeping onto his face. "You build stuff? Awesome."

I nodded.

"Don't talk much, I see how this is..." he trailed off, waving a finger at me. "Her I am, trying to be nice. But NOOOOO, you have to go around handing out fistfuls of silent treatment!"

I looked him over. Never seen this kid before. Obviously the new person. Cameron. Yeah, I remember the teacher introducing him. "Uh...no..." I mumbled, my fingers flying over the screws and a few metal pieces and springs. "I just...I guess I don't get along with people. I...like robots, more..."

He didn't say anything for a while, causing me to feel embarrassed. None of the other kids at school really liked robots, unless they were nerds. Personally, I love robots. Love mechanics. None of my experiments really end up working, but I was determined to one day build something fantastic.

"...robots." he said plainly, his tone monotone.

Oh great. Another person to make fun of me.

"Robots. Are..."

Here we go...just get the mocking over with.

"AMAZING!" his face broke out into a grin. "Hey, I love robots. The mechanical engineering in those babies is just crazy awesome."

That was the day we met. After that day, we became fast friends. He'd often mock me, but was always joking. Every weekend he would come to my house, and we'd just mess around and build stuff. Most of the stuff explodes or catches fire...but hey, that's half the fun.

"Riiiiiight." my mom said with a roll of her eye, pulling me out of my memories.
I just glared at her and grabbed a few bags of chips out of the kitchen, then disappeared into the basement.
Nothing too fancy down here. Some creaky old steps and one, large room. The best room of the whole house.
Concrete flooring and walls, the lighting dim. The room looked cluttered and messy, but to Cameron and I, it was perfectly organized. Wires. Nails. Lightbulbs, Screw, wooden planks, wheels, metal, aluminum sheets, pretty much any simple crafting thing you can think of. This was our escape. Oh, and can't forget the fire extinguisher in the corner. The basement is chilly, but still comfortable, two ripped cushions on the ground where Cameron and I sit.

I smiled and skipped over, plopping down on my cushion and ripping open a bag of chips. I barely had enough time to get comfortable.
Up above there was the sound of a door bashing open, my mom jumping and screaming, then saying something like, "WHAT IS IT WITH YOU TWO AND NOT KNOCKING!"

"Sorry, m'am. Heh. You should lock your door next time, okay?" was the reply, and I recognized it to be Cameron's voice.

I excitedly hopped to my feet, almost getting knocked back to the ground when he came flying down the stairs.
"WhoawhoahWHOA, Raisa! Don't stand at the bottom of the steps!" he quickly steadied me so I didn't fall over, then shoved a paper in my face. "Guess what this is. Read it. Be. Amazed."
I frowned, blowing my messy, thin hair out of my face and snatching the paper away from him. I then carefully read it.

Cameron Lance Korr-
I blinked, realizing I never knew that his middle name was 'Lance'. Interesting.

Congratulations! Out of thousands of applicants, your name was drawn, so you have won the contest! So you are invited to the annual robotics expo in Huron City. Enclosed in the envelope is your very own plane ticket and VIP pass, an extra ticket for you parent or guardian. The expo begins on March 17th, starting at eight o'clock in the morning, and going on until March 24th, sometime in the noon. We are glad to have you come, Cameron. See you soon!

~Huron Robotics Team~

I pursed my lips, staring at the letter. We had both entered the contest. I was glad that he won, but.. couldn't help feeling slightly jealous.
"Good for you."

He grinned, taking the letter from my hands and putting it into his pocket. "Heck yeah! Can you believe it, Rai? This thing is going to be-" He paused, seeing the emotionless look on my face. "...oh. Yeah. Sorry... didn't mean to brag." He then looked at the letter longingly, then back to me. "I won't go if it bothers you."

He couldn't do that! Not for me. I think Cameron even wanted to go more than I do, but it still hurts. I quickly shook my head. "No, Cameron. You're going. But... isn't March 17th tomorrow?"

He blinked, digging his cellphone out of his pocket to check, eyes widening when he sees the date. "Oh wow. Guess I should look in the mail more often."
He looked kinda sad, staring at me. "Expo's for a whole week. We were going to make superpowered roller skates this week."
I lightly punched him in the shoulder, grinning. "C'mon. We have all summer to do that. You only have a week, and this is what you want!" with that I threw my arms around him, pulling him in a reassuring hug.
"You sure?" he asked, sounding hesitant.

"Yes. Bring me back a souvenir." I said, keeping my face in his bony shoulder.

"Heh. Of course." he replied, a sort of whispers, putting his arms around me. "I don't want to miss a week without you, though."

I blinked, pulling away just enough to look at his face. "...uh. Why?"

He paused, and I could have sworn I saw him blush. Maybe it was just the dim light. He gulped, arms around me tightening, as if he's afraid I'd push him away or something. "...I love you, Raisa. That's why."

I froze up, not saying anything. Was he joking? No... the look on his face was serious. I've never seen him so serious. He's always joking around, always playful. But now he looked determined.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not joking for once." he said, chuckling dryly. "I love you. That's one thing I'm actually serious 'bout, ya know?"
I couldn't think of anything to say. So I just stared at him in dumbfounded shock, not prepared for any of this.

"Look. Uh. I'd like to know if you love me, too. But... you don't have to answer now. Wait until I get back from the expo. You seem like you need to process this." He shakily pulled away from the hug, and now I could tell that he was definetly blushing.
Before I could even stutter he quickly planted a single kiss on my lips, turned, and ran up the stairs, my mom yelling after him when he slammed the front door.

Love. Cameron... loves me. I didn't know what to think. Wasn't actually sure if I loved him back or not. We are just friends, and...won't love ruin that? I don't want things to change between us and get weird.
But I still had a week to wait until I had to answer. Enough time for me to think.
My lips tingled from where he kissed me, a pleasant, unusual sensation. I went upstairs and locked myself in my room.

The week passed by unbearably slowly. All I could think about was Cameron and what he had said, still unsure of what to say. I spent most of the week in the basement, but wasn't able to concentrate long enough on a project, and just ended up making some clump of metal.

When March 24th finally came by, I ran over to Cameron's house, it being only about a mile away. I sat on his front porch, wearing my usual overalls and white T-shirt, my light hair pulled into a ponytail. Only a few more minutes and he'll be here. What do I say? Yes I love him? No I don't? Let's just be friends? Why did he have to do this?!

I ended up staying on that porch for two hours. Where was he?! I was pacing around the sidewalk, considering going back home, when his car pulled into the driveway.
His Aunt Terry stepped out of the car, waved at me, then rushed to her house.
Weird. Terry's really nice. We always talk for a while when I come to see Cameron, but now she seemed to be ignoring me. And there was a different air about her. She seemed sad.
I waited impatiently outside, waiting for him to step out of the car. He didn't. Was he playing games?

I scowled and marched up to the car, peering through the window. No Cameron. That, plus Ms. Terry's odd attitude made me slightly panicked. I ran up to the house and pounded on the door. "Ms. Terry? Where's Cameron?"
The door cracked open a tiny bit and she slipped a newspaper into my hand, then quickly slammed the door shut.
I frowned, looking at the paper, the front page immediately catching my attention.

ROGUE CYBORG AT 38TH ANNUAL ROBOT EXPO

My frown deepened, eyes grazing over the paper, the bubble of panic in my stomach increasing.

The robot expo is supposed to be a merry time, a festival where we come to celebrate our technologically advanced friends. This year, however, a tragedy struck the festivities. An unnamed robot from the studios of Dr. Frayser malfunctioned.Nobody knows what caused the malfunction, but it was lethal. The robot suddenly turned on the cheering crowds, shooting targets at random, committing a devastating mass murder in the city. Hundreds were killed, thousands more injured, and Dr.-

I set the paper down, drawing in a shaky breath, not able to continue. List of the deceased. Gotta check it. Cameron can't be...no. He has to be injured, at least. Not...not dead.
I flipped open the newspaper, turning to the massive list of recently deceased. My finger ran along the paper, stopping on one, precious name.

Cameron Lance Korr- 16 years old, an unfortunate victim of the robot massacre.

No.
I read it again, just to make sure.
No...
NO!
He can't be! Dammit! I threw the paper to the ground and just...ran, headed toward home, not loookign where I was going.
No. Cameron. Please, no. Let this be a nightmare. He can't be dead. He can't be gone. I...I never got to give him an answer. Never got to tell him how I feel.
I ran and ran, the image of his name printed on that paper stuck in my head. He just had to go. Had to be a goof and love robots. I should have begged him not to go, begged him to stay with me so we could attempt super powered rollerskates.

It's my fault.. I could have stopped this...Oh God, it hurts. Please. Please let it all be a nightmare.
I managed to stumble home, pushing open the door and running down into the basement, not staying around long enough for my mom to yell at me. The whole run was a daze, all of it blurry. I didn't even care as I fell to the cold floor, gasping for air.
It hurts. I...hurt..so much. He's gone. Knowing that hurts more than any explosion.

I finally started sobbing, letting myself fall limp onto the floor, curling up into an insecure ball. I grabbed his cushion and pressed it close to me, my rapidly flowing tears dampening it. I know what he would say to that. He'd be all, "Raisa! You gettin' my cushion all wet. Someone's ganna think I jizzed my pants..." then he would lay down and hold me while I weeped.
Thinking of him doing this only made me cry harder.
"Cameron! You c-can't just leave! I never...never got to tell you my answer..." I whispered this quietly to the cushion, voice coming out choked sounding. "Cameron... I know my answer now..." My voice suddenly turned eerily calm, the tears not stopping, rapidly pouring out.

"I love you, too...and now...now you'll never know..."

I clung to that cushion all night, the sounds of my sobs lulling myself to sleep, my heart broken into pieces.





Okay, Scene finish. Raisa ends up making a robot named CLK (for Cameron's initials) 935-195, and he is nicknamed 'Clank'. Clank appears exactly as Cameron did, except for a few wires and stuff hanging out, and the fact that he has machine gun arms and rocket powered feet. So yeah. Raisa basically ends up being hopelessly in love with a robot, that can not return her feelings... cause he's a robot.