Mechanical by Pauline C. Harris

her
brother’s chivalry, but her expression dissipated when her mom met
us in the entryway.
    “Hi Drew,” she said to me with a smile. She
held a phone to her ear, her hand currently covering half of
it.
    “Hello, Ms. Walter,” I replied.
    “Did you girls decide what you wanted for
dinner?”
    “Hamburgers,” Jessica replied.
    Her mom nodded in return. “Okay. You girls
have a good time,” she said, going back to her conversation.
    “Sure, Mom,” Jessica answered. We headed
upstairs to Jessica’s room and I tossed my bag on her
pink-blanketed bed. She popped a DVD into her laptop and leaned
back against the pillows. She patted the bed beside her and I sat
down, folding my legs up and getting comfortable.
    “So, do you like anyone?” she asked me.
    She acted completely at ease, as though this
was proper sleepover procedure, but her question was lost on me. I
looked at her. “ Like ?”
    “Yeah,” she smiled. “Come on, new school, new
kids. There’s gotta be someone.” Her expression was eager, ready to
hear some good details that I didn’t have.
    “Well, I think everyone is nice. I haven’t
met anyone I dislike,” I told her, still confused.
    She shook her head, laughing quietly. “No
Drew, I mean like like.”
    I stared blankly back at her.
    “Crush?” she tried again, her eager
expression fading and a concerned one taking its place.
    Oh . “Um ... I haven’t exactly been
looking,” I told her truthfully.
    She laughed again, seeming to find my
reaction hilarious. “Okay, okay.”
    The rest of the evening consisted of dinner
then the remainder of the movie, which we barely watched due to
Jessica filling me in on school gossip and crushes. Finally, in the
early hours of the morning, Jessica deemed it late enough to go to
sleep. She let me have her bed while she snuggled up with blankets
on the floor.
    Jessica’s voice floated through the darkness
toward me. “We’re going to have to find you someone to like,” she
said matter-of-factly.
    I smiled to myself. “Okay,” I replied, just
for the sake of making her satisfied.
    In a little while, I heard Jessica’s
breathing slowing and I could tell she was asleep.
    I, being an android, didn’t need much sleep.
Only about an hour a night, our recharge time, but I could even go
a few days without any if I had to.
    But with nothing else to do anyway, I decided
I might as well go to sleep, too. I didn’t want to lay awake all
night staring at the darkened ceiling.
    I rolled over, closed my eyes and fell
asleep. It was that easy. Like turning a switch.
    * * * *
    “Do you have an outfit you can wear?” Jessica
questioned me as she was sifting through her closet. She had asked
me to spend the night once again, suggesting that I go to church
with her on Sunday. I had agreed, not eager at all to go back to
the Institution. I'd called Glen and told him of my plans rather
than asking him for permission. I felt somewhat unhappy, thinking
that he might be angry when I returned, considering the fact that I
had basically hung up on him. But, I was acting on impulse, and
although it went against everything I had ever learned at the
Institution, it felt good. Like breaking the rules and eagerly
awaiting your punishment, just to say you did it.
    “I’m not sure. Fancy?” I asked.
    She gestured toward her wardrobe. “Somewhat
fancy. You can borrow something of mine if you want.” She pulled
out a blue knee-length skirt. “That black shirt you packed should
go fine with this,” she said, handing it to me.
    I thanked her and headed into the bathroom to
change. When I came back, I found Jessica in a white skirt and pink
shirt, adjusting her hair in the mirror. “That skirt looks really
cute on you,” she commented. “It never hung right on me. I guess
it’s meant for people with long legs.” She playfully stuck her
tongue out at me and I laughed.
    Jessica’s parents and Michael met us
downstairs and together, we walked out to the car. Jessica sat