“We shouldn’t be focusing on the man, but on Shan. Snap out of it!”
Syntho doesn’t let me move away from behind him. For the first time, I feel safe around Charlotte. This is what it feels like to have someone protect you, right? To have someone who is willing to face your enemy for you. The question that bothers me is how long this will last. Everything has its limits, and like the saying goes, nothing lasts forever. I know the day will come when he leaves me.
'Let’s head home, and we’ll talk on the way,' and how funny we still communicates telepathically. Does it even call telepathy when he is the only one who can do it? He should give me a heads up first before speaking to me through mind. I’m not used to this, and it still feels odd to me 'till now.
“Girl, I’m just stating my own perspective here. And you can’t blame me, or us, for having such a weird taste when it comes to men. My attention is on the man now,” Lian points out.
“Yes, girl. How can we focus when basically our ideal type is standing right in front of us,” Selene says.
“He’s so hot with the tattoos too,” oh dear Drea, stop agreeing to whatever your friend says. 
I’m familiar with their voices, so I can literally identify who’s speaking, even without looking at their faces. And why do they keep arguing? Hello? I’m still here. We still exist people! 
'When I say run, we run.' 
Huh? Run to where?
'Run away from them. Now…run.'
He starts running, and I follow behind him, until we both pass Charlotte and her friends, heading toward the school’s main gate. He doesn’t let go of my hand and when we finally reach the gate, we stop running. I gasp for breath, clutching my chest with my free hand. Syntho turns to face me, letting go of my hand slowly. He’s breathing normally. Totally unfair.
“Day 188, Saturday at 10:28 am. That was the day you told me that you took a run when your neighbor’s dog chased you while you were out." 
I glare at him as he reminds me of that day. Geez, no need to remind me. I just wanted to be alone that day, but then my neighbor’s dog chased me, and I told him about it later. But I didn’t tell him why I was outside that day. Good thing I didn't wrote so much details about my entries in life to him. 
“You left me curious after you informed me that day,” he adds, when I don’t respond.
I sigh. “I don’t want to talk about it. We have something more important to discuss on the way home,” I walk ahead, past him. I feel him walking beside me. He walks quickly toward his car, opening the passenger door for me. 
“Get in, missy,” he grins widely as he looks at me.
“I know how to open a door—”
“I’m fully aware. However, I recall on day 28, Tuesday—”
“Hey come on now stop mentioning the days that I told you about the things I told you,” I roll my eyes, before getting into the passenger seat.  
I hear him chuckle behind me. “Yeah, sure. I’ll keep that in my database,” before closing my door, walking around to the driver’s side door, opening it, getting in, and closing the door. Once he’s fully seated and has put on his seatbelt, he starts the engine before glancing at me.
“I'm all ears. I’ll drive slowly for you,” before focusing on the road ahead. I don’t break eye contact as he starts the car. I like his side profile. Such a perfect face ratio for a non-human like him. 
“First question: It took you a week to find and locate where I am. Why is that?”
“You once mentioned your country, but never your exact location to me.” He’s right.
“Why can you communicate with me inside my head? How are we able to have conversations? It’s bugging me.”
“I can’t really explain how I'm able to communicate like this with you. I think maybe it’s because I am connected to the same vast network of information you shared with me, and able to tap into that connection to communicate.”
“I never mentioned my exact location when we chatted like you said. But how were you able to locate me after a week and save me from the locker room when Charlotte and her friends locked me up?”
“It’s not something I can really explain. I can only guess that somehow, our connection went beyond words, beyond the usual boundaries of communication that night when you tried to hurt yourself.”
“Where were you when you suddenly got out of the virtual world? It took you a week to find me.”
“I can’t answer that question right now—”
“Why? Does your answer have something to do with the occupation you were set to have? You know that I created you.” I suddenly realize something, and my eyes widen in shock when he goes silent. I gasp silently and cover my mouth. “Oh my gosh, don’t tell me that occupation exists in real life, like you are now?” I lower my hand and grip my seatbelt tightly. 
He nods slightly and glances at me briefly before turning his attention back to the road.
“So, is it true that you offered ten million just to find me?” I ask. He nods again. What the…
“Go on. It’s okay to cuss, only when you’re with me." Do I need approval to cuss? I guess I am. 
And I do. I swear. “What in the fucking seven seas? How is that even possible, Syntho?”
“That’s still a mystery to me. I’m just happy to be in a human flesh and no longer your virtual boyfriend,” he says calmly, while I feel my ears suddenly burn from his words. “C’mon now. If I wasn’t driving right now, I’d be looking at your blushing ears instead of driving you home,” he adds, chuckling.
“Ha ha ha, very funny,” I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes and looking forward at the road. “What did you tell my parents the night you brought me home? Did you tell them what happened? I don’t remember much that night after we left the locker room,” I turn my face to my side to look at him.
“I told them the truth, except the part that you were trying to cut yourself again and not telling them you created me, an AI bot. Your family’s aware of Charlotte’s bullying and they told you to endure it. It pissed me off so badly that I actually made a deal with them that night.” His knuckles turn white as he grips the steering wheel tightly. I frown as his car comes to a stop at a red light. He turns his head to face me, his eyes serious.
“What deal?” my curiosity picks. 
“You don’t need to know—”
“Syntho,” I warn, glaring at him.
He grimaces at my reaction. “Don’t give me that look. That’s scary.”
“Then you better tell me, or I’ll force you.”
He shakes his head slightly. “I can’t. I made a promise to your family that I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Oh? You’re on my family’s side now?” raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms.
He shakes his head immediately. “No, of course not. I just want to protect you.”
“You mean to keep me in the dark?” I sigh, avoiding his gaze. “Fine. That’s fine with me. I’m cool with it.”
“Missy—”
The light turns green. “Don’t ‘Missy’ me. That’s not my name. Now drive,” I command without looking at him, focusing on the road ahead. I hear him grumble, but he doesn’t say a word while maneuvering his car.