Chapter Text
Saved by the bell.
Spike had been sitting in class for the past hour, sunken into his seat. Half of him was begging to whatever was listening, that entire time, that Dave wouldn't call on him, lest he face the wrath of his math teacher. But now it was lunch time. Halfway through a lecture that Dave had started a little too late to finish, as he was distracted by a shouting Diamond Man for half that class, who was a bit too frustrated about his grades. Diamond Man was a nice kid, he just got overwhelmed quite easily. Even making eye contact would make him uncomfortable, causing him to try to stop the offending stare by teleporting them away. Diamond Man couldn't do it in any other situation, which was an enigma to him.
But this isn't about Diamond Man, is it?
No, this story starts with Spike, who was now halfway down the hall, chatting idly with him.
Spike had moved into town a few months ago, and was still getting used to being in a new school, with new people, and with... extraordinarily long and confusing halls. Spike was almost constantly getting lost if he wasn't going to either the cafeteria or the one classroom class was ever held in.
Or detention. He'd seen his fair share of detentions.
Surely Jr had an easier time at his new school.
Back to our initial duo walking down the hall.
"So, what do you have for lunch?" Diamond Man walked alongside Spike, avoiding any eye contact with him.
"Ehhh, Mom packed me a sandwich again." Spike mumbled, looking at his lunchbox, which had dinosaurs on it. He though they were cool, just like his green backpack, which harbored several books and a comb, in case his hair fell back into its natural position during the day.
"At least it's better than..." Diamond Man quietly opened his lunchbox slightly, taking a peek into it. "Tuna salad and a hard boiled egg." He fake gagged. Diamond Man wasn't the biggest fan of tuna, but it was something he'd still eat.
"Yuck." Spike stuck out his tongue, slightly shaking his head. Spike didn't quite enjoy tuna either. His brother probably would, but Spike DEFINITELY couldn't stand the stuff. It's like glitter glue to him, something Jr enjoyed, but he did not.
The two of them entered an empty seeming cafeteria. It was quite large, and the lack of students in the school didn't help with the feeling. Tristan and Playrobot were sitting at a table near the back, chatting about something while they ate. Which Spike found confusing, as Playrobot didn't need to eat. Perhaps she did it because it made her happy, or helped her fit in with her non-robotic pals. She was chowing down on a slice of pizza, as was the standard lunch for a student who hadn't brought any, along with a tiny carton of milk, a few carrot sticks, and a cookie that was most definitely stale, which wasn't much, but for Playrobot, it was perfect, as they wouldn't get sick from the stale cookie. Everything else was alright. All she needed was that little bit to fit in, even if she couldn't run around, or feel the breeze on her face, or taste, or smell, or even see properly for that matter, as her vision had a strange tint of yellow.
But she still felt welcome here, she was well accommodated to. Tristan was one of the bigger factors in it, her best friend who was usually eager to play.
She had heard so many tales of further outside of the school from him, like that one time he climbed a tree and got stuck, or the big open plains near the edge of the town. Tales of Diamond Man's Older brother, and someone named Mr. Daycare who was a little similar to Green Alien Monitor, and another version of her-! She wanted to meet 3.0 someday.
At the time, Diamond Man and Spike were getting seated, opening their lunchboxes, as Playrobot blabbed on about a new jump rope she had gotten.
Well, she was blabbing, until she saw Spike entering the room, excusing herself from the table for a moment, before heading his way. Playrobot had been thinking of doing something for weeks, and if anyone could help her, it was Spike. Or at least, she assumed he was much more tech savvy than Diamond Man. Plus she didn't quite want to bother him again. Last time they had spoken she had given the accursed Playrobot stare. Diamond man didn't take it well, and she had avoided really talking to him until things blew over. She didn't mean to hurt his feelings, of course not, but she had, even if unintentionally.
She had come over with her tray, reaching up to place it onto the table, before sitting down next to an unsuspecting Spike, who was busy eating his sandwich. Diamond man slowly got up and left. Even if she didn't mean to stare, shiny things always got her attention. She really did try not to though, she hated making him uncomfortable.
Spike noticed his pal begin to leave, turning towards him while looking slightly off to the side. "Where are yo-" His question answered itself.
"Heeelllllooooooo!!" Playrobot chimed, in a sickeningly sweet but robotic voice. Spike jumped, nearly dropping his sandwich as he did so. God that kid can be SNEAKY! "GOD- PLAYROBOT-"
"Hi!" Playrobot seemed indifferent to Spike's slight panic, tilting their head. "Do you mind if i sit over here?" They asked, once again refusing to acknowledge the fact that she had snuck up and scared the living daylights out of him. Spike stared at the tiny robot for a moment, before sighing, giving them the go ahead. He'd have to apologize to Diamond Man later, who had migrated one table over. He turned his attention back to his sandwich, hoping Playrobot wouldn't start up a game of jump rope.
Instead of the fate he was expecting, he was asked a simple question. "Do you know how to work a puter?"
"You mean a COMputer?"
"Yeah!! That thing."
"Well, I mean, I do, but-" Spike was interrupted quickly by Playrobot, whose eyes lit up, both figuratively and literally.
"Can you help me with something?"
Spike pondered his next words very carefully. Did he really want to be stuck with Playrobot for any longer than he has to? He didn't want to come off as mean, but he didn't quite enjoy dealing with Playrobot. What was it even like being on Playrobot's bad side? What does that subject you to, exactly? Infinite jump rope? One so impossibly difficult it would make a grown man weep? [He had seen it happen to GAM once, but Spike assumed he was already tired.]
Spike had probably made a decision for the best, right?
Spike found himself in the computer lab, seated in front of a computer.
The computers hadn't been touched in years, the keyboard covered in a fine layer of dust, as well as the monitor itself. Spike was quite awkwardly bent over it, staring at the empty document file on the screen. He was busy dusting away at it with his hand, shaking it off every few seconds, while Playrobot sat beside him, barely even tall enough to reach the keyboard in the chair.
"What exactly did you say we were doing?"
"Weve got a newspaper to write!"
"Grrreat."
This was going to be a lot longer than Spike wanted it to be.