Neglected

I was made when she was only 5, but by then she could have gone to college. She was smarter than me, smarter than I could have ever been, by far. She only wished for one thing on her fifth birthday, and that thing was me. She built me from 158 parts. Must have been complicated. But the only thing I wished for was a best friend just like her, until I found out that best friends don’t always last forever. My friendship with her lasted a few years, but then she got older, and threw me away. I guess that’s just how my life works. Great until broken.

I’m a robot, but I still have a name. I’m Ruby 1, the Prototype, but people just call me Ruby 1. I was short when I was first made. But every time Sophie added parts to me, she measured me. I grew from 2’4 all the way up to 6’9. In kindergarten, Sophie had no friends. And I had no robot friends, either. That’s why Sophie Nelson and I became best friends! 

When she started elementary school, I was more lonely. Her school days would drag on for another three hours, and that meant that I was going to be bored and lonely for another three hours. And sometimes she would take longer, because she went over to her other friend, Hailey’s house. But on the bright side, when she came home we could play! After she did her homework, that is. But it wasn’t that big of a deal because she is a wiz at elementary school stuff! 

We would play tag, and hide and go seek, and we would give each other makeovers! Those games were so much fun, even though she would always win in tag because she can run faster than me. And her makeovers wouldn’t be that great because it’s hard to hold a makeup brush. And I don’t have very great eyesight so it was hard to find her in hide and go seek. But she was amazing at all of those games. And we loved playing the games together. 

Then, on her eighth birthday, she bought my first voice box for me, and I learned to say my first word; Sophie. Then, I learned almost all the words in Webster's English Vocabulary. Meg and Ryan Nelson are Sophie's parents, and they were shocked. 

But one day she didn’t come home after school. And she didn’t come home all night. And soon, she was gone every Friday night. She kept telling me how Hailey and her went to the movies. She called it a ‘sleepover’. I had never heard that word before, “What is a sleepover?” I asked. “A sleepover is where you go to somebody's house and sleep there overnight.” She replied with a grin on her face. “But… I thought that I was your best friend.” I say as I turned away slightly. She answered with, “You are. I just have other people that are really important to me.” “Ok, well, can I have people that are important to me?” I asked with a bright LED smile.

“No, you're a robot, not a human.” She said sternly. “But-” I started to say but then she cut me off. “I got to go get ready to have lunch with Hailey. Bye Ruby #1 Prototype!” She said and ran away. She never called me by my full name, it was always Ruby 1, or simply Ruby. That’s when I realized that what she had called us was deteriorating.

Even though her words broke me down inside, I had to forgive and forget. I was really just a robot, but I was crumbling. She told me that I was allowed to have emotions, but yet, I was just a robot to her.

On her 16th birthday, I wasn't even allowed downstairs at the party. I think she was embarrassed of me, and didn’t want her friends to know that her first best friend was a robot that she had created in kindergarten. 

But last year she had put legs on me so I could walk instead of roll, because Sophie was tired carrying me up and down the stairs. Then I realized that I could open the door, waddle down the stairs and join the party.

I was just learning how to use my legs at the time. But, she taught me like this: Stand, hold onto something, and walk until I find balance. She said that walking is a natural thing that everybody should learn, therefore, I needed to learn how to do it.

In her freetime when she was bored and had nothing to do, that's when she would work on me. Otherwise, I was just a silly little toy shoved into her closet. I knew deep down that she didn’t want to be my best friend anymore, but I chose not to think about our breaking friendship.

I hung onto the wall as my long legs tried to hold me up, even though they couldn’t. Not then, at least. Right before I made it to the door, I fell onto the wall, and it was loud. REALLY loud. I somehow managed to open the door and topple down the stairs. When I finally reach the end of the stairs, I see about 45 people staring at me. “Hello, happy birthday Sophie.” I tried to say with a sophisticated voice. Her face flushed red and everyone just stared at me in shock.

“Ruby 1 Protoype. Go back upstairs and STAY THERE.” she said as if she would take me apart and sell the rest of me. I was always told by the TV and Sophie that I should stand up for myself. And that was right then and there, I had decided that I was going to be a human.

I didn’t listen to her when she told me to go back upstairs. I simply just said; “Sophie, you are my best friend. You hang out with me all the time! I deserve to come to this party.” 

“YOU ARE A PROTOTYPE, AND IT WILL ALWAYS BE THAT WAY. NOW GET OUT OF MY LIFE!” She almost screamed trying to get those words out. Ever since she installed those legs on me, she couldn’t pick me up anymore, and I’m about a foot taller than her. She tried to pick me up but all she could do was grunt and lift me about a millimeter. 

“THIS IS THE WORST BIRTHDAY EVER!” She screamed then stormed off. “Don’t you think she is being a little dramatic?” Some of her friends said. Some just stared at me, and others walked right out the front door while snickering. I just simply followed her into the other room. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE!” She yelled in between sobs. “I am comforting you, Sophie.” I said calmly, and placed a hand on her shoulder. I don’t think it made her feel better though because she just screamed at me again. “GO! JUST LEAVE, OKAY?” She yelled. I decided to obey her because I thought that it would make her feel better, and I was right. 

I went upstairs to her room, and thought of ways that I could blend in with the crowd. In other words, I was thinking of ways to become human. Well, as human as I can get.

I had realistic hands and pale skin, and once she decided to take me for a test run with her friends to see if I looked real, but her friends said that I couldn’t hang out with them. Her friends are real bullies, I think. 

Well, I was going to run away to get a job, so while Sophie was in shock and was crying, I snuck past everyone, and headed to Meg's closet to get her suit. While I was getting into her suit, I thought to myself; Should I really do this? And the answer was yes, and always will be. 

Sophie designed me to look and act like a human. I did look like one, but I was second guessing if I acted like one. Then I realized that I have to learn to walk properly! Humans with jobs don’t stumble around, they walk professionally! So I stood up as straight as I could, and took one step, without looking down. I saw Sophie, Meg and Ryan walk so many times! I was positive that I could pick up a few tricks from them. Like; walk straight, don’t look down, and keep your shoulders and hips aligned. Sounded simple enough, right?

I stood up straight and put my hand against the wall for balance. Then, I slowly took my hand off the wall and took one single step. I did it again and again, until I felt that I didn’t need to use my hand for balance at all. So I let go, and took two steps forward. My body was kind of slumped on the first step I took, but the next few steps and I had finally got the hang of it.

I strutted out of that closet walking like a real human. I was almost spot on, but then I realized that I needed to put on make-up! So I headed back upstairs to Sophie’s room, and sat down at her dressing table. That’s where she kept all of her make-up. 

She had all of the make-up that you could ever imagine, so I could use everything that would help me look like a real person. I was also about 5’3 at the time, so I looked pretty adultish. First, I put on what I think she called ‘foundation’ and ‘concealer’. Then, I put on ‘eyeshadow’, ‘mascara’ and ‘eyeliner’. And finally I put on ‘eyebrow pencil’ and ‘lipstick’. I looked in the mirror and I LOOKED LIKE A REAL HUMAN! 

I was ready to face what’s outside Sophie’s front door, even though I've never been outside before. I had a suit, I know how to walk and I have make-up on. Sophie was still sobbing so she didn't notice. I hope they thought that I was just one of her friends who left. Even though Sophie was my best friend, I still thought that she was a spoiled brat.

I was ready, yes. So I walked out the door, and took a look at my surroundings. The outside world was cold, yet warm, windy, yet still, and stressful, yet calm. You could try to write an essay out there, but you wouldn't be able to focus on your essay, you would focus on the swaying trees. That tree over there, that could someday be the biggest tree on Earth, or the bird flying up above in the sky, could be the oldest bird in history.

I walked right away from my house. Well, it wasn’t my house anymore. It was Sophie’s house, and Meg’s house, and Ryan’s house. I didn’t live there anymore. I was going to live somewhere else, somewhere where I wouldn’t run into the Nelson family.

I need a job if I want to live somewhere nice, and since I’m a robot I can work at a place like NASA! I thought to myself. I was smarter than most people, but they probably wouldn’t hire me because I didn’t have ANY experiences with outer space. The only upside is that I am a robot, but they probably wouldn’t know, unless I told them. 

I proceeded to walk three and a half miles to NASA HQ. I didn't have any money so I couldn't take the bus, I didn't have wheels anymore, and I was just new to walking. Let me tell you, that humans are very strong because walking was hard. That was the most walking I had ever done in my small life.

“Hello, I’m here to apply for a job,” I said standing straight up. “Do you have a resume?” He asked. “Was I supposed to have one?” I asked nervously. I didn’t know that you had to have a resume! Then I didn’t even know what a resume was. “Uhh, yes, obviously. What company would hire somebody without a resume?! Now, if you don’t have a resume, then you can’t have the job.” He replied chuckling. “Oh, ok bye I guess.” I said and ran out of there. On my way out, I tripped and the suit ripped and my arm was showing. The bad thing is that my arm did not look like a human arm. 

“Is your arm okay, miss?” the man asked worriedly. “Oh, uh.” I had been caught, and I was stuck there. My arm started to malfunction. It was being crazy. With my working hand, I pressed a button in the middle of my palm and my arm dropped to the floor.

“Medic! Medic! Come here, we have an emergency!” The man yelled and waved his hand, signaling people to come. “No need to call the doctor, I just need Sophie to fix it. But Sophie is at err- her house, and if she is going to fix it, I need a ride there.” I said calmly. He probably thinks I was crazy.

“No, miss you are NOT fine! We need to get you to the hospital immediately!” He yelled. Then he stands up, started to jumping up and down and then he waved his arms in the air like he just witnessied a murder. “It’s okay! Let me just get home!” I said. Then I picked myself up from the ground, and started to walk out. 

The wires stuck out of my arm like plants growing out of the Earth. “Wait, what is on your arm?” He asked politely but still worried. “Nothing!” I said and took about four steps back from him. “Miss, tell me. There are wires coming out of your arm, are you a robot?” He asked, taking more and more steps closer to me. He said that very calmly, as if I would smash him into 1,000 tiny pieces, but I would never do that. 

“Uhhh, I am a robot, actually.” I replied nervously. Then he laughed; “HAHAHA! THAT’S FUNNY!!” “I wasn’t joking though. I really am a robot, sir.” I said. I knew that he wouldn’t believe me. I mean, who would?

I showed him my off button on the back, and long story short, I got the job! And I still have my job at NASA to this day. People treat me like a real human, and they even look up to me. NASA really helped me. Sophie even got what she deserved, and that is no friends. And that's the moral of the story, don't neglect others to have more.