“You bought a what?” asks Shashi. They had just gotten home, and their roommate, Jaden, greeted them with a scattered pile of small boxes, one larger box, bags, random tools, screws, and other items.
“You know, those helper ‘droids that everyone’s been talking about! I saw an ad on MeTube and decided it would be a good investment for us.” Jaden is beaming with the joy of a child on Christmas morning.
“Uhuh,” replies Shashi with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m serious! You’re always working, and I’m just sooo busy with college, so now, we don't have to worry about laundry or dishes or even cooking! He can literally do anything we need him to. Hey, wait! Get back here!” As Shashi tries sneaking off into their room, Jaden grabs their arm and tries to drag them back to the living room.
“Jaden, please. I just got back from a 12-hour shift. I want to at least lie down.”
“I’ll pay you.”
“Obviously, you’re gonna pay me, but later, now let go.” Shashi tries to tug away, but Jaden’s grip is worse than a cat hanging on curtains.
“Please! Please! Please! I won’t stop bothering you ‘till you do. Please! Please! Please! Pleas-”
“Oh my God, fine!” they yell. Shashi lets out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of their nose between their eyes.
“$22.00 an hour. Take it or leave it.”
“What!? I thought you worked for 15!?”
“Yes, but you're asking me to work overtime. And no, I don’t care that you’re my roommate. So we got a deal or not?” Jaden grumbles some curse words under her breath but eventually extends a hand toward Shashi. They shake.
“Fine, deal. Just have it done by tomorrow. I wanna show off to my friends when we go shopping. Goodnight!” With that, Jaden walks into her room, leaving Shashi alone with the massive mess left behind.
“I get they want to make them look more human, but what the hell?” They look through the pile, looking for the manual. They pull out a booklet that unfolds to the size of their body.
“...I’m gonna get an energy drink first.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jaden walks out of her room, already dressed in her pink mini skirt, white top, and ivory thigh-high boots with light makeup and hair in a neat bun. She notices the white, very human-looking android already assembled on the floor. Her eyes widen with excitement, and she rushes to the android, kneeling and admiring the details that make it seem like a real human being.
“Oh my God! It looks so much cooler in person! I thought it would look more like a doll like the last model, but this is sooooo worth it!”
“It ain’t done yet.” Jaden was too distracted to realize Shashi was sleeping on the couch, bags under their eyes and hair on the back of their head standing up.
“What do you mean you don't have it done yet? Didn’t I say to have it done today when I go out?” exclaims Jaden while crossing her arms.
“Well, shit, the RAM’s not working, and electronic stores open late, so you gotta wait.” They say in a groggy voice.
“By the way, you’re lucky it came with a coupon to get free parts in case of any damage. A.I. RAM ain’t cheap these days.”
“What!? Don’t you have extras from work or something? I need to have it by today! I already told my friends I bought it! You want me to embarrass myself in front of them!?”
“One, I work at a body shop, not a mechanic shop. Very different. Even if I did, I doubt I could just bring ‘em home. Two, not my problem. I’m sure your friends can wait one more day.”
“Hmpf! Fine, whatever! But it better be ready by the time I get back. I’m late for class.”
“Your class ended half an hour ago.” Jaden slams the door without another word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shashi slowly walks through an aisle while looking at RAM suitable for the android. Then a slim, scruffy man in the store uniform approaches them from behind.
“Hey, Shashi! Whatcha doin’ here today?”
“Hey, Benji! I’m just here to get something for my roommate. How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in a while. Weren’t you working at a ‘droid factory?”
“Yeah, but I decided to move somewhere close to home. What’d your roommate need? Maybe I can help ya out.”
“I just need a new RAM that’s most compatible with ‘droids.” They look back at the shelves with different types of RAM.
“She bought the newest one that came out, and I spent all night putting together. Not gonna lie; it was actually kinda fun. I didn't realize how intricate this model was since I mostly work on how it looks on the outside. Oh, do you think this one is compatible?... Benji?” Shashi turned back to look at Benji, who was looking down, deep in thought.
“Huh? Oh yeah, that one looks fine. Hey, was it the one from CloudByte, by any chance?”
“Yeah. Why?” Benji’s eyebrows lightly furrowed, looking somewhat worried.
“Uhh, why don’cha get your roommate to buy a new one? I heard those malfunction easily. A-and that they ummm, they’re more prone to get viruses since they can access the web ‘n all.”
“Really? I haven’t heard anything. Also, I don’t think she’ll want to give it back anyways. She wants it ASAP. I know how to run diagnostics and install general virus protection, so if anything seems wrong, I’ll at least be able to catch it early.”
“Oh, really? That’s, uhh, that’s good to hear! But, like, just in case, talk to her about it. I really recommended yall given’ it back.” Benji insists, rubbing his hands together.
“Uh, yeah. Sure… Benji, you good? You look a little on edge.”
“Nah, I’m great! Just too much caffeine, I guess.” Shashi’s phone rang, slightly scaring Benji.
“Oh shit, sorry. It’s work. Hold on.” Shashi answers their phone to hear a ruckus on the other end.
“Hey, boss, what’s wrong? I hear a lot of shit going on… this early? Dammit, alright. I’m on my way. Nah, don’t worry about it. More hours for me. See you in a bit.” Shashi hangs up.
“I gotta go. Some jackasses left early, so I’m gonna fill in. I’ll talk to you later and drink some water!” As Shashi rushed to a cash register, Benji stayed behind and took out his phone, hastily texting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming home late once more, Shashi returns home to a very disgruntled Jaden, sitting on the couch next to the A.I. android like an upset parent whose child snuck out, waiting to scold them when they return.
"Why isn't the android rea-" Shashi shoves the RAM in Jaden's face. Their eyes are red from exhaustion.
"Put it in it's back, then press the button on the neck. Goodnight!" They slam the door to their room.
"Ugh, rude!" says Jaden quietly, looking for the slot on the android's back. She looks back at the RAM, seeming confused about which side to insert it.
"... Shaaashiiii!"
"Read the fucking manual! Now let me sleep!" They yelled from behind the door.
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