Shaking some famous dead guy's hand didn't seem like a real pact at first but it sure did feel like one. Something seemed to be bugging me with each day that passed, like I was on a time limit and I needed ideas quick. Ben never put all that much pressure on me but I still felt it. And at school it was cranked up to full capacity, and my brain was on the verge of exploding every day until I could get home and power-nap.

Except one day, I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't just fall asleep and forget about everything for a good second. It probably had to do with what had happened earlier.

In Chemistry that day, my lab partner for the semester (weird alien worshiping kid) was acting extra creepy and intrusive with all his questions and stares, and intense scribbling in a notebook that seemed more like a journal than something for school. It wasn't even coming off as him being into me; he just seemed way, way too interested in my personal life and thoughts. Almost like he was interviewing me for something.

"What's your favorite song that's strictly from an anime?"

"Are those jeans you're wearing? It's like you lost the left half of your brain, or something."

"Who would you say is your closest friend, if you have any right now?"

"Are both of your parents home most of the time? Or just one? Or do you not have any?"

I resisted the urge to sock him in the face when he asked if I was a hermaphrodite or not. Sometimes I would answer and he would seem frustrated, or disappointed, like I'd answered wrong. At one point, he paused, sighed, and rested his face in his hand.

"Do you think I'm weird?"

How the fuck am I supposed to answer that?!

"...yes. But weird isn't bad," I hesitantly said, raising an eyebrow and getting back to my classwork. He'd caused us to fall behind a lot on the assignment but we—well, pretty much I was able to finish it on time. That was another thing about Unsettling Alien Kid; he didn't do much of his work in class, but never got reprimanded, and didn't even seem like a slacker. He just looked like he was thinking about important things a lot. A lot. Maybe too much.

What's on his mind half the time, anyway?

I lay awake in bed at 4:00 in the afternoon speculating until I finally realized that this wasn't even what I should've been thinking about in the first place. I was supposed to be connecting the dots, thinking of strategies, doing something to try to help Ben's situation. It felt like if I wasn't sleeping or eating or going through a crippling bout of anxiety, I had to be thinking.

Thanks, brain!

I groaned and sat up, holding my head and trying to shake the thought of that weird kid. I needed some rest, stat. But before I could cleanse myself of the worry my phone buzzed.

Hey are you good - B

I almost smiled.

Yeah. Something weird just happened at school. Oh, also I got a new addition to the insult book wanna hear?

Sure.

Well, not really. Got asked if I was a hermaphrodite today :)

There was a pause in conversation. It surprised me. Ben always texted me like this, but since he's technically everywhere in the web, he can't text from a solid number. So he just "borrows" some random line and contacts me from there. But our talks always went so smoothly, like we were just chatting in real life and not through the internet, and Ben paused. I raised an eyebrow, not able to tell whether he was busy laughing at me or just genuinely shocked. After a good second, he responded again.

Was it her again?

I let out a tiny sigh of relief. Over the past few days, popular girl Charissa-or-something's remarks and backhanded compliments had gotten progressively worse and more hurtful than before. I knew deep down she didn't exactly hate me; she almost seemed to regret saying those kinds of things, and even if she didn't, it still sounded really fake and forced. I suspected somebody else, someone more powerful in the social hierarchy was out to get me, and the girl was just following orders, or being pressured to dig at me by her "friends." But I kept those thoughts to myself most of the time; I really had nobody to vent to it about (besides Ben and maybe that girl Meghan), and Charissa-or-something really seemed to value her place in high school society. Besides, I could take it.

I gave my phone screen a crooked smile, almost certain Ben could see me, and replied.

Nah. Just this weird kid in one of my classes. Didn't seem like he wanted to hurt my feelings but it was funny.

Another pause.

Hello??

Ben was still hesitant.

After a whopping 10 seconds, he responded.

Did he seem like he was into you?

I gave a half-assed chuckle at that. The guy was almost nervous about asking a question like that.

Ha no. It did feel like he was some FBI agent, tho. Like searching for information, trying to figure out where I live, my social security number, all that jazz.

Lol. Good thing I already know both ;))

I widened my eyes.

Wait, you do?

Kidding. That would be too much effort. I CAN find them out, though.

Alright. I was having enough of this cryptic, social queue kind of stuff.

You know you can come on out, right? My mom's at the store.

"Fine."

I heard his voice right by my ear and jumped where I sat.

"Jesus! Okay, that is not what I meant."

Ben chuckled. "I know. But it was funny." He brushed himself off and sat down next to me. It seemed like whatever he was worried about before didn't matter right now, which was fine by me. But you didn't need to be an asshole about it, I thought, a strange kind of half-smirk growing on my face.

"Wow. I thought we were friends, Mx. Valentin." Ben feigned offense, and when I laughed he dropped the act, satisfied with its results. "What was the weird thing that happened, anyway? Or was that it."

I nodded, sighing. "I mean..." Something in me wanted to spill it all out. Everything that had been going on in my head, every single stressful, intrusive thought that entered my mind since he had arrived. You know what? Fuck it.

"...if I could get some things off my chest, that'd be nice."

Ben raised an eyebrow and shifted in his seat. "Ready when you are."

"Thanks." I took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to phrase everything as lightly as possible, without sounding too whiny or like I was suffering too much. Or at least, I sincerely hoped I didn't sound whiny.

"I've been thinking a lot lately. Since the last time we really talked. When I agreed I'd help you, for sure. And I'm kinda starting to understand why everybody who had you before...did the things they did."

Before I could carry on, Ben held up a hand, almost horrified. "Hold on, so you want to lock me in a shoe box and stick me outside in the rain for 10 days before bashing me with a hammer?"

"Somebody did that to you?!"

"Well, they almost did. I heard them talking about it with someone on the phone. First kill, baby," he announced with a sudden sense of pride. He seemed to become aware of himself, and slouched back over. "Carry on."

"...right. Anyway, I don't know what anybody else really did when they had you. But the last guy, he seemed really stressed. I'm guessing mostly because you put him under psychological torture, infected all his stuff, and manipulated his depressed college self for months on end."

"Ha. I did do that."

"Not really a laughing matter, buddy."

"...sorry."

"But. I think another part of that is because at one point, he did want to help you. He did feel sorry for you. And now I'm falling into that disgusting trap, of being a good person." The words left a bad taste in my mouth, and I stuck out my tongue in disgust. Virtue. Gross.

"So naturally, since I'm also still in school, I just feel all this pressure. All the time. Everywhere. And I'm not saying you're a handful, Ben, but...it's more the baggage you come with is a lot to deal with. I'm just feeling really weird and guilty a lot of the time because I haven't found a way to bust you out of a Nintendo cartridge and it's only been a week!" I managed to say the last part all in one breath and heaved a sigh. "There. I'll be here all night, folks," I joked feebly, still feeling like a mountain of crap.

Ben didn't seem like he knew what to say to that.