-×-

I've been avoiding Michael.

I feel bad, but he won't let up with the whole "your Squip is trying to kill you" deal. I tried to keep in contact with him via texting, but he just kept up with it, so I've been ignoring most of what he texts me. I just feel so guilty about it.

Maybe if I went into my tangible form and talked to him, Squip started while pacing my room.

"Nah, somehow I don't see that ending well," I cut him off from my bed. He frowned and nodded.

Y/n, could we discuss your brother's Squip for a moment? Squipsquop asked after a few seconds.

"Sure," I shrugged.

We have established that Jeremy's Squip seems to want to connect a large number of people, correct?

Yeah.

I think I may have worked out his reasoning.

Really?

Yes, but you might not believe it . . . He trailed off.

Why? What does he want?

I believe--do you remember how I said that he was malfunctioning and that he wasn't doing what was best for Jeremy? I nodded. Well, I believe I may have been mistaken.

What do you mean?

Well, he is malfunctioning, but I think he may believe that whatever it is he's got planned is in your brother's best interests.

How?

Well, your brother wanted to be cool. His Squip is helping him achieve this, but it appears to be going about it in a bad way, Squip explained.

Oh. Can we stop it?

Well, yes, but actually no.

What?

Well, you could attempt to deactivate his Squip using Mountain Dew Red, but that could be a risky move. His Squip will likely fight back and could make Jeremy try to deactivate me . . . You could still tr--

No. I don't want to lose you. He blushed a bit. We'll think of something else.

Okay.

We were both silent for a while. I was thinking about how to help Jeremy and how to make things up to Michael, and Squip was thinking about who knows what.

Origami, he said out of the blue.

"What?"

Origami, he repeated. I gave gave him a "really? That's so helpful" look, and he elaborated. That is what I was thinking about.

Wait, isn't that where you fold paper into stuff? Why were you thinking about that?

Yes, origami is the Japanese art of folding paper. I'm not sure why I thought of it.

We used to fold little birds and stuff back in elementary school, I recalled thoughtfully. It was mostly the boys that were into it, but I thought it was pretty cool, too.

It is cool, Squipsquop said taking a seat next to me.

Can you make anything? I asked.

Of course I can! I giggled at his slight cockiness.

He grabbed a piece of paper from my desk. He folded it a few times before ripping the edge off to make it into a square.

Most origami patterns begin with a square piece of paper, he said holding up the square. He then began folding and it in half and unfolding it to create creases.

I watched over his shoulder as he used the creases to collapse the square into a smaller square and began making more intricate folds. Eventually, the paper began to take an odd shape with one end sticking out straight while the other was folded up almost perpindicupar to the first.

"What're you making?" I asked him while studying the weird shape. It appeared to have a small head on one end, but the rest of it was too unfinished to look like anything.

You'll see. He continued his work.

After about another minute of work, he finished. He turned to me with a smile holding his finished piece. Sitting on his palm was a tiny paper dragon. I grinned at it.

[I put a picture at the top of one that I made earlier. I have way too many of these laying around my room lol]

"That's so cool," I whispered. Squipsquop smiled wider and brought the dragon closer to me.

Here, he said. For you.

I gently picked the little dragon up and inspected it closer. Its tiny wings had creases on them making them look more like an actual dragon, and it even had tiny little feet.

"Thank you," I said looking up at Squip. "I love it!"

I knew you'd like it, he said beaming. Because I'm up here.

He tapped the top of my head, and we both laughed. I looked back down at the little dragon in thought.

"Imma name him," I said.

Go for it, Squipsquop chuckled. I thought for a moment before grinning widely.

"I shall call him Eric, and he shall be my tiny Eric!" I held Eric on my palm and raised him up towards the sky like Simba in The Lion King.

Squip and I laughed for a moment before I brought Eric back down and gently placed him on my nightstand. I smiled knowing that he would reside there forever.

-×-

I know the chapters are getting shorter, but I promise only a few will be like this. I've go this all under control, i sWeAr!

- James 💾